Welcome back, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the two-for-one of Joint Training battles last week, and I hope my including Maja Kieslowska into the mix met any one of your expectations as to how I could mix things up from the canon. Now it's time to move onto what is ultimately the main course of this take on this arc, where I can finally start truly cementing one of the plot threads I've been laying out before. I can only hope this continues to entertain you all. I strongly appreciate the reviews from Guest reader Kyler, expressing their thoughts on things thus far, as far as they've read. That kind of engagement goes a very long way, so please, I encourage you all to tell me your thoughts and feelings here, no matter if they be positive or negative. Any reaction at all is better than none, after all.

I would once again like to thank all of you for continuing to read here every day and show your support; with similar thanks to extend to my three beta readers and consultants: Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; as well as to all current DA supporting fan-artists: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro and Yumake.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi (thoughts and prayers for his recovery in light of this recently announced two-week break for the manga) and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 117

Parallel

(Параллель)

4th Match

While the majority of his team was still reeling from the fact that they were now going to be having their match simultaneously with the final match back at the industrial section of Gym Gamma; Bakugo's eyes were simply focused on the path ahead; having complete tunnel vision while his blood boiled in anticipation for the fight to finally come…and similarly in frustration when hearing the uncertainty in his team's voices.

"Hey, Bakugo, maybe we should take this chance to maybe re-discuss the whole strategy you ran by us? Maybe figure out some combinations we can work with once the fighting actually starts? I know you said to use my Remote Kinetic Blasts once Kyouka-san found their hiding spots; but that part of my Quirk doesn't work on non-manmade environments like our new battleground." Nikolay finally addressed him after having made sure that Kyouka, Rikido and Hanta were both on the same page; the latter similarly chiming in: "Yeah, man. I mean, your whole plan was pretty solid in, like, a basic way, but you oughta know that even the slightest change can call for some re-thinking, right? This isn't exactly a slight change, either."

But Bakugo never even stopped; only barely giving his teammates the courtesy of eye contact as he stomped ever onward. "You people are all pathetic, getting so shaken up just because we're changing the battlefield! Who gives a damn about any of that?! I know my plan is solid! All you have to do is just what I told you before, and I'll get us the win, easy! If those distance attacks of yours don't work based on the environment, Commie, then just shut up and figure out something else you can do that's just as effective with Earlobes' Quirk! Now all of you shut up with all the complaining! We're almost there!"

Since they could all still hear how heavily Bakugo was breathing as he stormed on, Kyouka took that chance to speak up in a cautious whisper: "I don't know about this, guys. I mean, Bakugo being confident isn't exactly a surprise, but I'm not so sure about where his head's at right now."

Rikido was similarly nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I'd have been worried enough if we were just going up against Tokage and her classmates by themselves. But after seeing what Maja-san did in the second match, and knowing how much he clearly hates both of them already, that definitely isn't inspiring any confidence, either."

Nikolay couldn't hide the similar concern on his face as he kept watching Bakugo's back up ahead. It was definitely a reasonable worry that his teammates had. Bakugo could hold a grudge like nobody else, and considering Setsuna and Maja had both committed the grievous sin of actually upstaging him at the Cavalry Race and throughout the School Festival respectively, even he had to wonder just how much of Bakugo's focus was actually on winning the match as a whole, and how much was going towards just annihilating those two girls specifically.

Meanwhile, on the complete other side of the forested mountain battleground; Team 4-B was likewise discussing among themselves in regards to the coming match; Setsuna confidently taking the lead, while the glue bottle-headed and towering Kojiro Bondo was easily the most nervous among his teammates. "On this terrain, Bezpalov, Sero and Jirou are gonna be our biggest problems, both in terms of range and ability to sniff out any hiding spots we could have."

The black-haired, bandana-wearing and intense Yosetsu Awase similarly answered: "Yeah, not to mention Bakugo and Sato. They both pack a serious punch; and with what you described of him from Erubi City, Tokage-san; that Bezpalov's a pretty heavy hitter too; so we got two distance attackers, two heavy-hitters, and one that fills both roles."

However, the bright green-haired and fierce praying mantis-looking Togaru Kamakiri didn't look the least bit intimidated. "Who cares about any of that? Just let me dice 'em up and put an end to it."

Maja was keeping close to Setsuna; who could easily see her foreign teammate's nervousness, and subsequently pulled her in by her shoulders, giving her and the rest of her team the same confident fanged grin she always did. "Don't look so worried, Maja-san. Yeah, Bakugo and his Quirk seem scary when you're on the opposite side, but my head's been racing since I saw what you did the last time. Yeah, it's true that we're up against a team of no real slouches, but that goes for us as a team, too; you included. We wanna show Class A how much we've grown? You wanna cement your place in the Hero Course with the rest of us? Just follow my instructions, pick your chances, and we will get Class B a win out of this.

"Now, we can all agree that we don't stand a chance against them in an open brawl, so our best strategy is to try and separate them from each other and ambush them over and over again, slowly building up our advantage. More likely than not, we'll basically be up against a one-man team, two-man at the most, since Bakugo will most likely be taking the lead and barking out orders; and if Bezpalov-kun sees any of his teammates in trouble, he'll likely try to intervene. If we can keep the pressure on Bakugo especially, he's bound to ultimately stumble. That's when the whole team will start screwing up and fall apart. We may not be able to come out the winning class, but if we can tie with Class A, then we can at least show that we're nothing less than equal to them in power. Now come on; the early bird gets the worm. Let's get into position."

5th Match

Deep within the confines of the industrial battleground, Team 5-B was making their way to their starting point; Neito having a pronouncedly eager and confident stride in comparison to his teammates; with the diminutive grey-haired Nirengeki Shouda eyeing their surroundings as though he were expecting them to get attacked even before Vlad King could announce the matches to begin. "H-hey, Monoma-san; how can you have such an upbeat swagger right now? With Class A winning the first two matches, and the third one being a draw, even if our class were to win both these matches happening now; a tie with Class A is the best we could possibly hope to obtain anymore."

But Neito's self-assured grin didn't even flinch; his movements now taking on a much more melodramatic flare. "Don't let that discourage you, Shouda-kun! No matter how this turns out, I'm always more than happy to see my peers reflect and grow. Yes, a full-on victory for our class is no longer within our reach, but we haven't truly lost just yet. Because what I want us all to learn is which class treads the correct path: the earnest one that keeps its nose clean and acts when it is needed; or the class of wholly undeserving reprobates that bathes in the limelight for all the wrong reasons?"

Of course, by now, Neito was well within his own little world, hence why the aside from the otherwise quiet Reiko Yanagi fell on deaf ears: "Excepting Shinso-san and Shouda-san; all three of us fought alongside some of those Class A lot, same for Setsuna-chan, and we all got the same recognition as them. Does that make her and us the undeserving reprobates of our class then?"

With that, Neito suddenly threw his arms out like a grand-standing theater performer opening himself up for applause. "Of course not, for we were all of us but simply bit players in the lives of all those Class A scum…just as we are only the main characters in our own. Only when we are able to secure that victory and stand tall in those roles only, will I truly be able to be satisfied!"

Of course, some very skeptical glances between Reiko, Yui and Nirengeki made it clear that they were all of the same mind: Neito was simply using his melodramatic way of speaking to essentially say he wanted Class B to hog all the glory, instead of anything so humble or respectable as what his mouth was dishing out. Even being recognized as a Hero and getting his share of recognition from a whole town's worth of people wasn't enough, so long as Class A had any association with it.

But that was the past, and this was the present, and there was no point in calling their self-appointed leader out on his hypocrisy and ego. So, naturally, Reiko's answer was as blunt as could be: "So what? What's our plan?"

"'So what' she says!" Neito instinctively laughed out loud at his teammate's straightforwardness; while Nirengeki was now looking as contemplative as could be. "We should probably take the same approach as Tokage-san's team no doubt will. We've got a similar setup, and similar numbers. Our more technical Quirks are best used to strike in a variety of ways from the shadows. Even if there are five of us against four of them, we'll be in trouble if this turns into a brawl; even if the three of you have seen how Ashido fights."

"But in this particular fight, wouldn't Midoriya be the one haunting us the most?" Reiko suddenly asked; earning a mildly confused glance from Hitoshi, before Nirengeki quickly piped in: "That's just her way of saying he's scary. But Yanagi-san is right. Midoriya is just as quick and powerful as Bakugo and Bezpalov are; maybe even more so. I hear he even developed some ranged attacks of his own recently, too. We shouldn't take any risks by leaving any openings for him to take advantage of. He could likely tear us apart if we do."

With that all having been thoroughly explained, Hitoshi's expression only barely furrowed in realization. "So it sounds like we're all in agreement: Midoriya is our top priority. He absolutely needs to go down first. The only problem is that he's proven he can break free from my Brainwashing. But if I were to team up with Monoma-san, there's a chance we can take him."

However, even despite being given such good faith from his new teammate; Neito's cocky grin finally faded; a look of genuine doubt evident in his dark blue eyes. "I have to admit it's kind of scary that you're relying on me so much; especially since there's a good chance I could end up drawing a bad card. If Midoriya's Quirk was able to injure him so extensively whenever he himself used it then, there's a chance it could prove even more detrimental for me; since enhanced strength of the Quirk doesn't mean I Copy the user's mastery of it. The same would go for if I were to try Copying someone like Ashido's Quirk. Just because her skin has developed a resistance to her Acid, doesn't mean mine has. That already makes half the Quirks on Class A's team that I can't viably use. Such is the double-edged sword-like nature of my Quirk.

"But that all being said, it's still all for naught if we don't take Midoriya out first. I'm counting on you for that, Shinso-san." From having expressed uncertainty in Hitoshi putting faith in him; so quickly had Neito completely reversed the roles, now leaving the purple-haired young student the pensive-looking one.

And recognizing that distinct look reflected in his eyes; Neito reached a kind hand his way. "You may find it hard to believe, but I understand exactly the kind of feelings that drive you this hard, Shinso-san."

The look Hitoshi shot his way clearly expressed doubt in such a bold claim, but he was inwardly surprised at how Neito didn't back down; instead looking absolutely certain in what he was saying. "You're driven by the desire to prove yourself and achieve your dream, just the same as I am. For so much of my life, people were always telling me 'you'll never be able to become a Hero with that Quirk!' That's something that I feel you and I both have come to truly understand, Shinso-san: our Quirks don't allow us to perform nearly as much as others when we need to try and prove ourselves; which puts us at a natural disadvantage in this world."

At this, Hitoshi's only expression of confusion was a single slightly raised eyebrow. "You say that pretty confidently, even despite having enough of a part in that Hokkaido incident to actually get your name mentioned, and get a part on a statue in the same town you helped save."

But, much like with Reiko's contradictory question before; Neito's response was almost as though he'd willfully ignored all of what Hitoshi had just said in sentiment. "And therein lies my point: the only way I was able to do even as much as I did there was because I had to capitalize on the more capable and effective Quirks of others around me. On my own with nobody to work off of, I wouldn't have been able to truly do anything. Honestly, a Hero who can't actually do anything on his own? Who's ever heard of something so ridiculous?"

"Where are you going with this?" Hitoshi asked with no outward tone of impatience or even investment. While he could see why Neito would think this topic was necessary for solidifying their teamwork, the fact was that their circumstances were just too different. After all, being told you couldn't be a Hero because of your Quirk was a damn sight better than being told your Quirk was more suited for being a Villain; like Hitoshi himself had had to put up with for so long.

But any tension in Hitoshi's tone was once more hopelessly lost on Neito, who was clearly once again on a roll: "Patience, Shinso-san. The point I'm trying to make is that it's all about knowing what we can't do. The fact is that I like you, Shinso-san; I really do. I've come to understand that in order to survive, you need to be willing to embrace your darker side. In that regard, we're much the same, you and I."

"If that's the case, then I'll hard pass on that." Hitoshi bluntly answered, to Neito's outward amusement. "It's true, though! When you managed to Brainwash Midoriya at the tournament, how did you trick him into speaking?"

To this, Hitoshi bowed his head; his darkened eyes distant. "I honestly didn't know much at all about the guy, so I just started insulting that tailed friend of his."

This brought a satisfied and knowing grin back to Neito's face as he continued leading them on his merry way. "The paradox for people like us is that in order to become Heroes, we must act un-Heroically. Otherwise we'll never measure up to those capable of greatness right off the bat. Emulating our idols simply isn't enough. Surely you've felt this way before; how the hopes and dreams of childhood now grow heavy as burdens? Almost as though we are both cursed."

Hitoshi couldn't think of anything immediate to say that could counter Neito's point; simply because he had to acknowledge that the guy was right. With Quirks like theirs, they didn't have the luxuries and automatic opportunities that so many of their classmates with their more practical Quirks had. They had to work especially hard to even get this far; and with their powers being what they were, it inherently meant having to blur the lines of morality more than a little bit.

And if he was going to have any hope of securing his place in the Hero Course after this, then his means of winning this match were going to be no different.

On the other side of the same battlefield, Izuku and his team were already on the move; with him having decided to take up the role of scout with the aid of his Full Cowl giving him the speed advantage. While he kept watch overhead, it allowed his three teammates to quickly discuss their options once the fighting proper started.

"I think we should go after Shinso first thing. I'm worried about getting Brainwashed so long as he's out there." Minoru noted right out the gate while trying to maintain the closest thing he could to a brave face.

By contrast, Mina was still all smiles and bubbly confidence as she was already rolling her arms to keep her shoulders limber. "Shinso's definitely a real scary one, but at least we got one advantage! Monoma can't possibly Copy my Acid to use on us; he'd just burn himself trying!"

Ochako was already eagerly nodding with an encouraged look in her eyes. "Then by that same token, he might not be able to Copy Deku-kun's Quirk, either. So if their leader can't use two of our Quirks against us, then that's two less things for us to worry about."

Despite this, however, she was still cautiously observing their surroundings as they walked. "Still, we shouldn't just keep our focus on Shinso, either. The rest of Team 5-B are definitely the type to stay hidden and strike out at us from the shadows. By contrast, my Quirk can float stuff…"

"Mine can melt stuff!" Mina excitedly interjected.

"And I can make stuff stick!" The moment Mina and Minoru both chimed in to try and support Ochako's on the fly reasoning of their Quirks compared to those of their opponents; the two girls immediately sank their heads low in disappointment; Ochako muttering: "We're fighting an uphill battle against sneaky Quirks like theirs, aren't we? We can't attack sneakily with ours or nothing…"

However, this admission of weakness, surprisingly, got Minoru walking even bolder. "If that's the case, then we should probably go with my Pop-Off Vineyard strategy."

But as both girls hurriedly got back to matching pace, Mina was simply rolling her eyes. "That's way too obvious; no way they're gonna walk right into that, not when they already know how much tougher we've gotten! Nah, what we gotta do is find 'em, and then trap 'em before they can do anything!"

And with almost theatrical timing, having been listening in on his team the whole time, Izuku came landing in a flurry of green sparks; punctuating the whole discussion with one declaration: "AND I'LL BE THE BAIT!"

But for as resolved as he was in this self-appointed role, neither Ochako nor Mina looked quite as confident; the pink young Hero visibly quite worried. "Are you sure, Midori-kun? I mean, how's it going right now, anyway? Aoyama-kun said your Quirk was acting weird recently, right?"

Bringing this up did leave Izuku looking contemplatively at his hands, but he still managed the assuring smile on his freckled face. "Well, yeah, but there's nothing strange now! Everything feels back to normal! Still…based on how the last three matches went, the fact Kolya-san and I have sparred regularly since the Training Camp, and based on what they already know about his and Kacchan's Quirk and abilities, then they're going to be extra wary of me! I'd better be ready to go all out as well!"

Again, Izuku's seemingly blind optimism only got him a very doubtful glance from Minoru. "Are you really sure you're good to go, Midoriya? We're essentially counting on you here."

But despite this, with the green sparks of his Quirk emanating from him like a comforting aura, Izuku gave his team the most confidence-boosting smile he could; his eyes fully determined and genuine. "Don't worry! We can win this!"

This thankfully looked to really boost Ochako and Mina's own confidence, while Minoru looked begrudgingly accepting of their plan at best. While they continued the rest of their way to their base camp; Izuku cast a careful glance back to his hands. 'All right, no more weirdness…at least for now. After Shinso-san's challenge, I'd better not disappoint. But…if something does happen…I don't know how, but if it does, I hope that hunch of mine is wrong, for Kolya-san's sake. There's just too many unknowns right now.'

On the observation deck, the moment he'd seen all four teams finally reach their starting places, Vlad King was almost bursting at the seams with enthusiasm with the microphone in his hand: "ALL TEAMS ARE IN POSITION! LET THE SIMULTANEOUS FOURTH AND FINAL MATCHES OF THE JOINT BATTLE TRAINING COMMENCE! IF YOU THINK THESE TWO CLASSES ARE EVENLY MATCHED, THINK AGAIN!

"CLASS A MAY HAVE THE TWO POINT ADVANTAGE FROM THE FIRST TWO MATCHES, BUT THEIR PERFECT STREAK WAS SUMMARILY SHATTERED BY CLASS B'S MASTERFUL STRATEGIZING, INCOMPARABLE STRENGTH AND TENACIOUS SPIRIT! CAN MY BELOVED CLASS EARN THE WINS TO TIE UP THIS WHOLE EXERCISE, AND KNOCK THE ARROGANT CLASS A FROM ITS PEDESTAL? CAN WE SAY THEY HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY?! AFTER ALL, THEIR PREVIOUS TWO VICTORIES WERE ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF SHINSO AND KIESLOWSKA! EVENLY MATCHED?! I THINK NOT!"

"THAT'S JUST MEAN, VLAD-SENSEI!" Eijirou and Denki both simultaneously started booing once seeing just how much Vlad King's demeanor and flare for the dramatic and boastful was mirroring Neito's throughout this whole exercise.

But while he easily ignored the students of his rival class; Midnight, Oleg, Toshinori and Principal Nezu were simply observing this unfolding childish argument; the female teacher amusedly noting: "It's funny, despite his going for the whole cold-blooded vampire demeanor when it comes to Class A; Kan-san really can't help but get hot-blooded when it comes to talking up his own students."

Oleg, keeping his arms crossed and continuously switching his focus between the students and Vlad here, Nikolay on one screen and Izuku on the other, answered in quite an understanding tone: "He's clearly a naturally passionate kind of man when it comes to his students. When you get down to it, we all have to be for the sake of their growth. Some just aren't able to share that same passion with other classes, that's all."

At that moment, having listened to the fuss his own students were making, Aizawa summarily stepped in: "THAT'S ENOUGH."

"But Sensei, this is a legit protest to biased announcing!" Denki childishly argued, only to be summarily silenced by the same cold intensity in his teacher's eyes.

"Do you seriously plan on complaining over every failure or ounce of criticism once you go Pro? Class B came up with better strategies against you; but was simply beaten because of their not accounting for the scope of the two newcomers' abilities. That much is evident. And frankly, as a teacher, VLAD IS REALLY SHOWING ME UP!"

As the protesting students visibly flinched and shrank away under the intensity of their teacher's scolding; Toshinori summarily chimed in: "On top of that, Class B has had the advantage of continuously training every day, on top of their scattered chances at gaining field experience. They never allowed themselves the luxury of a break, and their improved strength reflects that. I just simply didn't expect Class A to be on the ropes like this on their own with all the experience they've had on the field by comparison."

Listening to just how impassioned he sounded when explaining all of this, and especially spying just how deeply Oleg's eyes looked when he stared at the students on the screens like a worrisome mother hen; Midnight couldn't help but speak up: "You two really do love Class A, don't you?"

Upon seeing the clear surprise on both men's faces at being asked something so random so suddenly, Nezu chuckled at Midnight's side. "Don't tease them, Nemuri-san. It's only natural for teachers to love their students like their very own; literally in Oleg-san's case. Their pride and connection extends to all their students of all their classes, just as it does for you, undoubtedly."

With Nezu having thankfully put a pin in a potentially very embarrassing and childish argument between the three teachers; they all finally returned their attention to the screens alongside everyone else; watching as it looked like the two battles were already finally commencing all at once.

And as they observed; Oleg and Toshinori were both thinking the exact same thing: 'Midoriya, Bezpalov/Kolya, Bakugo…I look forward to seeing what you can do. Please be all right.'

4th Match

"DAMMIT, HURRY IT UP, YOU SLOWPOKES!" The moment Vlad King's voice had announced the start of the two simultaneous matches; Bakugo wasted no time before launching himself into the air, already taking a massive lead ahead of his teammates, who were all trying their best to follow after him through the rough forest terrain.

Hanta had the benefit of using his Tape to sling him from place to place, but since Bakugo's Explosions to keep him airborne were making enough noise as it was, Nikolay opted to stay on the ground with Rikido and Kyouka; who was currently jabbing her Earphone Jacks into the first trees and the ground that she could reach while trying not to fall behind. "What do you want from us, Bakugo?! I'm trying to listen for their heartbeats like you told me to, on top of trying to keep up!"

Nikolay's own frustration easily matched her own: "Yeah, and without being able to use my one real distanced means of attack when the fighting starts, and you not even taking the chance to talk with us, we haven't had any luck coming up with combos or backup plans!"

But Bakugo was too laser-focused to take his eyes off the terrain ahead, just looking out for the first sign of enemy movement while calling back to his team. "Whatever! If you can't come up with an alternative means of attacking, then just stay there and twiddle your thumbs while I win this thing, you useless ass! Otherwise do as I tell you, shut up and keep up!"

With Bakugo essentially leaving them in his dust, Rikido and Hanta both grumbled in exasperation and apprehension. "Unbelievable; all this time and he still always has to be the leader." "Right? Dude hasn't changed one bit since the Sports Festival."

And, sadly, even despite actually trying to follow through on the role she'd been given, Kyouka couldn't hide the uncertainty on her own face, either. "And to think he seemed so ready to just cooperate with us earlier. Doesn't seem like that long ago that he wouldn't have even bothered giving us instructions at all, and just told us all to hang back and let him hog all the glory."

However, it was Nikolay who was the one dissenting voice among them: "I know it's frustrating that he's not hearing us out, but what else are we going to do, just leave him on his own? Besides, I think he's improved in that he doesn't just curse us out when we even look in his direction anymore. That has to count for something, right?"

His own input seemed to at least satisfy his teammates a little bit; but while he kept his eyes on Bakugo up above, Nikolay thought uncertainly to himself: 'Of course, a change in how he talks to us doesn't really say much to if his way of actually acting has changed. How much effect has our construction work together, and all those Remedial classes, really had on him?'

5th Match

With his team in full understanding of what they all needed to do; Izuku had immediately followed through by once more taking the lead with the aid of his Full Cowl; his eyes constantly scanning the environment for the first sign of any threat whatsoever; all while his mind continued to race: 'As long as Shinso-san is unaccounted for; once the fighting begins, we can't run the risk of direct verbal communication! First of all, I need to find their hiding spots and take the advantage from there! But I'm still a little uneasy about One For All after last night…I have to avoid Shinso-san's Brainwashing no matter what!'

At around the same time as both matches had finally commenced; Tenya, Shoto, Mashirao and their Class B opponents had finally reunited with their respective classes at the observation deck. And watching as both simultaneous teams from each were on the move, Tenya and Shoto were very quick to notice and point out: "Midoriya and Bakugo really seem to think alike; their formations are practically identical." "They even have a similar team makeup in terms of Quirk and range variety as well."

However, the similarly long-since returned and rejuvenated Momo didn't have quite as much inherent enthusiasm. "Not necessarily. Midoriya-san's team doesn't have someone with a Quirk ideal for scouting like Jirou-san, so they're going to have to be especially careful not to get spotted by their opponents first."

Similarly observing with that same pensive finger to her chin, Tsuyu noted: "Not only that, but because none of their Quirks are ideal for stealth, then they're all going to have to work really hard in order to lure Class B out. With Kyouka's scouting, Sato-san's strength, Sero-san's natural capturing ability and his and Kolya's similar range and power-based Quirks together; Bakugo honestly has the perfect team for every aspect of battle right at his fingertips; assuming he can properly lead them-kero."

4th Match

"STOP! THEY'RE THERE!" Bakugo's sudden call to his teammates below brought them all to a screeching halt, while he kept himself in the air with his rapidly propelling Explosions; focusing on the top of the largest hill in the battleground in the dead center. "EARLOBES, DO YOUR THING!"

"I have a name, y'know…" Grimacing in annoyance at such vague instructions, but still not wanting to leave anything to chance if he had indeed found the enemy team, Kyouka hurriedly planted her Earphone Jacks into the ground; Nikolay, Hanta and Rikido all waiting with growing anxiety for several seconds, before she hurriedly recalled them up. "I'm not picking up any heartbeats in that direction!"

Bakugo was already grinding his teeth as his eyes narrowed at the distant cluster of human figures on the clearing atop the hill. "Trying to lure us in with more of that criminal's fancy Wax decoys, huh?! YOU REALLY THINK WE'RE THAT STUPID, DO YOU?! WELL EAT THIS!"

With that, and a vicious multitude of forward thrusts with his arms, he proceeded to lay down a number of far-reaching Explosions down onto the clearing, leveling it and all those perched atop it like an artillery barrage. All the while, Kyouka couldn't shake the same apprehensive feeling that she knew the rest of her teammates were feeling, so she'd taken that chance again to plug her Earphone Jacks right back into the ground and trees alike; her face the picture of focus…until her eyes widened and her whole body jerked with intense shock the moment she retracted them again, only now picking up something clearly. "WE GOT TROUBLE! THEY'RE MOVING IN ON US! BEHIND YOU, THROUGH THE AIR!"

Just as quickly as Nikolay, Hanta and Rikido got on the defensive; Bakugo heard Kyouka's warning and immediately propelled himself around with a quick Explosion; his free hand already prepared to send a flurry of more Explosions right into the face of whoever was dumb enough to make such an obvious move against him.

But as soon as he saw there was nobody there—"Yes, it's all over now."

Setsuna's voice came from right behind his back; the single floating piece of her head containing her mouth wearing a confident smirk as it instantly zipped away back to Setsuna herself the moment Bakugo tried to strike at it. With his focus of attack having been completely turned around, he was soon getting completely blindsided from multiple directions at once from the sides and below, as multiple pieces of her body came flying in and slamming into him hard; most of them flying by too fast for him to properly get a bead on, while few others were completely destroyed in the fires of his Explosions he managed to line up and detonate.

As he tried to keep himself airborne and fight off all of the lizard girl's pieces to the point she wouldn't be able to pull a move like this again, Bakugo's face was twisting with ever-growing impatient rage. 'DAMMIT! It's not like her hits are super strong, but they're too small a target for me to hit!'

"BARRICADE TAPE!" As soon as they saw their leader get attacked, Hanta was immediately on point; shooting strip after strip of his Tape against all the trees surrounding them, creating a veritable spider web and barrier around their position with the stuff in a sudden but effective defensive maneuver. With their position secured, Nikolay once again focused on Bakugo's situation up above.

"I'M COMING, BAKUGO!" Nikolay shouted as he launched up after him; his hands at the ready to either start throwing or swinging his tuning forks for all he was worth, or simply start blasting away at as many of Setsuna's pieces as he could in order to buy his teammate some more time.

But well hidden within the foliage of the trees, one of Setsuna's disembodied eyes had been keeping a close eye on Bakugo in the air; and with Nikolay having once more thrown himself into the fray, her flying mouth was smiling with excitement. "Gotcha! I managed to fool Jirou's scouting skills, AND I take down two of the heaviest hitters in one blow! Don't hate me for this, Bezpalov-kun! Candelabra-chan, let's do it!"

As soon as Nikolay got into the same point in the air with Bakugo; both boys proceeded to start firing off their Quirks one after the other to try and destroy as many of Setsuna's attacking pieces as they could. However, they were all retreating just as quickly as Nikolay had gotten on the scene. And that was when his rushing mind finally caught up with the rest of him, and his voice rang with alarm: "Something isn't right! Setsuna-san's mentioned before that she can split her body up into fifty pieces at most! This wasn't even half that many!"

But before Bakugo could either answer or tell his sudden ally to focus; Nikolay's own alert ears picked up the sound of something big, or multiple objects, all rapidly approaching through the air from down below. And when they both looked down, they were met with the sight of several more of Setsuna's pieces; all linked together by a web of Maja's dried-on Wax; flying right for them.

Realizing it was clearly big enough to take them both out, and noticing that Bakugo was already getting ready to try and attack it head-on; Nikolay's body automatically launched himself through his hands hard enough to practically tackle him out of the way. This ultimately led to him being the only one caught in this high-flying trap; which Setsuna quickly directed to fly back down into the coverage of the woods with him in tow.

And after several seconds of being towed along relentlessly, even despite trying to fire out through his hands and feet in order to try and break free; the Wax connecting Setsuna's guiding pieces suddenly melted back down and flew away freely, with the pieces themselves quickly following suit. And in those few precious moments that Nikolay was still flying helplessly through the air between the trees because of all that built-up momentum; he didn't even spy Kojiro Bondo suddenly poking out from among the bushes and trees; the glue bottle-looking Hero getting on his hands and knees and aiming his head right at him. "GLUE SQUALL!"

In the blink of an eye, Nikolay suddenly found himself getting thoroughly splattered all over his torso by a deluge of Glue from within Kojiro's body, just in time for him to get slammed back-first against the side of a tree; the glue already completely hardening around Nikolay, leaving the majority of his body completely immobile underneath.

And all the while, in another section of the woods; taking the hint from the satisfied grin on Setsuna's face while she kept watch on the effectiveness of their team maneuver against Bakugo and Nikolay; Maja was smiling eagerly as her melted Wax quickly recalled and re-absorbed into her. And with the knowledge of their combo move having worked as well as they'd all hoped it would, she couldn't help but to brag for anyone who could hear or even care: "Tell us how you like our new Special Move: Gadzi Wosk Netto; a.k.a. our Reptilian Wax Net!"

At the same time, having seen Nikolay get snagged so easily, Hanta once again called up to the persistently flying and fighting Bakugo: "DAMMIT, MAN, GET DOWN HERE!"

And all the while, Setsuna was cautiously poking her floating head through the foliage to spot the rest of the grounded Team 5-A, while her disembodied eye was still elsewhere keeping track of Bakugo's location. "Like I said, it's over for you guys."

"GLUE SQUALL!" Rushing from where he'd gotten the drop to trap Nikolay; Kojiro came bounding over to his assigned vantage point that gave him a perfect view of the other three, and proceeded to release another torrent of his Glue upon them, swamping the whole place and all of Hanta's Tape; rendering it all completely useless, and leaving them effectively trapped where they had once felt secured. "WOO! I DID IT! Unlike drying Bezpalov in place on impact, if I keep the Glue wet around these guys, they can't set foot in any of it without getting hopelessly stuck! Dousing and drying on Sero's Tape also keeps his hopes of trapping any of our team on touch nonexistent! It's all going exactly like you said it would, Tokage-san!"

With both of her ears floating anywhere across the battlefield in order to be kept updated by her teammates; Setsuna's grin was as pleased as could be, as she shifted her one attached eye to the one teammate she knew she wanted to keep close by. "Alright, now it's time to take care of our one remaining problem. Just like we talked about, Candelabra-chan!"

BKBKBKBKOOM! 'That goddamned idiot! He should've stayed on the ground like I told him to! Like hell I'm gonna let that split-apart hag and a criminal get the better of me!'

Even after having gotten mid-air tackled by Nikolay to keep from getting captured, Bakugo was persistent in keeping himself airborne, mobile and on the defensive, firing one Explosion after another at the first of Setsuna's attacking pieces he could focus on. He was slowly but surely whittling them away, but he wasn't able to keep count of however many were still left to deal with, based on what Nikolay had said about her limit being fifty pieces of herself. After all, there was no telling how quickly she could regenerate the pieces she'd lose to his Quirk.

After releasing another mid-air spinning barrage of Explosions all around his immediate position, Bakugo was ready to finally see that he'd cleared away all Setsuna's means of attack. But as soon as the smoke began to clear, he could see that he was indeed now the only thing still in the air…but he could also feel that sensation of being watched.

The moment he heard the rustling of tree branches from down below and behind his back, Bakugo immediately turned with both his hands at the ready to unleash hell. The first thing he saw, to his momentary surprise and immediate subsequent focus and anger, was the sight of Maja flying up through the air from the foliage, thanks to clutching onto one of Setsuna's pieces with her teeth. Both of her arms were already completely melted down to her shoulders, and her legs looked like they were already starting to run with her melting Wax as well.

And no sooner than they had made eye contact, did the young Polish Hero swing her melting legs forward with the aid of her flying momentum; sending both legs' worth of Wax straight into Bakugo's hands and grenade-shaped vambraces; the stuff instantly drying onto them and subsequently blocking his incoming Explosion attacks…as well as nullifying his means of staying in the air.

Down below, in the few seconds before Bakugo began to fall; Rikido was already well into taking action; having pulled out a handful of emergency sugar packets he'd been keeping in his costume for emergencies just like this; chugging them all down as he tried to hurriedly explain what he was going to do: "Sero-san, Jirou-san; once my Sugar Rush kicks in; I'm gonna break through the barricade and give you two a chance to escape! Even Bondo's Glue can't immediately stick me in place with my strength and speed that enhanced! Get back with Bakugo, and I'll try and get Bezpalov-san back before I reach my limit!"

However, even as Rikido was already giving in to the building and blinding power of his Quirk, punching and tearing into the Glue-casted Tape in the direction ahead; neither he nor his two teammates were aware of the silently approaching Togaru Kamakiri, who had been silently creeping amid the foliage overhead, looking for the best spot and opportunity to strike; his Quirk causing several large blades to start sprouting from out along his forearms. 'Just like Tokage-san said; her and Kieslowska distracting Bakugo and Bezpalov made for enough noise that the others wouldn't even notice me. You were too slow to catch on, Class A!'

At that same moment, Nikolay had been fruitlessly struggling against the Glue binding him to the tree. But once his frantic eyes had caught sight of what looked like unnatural movement in the trees behind Kyouka's back specifically; his panic turned into a fiercely determined focus. 'C'mon, what difference does it make if you're not on the verge of being hit? You gotta be able to focus your Quirk to act as though you were, and react, right?! C'mon, focus it all around, you know you can! Refract this damn Glue off!'

BWOOM!

With his muscles straining as hard as they could as he tried to focus as much of his Kinetics into his Refraction ability as he could on such short notice; Nikolay's whole body finally managed to emanate a pulse of such powerful vibration frequency as to shatter the dried Glue from off of him; albeit at the cost of tearing away much of the front of his costume and his bandolier of tuning forks in the process as the Glue fragments tore it away.

Paying no mind to this, Nikolay immediately followed through by launching himself in a mad forward dash through the brush, grabbing the large tuning fork at his right hip just at the same moment Togaru began to leap down from the trees, ready to take Kyouka out while her back was turned.

"GET DOWN, JIROU-SAN!" The moment Nikolay called out, not only did Kyouka duck on instinct at the sound of his voice; but so too did he immediately after fire another propelling blast out his right hand, sending the tuning fork flying straight for Togaru's head; the praying mantis-looking young Hero immediately countering in mid-air by turning his body and swinging his blades accordingly; chopping Nikolay's weapon into several small chunks in the process.

And Kyouka, immediately realizing what Nikolay had just given her a chance for; immediately followed through by slamming her Earphone Jacks into Togaru's midsection, firing the strongest two pulses she could through them on impact; sending him flying several feet back into the trees behind him.

With Rikido having already managed to destroy part of the barricade and continue powering his way through the Glue all over the ground; Nikolay's fight-or-flight instincts were in a frenzy, not wanting him or his teammates to stick around for Togaru to get back up and attack again. Instead, he immediately redirected himself in mid-air through his left hand and foot, hooking his right arm around Kyouka and carrying her along with him; further propelling himself through his feet amid the trees while catching Hanta with his left arm as well.

Their added weight made Nikolay go slower than he would have liked in a situation this desperate, but he couldn't allow himself to focus on that; instead continuing to act on impulse as he quickly flicked his right wrist in order to activate the Magne Grip still upon it, right before hurriedly removing it from his hand with his teeth and handing it to a momentarily confused Hanta. "Sero-san, head to the left of us and lay down as much of your Tape as you can for the next few yards before we meet back up that much further ahead! And lay that glove on the outermost strip with the palm facing outward! There's no time for questions!"

Thankfully, that last bit was enough to convince Hanta to not say anything, and instead follow whatever desperate plan Nikolay was cooking up as he went along; rushing away as he and Kyouka continued to practically fly through the trees away from the immediate battleground; immediately laying down one strip of his Tape after another from one tree to the next.

And all the while, back at the original site of battle, Togaru had already recovered and was currently in the middle of trying to break Rikido down with a flurry of his bladed attacks; moving like a veritable whirlwind of razor sharp punishment. It was fortunate then for Rikido, that his Sugar Rush by now had gone into full effect, and any reception of pain was completely numbed, as he continued to keep his arms crossed over himself, letting his enhanced muscles absorb every cut like it was nothing more than a paper cut. If all went well, then Togaru would likely tire himself out, and he could use what time his Sugar Rush had left to finally take him down and throw him in jail.

But while the two students were instead focused on trying to win this battle of attrition; Togaru was unaware of Setsuna's voice calling out to him from nearby; her voice tinged with warning: "Kamakiri-kun, get out of there! Our stalling tactic didn't last as long as we'd hoped against—

BKOOOM!

But then, from virtually out of nowhere, the deafening sound of one of Bakugo's Explosions erupted from practically right behind Rikido's back; the concussive wave sending all the Glue everywhere flying in one directional wave away from Rikido himself, and instead catching Togaru completely exposed; stuck to where he was standing in mid-slash, and looking in disbelief at the sight of Bakugo himself charging forward with his hands already freed from Maja's caked on Wax.

"YOU CLASS B PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSLY PISSING ME OFF, UNDERESTIMATING ME LIKE THAT! I'VE GOTTEN WAY STRONGER TOO, Y'KNOW?!"

BKOOOM!

With that defiant declaration echoing loud and clear across the battleground, Bakugo proceeded to unleash a furious Explosion point-blank into Togaru himself at the final step of his charge; sending him flying helplessly through the air as a smoking mess in his ferocious wake.

However, once the smoke actually cleared, Bakugo was quick to see that not only had his Explosion once again cleared away the Glue on Togaru's body; but that in his split-second reaction time before having gotten doused with the stuff to begin with; he'd had the foresight to actually cross his bladed arms over himself like Rikido had done; thus avoiding the majority of the damage being sent his way.

"You blocked it, huh? I guess you bugs really do have halfway decent reflexes. BUT HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS?!" With Bakugo putting aside any semblance of genuine impression, he immediately unleashed yet another merciless Explosion straight at Togaru; this time not allowing him the chance to block again, and sending him flying several feet back into the woods behind him.

Once his body had finally stopped rolling in the face of such devastating power, Togaru immediately proceeded to instead sprint in a different direction; his mind racing all the while: 'Dammit, Tokage-san, are you sleeping out there right now?! Either way, that Bakugo's Quirk is no joke! I don't stand a chance against him face-to-face! For now, I gotta retreat!'

At the same time, upon realizing he'd ultimately scared their opponent off; Bakugo snapped his head back at attention towards the still clearly powered-up Rikido. "NOW C'MON, BIG LIPS! THE OTHRS CAN'T BE TOO FAR!" he immediately ordered with no hesitation, before blasting himself off into the woods in the direction he'd spied Nikolay, Kyouka and Hanta going in his rush over here after having Exploded his hands free mid-freefall.

Upon the observation deck, Bakugo's sudden act of defense of his teammate had left much of the Class B students visibly surprised; none of them ever having expected someone so hotheaded and outwardly arrogant to be capable of such a feat.

But this wasn't to say that none of them were appreciative of this newly proven fact. In fact, Itsuka Kendo looked downright proud of him by proxy with his classmates, who all looked similarly enthused. "Well now, isn't that a pleasant surprise? I doubt Monoma-kun will ever believe this actually happened even if I were to be the one to tell him."

Right at her side; Eijirou and Denki had been eagerly cheering Bakugo on to take Rikido to the rest of his team; but upon overhearing her; the redheaded young Hero was especially invigorated. "That Monoma guy's got Bakugo all wrong! Yeah, he can rub people the wrong way at first glance, but deep down he's a truly manly kinda dude who wouldn't abandon others if they couldn't truly be able to help themselves! He's his own kinda true Hero!"

"We should know; he had our backs the entirety of the Provisional Exams. Makes it super messed up that we passed and he didn't, when you think about it for long." Denki agreed; while Itsuka took both boys' words to heartfelt consideration.

Watching as Bakugo fearlessly made his way through the woods, Eijirou's smile was as bright as could be. "Still, this is the first time I've ever seen him fully put himself on the line for someone else like this. I can't wait for Midoriya to see this. He's gonna be super stoked, I'll bet."

It took Bakugo less than half a minute to spot Nikolay, Kyouka, and the recently returned Hanta amid the trees; just as it took them no time at all to hear him approach with Rikido close behind; whether through his Explosions or his angered screaming upon reaching them. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?! YOU BROKE OUR FORMATION!"

Nikolay quickly stepped forward; eyeing their surroundings too carefully to let himself get provoked by their leader's temper. "You got blindsided by Setsuna-san's pieces, so I tried to cover you. Yeah, they got me instead, but when I saw the others about to get attacked and you couldn't move in, I just did what you said: moved in to rescue them if you weren't able. The important thing is we're all back together and we can regroup, right?"

Grinding his teeth at the fact that Nikolay was indeed doing what he'd instructed him to do before their match had even started; Bakugo was already about to launch himself back into the air. "Whatever! Earlobes, find their positions again! This time we're taking the fight right to them!"

Kyouka was thankfully already on it, stabbing her Earphone Jacks into the ground to try and listen in. but to her growing frustration and confusion, she retracted them back. "It's the same like last time. I can't pick up their heartbeats through the ground. The only reason I could even hear anybody coming at you from behind earlier was cause I could hear it through the air. Yeah, they're not as clear and easy to spot if I'm not plugged into a surface, but it's better than nothing."

"So if you can't hear their heartbeats through the ground, then what, does that mean they're all in the trees right now or something?" Hanta asked anxiously, already eyeing the canopy overhead with growing apprehension, while Bakugo sneered in his constant simmering anger. "That stupid candle girl hit me by riding one of that she-lizard's pieces with her teeth. Chances are she's using that with all of them so Earlobes can't track them."

Nikolay, who had then been in the middle of handing Rikido several small candies he'd grabbed from the dining hall during his brief absence before the last match; suddenly flinched with a grim realization. "We need to be careful how we're communicating. Knowing Setsuna-san, she's got an eye or an ear scanning around here to try and find where we're at, and coordinate her team around us as we speak. Whatever we do, we better take her down first, so the others lose their source of coordination."

Thankfully, Kyouka, Hanta and Rikido all looked to be in full agreement, while Bakugo's already furrowed brow only grew that much more so in his indignation. "These Class B assholes are underestimating my team just because they got that criminal-turned-wannabe Hero on their side. If we take out the lizard, we gotta take her out fast, too. We're not calling quits on this! Whether it's Class A, training or whatever; I made a pledge! I'm going to achieve a perfect victory, EVERY TIME! WE'RE TAKING THIS 5-0, NO CASUALTIES! THE STRONG DON'T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS!"

This likewise earned nods of full agreement from the rest of the team, even though Nikolay still looked very contemplative next to his tunnel-vision-drive. "Bakugo, when Maja-san attacked you, did you happen to notice what kind of state her body was in? From how she described how her Quirk works earlier, it sounds like if she's eaten something with considerable fat, then she can use more Wax than it looks like through her limbs."

With another aggravated sneer, Bakugo answered: "She'd already melted her arms all the way down, and jammed my Explosions with the Wax of her legs. She probably used that arm Wax to hit you with that net earlier."

However, Nikolay's eyes intensified with further thinking. "But she recalled that Wax before I even hit the tree, so that Bondo could stick me with his Glue. If it hadn't come back to her by the time she attacked you…then she must've been saving it for something else."

Unfortunately, Nikolay had no idea just how on the nose his deduction truly was; for watching from amid the brush, and listening in from even further away in the canopy; Setsuna already had them spotted; her upper body floating so high up above to keep from being spotted, and grinning in satisfaction to herself…with Maja clinging onto her back with her arms, while her legs were likewise reformed and hanging freely. "Sounds like Bezpalov-kun's catching on already. But, knowing Bakugo, he probably thinks you've got no means of attacking after all that already."

Chuckling in amusement in response, Maja answered: "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see I was able to rebuild my limbs already. I'll need to thank Bezpalov for all that beef bowl earlier to help make this possible."

Setsuna's similar chuckle was equal parts amused and sadistic. "You got him to give you an extra supply boost for your Quirk without him even knowing it? You really are a devious one, Candelabra-chan. So, wanna wrap this up?"

Maja's smile stretched from ear to ear as she focused her Quirk onto all the melted Wax of her previous arms she'd been using her telepathic connection to run through the tree branches and canopy over the heads of Team 4-A over the last few minutes, thanks to Setsuna keeping tabs on their position.

SHKSHKSHKSHKSHK!

Without a single moment's warning, the whole of Team 4-A suddenly found themselves being corralled in by an immediate multitude of large Wax spikes shooting down from the canopy into the ground; forcing each individual student apart from each other, with no real means of actually being able to move around at all, weaving between their arms, legs and shoulders in the blink of an eye, keeping them suspended and immobilized.

And upon hearing her ambush carry through, Maja was practically cackling from overhead as she called down: "THAT'S ANOTHER ŚWIECZNIKI SIGNATURE FOR YOU: TOPNIEJACY CIERNISTY LAS; MELTING THORNY FOREST!"

"AND THAT'S NOT ALL!" From out of nowhere, Yosetsu Awase's voice came shouting out from amid the trees, but with the way all the 4-A team members were positioned and thereby forced to look, none of them could see which direction he was coming from, before he suddenly came flying in on two more of Setsuna's pieces beneath his feet; keeping him mobile fast enough to do what he needed to do and not risk getting caught in any possible means of counter-attacking or escaping from any of them.

Like a shot Yosetsu came in, reaching into two small square bags strapped to his sides, pulling out two handfuls of cylindrical metal bars; expertly lunging his hands every which way he could with them, using his Quirk to fuse every single one to the already restrained young Heroes at the molecular level, as well as to the ground, tree trunks and Wax spikes altogether; taking especially precise care to fuse two directly to the palms of both Bakugo and Nikolay's hands and the latter's feet, in order to completely nullify their Quirks' effectiveness. "CONSTRUCTION-DONE-KWIK: WELDCRAFT!"

"GLUE SQUALL!" The moment Yosetsu had done his part and gotten out of the area of effect, Kojiro likewise finally emerged from the spot Setsuna had placed him, and wasted no time spraying another huge amount of Glue all over the area, providing the finishing touch to have the whole of Team 4-A completely immobilized. "Perfect! Now they're separated, immobilized, and have no means of being able to flee even if they were to somehow break free!"

"And with neither Bezpalov or Bakugo able to break free, and Sato's Sugar Rush quick to run out its limit; we run no further risks! Now we just wait for Tokage-san to knock 'em all out and we've got this whole match made! You keep watch on them until then, Bondo-san!" Yosetsu declared with exceptional enthusiasm as he continued to fly to his agreed fall back point.

Naturally, upon realizing what Yosetsu and Kojiro both had ultimately done to them, while Bakugo and Rikido were both already trying to furiously wrestle their way out of this situation; the former already cursing up a furious blue streak in the process; Nikolay hurriedly tried to take in their overall position not just here, but within this specific section of forest, especially in relation to the directions they had all individually come from when reuniting with each other; especially Hanta.

And when trying to desperately piece all this information together in his head, and especially when looking at where Kojiro was now standing guard in relation to him, Nikolay realized what this moment now called for him to do. Preferring to have done this as a last resort against the truly dangerous opponents like Maja or Setsuna; he knew that this could very well be their last possible hope of getting out of this that didn't involve Bakugo potentially blowing them up in the process of getting himself free, especially if Rikido's Sugar Rush somehow couldn't give him the enhanced strength to bust himself and the rest of them out.

Of course, thanks to Yosetsu's Special Move, he couldn't move his hands freely anymore. But upon trying, he realized he could still at least move his wrists some…hopefully enough to activate the one Magne Grip still attached to his left hand like Mei had instructed, which he immediately proceeded to try and do; breathing a mental sigh of relief when he could see the little green light upon it light up in response.

'This whole plan is desperate and hinging on a lot of variables as it is. If I can even get it off the ground at all, I'm only going to have precious seconds to keep from landing in the Glue all over the ground and getting trapped in that next. I just hope Sero-san put up enough Tape like I'd said.'

In a matter of seconds; Nikolay, his teammates and Kojiro all ehard the sound of something hurriedly flying through the air towards their position; the glue bottle-headed student naturally assuming it was Setsuna's fists coming in to finally finish the job. And as Nikolay kept his eyes on the direction it was coming from, he was mentally ticking down the fragmentary seconds he would have to take the final action and buy them a chance.

Finally, flying in at incredible speed through one of the only extensive gaps in the trees, where Kojiro had made the unfortunate decision of standing guard between it and Nikolay mere inches from being directly behind him; his discarded right glove came flying in, connected to a large net of all of Hanta's connected pieces of Tape he had laid out like Nikolay had ordered; and all being led this way by the long since magnetized fragments of his chopped up larger tuning fork connected to the palm of it, now being attracted to the activated Magne Grip of his one remaining glove, and snatching up all of the other Tape strands along the way to make for a much larger trap.

And before Kojiro could try to fire more of his Glue to weigh it all down and save himself, and especially before Nikolay could run the risk of getting laid out by what was about to happen, he hurriedly flicked his wrist the best he could in the same deactivating motion Mei had shown him before, deactivating his left glove's magnetism. But with all the momentum that the other glove had already been building behind it on its way here, it still ended up providing just enough force for the multiple metal pieces filling the incoming palm to hit Kojiro's head hard, and the wide net of Tape behind it to completely ensnare his whole unconscious body before slamming him into the empty side of another tree just next to Nikolay; completely trapping him.

While Kyouka and Hanta were already anxiously asking how Nikolay could possibly guess this desperate backup plan of his would have any hope of working, and Bakugo and Rikido were still trying to break their ways out; Nikolay was only able to let out a shaky sigh of relief that he'd at least taken care of one opponent as of now.

But that still did nothing for their situation of being completely trapped and at the rest of Team 4-B's mercy once they would inevitably regroup here. Knowing that incoming threat, Nikolay's mind was racing as he tried to focus all the stored kinetic energy within his body over the course of this battle thus far, trying to mentally direct it into his hands and feet in the hopes it would be enough to at least break the metal bars connecting him to the Wax spikes.

But no matter how much he could feel all that vibration power coursing through his limbs to his extremities, his mind couldn't conceive that it would be enough, which only drove him to try and focus more, and when that didn't work, even try to move his body or get his heart racing with adrenaline enough where he hanged, to be able to try and build up even a little more power to distribute; mentally all but begging for it to be so.

5th Match, a few minutes earlier…

As Izuku continued to maneuver gracefully and precisely through the twists and turns of their industrial battleground with the aid of his Full Cowl; his mind refused to slow down even for an instant as to what to expect. 'Because of my speed, Class B can't afford to ignore me. They'll have me in their sights, so I'll bait them into revealing themselves when they try to attack me. Then the four of us can link up and take them down!'

After skipping off another horizontal pipe, Izuku caught the faintest movement incoming from down below: a single oil drum flying upwards at him with great speed. But even the first sign of actual enemy intent didn't stop his own momentum. 'That must be Yanagi! Here we go!'

"EEEEK!"

'Uraraka-san?!' The immediate sound of a screaming young girl's voice broke through Izuku's intense focus; forcing his whole body to turn around mid-flight in order to make sure his teammates hadn't already gotten ambushed.

Instead of Ochako, though, what he found was solely Neito, perched upon another pipe, watching him with that same smug smirk on his face; a single one of the multiple pocket watches lining his belt in hand. "Oh? You spotted me already? After observing the performances of you, Bakugo and Bezpalov together through the Festival and forest training; it would be foolish for us to take you lightly, Midoriya. It's only natural to be on guard against someone so strong and agile as you, who can stand toe-to-toe with those types. The clever among us realize as much."

'He's just trying to rile me up…could it be that he's already Copied Shinso-san's Quirk?' As he thought this to himself; Izuku quickly swung his leg back, colliding hard with the drum and sending it ricocheting back folded in half, while he himself hurriedly landed and sprang off another roof corner; never taking his eyes off Neito while he continued to mock and wax poetic.

"On the other hand, someone truly clever might also think that it's everyone else on his team that boosts Bakugo's strength up, even as we speak, and that taking them all out should be the priority! Midoriya, you alone are such a showman that you couldn't help but reveal yourself, could you? Meanwhile, I expect my allies have already located yours; much like Tokage-san's team has no doubt overwhelmed Bakugo's and achieved their victory at this very moment! As for your team, it'll be three against four. How will your team fare? With Shinso-san in the mix, they can't exactly communicate freely. I suppose you'd better race back to check on your friends…but wait! What if that scream you heard just now was actually Shinso-san just mimicking a voice? What if your three friends are still hidden, but you end up leading us right to them? Hahahahaha; I guess there's just no easy answer!"

Izuku wasn't willing to take any risks by directly responding to any taunts Neito was throwing his way; opting instead to ricochet himself off another surface that gave him a direct shot at his opponent; all the while continuously reminding himself within his own head: 'He's going to be watching me for the very first telltale sign! I've got to be careful!'

All the while, Neito refused to back down, just as he refused to stop talking; bringing his hands forward and together, as though he were somehow preparing to counter or just straight-up attack: "Don't you have any regard for your friends' potential plight?! That's cold! Though I suppose it's fitting that you and Bakugo would share such a mentality! Honestly, how can anyone so arrogant who can allow himself to be so easily outsmarted and defeated like he doubtless has by now, possibly have any right to call himself a worthwhile leader, let alone the next Number One Hero?"

In the split second that the two young Heroes made direct eye contact; Neito's condescending grin took on an even more sadistic edge. "I actually had a little talk with Shinso-san earlier, and he mentioned something very interesting to me. He told me 'the gifted will break this world.' Tell me, as Bakugo's apparent friend, how is it that he can still smile without a care in the world, WHEN HE'S THE ONE WHO BROUGHT ABOUT THE DOWNFALL OF OUR SYMBOL OF PEACE?!"

All at once, Izuku could hear Bakugo's voice echoing all across his mind, all the way back to the very first night they had spent at the newly opened dorms…the night they had their second fight and ultimately let him in on the truth about One For All. In the wake of that blind confrontation between them, he had heard more anguish, more pain, more devastation in Bakugo's voice than he had ever heard from him once before in all the years they had known each other.

And all because he'd been unable to sever his own involvement from the battle that ultimately forced All Might to retire. In all the time they'd been friends-turned-enemies-turned-rivals; Izuku knew Bakugo admired and practically worshipped All Might to the same degree that he did, only on an inward level. And so, to think that his getting kidnapped and ultimately forcing the battle in Kamino Ward to unfold like it did, was what led to his most admired Hero having to step down, had eaten away at Bakugo like nothing else ever possibly could. Izuku had seen and heard it all himself, and there was no way it could've been fake.

He'd never seen him so deeply wounded and self-resenting before, and even for as cruel as Bakugo had been to him in the past, Izuku knew he would never want to see him in such pain ever again. And now to hear Neito so nonchalantly mocking him and the pain he was still dealing with to this day in his own way, had ignited an anger within Izuku's chest that he didn't think could be so easily brought out.

And this anger came out in the form of Izuku immediately trying to line up a fully charged Delaware Smash Air Force attack right at Neito, ready to lay him out flat where he stood; the snarky blonde student still refusing to turn tail and run in the face of such powerful incoming aggression. "I truly do hate those born with so much more practical power than me. That's what makes burrowing under the skin of your type so much fun."

A few seconds ago…

As soon as Izuku had taken off to scout and hopefully lure out the Team 5-B for the rest of them; his three teammates had quickly gotten to work setting up their own defenses, with Mina vigilantly standing guard while Ochako used her Quirk to help Minoru float, while he reeled a cord and intermittently skewered his hairballs onto it as he went, winding it around multiple pipes around their position in order to serve as a kind of tripwire alarm for if any opponents would approach them.

As soon as they had heard the sound of Ochako's screaming voice coming from elsewhere, despite her being right there between her teammates; Minoru was feeling especially anxious, but still tried to focus on finishing his work once he reunited with the two girls. "That scream just now, it had to have been Shinso. It sounded pretty close, too."

While Mina was still maintaining her defensive and action-ready posture, she couldn't help but briefly chuckle out the upturned corner of her smirking mouth. "It's kinda funny to imagine Urara-chan's scream coming out of a super stoic and calm guy like him, though."

However, neither Ochako nor Minoru were about to start chuckling with her; the diminutive boy especially looking at her with a note of disapproval in his eyes. "Is that supposed to try and lighten the mood for all of us, or just you, Ashido?"

Mina didn't take her eyes off their surroundings, but she likewise couldn't hide the confusion in her voice. "Why would it be for me?"

As Minoru tightened the grip he had on the end of his last motion-sensing cord, he couldn't even try to hide the bite of what sounded like jealousy lining his every word: "Well, considering Bezpalov is not only fighting against Tokage and that Kieslowska girl as we speak; but also fighting alongside Bakugo, of all people, it would only make sense that as his…girlfriend, you would be worried about him and want to try and lighten the mood with the first thing you can think to laugh at, is all."

But as Mina kept her back turned to Minoru; a decision he naturally assumed was her means of keeping him from seeing how right he was reflected on her face; she in actuality was just rolling her eyes at his current blatant envy. "Kolya-kun has nothing to do with what's going on right now, Mineta; you know that. I know how totally capable he is when the going gets tough, just like how Bakugo is. Together, those two can handle even the likes of Setsuna-chan and Maja-chan, no probs. He knows how tough and awesome we all are, too; so I'm sure he's not anymore worried about us right now, either. Everything I'm doing is just for the sake of nabbin' our team the final win and nothing else."

Finally, Ochako turned to her teammates, looking Minoru dead in the face. "Hey, we gotta look at each other's faces when we're talking so long as Shinso is out there, remember?"

As Mina quickly turned back around with an embarrassed and apologetic smile on her face, Minoru felt a sudden tautness to the cord in his hands, leaving him wide-eyed and turning with exceptional alertness. "WE GOT A BITE!"

As soon as Ochako and Mina both turned in the direction Minoru's cord was going, they suddenly found themselves being assaulted by an incoming barrage of numerous different metal pieces heading right for them fast; the sight of which had Minoru already screaming: "IT'S YANAGI'S POLTERGEIST!"

"ACID VEIL!" Mina was instantly at the forefront, throwing up a curtain of her Acid from her downward swinging open hands, catching all of the flying debris and melting it down instantly; effectively protecting her teammates.

But that didn't stop more and more debris to keep flying in, forcing Mina to throw one Acid Veil after another to melt down as much of it as possible while she and her teammates were slowly being forced further and further back; Minoru's face wrought with panic: "IS SHE EVEN AIMING?!"

As Ochako was already looking around for any sign of their opponents she could move for, she suddenly spied what looked like two tiny pieces of debris flying Mina's way while she was more focused on getting rid of the larger projectiles. The moment she'd finally spied the same ones Ochako had, and was about to swipe more of her Acid that way—

BWOOMP!

In the blink of an eye, Mina suddenly found herself being overshadowed by those same pieces now three times their previous size, forcing her to duck and roll while throwing her Acid at it, in order to avoid getting laid out on her back.

As Ochako watched this unfold, she looked and began to see more and more similarly tiny projectiles; flying in among the regular sized ones; that were all now starting to suddenly grow, thus adding to the overwhelming barrage they were dealing with. 'It's Kodai's Size Quirk in the mix, too!'

Realizing that Minoru's Quirk would do no good at stopping this attack, and Mina's Acid could only be fired at so many pieces all at once; Ochako quickly leapt into action, gliding through the air and rapidly slapping her hands against every piece she could reach along the way; stopping them dead in their tracks with the loss of their gravity, and thus giving Mina more time to melt down as many more as she could in the meantime.

"Twin Impact: FIRE!"

But from elsewhere on the battlefield, Nirengeki Shouda had been observing this entire unfolding of his team's opening attack, as well as Team 5-A's defense. And despite the setback of Ochako stopping the projectiles' momentum, it did nothing against his aforementioned Quirk, as at it has command, all of those once harmlessly floating metal pieces, suddenly fired forward at the whole team like they'd been shot right out of a cannon; too fast for Mina to effectively do anything with her Acid Shots or Acid Veils; ultimately landing with such an intense impact betraying their actual size and number, that sent all three of them diving to the ground from the sheer concussive force of it.

From their strategically ingenious hiding spot just out of Team 5-A's field of view; Nirengeki, Yui and Reiko had both focused and subsequently listened with their respective forms of satisfaction at how thoroughly their Quirks had managed to overwhelm their opponents; with the small round boy taking full command with a degree of real confidence, thanks to the scanner on his left eye helping him to direct where his teammates moved their weapons and when to activate their Quirks. "All right, we've got a decent idea of the direction they're in now. Let's launch a second attack while they're in the dark."

And as the three currently overwhelmed teammates of 5-A tried to recollect their bearings after such a sudden insane encounter, Ochako's heart was pounding with adrenaline and caution. 'For them to pull a maneuver like that, they must have some kind of idea where we are now! With all that noise, Deku-kun would be on his way by now…so they surely must have a plan to keep him separated from us as long as they can! So this battle all falls to us alone!'

Observation Deck, a few minutes earlier…

Just as the simultaneous battles were both truly starting to kick off, to all students and teachers' respective loud and restrained anticipations; Toshinori's cellphone had suddenly started to go off in his pocket; that repetitive boom of All Might's voice from within spurring Midnight to mutter in an aside: "Learn to mute your phone, honestly."

However, when Toshinori apologetically pulled it out and saw the Caller ID; his whole posture went noticeably rigid with tension as he nudged Oleg in the arm to get his attention; whispering as soon as the man looked: "It's Gran Torino-sensei. Let's take this away from here."

As soon as both men had retreated to the furthest corner of the deck, where Toshinori was confident they wouldn't risk being overheard; he finally answered: "Thank you for the quick response, Sensei, but we're actually in the middle of observing a class right now."

But with no formalities or pleasantries to speak of; Gran Torino's aged voice immediately answered, as though he hadn't even heard a word his former pupil had said: "First of all, I wanted to keep you and Tunguska both updated on what's been going on with the investigation. There's been some recent reports from several different police detachments across the countryside, of potential sightings of that Gigantomachia abomination that attacked Naomasa-san and I during our arrest of Kurogiri. Now, under different circumstances, considering moving is all it has apparently done from what few sightings we've managed to get or hear of it, I wouldn't be bothering you with this now of all times. However, we've also been getting reports from the staff at Tartarus, of All For One himself starting to become much more active within his cell, at least as much as is possible with the security measures they have on him. I think we can all agree that these two things happening simultaneously together are cause for much greater concern."

Indeed, Toshinori and Oleg's exchanged glances clearly showed all the apprehension and worry now building in their stomachs and chests. If All For One was actually starting to move, then it could only ever mean near guaranteed disaster. Gran Torino could likewise just sense this consideration and fear taking root within his former pupil; but that still didn't stop him from continuing on, knowing that for now, there were no real options they could pursue in this previous matter. "Also, you said you wanted to know if Shimura Nana ever mentioned dreaming about One For All, right?"

"Wow, truly straight to the point, isn't he?" Oleg muttered at the perceived rudeness of the elderly Hero not even giving a single common greeting; which Gran Torino thankfully either ignored or didn't even notice: "Well, you asked, and I just happened to remember something. Now, my old mind ain't what it used to be, so listen up, but don't expect much. Sorry to say this probably ain't what you want to hear."

"Oh? What did master tell you?" Toshinori immediately asked. Now, both men's attention was no longer on the battles unfolding behind their backs; both of them listening with great apprehension as Gran Torino continued unabated: "This wasn't long after she'd inherited One For All. Like always, we were just chatting while out on patrol. Then, from practically out of nowhere, she told me: 'Get this, Gran Torino; I had the weirdest dream last night. There was a man standing there, all shrouded in black smoke. He spoke directly to me and said 'It's not time yet.''"

All at once, hearing this while remembering everything Izuku and Nikolay both had described to him throughout the course of this day; Oleg couldn't take just standing here and listening anymore. Thankfully having the good graces to keep his voice down for the sake of everyone else, he suddenly leaned in and spoke up so Gran Torino could hear him: "Forgive me for interrupting, Gran Torino-san, but there's something very important you need to know. The reason Toshinori-san asked this of you was because malenkii Midoriya described having a very similar dream to us earlier today…but unfortunately that's not all…because my son, Kolya, described a very similar dream to me this morning as well; talks of a man shrouded in black, and voices speaking directly to them both of things much like what you just described, of timing and such.

"What's more: both of their Quirks acted up while they slept, activating entirely on their own. I understand this is a lot to take in, and even more to actually consider believing when you're not here all the time like we are; but there are far too many similarities for this to just be a coincidence…right? Surely you must agree, yes?"

The several seconds of pure silence that followed on Gran Torino's end were anything but reassuring, as Oleg and Toshinori both felt an especially cold sweat start forming on their brows; every second of waiting for the old man to say anything, feeling like a suffocating eternity.

Finally, clearing his throat in order to try and re-compose himself after what he'd just been told by Toshinori's friend and their mutual ally in this whole matter; Gran Torino spoke up again: "Yes, that…that's certainly a very concerning new side of things we need to keep our eyes and ears on. I can't say I ever heard of such a thing; not even Shimura mentioned that happening to her when she'd told me of her dream back then. The fact your boy suffered the same experience at the same time as Midoriya is especially surprising."

Toshinori proceeded to take control of the conversation once more upon hearing the surprise in his old mentor's voice; the last thing he'd wanted to hear in this particular leg of the matter: a complete loss. "Sensei, can you possibly remember if Master ever told you who she inherited One For All from before? If not, do you know if there's any possible records we could investigate of any other Heroes or individuals with Quirks that she had ever been associated with in the past?"

Exchanging another heavy, knowing gaze with each other; Oleg and Toshinori both knew there was no use trying to deny the overall conclusion this surprising new road of inquiry was leading towards; Oleg finally saying it out loud: "The more of this dream matter we've been hearing, I think it's safe to finally say what we've both been thinking, especially with your testimony further proving it: it may be possible that Kolya has some kind of surprise connection to One For All, undoubtedly through another of its previous Users somehow. I know all of my ancestors were born with their Quirks, instead of inheriting one from someone, so…it has to have been through somewhere in his mother Lyudmila's family line. But where, I couldn't possibly begin to know where to look."

Unfortunately, Gran Torino's voice conveyed not nearly as much hope in this new investigation as either of the men had hoped. "Unfortunately, Shimura never said anything about who she inherited it from. Back then, I'd naturally assumed she'd been born with it like everybody else. Even knowing what I do now about One For All's inheritability through you and Midoriya, Toshi; you have to understand why I'd find it so hard to believe that someone completely unrelated to either of you would somehow be connected to your Quirk and have that possibility suddenly pop up like this; especially if the source of his potential connection goes as far back as you might be thinking it does."

But Toshinori remained resolute in his and Oleg's shared suspicion; reflected just as clearly in how he spoke next: "I agree it does sound incredibly farfetched, Sensei. But think about all we as a society and a people have come to understand about Quirks to this day. We all know by now that they act just the same as any other genetic trait written in our genetics. We pass them down from one generation to the next just the same, they mutate and evolve over time just the same, and much like certain physiological traits, they can even skip over a generation or even a few, before suddenly popping back up as a dominant gene. If it works that way for any other Quirk, then how can we be certain that it couldn't potentially work the same way with One For All? How do we know that one of the previous Users, when in possession of it, didn't end up having a child, and passing off at least a single ember of its power through that branch in the family tree, and it possibly went down dormant through multiple generations from there, and only now came up as an otherwise unaccounted for aspect to Bezpalov-shonen's Quirk Factor, only recently stirred by such close proximity to Midoriya-shonen; the User of the heart of One For All itself?"

The more Toshinori put his long-silent theory and thoughts on this strange development into words, the more Oleg found himself seeing the absolute sense in it, just as they both hoped Gran Torino was seeing it, too. By the time his friend finally reached the end of that ramble; he likewise couldn't keep the first idea that came to mind to himself any longer: "Perhaps it may not have been only just this recent event that we have to look at for proof, Toshinori-san. Think about the battle at I-Island. Remember how Kolya and malenkii Midoriya's powers seemed to simultaneously flare up when we all went charging that Villain at the end; how they seemed to ignite into twin shooting stars in perfect synchronicity? How can we truly say that may not have been that ember and that heart of the fire activating in response to one another?"

Toshinori's sunken eyes widened the most Oleg had seen from him yet; his blue irises lowering the more he thought back on that occurrence, before slowly nodding his head in likewise realization that, perhaps, this clue, this potentially unprecedented connection between the two otherwise completely unrelated boys, had been right in front of them the entire time. But as he finally began to open his mouth to ask Gran Torino his own thoughts—

"ALL MIGHT-SENSEI, TUNGUSKA-SENSEI, COME QUICK! SOMETHING'S HAPPENING! SOMETHING'S WRONG!" The sudden multiple similar outcries of what sounded like pure shock from several of the Class A students, had Oleg and Toshinori rushing over to see for themselves what could've possibly been going on, all the while silently hoping that it wasn't what they had been dreading it could possibly be.

But what they saw on both screens of both battles left them both with their hearts plummeting into their stomachs while all the other students were feverishly talking amongst each other about what was going on.

5th Match

As Izuku had let his anger towards Neito's mockery build more and more while he tried to aim his Delaware Smash Air Force in his direction; something unprecedented happened in the blink of an eye.

The once all-consuming sensation of One For All's power that had been steadily and equally flowing throughout his body with his Full Cowl, had suddenly surged and broke through every semblance of a physical limit that he knew; sending a multitude of endless jolts of agonizing pain all over his body, before the whole right glove and sleeve of his costume suddenly exploded with a multitude of wide-reaching, frantic and violently moving bolts of what looked like black lightning or tendrils shooting out from all over his arm, with a multitude of black cracks or veins spreading all over it as well.

And while nearly all of his watching classmates could only marvel at this sudden change in their classmate's power; so too could they, and especially their teachers and principal, see the look of utter confusion, panic and pain evident on his face as it happened.

At the same time, Neito's once defiant refusal to move out of the way of Izuku's assault had by now turned to a very subtle surprise at this sudden change in his opponent's power, now leaving him frozen where he stood while maintaining his confident smirk. "That jerk…are you telling me he's somehow grown even more now?"

But had he seen the agony on Izuku's face once those black tendrils or bolts emanated from his arm, he would have known that this was hardly voluntary on his part; for as soon as Izuku realized his arm was still aiming straight for Neito, his first instinct was to throw his left leg over his arm in an attempt to try and forcefully pull it off course.

But no matter how hard he tries to push his leg and arm down together, this strange new energy shooting out of him wouldn't allow it. If anything, it was like his Quirk and body together were abjectly fighting back against him, to his skyrocketing sense of panic. 'What?! What…what…is this?! Everything…was going just fine a second ago!'

No sooner than Izuku groaned through his gritting teeth towards Neito: "RUN"; did the black bolts suddenly intensify and grow as they emanated from his arm, and immediately after shoot outward, not just towards Neito, but to the entire area surrounding him; forcing him to finally do as his opponent was begging, and leap aside like his life depended on it.

As Neito landed and instinctively looked back, he watched as the multiple black tendrils seemed to suction or wrap themselves around all the pipes surrounding his previous position; and the moment they did, Izuku's whole body was suddenly yanked towards that very same central area, like the tendrils themselves were controlling his movements, slamming his body hard right through the wall, finally breaking through Neito's cocky demeanor once he saw it; knowing Izuku had just been flung into the very hiding spot his partner had chosen. "SHINSO-SAN!"

Within his now destroyed hiding spot, Hitoshi had barely managed to avoid getting waylaid by Izuku's out of control entrance; now barely able to spot him through the settling dust. But once he saw Izuku's hunched over body; the green-haired boy's face wrought with agony and desperation as he clutching onto his black-bolting arm with everything he had; he stopped dead in his tracks, genuinely shaken by what he was seeing, especially once he and Izuku somehow made eye contact. "SHIN…SO…JUST RUN! THE POWER…I…CAN'T CONTROL IT! IT'S EXPLODING OUT OF ME!"

BOOOM!

In an especially cruel play on his desperate words, all the black tendrils from Izuku's arms suddenly erupted from out the same hole he had previously left; expanding and jolting all through the air all over the industrial battleground; a sight that nobody on either team could possibly not notice…

…especially when those same tendrils suddenly all shot out towards the whole bunch of them en masse, slamming into every possible surface they could latch onto in an overwhelmingly powerful impact, sending all the students sprawling to the ground and either rolling, jumping or sprinting for their lives for the first possible cover they could find.

But even in her own rush to get herself, her friends and even their opponents to safety, Ochako couldn't help but look back the way these sudden new attacking…things had suddenly come from, just in time to see Izuku's body being reeled through the air with them like a fish on a powerful line. And even from this distance, confusion as to how he was suddenly doing this insane new ability to begin with aside, she could just sense the pain and anguish he was in at this very moment…and that recognition did away with any semblance of fear she had just been feeling.

Instead, now all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of purpose, of direction.

All the while, no matter how much Izuku tried to fight against this new power, it simply throwing him every which way it could, like it was on a rampage entirely on its own. And even the physical pain of his getting tossed and whipped around, or of the tendrils forcing themselves further and further out like they would tear his arm apart from the inside out; barely compared to the agony burning all through his mind as he was practically begging on both fronts for everything he was worth. 'WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHAT? WHY?' "STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP IT!" 'WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?! "STOP IT! STOP IIIIITTTT!"

As he kept feeling all his control over any part of his Quirk quickly slip through his fingers like water; the only thing Izuku could even see anymore through his tortured and despairing tears, was his entire life as All Might's inheritor and student, rapidly flashing before his eyes, as though to hammer home the point that this was where everything was ultimately going to end, the pain had become so overwhelming.

'All Might passed this down to me. Since I had so much to learn, I was always hurting myself. But I'd finally started to make it my own. Things were supposed to be looking up from here on in…I…I just didn't want anyone worrying over me ever again. Please…JUST STOP THIS…ONE FOR ALL!'

Outside of his overwhelmed and clouded mind; Izuku's body was being thrown into a violent and thrashing corkscrew through the air; moving with such speed that it could easily be able to snap multiple bones the moment he would eventually slam into anything again.

But within this terrifying black tendril storm; Ochako was now flying fearlessly through it all, reaching out as far as she could towards Izuku's body, which she could already barely make out through everything else. But the fact was that she'd found him, and every fiber of her being was screaming for her to close in and do something, anything at all, for him before he could further risk himself more than he already had. With that being the only driving goal in sight; she came flying in and ultimately threw all her limbs around Izuku as tight as she could hold; her mind racing for her to say something that would be able to somehow get through to him and help him regain control of his Quirk again.

And all the while, Hitoshi had likewise been watching this insane change in Izuku, and Ochako's sudden intervention, with wide-eyed disbelief; likewise finding himself mentally running through all kinds of ideas as to what, if anything, he could do about this.

The sheer chaotic and seemingly uncontrollable nature of this change in Izuku had by now left many of the Class A and B students initially speechless, and soon after shaken, even horrified in some cases. Considering just how full of surprises he'd proven himself to be thus far through this year, it was only natural for many to assume this was simply a new technique to his Quirk that he'd been secretly working on, that he sadly hadn't managed to perfect yet, at the expense of everyone else on the field.

But if that were the case, then it only made the events playing out on-screen in the fourth match with Nikolay that much more confusing, and subsequently deeply concerning.

4th Match

TSSIIING!

After several seconds of his desperately trying to build up his Kinetic power within himself to try and break free of this insane number of traps Class B had put his whole team in; Nikolay's entire body suddenly rocked with an overwhelming electrical jolt of agonizing pain from the center of his brain, tearing through every muscle fiber, vein and inch of bone within himself, almost putting him into a state of shock that sadly did nothing to dull the relentless pain.

But to the eyes of his teammates, this only came through in the form of Nikolay's whole body breaking into a rate of all-encompassing vibration that made even the worst of seizures look downright calm by comparison. It was downright inhuman, the speed with which his body was vibrating, shaking, twitching and jerking all at once, to the point that with the restraints he was fighting against, it would've been more shocking if he wasn't about to break nearly half the bones in his body from the force and speed alone.

BWOOM!

All of a sudden, the sound of one of his Refracting Blasts burst through the already uneasy air, signaled by the sudden shattering of the Wax Spike nestled underneath his right arm.

BWOOM!

And just as quickly as that, another such blast emanated from out of his left leg, shattering the spike in front of that.

BWOOM!

Then another from out his chest, shattering the spike going across that, before a fourth fired just as loudly from out his back, shattering the spike behind him.

Then, without any further warning, the whole area was suddenly filled with the building cacophony of a rapid-fire Refracting Blasts bursting from practically every inch of Nikolay's body one after the other, to the point it almost sounded like one gigantic vibrating wall of pure noise; these contained, yet fast and powerful shots of pure vibratory force blasting away at every single Wax spike, welded-on steel bar, tree, and even all the Glue all across the ground and said trees, without pause or mercy; nearly leveling the whole area all around the team, while miraculously managing to avoid actually hitting any of his actual teammates. Of course, the relief for that couldn't hold a candle to the immense worry that most of them were feeling when seeing this continue to happen to Nikolay, even after he'd already landed hard on his hands and knees; the blasts refusing to stop and only continuing to blast away more and more of their immediate surroundings.

'WHY WON'T IT STOP?! WHY ISN'T MY QUIRK DOING WHAT I TELL IT TO?! OH, GOD, THIS BUILDING POWER HURTS SO MUCH! AND WHY…WHY CAN I SUDDENLY FEEL ALL THE RIPPLES IN THE AIR?! IT'S LIKE…LIKE THE RIPPLES IN WATER! I CAN FEEL…FEEL EVERYTHING MOVING THROUGH IT…LIKE…LIKE THERE!'

In a moment of pure physical sensitivity like he'd never experienced before, Nikolay's whole body could indeed start to feel the most minute vibrations rippling through the air itself, like when water-bound predators could sense the movement of prey through the ripples in the water; or a bat could sense the whereabouts of every obstacle or living being in its surroundings through echolocation.

But even with all the flying debris around them from the destructive force of his out of control Refracting Blasts, it was as though an intrinsic instinct in his head could identify what was simply debris, and what was an actual person, as the moment his frantic thoughts had focused even slightly upon whatever had caught his attention as unnaturally moving within the environment; his Refracting Blasts suddenly started to rapidly burst out from every inch of his body facing in that same direction, sending his body painfully stumbling further with each one against his control.

And at that same time, as Setsuna had sent her remote eye, one ear and her once-more detached mouth to investigate what was happening, and subsequently provide instruction to her teammates based on what she saw; those same reflexive blasts suddenly came smashing through the trees between her and Nikolay, before even more came ripping through the flying debris, and ultimately smashed and blasted away her eye and ear altogether, with her mouth piece flying back to Setsuna herself as fast as she could make it, with multiple more blasts tearing away at the trees around it, like in conscious pursuit.

By pure luck, Setsuna's mouth ultimately managed to escape through the canopy and ultimately reconnect with her; the majority of her body now floating a good distance away from this immediate action site; but she and the still-hanging on Maja were still left stunned where she floated, before just as quickly realizing the advantage she and the rest of her team had just been robbed of. "Dammit! I have no idea what's going on with Bezpalov-kun right now, but I'm officially down a scouting eye and an ear, and I can't get close enough to Kamakiri-san and Awase-san to warn them without risking us both getting taken out by those freaky flying Refracting Blasts of his!"

Just as soon as Maja was about to try and give the first suggestion she could even think of; both girls were stirred to silence by the sound of another powerful distant BWOOM; both now watching with growing eyes as Nikolay's body launched up high into the air, before just as quickly launching himself towards them at a speed like they hadn't ever seen from him before.

And this sight was made all the more frightening when they saw how listlessly Nikolay's body itself was as he flew, as though his Quirk were the one doing all the driving, and simply forcing him along for the ride; easily noticeable by the pain and terror on his face. Seeing this, the first and only thing Setsuna could think of doing was to try and send as many of her available flying pieces as she could spare, all flying towards him in an attempt to try and somehow knock him out.

But the moment she did so, she could only watch as Nikolay's body reflexively blasted him in the direction of whichever piece was closest that his freaking-out-Quirk could sense the movement vibrations in the air from; with yet more blasts now forcibly directing his limbs to strike or blast each one he could reach into oblivion, one after the other, like a human marionette being forcibly thrown about by invisible hands through the blasts ceaselessly shooting from all over his body.

Down below, just before Nikolay had launched himself into the air; Bakugo's first instinct had been to pursue Yosetsu; having been able to see which direction he'd fled to after his perceived cowardly trapping tactic. And with the speed his Explosions were propelling him through the already half-destroyed woods, it didn't take long for him to spot Yosetsu running as fast as his legs could carry him just up ahead.

At that same moment, hearing the cacophony of pure Kinetic mayhem unfolding behind his back, Yosetsu had been quick to realize that, if he wasn't getting any instructions from Setsuna's mouth piece by now, then she had to have been forced to fall back, which could only mean bad things for him and the rest of his team; especially Kojiro, whom he was now feeling wracked with guilt for having left there to stand guard alone.

Similarly, while Kyouka, Hanta and Rikido were all still trying to recollect themselves and try to figure out what the hell was going on with the by-now launched Nikolay and his Quirk; Togaru Kamakiri had likewise watched the surprising turnaround unfold from within the cover of the trees around that were still standing; having opted to remain perfectly still on instinct.

Now that Nikolay and Bakugo were both gone, he now realized he had the best chance he could ask for to take down three of Team 4-A's members in the blink of an eye; seeing how shaken they were, and realizing that Rikido's Sugar Rush had to be on the verge of finally running out.

With no time wasted with fancy statements or attack names, Togaru proceeded to leap from out of the canopy straight for Kyouka, who still had her back to him while she was trying to catch her breath. With the way she, Hanta and Rikido were currently positioned from each other in this clearing, there would be no way for them to react to stop him and save her in time.

"HEARTBEAT DISTORTION!" Without even moving her body to show she'd managed to catch the sound of his approaching heartbeat behind her through his hiding within the tree while her Jacks were stealthily plugged back into the ground; Kyouka just as quickly plugged them into her hands, and practically threw her whole body backwards to where she was nearly doing a spider-walk stand on her hands and feet with her back arched; planting her palms flat to the ground and firing off a racing pulse into them.

BOOOOM!

This resulted in a huge blast into the ground that sent multiple chunks and countless pieces of further debris flying right into Togaru's face, while Kyouka hurriedly rolled herself over and leapt back before he could land and try to get a hit on her with his arm blades. Instead, refusing to allow himself to be stunned like this, Togaru immediately threw himself into a razor sharp high-flying frenzy of attacks, swatting away and chopping at all the debris and large chunks of earth she had just blasted into his face.

And capitalizing on this split-second distraction, Hanta quickly proceeded to start shooting as many lengthy strips of his Tape as he could against all the large scattered pieces of the destroyed trees all around them, before hurriedly leaping away and shooting another strip onto a still-upstanding one to reel himself towards as an escape.

And the moment Hanta was clear, Rikido hurriedly leapt in to take his place, grabbing all the collective Tape strips in his hands, before proceeding to use the last of his Sugar Rush-boosted strength and speed, to hurriedly throw his whole body into a spin where he stood; swinging all of those Taped-up pieces of the trees along with him in a quickly-devastating physical attack that Togaru was just not quick enough to deflect or slice through once his feet were back on the ground, as nearly all of them came slamming hard into his head and torso in the blink of an eye, knocking him flat unconscious just seconds before Rikido's own spinning momentum ended with his whole body collapsing flat to the ground listlessly like a tree, himself.

However, even if Rikido hadn't had to have burned himself out in order to take out by far their most aggressive opponent so far; this still would have been no time to celebrate, as Kyouka and Hanta could only look up into the sky and watch with continued wide-eyed shock and worry at how Nikolay's body was still continuing to relentlessly blast and ricochet itself uncontrollably at every single projectile piece Setsuna was throwing at him in order to keep him away from herself and Maja. And with both of them sufficiently grounded, and Bakugo still in the middle of chasing after Yosetsu, there was genuinely nothing they could do to try and help their suffering friend above.

But what neither of them realized was that, with Yosetsu having somehow managed the impossible and managing to give Bakugo the slip; the explosive young Hero was now likewise looking up at the sound of Nikolay's incessant Refracting Blasts; and all of his previous rage and aggression had momentarily started giving way to a genuine sense of worry. Not only because one of his teammates looked to be going through a period of complete loss of control and restraint over his Quirk at his own physical expense…but because if this thing that had never happened to Nikolay before was playing out before him now, then did that possibly mean that the same thing was happening to Izuku; like Tunguska and All Might had both feared?

"Aizawa-san, Vlad-san! Please stop this!" Oleg and Toshinori's borderline panicked tones were as clear as day, as the two men had hurried to rejoin the two homeroom teachers at the controls; both of them looking similarly shocked and deeply worried once they turned around. "You need to put a stop to these battles at once! Something's terribly wrong here! There's no telling what damage Midoriya-shonen and Bezpalov-shonen could do to themselves or anyone else if you don't!"

Thankfully, neither Aizawa nor Vlad King could even think of any reason to argue, as they were both already reaching for the microphones to call for an emergency end to both matches; Aizawa already knowing too well by now what could potentially happen to Izuku if he used too much of his Quirk's power than he could be able to handle, and Vlad King simply worrying what could potentially become of Nikolay and his own students if his Quirk kept running amok like this as well.

Even despite the feeling of his bones about to break and his muscles all about to tear as his Refracting Blasts continued to relentlessly fire out from all over his body and throw him all around in the air like a ragdoll; Nikolay's mind stubbornly refused to let him black out from all the pain and overwhelming panic. Somehow, someway, he knew he needed to try and regain control. 'Please…I have to stop this! I'm putting everyone out there that's counting on me in danger! Why is my Quirk not listening to me?! Why is this happening?!'

"Obviously because your body and mind have been pushed to a similar place of physical, mental and emotional desperation or stress as the other; and your Quirk is reacting in kind like theirs."

From out of nowhere, Nikolay nearly felt his heart stop at the sudden sound of a man's voice speaking to him so matter-of-factly…the voice he instantly recognized as that of the same stranger from within the dream he'd had last night…the dream that had made his Quirk go haywire on its own in the first place. 'No! No, no, no, no, not this again! Who is that?! Why is my Quirk torturing me like this with imaginary voices now?!'

As Nikolay's eyes frantically looked everywhere around him for some sign of this stranger, only to find absolutely nothing; the voice continued on with an unsettling nonchalant air about it: "It's not your Quirk doing it. If anything, you should be grateful, because I'm here to help you get your control over your Quirk back, before you do some damage to yourself you can't get up from. This is a big moment for you, so try and quiet your mind enough to focus; the bridge between you both is slowly but surely filling in, and I'm going to help you make sure your end gets that much closer as well."

Alright, everyone, that is gonna do it for this week. I hope you're all enjoying this new take on the fourth match, and I hope that this particular note to end on has many of you intrigued and curious to see what this means for the future in this story. Please feel free to express your thoughts, feelings and opinions on this chapter or this story as a whole.

I hope you all have a good rest of your week, keep Horikoshi-sensei and the peoples of both Ukraine and East Palestine, Ohio in your thoughts, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 03/18!