I was grinning like an idiot as the forty-two who made it to the second round gathered around the stage for the announcement of the second game. Mina had run off after we had agreed to team, saying something about "Needing to hang with the gals". I didn't get why, but hey, I never did get what she did, even before all this.

Weren't you best friends? I would think you know them the best out of us both.

'Eh, kinda. Jake's never been the most..open. Sure, he'll talk, but he's a master at using a lot of very mystical language to say nothing. Getting a straight answer can be the hardest thing in world if he doesn't want to give it.'

Sounds annoying.

'Trust me, that we can agree on.'

World must be coming to an end if we just agreed.

'Oh hush.'

I kind of…ignored the explanation of the cavalry battle. I had heard it and only paid attention once score listings came in. I had gotten sixth place thanks to my clever use of Iida, moving him up the ranks by guiding him. From what I could tell the mine field had pushed him back, so with me directing, we made it in quick.

Admittedly not a bad idea.

'Got it from you ya know, though yours wasn't as bold.'

I used some people as horses?

'Yep. Guess you couldn't get anyone too useful so you used some schlubs for a bit.'

Huh.

Shaking things off, I looked to see my score. One hundred and eighty-five points. Not bad.

Especially considering you just rode piggyback to get it.

'You must be fun at parties.'

So you've said. Five times already.

'You kept count?'

Yes.

I ignored my own head partner as I looked around, seeing the moment Midoriya's score total was announced. I tried to hold in the laughter as I saw literally everyone's head turn to him simultaneously, plus the expression of absolute terror on his face. I could practically see the anime exaggeration and it was kind of strange to not see all the little touches the animated version had, but it was still a very funny moment.

Soon enough, I was looking for some teammates, though it appeared I didn't need to. Mina was already talking with Tsu and Kaminari, the latter of whom seemed pretty psyched. I jogged over to them, giving them all the look I normally had when I was curious.

"Hey, Mina! You already got us a team?"

She nodded, giving me a knowing smile.

"Yep. Caught Kaminari on his way to talk to Bakugou, and he was down for being a good front horse. Then I saw Tsu and it just clicked. You think we're good then?"

I thought for a moment. Kaminari was a good catch, though what effect that would have on Bakugou's team, I wasn't sure. Then again, Mina wasn't there either. So we'll just have to deal. I nodded my assent.

"Sounds good. Now we just need a rider."

Mina nodded, looking thoughtful before Tsu spoke up."

"What about Shinso? He seems like he could be a good rider, Kero."

I thought it over. Yes, I could be a good rider, though that meant Tsu would be a horse. She seemed like the best choice.

"Actually Tsu, I think you might be our best rider. You're small…no offense ("None taken, kero."), and agile, plus you could use your tongue to grab headbands. "

Mina seemed thoughtful, before she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Tsu! You're our best choice!"

Kaminari agreed, pumping his fist.

"You got this, Tsu!"

Tsu was silent for a short time, before replying.

"If that's what you think, kero. I'll do it."

We all cheered, and I smiled. This was gonna be fun. Aside from that, we still needed a good strategy. But I had one in mind already. And from Mina's face, she had thought of it already too. I let her speak first.

"Alright, now that we've got that…we still need to plan what to do."

Kaminari shrugged.

"We could go for Midoriya. If we get him, that's a guaranteed win."

I nodded before shooting that down.

"Once we had It though, we'd need to protect it, and then everyone's gunning for us. Not the best idea."

Mina and Tsu both nodded.

"That's what I was thinking."

"Me too, kero."

I smirked.

"Alright, good to know we're mostly on the same page."

I patted Kaminari's shoulder to comfort the poor sweet idiot boy.

"So, I propose we stay away from the mess that'll be near Midoriya, plus the other top two. Not sure if we could take them on really. We pick off other teams, and watch out for ice. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded. I turned to Kaminari.

"Kaminari, I cannot stress this enough, please do not short circuit yourself. We need you. Okay?"

He nodded, seeming the most serious he'd ever been, before returning to normal.

"No worries Shin-Bro! I got ya!"

I smiled. Good nickname.

I hate it.

'Of course you do. You're…Shin-bro.'

Please no.

'What's wrong Shin-bro?'

I hate you.

'No you don't.'

I really, really do.

'I can still read your emotions, liar.'

Those emotions are lies.

'Whatever you say, Shin-bro.'

He groaned loudly in my head, as I noticed Mina running toward Kirishima. Curious, I of course followed. She caught up to him, and they high fived, before I got in speech range.

"So, you're with Bakugou?"

Kirishima nodded, giving that full smile I had grown familiar with. The one that meant he was pumped.

"Yeah. I'm his front horse."

Mina nodded, before looking away.

"I guess we're gonna fight then?"

Kirishima seemed a little sad, but he kept the fire in his gaze.3

"Hey, come on. This is just a chance to see how far we've come already. Plus, we knew this was coming. You're pretty great. And I'm gonna beat you to prove I'm great now too."

He finished this up with a determined look and an outstretched hand. Mina smirked back and took it, fire in her eyes now too.

"I was gonna say something similar. So I guess we're like rivals now?"

Kirishima nodded. She simply grinned wider.

"Then it's on. See you on the field, Eijiro."

He seemed surprised, but didn't protest.

"You too Mina."

And with that they parted ways, Mina walking back toward me.

"Enjoy the show?"

I shrugged as we returned to our team.

"Maybe. You seemed pretty intense back there. Guess we better not lose."

She nodded, fire in her eyes.

"Yeah. we'd better not."

Returning to our team, it was only a short time before the last call was made. Tsu had registered us and gotten our headband in Mina and I's absence, so we were ready. We grouped up, Kaminari in the front, Mina and I in the back, and Tsu as our rider. Everyone was tense as things were to begin. I could see Kaminaris' nervous excitement and Mina's determination written on their faces. Tsu was hard to read, but I could tell even now she was at the very least a little nervous.

"It's time for an arena thumping UA battle royale! Everybody scream!"

Are you sure we have this?

"Okay all you first years, I hope your happy with your chosen teams!"

'No. But we stay focused, and work together.'

"Let's get this party started!"

'Heck, that even means you. I need you to warm me if you notice something I don't. That' sound good?'

"One final countdown before the game starts!"

Sure. Let's do this.

"Three!"

'Alright then.'

"Two!"

'Time for our first big hurdle.'

"One!"

"Let's do this guys!"

Everyone else responded in the affirmative.

"Right!"

"Okay, kero."

"You got it!"

And then the announcement came.

"Begin!"

And it was off to the races.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As expected, everyone gunned straight for Midoriya. Well, almost everyone. I noticed Monoma's team circling around, looking for targets.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones hanging back"

"You mean Monoma? He looks like he's waiting for a chance, like us, kero."

I nodded as we began looking for targets, keeping moving so as to not be too suspicious. We just needed a first target. To be honest, we didn't need much to stay in fourth place, our point total was already higher than a few other teams by far, so we just needed to snatch a band or two then play defense.

But playing it safe was boring. Our strategy, while safer meant we might piss people off, so why play defense? Go big or go home. We were in for a fight by the end, I had a feeling.

In just two minutes in, I heard Mina speak up.

"I see someone! Team Kodai is distracted!"

I nodded.

"You heard her, let's get that headband! Tsu, I trust you can grab it if we get in close enough?"

I saw her nod.

"Yes, my tongue could get it if we get a little closer, kero."

I smirked.

"Alright guys. Let's get Tsu in close. Let us know when we're close enough Tsu."

"Right, kero."

So us horses picked up the pace, headed for team Kodai, who were looking to make a pass at Midoriya. Tsu looked like she was thinking as we got closer…closer…

"I'm close enough, kero."

All of us horses echoed "Right!" before slowing down. Tsu jumped and threw out her tongue, managing to grab hold of Kodai's headband. The girl had just a moment to turn her head before the band was yanked off and flew to us, caught by our rider, who quickly put it on her neck. We turned around and fled, hearing a shout from behind. I didn't know those guy's quirks well, but Mina did, seeming to be keeping track of them as we ran, before throwing some acid out to counter an attack. She didn't comment aside from a quick "acid beats glue!"

Isn't glue acidic?

'Wait is it?'

I read about acids in school. I think it is.

'Your point?'

Ashido's comment was nonsensical.

'Hey, heat of the moment kinda thing.'

Still not a good comeback.

'Whatever.'

It seemed team Kodai, aside from a spray of glue from the big guy, wasn't all that interested in pursuit. That let us get back to picking our next target, all the while on the lookout for attacks. That paid off as Shinso warned me of Monoma passing by, trying to swipe at Tsu, who dodged the attempt. I decided to take advantage and shouted back at him.

"Monoma, right? How's it feel to have a rivalry only you care about?"

He turned and unsurprisingly opened his mouth to respond.

"You arrogant-"

I activated my quirk, shutting him up. Tsu took the opportunity to snatch a headband from the three he had already, and we made our way out of the blast zone, seeing Bakugou near us.I get that Mina had a thing with Kirishima, but we did not want to piss off Bakugou.

It seemed like Bakugou noticed us too, a grin on his face as his team made a beeline for us. Taking a good look, he had replaced Mina with Jirou, looking thoroughly done. Luckily, I had the solution to keep boom boy from us. Monoma shook his head, seeming confused a moment after my quirk was released, before he saw Bakugou and smiled, intercepting his charge. With that, we ran off. It was time to pick off some more targets.

Though that seemed to have worn thin already, only seven minutes of thirty had passed and already it seemed nearly everyone was disarmed aside from us, Monoma (though that was going to change quickly), Midoriya, Todoroki, and Rin. So it looked like we would be on the defense, like it or not. Though…

I looked to see Team Rin engaged with another, Team…Mineta? Guess he must be in General studies or something now. They were attacking furiously, distracting him long enough for a steal. I signaled to Tsu, and we moved in, being bold too. Instead of the tongue we rode by and Tsu manually snatched it. The shock on Rin's face was quite a sight, though we didn't want a pursuit, so Kaminari stunned them with a shock.

That left four teams with points, though the furious exclamations meant Monoma was about to get knocked down a peg by our resident rage boy. Still this was dangerous. It meant the focus, while split, was going to be on us as well as the other four.

Though it seemed Todorki had a solution to that as his team moved around. I spotted him preparing an attack, and looked at Mina.

"Think you can counter an ice sheet?"

She smirked.

"Oh ye of little faith.."

It wasn't long before the sheet of ice was coming toward us, and with a shout, Mina shot out acid around our feet, melting the ice as quick as it formed, creating a safe zone for us and a few others, though some teams still got caught up.

I spotted Todoroki looking at us, though he quickly snapped his attention back to Midoriya. That kid has a mission.

I can respect his determination. I feel the same way about becoming a hero.

'And that is something I like about you.'

Thanks. You're okay.

I ignored the provocation as we moved, looking around. It seemed some of the few free teams had caught on to us, and were now bearing down. Kaminari smiled.

"I got this."

And with that he unleashed a powerful blast that stunned nearly every team. That is, except Team Rin, the rider and singular powerful horse bearing down at us quickly. I smirked as we moved, just managing to get out of the way of the charge. I made a motion to mina, who sprayed out some slippery, low stinging acid in front of us, before shouting over at the horse, Shishida, I think?

"Hey, big guy! Nice charge there! You born to be ridden or what?"

He seemed to ignore me, but he did charge faster than last time. I smiled. Perfect.

As soon as he hit the slimy acid, he seemed to lose control, just barely avoiding falling over. Even without toppling though, he was still sliding out of his control, Rin just barely holding on as they moved fast. We had already moved, leading to him sliding right past and into one of the teams who had recovered from the shock Kaminari had given them and were trying tro sneak up on us.

I would like to say the rest was exciting, but it wasn't really. We were smart, for the most part anyways. We stayed on the defense and fended off any attempts to take us on, including a clever near taking of our headbands from Reiko and Team Kendo, until around the five minutes to end mark. By that time we had seen Bakugou take Monoma down, and the top three were beginning to clash.

It was truly something to behold. Then an Idea came to me. One that made me smirk.

"Guys, how do you feel about taking a risk?"

Mina took one look at my smirk and returned the expression.

"If it's the idea I think it is, then I'm in."

Kaminari agreed, nodding as he blasted an attack from team Kodai back.

"Yeah! Let's go for gold! Whatcha got?"

I nodded and began to explain.

"Trust me on this. First things first, we need to get closer to the great clash over there."

Everyone looked to the confrontation between Midoriya and Todoroki, with Bakugou charging in on it as well. Kaminari got a look on his face before he spoke up.

"I..think I get what you have in mind."

Tsu nodded, seeming indifferent as always.

"Me too, kero. It's really risky."

I nodded, still moving closer anyways.

"That's why it might reward us. The big two over there are keeping themselves and their teams busy. We head in, keep a distance, and snatch the million when they're distracted. Time it right and they won't be able to mount an attack. But we need to move now."

Everyone else seemed to think it over before nodding. We began to slowly move around the fight, getting closer and closer. The time was ticking down, and I saw several of the more big moments. Soon enough we were in range, the back of Todorki's bands visible, but we needed just the right moment.

"Wait for it."

Midoriya cut through Todoroki's defenses, it was almost time.

"Wait for it…"

I saw the snatch. Midoriya had a band in his hand and Todorki had his head turned away.

"Now."

Tsu's tongue shot out and grabbed onto the ten million band. Todoroki barely had time to process what had just happened before it shot away, our team already booking it. Tsu caught the band, and even the crowd wasn't expecting this, going nuts.

"It looks like team Asui has rocketed to first in an astonishing maneuver!"

We were in first place, and now we just needed to stay king of the hill for a little bit. I heard two separate shouts, as both Midoriya and Todoroki were headed our way, faces scrunched in determination. We prepared to meet them, watching as Bakugou carrened through the air, yelling in rage.

"Damnit!"

They had nearly been on us when I heard the announcement.

" Time's up!"

It seemed like it took everyone just a moment to process, though they all seemed to be in their own groups. Midoriya was crying as Tokoyami revealed a headband he'd snatched. Bakugou was screaming in rage as his teammates tried to assuage him. And Todoroki? He looked…genuinely shocked.

As for us, it was all cheers.

"We did it! We got first place!"

Kaminari pumped his fist as he yelled, seeming jubilant.

"Yeah we did! And all thanks to teamwork!"

Mina seemed absolutely pumped, though more calm than Kaminari's cheer.

"We did work well together, kero."

Tsu was…Tsu, meaning she was hard to read, though she did seem happy. And she wasn't the only one.

We did it.

'We did. How's it feel to be a winner?'

I…don't know. I never thought I'd make it this far.

'Guess that makes two of us.'

Thanks.

'No prob- did you just thank me?'

I can take it back.

'No no no. No need. Just…I don't think you've thanked me before.'

I'm pretty sure I have.

'I don't know, my memory's bad, okay?'

So that's the excuse.

'Oh shut up.'

I nodded at tsu, deciding to ignore Shinso's smug face for now.

"We made a good team, huh Kami? And you didn't even short circuit."

He paused a moment before he smiled.

"I did! Maybe I'm getting better!"

I shrugged.

"We all are."

"You think Yaomomo will go on a date with me yet?"

I stopped a moment before laughing.

"No. I think you're still not in her league."

He slumped, Mina patting him on the shoulder and comforting him.

"Hey, you'll find the right girl one day. Or guy. I won't judge."

He looked over at her, hopeful.

"How about you, beautiful?"

Mina giggled at how fast he bounced back, before shaking her head.

"No."

"Aw man."

And with that, we got off the field, still talking. With that entry, we now had one last round, after lunch and some halftime games of course. One on one matches. I couldn't help the smile. I had known I couldn't rely on my quirk for that kind of thing, so I had trained. And I was ready.

I walked off to get some lunch, contemplating what would happen next, though one thing caught my eye. Midoriya and Todoroki, heading off alone. Hmm. Some things don't change, do they?

Whatevs. I turned and rejoined the group, which now included Bakugou's team, along with Bakugou himself, who was grumbling.

Whatever happened next, it was going to be crazy.

And I couldn't wait.