For Want of Izuku's Toe Joint

by Raeigh

Since he only had one joint in his pinky toe, the doctor explained, there was a very high chance his quirk would manifest eventually. Years passed without any sign of it though, leaving Izuku to wonder if he could become a hero even without a quirk. Nevertheless, Izuku does have a subtle, but extremely powerful ability - the kind that could make him the greatest hero of all time.

9. Chapter 8

Ch 8

"Ready… START"

With a bang, the assembled Yuuei students ran at top speed through the tunnel. Actually it ended up being problematic because they all squeezed together uncomfortably. Izuku gritted his teeth, but resigned himself to sticking with the crowd for now. He could activate Full Cowl and push his way through it, but that'd probably end up getting someone hurt in the crush of things, and he wasn't that desperate yet. By the time they all escaped the tunnel, Todoroki had pulled ahead somehow.

Izuku was just about to jet forward when Todoroki used his quirk to ice everyone behind him. Literally. Izuku activated Full Cowl and busted straight through the barrier, just in time to see the robots from the Entrance Exam jump out in front of them. A couple of iced-over zero-point bots teetered precariously and fell; Izuku hoped that no one had been underneath them. He punched a couple of smaller robots that locked onto him, destroying them easily. Unlike during his first exam, Izuku didn't even feel a twinge. He grinned. He'd known intellectually that he'd improved, but it was reassuring to see concrete proof.

Kirishima and a boy from Class 1B—who also seemed to have a Hardening quirk—burst out from underneath the frozen bots, before running ahead. "See you later, losers!" yelled Kacchan as he blasted himself over the enormous machines. Sero used his tape to also vault over them and Tokoyami did something similar with Dark Shadow. Izuku scowled. He was falling behind.

Okay, time to analyze his options. At full speed, it'd be pretty simple to maneuver his way around the robots. Or, if he wanted to be flashy, he could jump over them like the others had. Izuku grinned and kicked off his shoes. He wouldn't be needing them anymore. What he was going to do… it wasn't the most efficient way by any means. If this were truly a simple obstacle race then he'd never go for such a wasteful path. However, the sports festival wasn't just a school event… it was Izuku's chance to show the world who he was. It was time to make a first impression, so it'd better be a flashy one.

Izuku kneeled into a runner's pose, skin crackling with One for All's energy. He focused on the soles of his feet. Just like the palms of his hands, the soles of his feet contained the greatest concentration of sweat glands on his body. Izuku hadn't spent nearly as much time refining the technique with his feet, but nevertheless it could still give him a good boost for a run like this.

He shot forward, enhancing his muscles as much as he dared. Once he was close enough to a zero-point robot, he planted his feet in the ground. "Smash!" Izuku grunted, rocketing forward through the air like a missile. He aimed himself so that he'd hit the robot head first, like a dart. Keeping his left arm over his head, Izuku bolstered his defenses as much and at the last possible moment thrust his right arm behind him. "Smash!" he yelled again. The shockwave was more powerful this time, giving him a final burst of momentum right when he hit the robot.

The impact was jarring, even with so much of his power pooled beneath his skin, cushioning him. Nevertheless, his plan worked. Izuku rocketed right through the zero-point bot. He heard it crunching and collapsing against the ground behind him.

"Whoa!" cried Present Mic, who was announcing the event. "It seems Midoriya Izuku, from the heroics class 1A, has shot right through that huge robot! What an explosive kid! Wait a minute, is it Izuku or Deku? Didn't that Bakugou boy call him Deku earlier?"

Grinning, Izuku turned his focus to his feet. Now it was time for speed. He was the fastest person on the field right now, since Iida was still caught up in the robots. Time to take advantage of that. Plus, he could imagine how pissed off Kacchan would be, hearing Izuku's nickname announced over the loudspeakers. He wanted to see his boyfriend's expression while it was still fresh. Indeed, Kacchan's face when Izuku ran straight past him was priceless.

The second obstacle was a huge pit trap. There were small raised platforms connected by steel cables. The smartest thing to do would be to take his time with the challenge. Izuku was in first place, and he could afford to sacrifice some time in order to ensure that he completed the race. It'd be the correct decision. The Izuku from a few weeks ago would've made it easily. But carefully crawling across the ropes wouldn't look very cool, would it?

"Heh…" chuckled Izuku nervously, although he tried to hide his anxiety behind a grin. The cameras were sure to be on him. "Time to show them what I've got."

He braced himself, before leaping over the edge. Izuku didn't really have a good idea of what his maximum range was, since he hadn't exactly gotten a chance to practice jumping over pits using his smashes. Luckily he could stabilize himself in the air somewhat using weak bursts from his hands. Izuku hit a platform hard, skidding towards the edge. He punched his fist into the ground, stopping himself before he slid off the platform. "Ha! This is nothing!" Izuku bragged. Secretly though, his heart was racing. Oh god. The last time he'd been that high up, he'd shattered both of his legs. One wrong move and he would've fallen to his death (or at least to an early loss, Yuuei probably had some sort of safety net in the pit).

A quick glanced showed him that he was about halfway across the obstacle. Todoroki was quickly catching up, using his ice to skid across the cables. Kacchan wasn't far behind either. Okay, no problem. He'd already cleared half of it. Izuku just had to throw himself into the air again, risking not only catastrophic bodily harm if he landed wrong, but also abject humiliation in front of the entire country. No biggie.

Before he could talk himself into wimping out, Izuku coiled his body and sprang forward. He didn't have room to make a running start like he had in the beginning, so he thrust his arms downward. "Smash!" Izuku yelled, propelling himself far enough to clear the pit easily. He channeled his energy to his feet, releasing a little burst to slow himself down enough that he landed and was able to immediately set forward at a sprint.

"Incredible! Midoriya's cleared the second obstacle in just two bounds. He's definitely established himself as the guy to beat. Let's see if he has more trouble with the third challenge!"

This was it. All eyes were on him. As he rounded the corner to the mine field, Izuku didn't even hesitate. It was too long for him to clear in a single jump. He could probably risk taking a couple of leaps. He was tough enough to withstand the explosions from the landmines, since they couldn't possibly be strong enough to seriously injure the students. But, as he kept reminding himself, Izuku wasn't here to win. He was here to make a statement.

Hm. The mines were likely placed far enough away from each other so that one detonating wouldn't cause a chain reaction. It wouldn't matter. Not for what he had planned, anyway. Izuku grinned, this time for real. "If that other stuff didn't make an impression, then this should do the trick." It would ruin the obstacle for the other students, but Izuku couldn't afford to be concerned about the people behind him. He had to keep looking forward.

Izuku spread his arms as wide as he could, and channeled his power to the palms of his hand. This attack would be useless in combat, given the amount of time it took to power up safely. Still, for something like this it was perfect. Izuku didn't move until he felt his hands shaking with the strain of containing so much energy. Then, he swung his arms up over his head, and brought them down with all his strength, kneeling so that his arms smacked the ground. "Tokyo… SMASH!" Izuku yelled, releasing the pent-up energy.

For a split second, all Izuku felt was the rumbling of the ground in front of him, spreading out in a shockwave. Then, the mines started exploding. The separation between blasts was almost imperceptible, considering how quickly the shockwave moved. It created an even greater effect, prolonging the explosion as if it were one long blast rather than a bunch of individual bombs. Izuku gritted his teeth, digging his hands into the ground to keep from being blown away. Even for him, it was a challenge to withstand the concussive force.

As soon as the initial explosions died down, Izuku shot forward through the cloud of dust and rubble, easily clearing the now bomb-free course and entering the tunnel that marked the end of the race.

"What a reckless move!" cried Present Mic. "That explosion was way stronger than was intended. It might have seriously injured him. Did Midoriya throw away his lead in a fit of adolescent pique?"

Oh? They must not have seen him enter the tunnel. Izuku felt a huge grin growing on his face. Oh man. This was going to be great.

"The dust is clearing and there's no sign of him. Oh no! I-I think that Midoriya may have…"

"Don't be so hasty, Present Mic," interjected Aizawa lazily. "Look at the finish line."

"Is it… could it be? It is! It's Midoriya! While our vision was blocked, he ran right through the course and crossed the finish line. Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the first challenge is Midoriya Izuku!"

The crowd roared so loudly that it seemed more like a physical presence than a sound. Izuku laughed, delighted, and threw a fist in the air. The audience tried to start up a chant of 'Midoriya', but there were too many syllables. It was awkward and clunky. He wasn't exactly sure how it happened—maybe the crowd remembered Present Mic saying it after the first obstacle, or maybe Kacchan's speech in the beginning had just made that much of an impression—but soon they started chanting "DE-KU, DE-KU, DE-KU!"

Izuku basked in the feeling, until he was sent unceremoniously tumbling into the dirt. He rolled over. "Ugh, Kacchan," complained Izuku. "What the heck was that for?"

Kacchan's eye twitched. "Deku, you idiot, you ruined the course for everyone else. Now a bunch of weak extras are going to get through."

Izuku just shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, but it was pretty cool, huh?"

"When the hell did you get an attack like that, anyways?"

"Ah, I've been working on it the past couple of weeks."

Kacchan raised his gaze heavenward as if pleading with a higher power. "Get up, Deku," he muttered before bodily pulling Izuku to his feet. "You definitely don't look cool eating dirt."

Just then, Todoroki exited the tunnel, panting. Izuku grinned at Kacchan. "You beat Todoroki! Good job, Kacchan!"

"Hmph. Once you torched the minefield, it was just a matter of pure speed. Half-and-Half is pretty strong but my explosions make me much faster than him." Kacchan scowled. "You better not've cleared the way for me on purpose."

"N-no! Of course not Kacchan! I was just… trying to impress everyone," chuckled Izuku sheepishly.

Kacchan glared at him suspiciously before nodding. "Alright. I'll just have to crush you in the next round then."

"Sure, sure," placated Izuku with a grin. There was probably something strange about him that he found threats from his boyfriend to be cute, but oh well.

His good mood lasted until Midnight explained the nature of the second trial. A cavalry battle? Where his headband would guarantee victory for anyone who grabbed it? The entire field would be gunning for his team. He'd have a hard chance attracting anyone but the most desperate. Izuku wasn't necessarily opposed to everyone focusing on him. Even though it majorly freaked him out, it fit nicely with his objectives. And, quite frankly, he thought that he'd still be able to eke out a pass, even if he lost the 10-million-point bandana. The only problem was that he didn't just want to pass; he wanted to blow everyone else away. Except, who could he convince to be on a team with him?

"Hey, Deku!" called Ochaco. "You want to team up with me?"

"O-ochaco?" Izuku said, baffled. "But… everyone in the competition will be coming after us!"

"Well, we'll just run away the whole time! Besides, it's better to be on a team with people you already get along with, right?"

"A-ah, right!" grinned Izuku. "Thanks, Ochaco! You're a real friend."

Plus, with Ochaco on his team, Izuku had the beginnings of a strategy. Of course, if he wanted to win this challenge in style, there was one person he had to convince. "I have an idea. Follow me!"

The two of them weaved through the crowd, and Izuku tried to ignore the stares people sent his way. Oh yeah, they were definitely gunning for him. Finally, he reached his target.

"Kacchan!" Izuku cried, interrupting their various classmates who had surrounded the blonde. "Please, join our team!"

"No way!" Sero cried. "That'd be so unfair. You can't have two of the strongest guys in our class on one team. Besides, Bakugou was just going to choose me!"

"What's your name again?" Kacchan frowned. Sero looked dejected. "Never mind. Deku, I told you that I was going to crush you in this challenge. Why do you think I'd change my mind?"

Izuku grinned. Tellingly, Kacchan hadn't said 'no' outright. That meant that he was at least willing to hear Izuku out. "Well this wouldn't really count, would it? We have other people on our teams that would get in the way. It's not an even fight between the two of us, so it'd be a waste of time."

"Hmm," mused Kacchan, but he definitely appeared intrigued. Ha! Izuku had baited the hook, now time to sweeten the deal.

"And you could be our team Captain! Your hands would be free to blast people, and I can withstand your explosions so you could use them without holding back!"

"Hey!" cried Kirishima. "That was my idea!"

Izuku winced. "Oh. Sorry, Kirishima." The redhead wouldn't fit into his plan, unfortunately. Izuku couldn't afford to choose teammates just based on who he liked the best.

"Those are all good points," conceded Kacchan. "But what I don't get is why you would want to team up with me." He stared at Izuku intently. "You're trying to get noticed. That's why you pulled that stunt with the landmines. Teaming up with me and putting me at the head will just deflect attention from yourself. You're strong enough that you don't need me to pass. What's your strategy, Deku?"

Izuku grinned. "Heh, of course you'd realize that." Kacchan knew him better than anyone else in the world. Except, Izuku also knew Kacchan better than anyone else did. He knew exactly what to say. "The thing is, Kacchan… I don't want to just get through to the next round." He met Kacchan's eyes, knowing that his boyfriend would see just how serious he was. "I want to get every single point in the game. And I know that I can't do it without you. Kacchan… we've always competed. We've never had the chance to see what would happen if we worked together." Izuku stepped up inside Kacchan's personal bubble, angling his face up to maintain eye contact. "Let's save our fight for next round. If it's like previous years, they'll have one on one matches. For now, let's team up. Together… we could crush everyone here."

Kacchan was staring at him, mouth gaping open slightly. The look in his eyes… it was hungry like he wanted to eat Izuku. Um. He might've miscalculated slightly. Izuku blushed. He knew that Kacchan would like what he said; that's the whole reason he chose that strategy. He didn't know that Kacchan would really like it though. He gulped. Seeing that look on Kacchan's face, um- it made Izuku feel… things. Slowly, Kacchan's mouth spread into a huge grin, although the hunger in his eyes didn't dissipate one iota.

"God damnit," moaned Kirishima. "Look at Bakugou's face! We can't compete with Midoriya's bedroom eyes."

"Ew, ew, ew!" Ashido covered her face with her hands. "Can you two save it until after the sports festival, at least? There are children watching this."

"We should just team up together," muttered Sero. "Clearly Bakugou's a lost cause."

The three of them wandered off in search of a fourth teammate. Kacchan just kept grinning down at Izuku, until Ochaco cleared her throat. "Uh, so I guess you're in then, Team Captain?"

"Hell yeah. Deku's right. We're going to crush everyone. Count your lucky stars that you're on our team, Round-face."

"Kacchan!" protested Deku. "Ochaco is vital to the strategy."

"So what's this strategy, then?" Kacchan raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain it when we get our fourth teammate. Iida should be perfect for us."

"You mean Private School?" grunted Kacchan. "Too late." He pointed over to where Iida had clearly teamed up with Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari.

"Aw darn," swore Izuku. "That's a great combination. Todoroki must be intending on putting Iida in front. Yaoyorozu can make skates or something for her and Kaminari, and they'll be able to zip around the field. And she and Kaminari make great flanks. Their quirks are perfect for deflecting attacks."

Kacchan snapped his fingers in front of Izuku's face. "Focus, Deku. Mutter-storm later. Who would complete this oh-so-amazing plan of yours?"

"May I suggest myself?" a girl said cheerily. She was kind of odd looking, covered in strange gadgets and gizmos.

"Oh! You're the one from the support department," Ochaco said.

"Hatsume Mei, at your service! If I was on a team with the number one and two finishers, everyone's eyes would be on me. It'll be the perfect chance to show off my babies to the big companies!"

Izuku was kind of skeptical at first, especially since the girl clearly only wanted to be on their team in order to show off her 'babies'. However, that changed when she pulled out a replica of the Buster Hero, Air Jet's backpack. Izuku took a second look at Hatsume's equipment. Actually… "This is perfect!" grinned Izuku.

"Really?" asked Kacchan dubiously.

"Here, let me explain…"

By the time Izuku finished conveying his strategy, Kacchan's grin had grown to almost manic proportions. "Heh. Oh yeah, I knew teaming up with you would be good, Deku. It's time to crush everyone."

When the match started, everyone ran straight for their team. Izuku grinned. Just like he thought. He'd hidden his hands behind himself while the teams were taking their places. Anyone looking would assume that he was holding up Kacchan, except Uraraka had used her quirk on him right away. She and Hatsume were tethering him down from behind. That meant that Izuku had been able to spend the whole time Midnight was talking to gather energy into the palm of his hand.

"Let's start with a bang, guys! Tokyo SMASH!" Izuku swung his arm across his body, and a gust of wind blew outwards as if he'd swung a massive fan. It caught a few teams off guard, sending them toppling over. Izuku noted that Hagakure's team, with Jiro, Sato, and Koda was one of them, but he didn't have time to feel remorse. He'd promised to take every point, and that meant the ones from his friends as well.

"Move!" commanded Kacchan.

Uraraka reversed Kacchan's weightlessness, while she and Hatsume balanced on their outside legs. Each of them was wearing one of Hatsume's hover boots. Izuku grinned and ran ahead at full speed, assisted by Kacchan aiming his explosions behind himself. They shot forward, grabbing the headbands of the teams that they'd knocked prone.

"Three down, seven to go!" cheered Uraraka.

"Don't forget that those guys we beat can get up and try again," Kacchan reminded them. "Keep your guard up." Nevertheless, Izuku could hear the grin in his voice.

Their path was cut off by a wall of ice. Team Todoroki and Team Ashido—consisting of Ashido, Hirishima, Sero, and Tokoyami—stood behind them, cutting off their path. A couple of more teams were also closing in.

"Heh. Trying to trap us, huh?" goaded Kacchan. "Alright squad, time for evasive maneuvers."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed, and he sent a wave of ice at them, trying to freeze their feet to the ground. He wasn't fast enough though. Ochaco tapped Hatsume, Izuku, and Kacchan. Hatsume wrapped a cable around them to keep them from floating away from each other, and Kacchan blasted them up into the air. Sero tried to peg them with his tape, but Izuku blew it aside with another, weaker Smash. It would've sent them reeling except Kacchan stabilized them all with small counter-explosions.

There was a tense moment while everyone looked up at them. Apparently, no one had any decent long ranged attacks. Kacchan laughed. "You extras are toast. We could just sit up here for thirteen more minutes and win." He paused. "But too bad for you, our goal is grind you all into dust."

Normally, Ochaco's quirk wouldn't be useful for something like this. Once her targets were weightless, they couldn't maneuver themselves, and would float off into the atmosphere if she didn't stop them. Except, between Kacchan's explosions, Izuku's smashes, and Hatsume's jet pack, they could zip around as long as they wanted.

The battle that followed was—quite frankly—unfair. It was like everyone else was stuck on horses in the Middle Ages, and team Bakugou had an apache helicopter. They swooped around the field like bats out of hell. When they fought a team together, they'd rocket down towards them, letting Izuku take the brunt of their opponent's counterattacks while Kacchan blasted them to smithereens and grabbed their headbands. They didn't always fight together though; Hatsume and Ochaco could stay in the air, holding on to each other, while attaching the grappling hooks on Hatsume's belt to Kacchan and Izuku. Then the boys could propel themselves at two different teams and fight them, letting Hatsume retract them when they were finished.

After Kacchan's neck was adorned with seven headbands, the other squads stopped going after them. Instead, most decided to attack the few teams who still had their bands. With team Bakugou hoarding so many points, probably anyone who could get even a single headband would advance.

"Let's go for Pinky next," grinned Kacchan. "That stupid tape guy is seriously annoying me."

The four of them hooked onto each other again. Between Ashido's acid, Sero's tape, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and Kirishima's defense, it would be a tough fight.

"Kacchan," Izuku said. "Aim for Dark Shadow. It gets weaker when it's hit with light." It was just a guess, but Izuku's hunches about quirks had a tendency to turn out to be correct.

"Perfect. Deku, Jet Girl, take over the propulsion."

Izuku and Hatsume launched them towards Team Ashido, and Kacchan preemptively dazzled them with dozens of small explosions. Just as Izuku suspected, Dark Shadow flinched away from them in a critical moment. Izuku ignored Kirishima and punched out at Sero. The boy's tape was their biggest threat right now. Once Sero was out of the picture (lying dazed on the ground from Izuku's blow), it was simple to take their team's headband. Even though Ashido's quirk was strong, she couldn't stand up to Kacchan's explosions.

They rocketed back up above the arena. "Huh," Izuku mused. "It looks like the only headbands left are Todoroki's and that one guy from Gen Ed." He frowned as he looked down at the General Education student… Shinsou, he thought. As one of the only people left with any headbands, his team was a major target. And yet, whenever anybody got close, they'd turn away without even trying to fight him. It was suspicious, almost like…

"A brainwashing quirk," mumbled Izuku.

"What was that, Deku?" asked Ochaco.

"Oh! I think that guy from Gen Ed has a brainwashing quirk. See how everyone turns around and goes the other way once they see him?" Izuku looked closer. That didn't seem quite right. "No… he's… he's talking to them. It must be something related to Shinsou's voice."

"So we have to make sure we can't hear the fucker?" mused Kacchan.

"I have just the thing!" cheered Hatsume. She riffled through her bag, producing a pair of ear buds. "They're noise canceling! I wish I could say that it's a super cool invention, but I just use them to study," she admitted.

"Whatever. They'll work," said Kacchan, who snatched them and stuffed them in his ears. "You guys stay here," he commanded, before rocketing off towards Shinsou.

"It'd be so much safer if I went instead," complained Izuku. "He's wearing all our points!"

Regardless, their strategy seemed to work, because even though Shinsou tried to talk to Kacchan, he wasn't able to brainwash him. It seemed to be his only trick, since he had no other defenses against Kacchan. In fact, now that he was looking closely, Izuku could see that Shinsou's team was brainwashed as well. He must not know their quirks, because Ojiro didn't even try to bat at Kacchan with his tail.

Once Kacchan grabbed the headband, Hatsume pressed the button to retract the grappling hook tied around his waist, and he flew back to the group. "Alright," he grunted. "Now all that's left is-"

Before he could finish, a massive wall of ice blocked off half the stadium. It would've caught them if Izuku hadn't blown them away at the last second.

"Hey!" called Todoroki. "If you want my headband, you're going to have to come get it." Todoroki grinned.

Izuku frowned in contemplation. Contrary to his initial thoughts, Todoroki hadn't been aiming for him. Rather, the huge wall of ice neatly separated them from everyone else on the field. No one would be able to interfere with their fight, although he could see some people trying to chip through the barrier. With only a minute left, there was no way that they'd break it though.

"Heh. So Half-and-half wants to play, huh? Round-face! Let us down."

Ochaco nodded and reversed her quirk. They started falling to the ground, but between all of their abilities, they were able to control their decent, landing gently. "We have to be careful," said Izuku. "Kaminari's electricity can keep us at bay. Plus, I can't defend against it." Strengthening his body wouldn't do him any good against getting shocked.

"My babies won't hold up very well either," admitted Hatsume.

There was a reason they'd left Todoroki for last. They didn't have much time to strategize, though, before their classmates were upon them. Izuku grimaced. Quite frankly, they paired up poorly against Todoroki's team. Even though he and Kacchan were strong, his plan had centered on using their aerial advantage to crush their opponents. Meanwhile, Todoroki's team was well balanced, with a fantastic mix of offensive abilities. Izuku's speed was completely offset by Iida's, and while Kacchan might be able to take out Kaminari, he had to contend with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. Hatsume had been a valuable contributor with her tech, but she wasn't a fighter. And Ochaco…

Izuku barely managed to push them back in time. Iida had moved forward so quickly that Todoroki had almost snatched the headband off of Kacchan's forehead. Luckily, Izuku was accustomed to sparring with All Might, who made even Iida look slow. It had refined his reflexes to the point where he could dodge just quickly enough. Nevertheless, it had been a close call.

"Ochaco," Izuku whispered, continuing his thought from earlier. "I'm sorry, but I have a favor to ask."

"What is it, Deku?"

"If we get you close… do you think you can touch Kaminari?"

Ochaco paused for a moment. "Yeah," she said eventually, sounding determined. She'd probably get knocked out by Kaminari's electricity, but if it worked then Todoroki would be severely unbalanced. Izuku was definitely strong enough to hold up Kacchan without Ochaco, but Iida and Yaoyorozu would be majorly burdened if they lost Kaminari. Plus, Iida's engines seemed to have stalled after that burst of speed.

"Okay… Kacchan?"

"Yeah," confirmed the blonde. "Let's do it."

They repeated their maneuver from the beginning of the challenge, with Hatsume and Ochaco balancing on one foot each while Kacchan and Izuku sent them hurtling forwards. Yaoyorozu conjured a massive bludgeon to attack them with, and Todoroki looked ready to use his ice against them as well. Kacchan focused his explosions on Todoroki as a distraction and Izuku allowed Yaoyorozu to hit him, absorbing the brunt of the blow. Meanwhile, Ochaco reached for Kaminari, tapping his shoulder. She screamed as electricity arced across her body, collapsing to the ground.

Izuku grabbed her and adjusted Kacchan's weight to hold him with one hand, before jamming his shoulder into Iida's chest, jostling the opposing team. With Kaminari halfway off the ground, the blow sent Todoroki tumbling. Kacchan grinned fiercely and grabbed Todoroki's headband just before the boy fell to the ground.

"Time's up!" cried Present Mic.

"Yes!" Kacchan crowed, hopping off of Izuku's shoulders to the ground. He patted Ochaco's shoulder, ignoring her trembling, and sauntered right up to Izuku. Kacchan stared down at him, the same hungry expression on his face that Izuku saw before the second challenge began. "Deku," he said lowly. "I still can't wait to crush you next round, but you were right." He grinned. "We do make a pretty good team. Now that I'm all fired up…" His eyes were locked on Izuku's lips. Izuku's breath hitched. "And since we're finally boyfriends for fuckin' real." He leaned in even closer. Izuku could feel Kacchan's breath on his face. "I think I should-"

"Well as much as I hate to interrupt this touching moment," said Yaoyorozu. "You might want to look over here before celebrating."

They froze. Slowly, Izuku cocked his head so he could see over Kacchan's shoulder. Yaoyorozu was holding a grip machine, the kind of thing that kids played with. It was really convoluted, thin and twisted, but the concept applied. If she pulled the handle, the claw at the end closed. And in its grip was… the 10-million-point bandana! Izuku felt his blood freeze.

"While you guys were so intent on getting our points, you forgot to defend your own," explained Yaoyorozu.

Izuku cringed. "S-such a level head, Yaoyorozu. Even while your team was falling apart, you kept your cool and went for the win. Ah, we shouldn't have underestimated you."

She laughed. "Well, you still beat us, basically." Iida's legs were smoking while he desperately tried to keep Kaminari from floating away. Todoroki was sitting on the ground, having just propped himself up after falling from his 'horse'. "We're lucky that the challenge ended when it did, or else we'd be disqualified for letting Todoroki fall to the ground."

"N-no! You earned it fair and square!" Izuku was disappointed to have lost, but he couldn't feel too bad. They'd taken out every other team, and Yaoyorozu was right. If they had a few more seconds, they'd have earned every single point. It was a shame that they'd lost the ten-million-point headband, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Izuku still felt like even though they'd technically come in second, they still had made the biggest impression in everyone's mind. "Congratulations, Yaoyorozu! We all- Ah!"

In that moment, Izuku caught sight of Kacchan, who was trembling with rage. "K-Kacchan… we st-still did really well, you know…"

Kacchan pointed directly at Yaoyorozu. "You! What's your name?"

Yaoyorozu's jaw dropped. "We've been in the same class for over a month, Bakugou! M-Midoriya literally just addressed me by name!" She paused for a moment, but when Kacchan made no sign of replying, she sighed. "It's Yaoyorozu, jeez."

"Yaoyorozu," gritted Kacchan. "You'd better hope that we don't meet up in the next round, because if we do, I'll crush you."

He spun on his heel and stalked away, fuming. Yaoyorozu cocked an eyebrow at Izuku, who just rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment. "Uh, I know that seemed really rude." She kept staring at him. "Okay, it was really rude, um. But, Kacchan doesn't remember anyone's name. The fact that he asked for yours meant that he respects you! Plus, he's probably really mad at himself for losing the headband like that. Ah… please forgive him?"

Yaoyorozu waved a hand dismissively. "Tensions get high in events like these."

Before he could respond, Midnight interrupted. "Congratulations to Team Bakugou and Team Todoroki, who advance to the next round! Of course, you may have noticed that there were no other teams with points! Not to worry, we were well aware of this possibility when we designed the challenge. We've got a round two point five for you. It's similar to the cavalry challenge, but with a twist to keep the audience entertained! This time, it's every student for themselves, and it's sudden death. The points on your headband don't matter anymore. Once it's captured, you're out! The last eight students standing will advance to the final round."

The two winning teams were ushered off the field, and Ochaco was sent to Recovery Lady. Izuku was disappointed that they'd technically lost, but he was still pretty high on how freaking awesome their team had been. Now, he just had to go find Kacchan and convince him of that fact.