I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.


"Mineta-chan… I have to say, that is quite devious. Between this and your suicidal use of Bakugou-chan, my opinion of you has changed." Tsuyu said as she began untying the knot in her hair.

"Indeed, it seems like this Festival is making your rat-like qualities more apparent. I had my suspicions during the Heroes Vs. Villains exercise, but I didn't think you were this crafty." Shouji replied with a nod.

Mineta stared at the two, his shoulders slumping so much that it could be mistaken for dislocation. "I mean… If you guys think this plan is too... Slimy, I can think of another."

Here was the hurdle that he forgot about. Mineta didn't want to think about it when he first came up with this plan, seeing that it was perfect in every way. Except from the sportsmanship angle. As what they were about to do would practically be cheating in any other game or sport. And he doubt that Tsuyu and Shouji would stoop down to his level for this.

His two classmates stared at him, eyebrows raised by his choice of words. Upon noticing this odd look, Mineta could only say one word to accurately describe his confusion.

"What?"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with your plan Mineta-chan. So of course we're doing it." Tsuyu answered as she began pulling back all of her hair. The amphibious girl then proceeded to tie it all into a neat clump at the back of her head. The entirety of her forehead was now exposed.

"Y-You want to?" Mineta asked, his jaw colliding with the dirt.

"Of course, it's practically unstoppable. And as unfair as it is to our friends… This is a battle. And all is fair in love and war." Shouji answered, his deep voice steady and firm.

The shorter boy could only stare at his teammates as they continued to ready themselves. While one part of him was cheering over this development, finally having other people listen to him. The other, more doubtful, part of Mineta was conflicted. Were they really going to go along with this backstabbing of a strategy?

But as Mineta watched Shouji and Tsuyu continue their preparations, a confidence began to surge from within him. Perhaps, this wasn't going to be as bad as he made it out to be. So with that, the shorter boy began to stretch out his shoulders, wrists, and elbows. He can't be slacking off while the rest of his team is putting their bodies on the line.

And that is not hyperbole. Those two were really going to bear the brunt of the battle.

"Time's up! I hope you're satisfied with your teams, because we're leaving the frying pan and straight into the fire!" Midnight announced, the audience letting out a thunderous roar. Mineta swallowed the lump on his throat as both he and Tsuyu climbed onto Shouji's back. And looking over to his amphibious classmate, the boy could see their team's headband proudly displayed upon her forehead.

And as he anticipated, they were getting strange looks from just about everyone except Midoriya. But while the negative attention was pretty intense, Mineta knew it didn't matter in the end. Team Tsuyu was going to win this and there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Even if this strategy does make them look a lot crooked in the head.

"Remember, only the top four teams make it to the next event! So do your best to stake your claim! Let the Cavalry Battle begin!" Midnight shouted. And with the snap of her whip, the teams began to make their moves. Not that Mineta or Tsuyu could see any of it. Not when Shouji had closed a shell of skin and flesh around them.

"Quickly Mineta-chan, do the thing."

Tsuyu then removed the headband from her head, keeping a firm grasp on it, and leaned closer to Mineta. Without missing a beat, the shorter boy removed a ball from his head and placed it on his classmate's forehead. The amphibious girl then carefully placed the headband back around her head, making sure some part of it touched the hair ball. Everything was in place.

"No stray hairs… Far enough from the eyes..." Mineta muttered as he examined the ball on Tsuyu's forehead. There was some part of him that was cheering, seeing that he somehow got within touching distance of a girl. But most of his brain was too busy making sure this plan goes wrong. Because if Tsuyu gets caught on something and her skin peels off or worse, it'll be Mineta that'll be paying for it.

And he already owes Tsuyu for what she did at USJ.

"Okay, that should do it. Cheat mode engaged." Mineta said, carefully backing away from the girl. Not that he could move very far, but at least it would make him look less creepy. Tsuyu nodded as she slowly moved her head around, feeling how the ball moved with her. And, despite the slightly gelatinous nature of Mineta's Quirk, it was staying quite still. Though that might just be the headband's doing.

"This feels strange, like slathering a part of your skin in paste." She said, carefully moving towards the opening at the front of Shouji's shell. However, before Mineta could reassure her that this arrangement was only temporary… Both of them felt a jolt in movement from their giant classmate below. He was supposed to stand and observe the other teams, relaying all he saw to his two riders. But for him to move meant that Shouji encountered a problem.

Three guesses to what that is…

"Bakugou-chan's on our tail isn't he?" Tsuyu asked, tapping their ride's back. A mouth formed along Shouji's skin shell and began responding back. And despite knowing what his Quirk was, Mineta still found it a bit unsettling.

"He is. And he's most likely trying to exact vengeance upon Mineta for that stunt he pulled last event."

"Makes sense, but this could prove dangerous. You should probably try to slow them down Mineta-chan." Tsuyu said before looking to the shorter boy. While a part of him didn't want to stick his head out of their little pill box, he knew he had to. He said he was going to pull his weight and this was the chance to do so.

"Shouji, open the shell, but only enough for me to squeeze through." Mineta sighed, steeling his nerves for the hell team Bakugou was going to give them. Over head, the skin shell began opening. It started out as just a crack, but slowly did it widen until Mineta knew he could squeeze through. He tapped Shouji's back to signal him to stop before going to stand.

But before he poked his upper body through, Mineta heard one last bit of wisdom from Tsuyu.

"If it gets too crazy out there, feel free to come back in."

And with a thumbs up, the shorter boy left the safety of his teammate's shelter for the cruelty of the outside. It was quite a dramatic statement, since it wasn't all that chaotic. But Mineta could tell that everyone was giving it their all and then some. Team Midoriya had to fend off multiple attackers after their incredibly valuable headband. The teams comprised of 1B members were actually going after anyone in 1A. And then there was Team Bakugou.

"Finally taking the front lines Rat Bitch!? Then let me teach you the kind of shit you're in!"

Mineta shuttered as Team Bakugou charged at them. And despite having three 'horses' compared to Shouji's one, they were easily keeping up through simple coordination. However, the shorter boy knew that there were several tactics Bakugou can use if his team was even a step behind. This could not stand. He needed to make sure Shouji can get away.

"Alright, time to put the rest of my training into practice." Mineta thought as he removed a ball from his head. He solely focused on lead horse Kirishima and his footsteps. The shorter boy took note of his speed, the length of his stride, the pace between each step. He needed to be absolutely certain of his run cycle.

Time slowed around him as Kirishima's rhythm became clearer and clearer. Mineta pulled his right arm back as he leveled the ball closer to his gut. He then found it, the opportunity, and slapped the ball towards his target. It sailed through the air without any deviation and arrived safely to its destination. Right underneath Kirishima's next step.

Bakugou's eyes widened before quickly grabbing his lead horse's hair and pulled. Kirishima, as well as the other two horses Mina and Sero, slowed and stumbled as their feet evaded the sticky ball. Mineta knew he needed to follow up before they could recover. So quickly, he focused in on the now stumbling Team Bakugou's footsteps and hit another ball towards them.

This time, the human grenade used an explosion to throw the trajectory off, making the ball go wide. Mineta, on instinct, hit another two towards the group, using the smoke as cover. And this time, one of them finally succeeded in fulfilling the boy's original intentions.

"I got caught! Stop moving!" Mina shouted as she tried to slow the others down. And given how they were already in an awkward position, their formation would easily fall apart if they kept going. Mineta found himself smiling that he managed to get one over Bakugou after all this time. That elated feeling however, didn't last as he heard a shout and an explosion.

"Bakugou!"

"Focus on regrouping! I got this!"

Time slowed again, but this time it was out of a sense of impending doom. He looked at Team Bakugou and saw only Mina, Sero, and Kirishima. Mineta then turned his gaze upward, where a shadow began to loom over him. And there he was.

Like an artillery shell falling back to Earth.

Bakugou was above, his lips pulled into a mad smile. Nothing but fury burning in his eyes.

"DIE!" He screamed as he aimed pulled an arm back. Bakugou was already too close for Mineta to duck back inside Shouji. So instead of trying and risking him breaching the shelter, the shorter boy decided it was time. He defiantly stared at Bakugou as the grenade continued his descent. It wasn't going to be much, but if Bakugou only focused on pummeling him, Tsuyu and Shouji can get away unscathed.

But before he could fully resign himself to his fate, Mineta quickly found himself in warm darkness.

"That was close… Are you alright, Mineta-chan?"

The shorter boy senses finally came back to him and he looked around. He was back inside Shouji's shell and Tsuyu was hovering over him. Mineta immediately disconnected his brain to stop any stray thoughts from forming. He couldn't say something stupid about this situation, not after what she and Shouji have done for him. Though it did leave him wondering why they chose to protect him.

It was a Calvary Battle; some sort of injury was inevitable. So why try to keep one person unharmed?

"Yeah, but you didn't need to do that." Mineta said as Tsuyu moved out of the way.

"Perhaps… Or maybe I just didn't want you to fight alone out there. We're a team right? It's only natural to pull each other out of danger."

Mineta looked at the girl, eyes halfway between wonder and astonishment. But before he could give a hearted response, something began pounding against the top of the skin shell. And not long after, a mouth grew along the inside and began to relay some words to Tsuyu and Mineta.

"Bakugou's on top. He demanded that we surrender either our headband or Mineta. If not, he'd smoke us all. How should we proceed?" Shouji asked. The shorter boy paled at the thought that they had a boarding party. With how much room they had, there would be no escaping the bomb blasts. However, before he could lose his resolve, Mineta steeled himself.

The shorter boy had to repay his team somehow. And panicking would get him no closer to doing that.

"Shouji, open up a bit. Tsuyu, use that tongue of yours." He said as he made a flicking gesture. Tsuyu stared at him before carefully laying down on Shouji's back, face up. From there, the skin shell began to open slowly and Bakugou's face began to show through the crack. And he was fuming.

But that face soon changed once it opened up enough for him to see Tsuyu, looking back at him. The amphibious girl's tongue darted out and nailed the human grenade right between the eyes. Bakugou clutched at his face, clearly affected by the surprise that was waiting for him. He still hung on though. Just not as well as before.

It was here that Mineta felt Shouji make a very sharp right turn, nearly throwing him into Tsuyu.

"Was that to throw him off? Please tell me he's off?" The shorter boy asked as he corrected his position.

"He is."

Mineta let out a heavy exhale, muscles relaxing now that the danger has passed. This was not how he wanted to start this battle. "Good work everyone, we survived getting smoked… Let's get back to hunting in a moment."

"Hmmm... Then perhaps I should've gone for Bakugou-chan's headband instead. Get his points and stun him for Shouji-chan." Tsuyu commented as she had a finger on her chin.

"It's fine. If he saw you looking at it, he'd definitely do everything to block you. Bakugou hates me, but he definitely hates losing more." Mineta replied, shaking his head.

"I'm curious as to why he has such a visceral reaction to both you and Midoriya. What wrong did you commit by him?" Shouji asked. The shorter boy could only huff to that question, seeing that the truth was the other way around. But discussing about Bakugou did remind him that they should still have him on their tail.

"Speaking of which, Shouji, are they still following us?" Mineta asked as he tapped the roof of the shell.

"They are. And more than ever does Bakugou want to…?" Shouji began before stopping.

"Shouji-chan? What happened?" Tsuyu asked.

"Someone from 1B just stole Bakugou's headband."

"Oh… Well that guy's done for. Let's use this chance to get away and continue as planned." Mineta said. Shouji didn't answer, but the brisk movement of his body told him everything he needed to know. Mineta slumped against the wall of the shell as he began thinking about the different teams. With so many strengths and weaknesses, his team needs to figure out how to overcome and exploit each and every one of them. Though that was easier said than done.

"Hey Tsuyu, what do you think about 1B?" Mineta asked, turning to his amphibious classmate.

"Hmmm… Can't say, haven't seen enough of them to make that call. There is one thing though. It seems they're determined to knock us down from whatever pedestal we're on." Tsuyu answered, one finger resting on her chin.

"Like that one guy from General Studies?"

Before Tsuyu could answer, the two felt Shouji stop abruptly. Mineta looked at Tsuyu, who looked back at him, what just happened? And as though the Heavens heard their plight, an answer was heard. Though given the distant chilling tone of the voice that they heard, it was more likely a devil was at their doorstep.

"Open your shell."

"Shouji, what's going on!?" Mineta shouted as he pushed against his classmate's back. The only response the shorter boy got was the slow opening of the skin shell. But not too long after that did Mineta heard the voice again. And this time it took on an air of smugness that rivals Bakugou's.

"I've heard that the bigger you are, the dumber you get. Any truth to that with this guy?"

"The Hell you–!?"

Mineta's body and mouth seized, all held in place by some invisible force. Only his conscious mind was still running though and it was going a mile a minute. Why can't he move or talk? Is this some sort of hypnosis? How was it triggered? How does he break free of it? If only he had some clue as to what just happened, and maybe he could counter this.

Worse still was the fact that Tsuyu now has to deal with their assailant alone.

"Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu said as she waved a hand in front of his face.

"They're not moving anytime soon, so don't bother." The voice said as the Shouji's shell fully opened. From the corner of Mineta's eye, he saw a mess of purple hair and tired eyes. It was the General Studies student, Shinso according to the board, sitting casually upon his horses. More disturbingly, they were not even a meter away from Team Tsuyu.

"What did you do–?" Was all she could say before she seized up like the rest of her team. Mineta cried internally as the Shinso's lips was pulled into a smirk. He then pointed at him and more words began to escape his mouth.

"Shorty, give me that girl's headbands."

Mineta felt his body begin to move without him. The sensation was like he was but a marionette to some unseen master. Though given how that General Studies guy gave him the command, Mineta knew that he was the one controlling him. But how they all came under his influence was still a mystery to him. Still, the shorter boy had to figure something out before they gift their headbands to him.

That was when he saw that his hand wasn't reaching for the ball stuck to Tsuyu's forehead, but the bands themselves. And that was when Mineta realized that Shinso had no idea why that ball was there in the first place. He used every bit of will he could muster in an attempt to resist, but to no avail. Mineta's hand firmly grasped the bands and began to pull.

"No, no, no! You're going to hurt Tsuyu like this!" He thought as his body continued to pull. The bands remained firmly glued to the amphibious girl's head, so Mineta's body gave it some slack before yanking it hard. Tsuyu yelped in pain before she quickly reacted to her teammate's pulling. And by react, I meant a well placed slap across the shorter boy's face.

"OWWW!" Mineta cried as he clutched at his cheek. His eyes then snapped open, the pain fading from his cheek as he noticed what just occurred. His movements and words were his own once more. And looking towards Tsuyu, he could see that she was moving like normal again. The girl nodded to him before the shorter boy turned to Shinso, who was already a fair distance away.

He was, however, looking their way with a challenging smirk.

Without a word, Mineta pointed at him. His brows were deeply angled just as the rest of his face was hard with anger. It was an expression that could easily convey a single message. Watch your back.

"Shouji-chan, wake up." Tsuyu said as she hit the top of Shouji's head. Their giant classmate twitched and he started to move on his own like they did.

"Was that some sort of Hypnosis quirk?" He asked as shook the odd fatigue away.

"I think so. But let's just get our head back in the game. Close up Shouji." Mineta replied as he and Tsuyu repositioned themselves. The giant nodded and began closing the skin shell again. He, however, stopped when a scream from his left drew in his attention. And looking over with him, Mineta and Tsuyu saw Hagakure and her team gapping at them.

The invisible girl was also pointing at them in frantic manner. How Mineta could guess that when her upper half was exposed and see-through? The answer, from what she was yelling at them.

"AH! THAT'S JUST CHEATING!"

"Oh what's this!? It seems Team Tsuyu is using one heck of an underhanded move! Their headband appears to be glued to their rider's face!" Present Mic commented with the audience sounding out two different reactions. One half was shaming them for not being unsporting. The other half was applauding them for such a unique strategy. Whatever the case, the jig was up.

"We've been exposed. Should we still close up?" Shouji asked.

"I'm thinking we should. It'll provide more time for us to stick headbands to my face." Tsuyu said. Mineta simply nodded to that before their ride began closing the skin shell again. But as they were once more sheltered from the light, they heard some commentary from Aizawa befitting the situation.

"Underhanded? I don't think so. Every day, Heroes have to fight against Villains who refuse to fight fair. And it is those who fail to stack the odds that fall first. Sure, honor and valor are great traits… But can it save 30 hostages without a single casualty? So to you students who are running around down there, fighting with all you got… Did you even look at your cards?"

Mineta felt the sheer weight of that question hang over him. And he had the sneaking suspicion that the rest of 1A also felt the pressure. It was almost as though Aizawa was berating them all for not being more pragmatic about this battle. But why did the shorter boy feel critique as well? Despite him stacking the odds in his teams favor?

Perhaps it was a message saying that his strategy could be even better. Or perhaps it was just the residual fear that Mineta felt towards his old master.

Still, regardless of the answer, Team Tsuyu knew they needed to move. With the secret out, all the teams with headbands left will fiercely defend them. And thinking about it, Mineta began to sense that they won't be able to do anything if they remain closed up. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So with a deep breath, he looked at Tsuyu with a strong glint in his eyes. The amphibious girl noticed and stared back for a moment before nodding to him.

"Shouji, how long do we have left?" Mineta asked.

"Five minutes. It's strange how time passes both quickly and slowly."

"Then let's make these last five minutes a real horror show for everyone. Let's go full assault." Mineta said as he tapped the roof of the shell.

"But didn't you agree with what Tsuyu just said?"

"I believe Mineta-chan's thought process was, if everyone's on the defensive and avoiding us… We won't be able to get anymore headbands if we keep playing defensively. Therefore, it is better to rush and pressure them with Mineta-chan's trick." The amphibious girl replied. A hum escaped their ride's throat before the shell began to open up once more. Mineta rotated his shoulders as he felt one of Shouji's extra appendages wrapped itself around his waist. Tsuyu got down to all fours, clinging to Shouji like the animal she takes after.

"Alright, an all out attack it is. I'll keep you standing Mineta, so just focus on trapping people. And once we're in range, Tsuyu, you will grab the headbands."

"That's the idea… Now…" Mineta said as he pointed at the team ahead of them, Team Kendo.

"CHARGE!" The shorter boy shouted with all of his soul. Shouji broke out into a sprint and he began to generate extra arms, perfect for grappling against defenders. Team Kendo, made aware of their presence by Mineta, visibly paled at the charging hulk of limbs. They began to run and Mineta began to concentrate on the pace and rhythm of the all female team's footsteps.

In all honesty, it was quite frantic. But as Mineta began to ignore all other visual points of interests and solely focused on their feet. And as much as he wanted to 'study' the anatomy of girls from another class, he knew this was not the time to be thinking with his pants. The footsteps became clearer and clearer, slowing down within the mind's eye of Mineta Minoru. Because Shouji was chasing them from behind, he needed the ball to come in at an angle.

But while he could not enter his proper pitching stance, Mineta could at least change his grip to give the ball that spin. So without taking his eyes off the feet of his target, he slung the ball forward with as much strength as his posture would allow. The little hairball sailed through the air, just to the right of his target. To anyone else, they would say he missed. But to any pitcher, they could see how the ball began to curve downward and to the left. A slider.

It landed without any real sound, mostly since it was a hairball surrounded by the noise of battle and roaring crowds. And not a moment later, the girl with a mushroom shaped bob, stepped on it. Mineta, however, didn't let that the end all be all of the sticky situation those girls were in. As the other horses on Team Kendo got caught up in their teammate's plight, they slowed down by keeping their next step in the air.

Leaving their soles exposed for more of Mineta's nonsense. The short boy smacked a ball beneath the other girls' feet before they could plant it back down. And, as expected, they got stuck as well. Now completely stuck, Shouji caught up to them and stopped before the immobile Team Kendo. Tsuyu quickly took the front and shot her tongue at the rider's headband.

That was when Team Tsuyu witnessed the power of Itsuka Kendo, now cornered and desperate to hang on to her points. Her hand grew to giant size, completely blocking Tsuyu's tongue from its target.

"Circle–!"

"On it." Shouji interrupted as he began to run circles around the still immobile team. But even then, the 1B girl was shielding herself at all angles with her big hands. Mineta began scratching at his head, eyes continually searching for an opening that Tsuyu can reliably shoot for. That was when he noticed how the girls who were stuck began removing their shoes. It left them on socks, but it was certainly better than staying there and watching their rider stay on the ropes.

It was at this moment, in his infinite and somewhat dubious wisdom, that Mineta had an idea. One that would self destruct the image he has built for himself. It would also affect how the others will view Midoriya in some way. But if it succeeds, his team would be one step closer to the next event. So with that, he began to execute his worst plan yet.

"Shouji, throw me at her." Mineta said, tapping his foot against his classmate.

"You're going for the Bakugou cling?"

"If that's what you're calling it, then yeah."

"Alright, hold on." Shouji said. The appendage around Mineta's waist began moving, lifting him off his feet. And without any sort of delay, the shorter boy was pulled back and hurled forward at Team Kendo. He removed two balls from his head and stuck himself to their rider, who saw him fly in too late. And only a second later did Kendo's horses began running again. Mineta was on his own.

"What the–!? Get off!" Kendo shouted as she tried to shake her space invader off. However, having dealt with Bakugou's efforts from before, Mineta was able to easily hold on despite the girl's best attempts.

"Sorry, but I– OW! What was that!?" He asked, looking for the source of the pain that suddenly appeared on his back. But upon seeing the dismembered arm clawing at his back, Mineta soon began to feel his blood turn a degree colder. The shorter boy proceeded to look for the source of this mysterious limb, eventually arriving at one of the girls on Kendo's team.

She was missing a hand.

"No free rides! Get off or get your eyes clawed out!" She shouted. Mineta wanted to say that the girl was bluffing… But he was a little too busy with the hand that was currently mauling his face to do so. His grip remained true however, holding on like a crab with everything left to lose. Though with that said, his right side was starting to feel both heavy and numb. Like there was something on it that was weighing him down.

"Wait…" Mineta thought before looking over to his right side. There were all sorts of mushrooms growing all over his arm, leg, side of his body. He then found the girl with the mushroom bob giggling a little. And while it sounded cute, the air around her felt dangerously poisonous. It was like looking at a witch brewing something nasty in her cauldron.

"If you're going to stay, you might as well make yourself useful. As my little garden."

Only now, in Mineta's mind, that he realized that this situation was more than he could chew. Not that he could, seeing that the dismembered hand was now clawing at the insides of his mouth. But now was not the time for that, for Kendo's body began shifting again. The short boy pushed his numbed right side away, keeping his grip steady on the left ball. His body pivoted away from the giant hand that tried to swat him.

And, as if his luck ran dry, the hand did not get stuck on the ball that was left there. Kendo's body shifted again and Mineta quickly switched sides and avoided the next swat. Considering that there was a hand down his throat and his right side was a fungal nightmare, Mineta was doing quite well at staying on.

"Are you some sort of insect!?" Kendo asked as she tried to swat Mineta again.

"Based on what everyone else calls me, I guess I am!" He thought as he moved again. But Mineta knew he could not keep this up forever. So he had to make his move now. Mineta dodged the next swat from Kendo and, as quickly as his right side could allow, planted a ball on the girl's wrist. And as she pulled back, Mineta allowed himself to be dragged along. He then quickly wrapped his arms and legs against Kendo's limb, doing his best to keep it from bending.

It wasn't much, but as long as he can keep one limb occupied, it should provide a big enough opening. Mineta winced as the hand in his mouth began jabbing fingers into his tongue as he felt more mushrooms growing on his body. Then there was the sudden pressure on the sides of his torso, slowly pressing in on him. As it turns out, Kendo was pinching him with her other giant hand.

But even as the pain grew, Mineta defiantly glared at the girl. He was not letting go. Not after making it this far.

Then the sound of something wet and squishy was heard. Mineta looked slightly to the left of Kendo and saw the long, pink tongue of Asui Tsuyu connected to her head. Or more specifically, her headband. And all the short boy could do was smile at the sight.

"No!" Kendo shouted as she turned to swat at the appendage, taking her hand off Mineta. But it was already too late, Tsuyu was reeling back her tongue with the strip of cloth in tow. And it wasn't long before the short boy left as well. He unlocked himself from Kendo's arm and hurled himself off her body towards the unforgiving earth.

Or he would have, had it not been for Shouji catching him and making a break for it.

"For a self proclaimed coward, you sure are taking many risks today." Tsuyu said as Shouji plopped Mineta onto his back. The shorter boy didn't respond as he still had someone's limb invading his oral cavity. By first prying the thumb under his chin, he loosened the grip of the girl's hand and pulled the thing out. The thing was still trying to claw at him though, causing the shorter boy to chuck the thing in the direction of Team Kendo.

"A lot has happened since USJ… But if I didn't need to do this, I wouldn't." Mineta said as he began gather more saliva to wash out the taste of that girl's hand. He always thought that having a lady's fingers play around with his tongue would be quite enjoyable. But this was just traumatic.

"Then why didn't you grab the headband and get out before they did a number on you?" Shouji asked.

"You think they'd let me leave?"

Their giant classmate simply hummed to that before they heard the ever shouting voice of Present Mic.

"One minute left! With Team Todoroki at first place, do we have our top four teams!? Or will we witness some sudden turnabout!? So don't look away folks, because this is where miracles happen!"

What? Mineta looked over at the scoreboard and saw the current rankings. Team Todoroki was first, Team Monoma was second, Team Shinso was third, and finally, Team Tsuyu was fourth. But while these four teams had points, no one else, not even Team Bakugou and Team Midoriya, had any. They were to only one's with any headbands.

"Shit. How's Midoriya supposed to announce 'I am here' if he can't make it through this?" Mineta thought as he began to search for his partner's team. However, the short boy could not spot even a single member of Team Midoriya. He did notice the giant wall of ice that divided one portion of the field from the rest. And as he thought about it, he couldn't spot Team Todoroki as well.

"That guy must've cornered Midoriya behind that wall and took his headband. If he's going to pass this round, he has to take his headband or whatever else back from Todoroki." Mineta mumbled. The chances of this happening were slim, but the short boy knew Midoriya had overcome greater odds before. He did, make it this far after all.

"Should we continue the hunt? We're already in fourth place." Tsuyu asked as she watched Team Shinso and Team Monoma.

"Better make it third, who knows what could happen."

"Then who shall we target? We don't know much about Team Monoma's abilities. And we only know a few things about the hypnosis ability of Team Shinso." Shouji asked. Before Mineta could contemplate, he saw Bakugou and his team begin their assault on Monoma. Oh right, that guy must've been the one to steal their headband. And seeing how fiercely he and his team were pressing them, it's probably a good idea avoid them.

He wasn't looking to add another 'suicidal plan' tally to his total today.

"We go for Shinso. A little easier to handle than Bakugou."

"Agreed, but we should still be wary around him." Tsuyu said, eyes locking onto the General Studies student. Shouji simply nodded his head and began to run towards their target. As they made their approach, Shinso noticed them and had an uneasy smile spread across his face. Mineta then saw him say something to the team that was next to him. An unusual sight seeing that they were not trying to steal even a single headband from the guy.

"Don't tell me he's got them?" Mineta asked as he tapped Shouji. The giant nodded and slowed down slightly, ready to intercept any form of retaliation. And soon enough, it came in the form of the other team running straight for them. Shouji picked up speed once more, retreating from the group that was chasing them with empty eyes.

Mineta threw some balls out to tangle their pursuers. But instead of aiming for their feet, he placed them in an area at least two meters ahead. Call it inopportune or whatever, but Mineta had to know more about what this guy's hypnosis can do. How complex could these commands be? How much could the affected think on their own once the command was given? Would the affected continue to carry out the command even when they cannot?

It's these questions that would no doubt reveal something about that guy's Quirk.

As the influenced group continued to chase Mineta and his team, they completely ignored the hazard before them. The result was their team getting completely stuck. But what was interesting was that they still had this glazed look in their eye as they continued to try their pursuit. The short boy hummed to that as he made some notes in his head. And combined with his team's personal experience with it, Mineta can make a few educated guesses…

Shinso's hypnosis makes the affected follow simple commands. They will solely focus on completing the command, regardless of any hazards that would impede them from doing so. But even if they are restricted, they will continue to execute the command so long as they are still under his control. And finally, to break his control, the affected must experience a moderate physical shock. Like a slap or a bump to the head.

"How that guy triggers it… I still have no idea…" Mineta said as he focused ahead again. Only to see that there were at least three other teams charging them. All of those teams also had that empty look in their eye. Oh you got to be kidding. Worse still, as Shouji began to evade their pursuers, was the next announcement that roared through the stadium.

"Ten seconds left!" Present Mic shouted as the crowd began a countdown. Looking at the scoreboard, Mineta's eyes widened as now Todoroki, Bakugou, Shinso, Midoriya, were in the top four. If they don't get even one headband, their team would be knocked out. But getting one also proved to be a problem.

One headband and Team Midoriya wouldn't be able to move forward.

What should he do? Sacrifice his team's chance for Midoriya's team? Or leave his partner behind and take the glory for himself? Does Mineta ask Shouji and Tsuyu to take the shot? Or should they relent? Was there somehow a way to create a tie in points? It honestly made his brain hurt, to decide who should take this once a year opportunity.

But that was when a heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder. His thoughts stopped as he looked over. It was Tsuyu with a rather noticeable dip in her shoulders. But even when her face looked the same as ever, there was frustration dwelling within her eyes.

"If we only had a few more seconds..." She said. What?

"Time's up! Hold it right there!"

Ah… That's what she meant…


And that has been Chapter 22! I hope none of this is too incoherent for you my dear readers, my ability to write action scenes are still a little weak.

"Eh, I got the gist of it quite fine. I like the cheating part especially."

That's because the hack tactic was the most fun to write. Because, if you think about it, it's a completely legit strategy that breaks no rules. There were stating who had to be the headband wearer. There also no rules stating that you can't simply glue the headband to your face or obscure it with something. So by combining these two factors together, you get Mineta's super cheat mode.

"But it still didn't work."

I mean, if you saw that, you'd avoid them at all cost. And that's what happened. But what do you think, dear readers, is this something you'd fear?

"I'm more scared of Team Kendo, they massacred my boy!"

Well it was going to happen at some point, Mineta getting some 'action' if you know what I mean. Heh heh heh... But no seriously, that was just painful to Imagine and write. But hey, at least grape boy managed to get away with all his bits attached.

"And several other things but neither here or there."

Yep. Any how, that's all I have this update. Stay tuned as we unwind from all this chaos and enjoy some finer things in life.

"Which includes witnessing a man going to Hell and being okay with it."

So with all of that said...

Until Next Time. T1.