"Unlike everybody else, first place will be worth ten million points."

Izuku stood there blankly for a moment.

Ten million points? Like, one million, but ten times?!

Izuku was already feeling the strain from the previous round, along with the ever present emotions of the crowd. Becoming the focal point of dozens of contestants nearly brought him to his knees.

If it hadn't been for Momo's hand on his back, he probably would have fainted.

"That's right!" Midnight cheered, her whip cracking and bringing Izuku out of his daze. "It's an enticing score, isn't it? Round two is where those at the bottom unite to chase after the ones on top!"

Izuku gulped, the pressure from everybody's stares increasing slightly. Surprisingly, it wasn't all hostile - there were several considering looks as well.

"You'll have fifteen minutes to make a team!" Midnight instructed. "Remember, losing your headband is not a disqualification! You'll still be in the game till the time is up, so don't ever give up!"

Ok, Izuku breathed a little easier at that. It not being an instant loss was good.

Maybe he could barter his headband with somebody else? It wasn't like they needed to get first place, right?

Maybe Kacchan? He liked competition, so…

Izuku glanced over and shuddered at the feral look the blonde was giving him.

Uh, nope. Deep survival instincts were telling him that wouldn't work.

"Quirks are allowed," Midnight went on. "However, if I see anything malicious you'll be disqualified immediately! Only the top four teams will be moving on to the final round, so do your best!" She stood on the stage watching the students for a couple seconds. "Well? What are you waiting for?!" She looked at them disapprovingly. "You're all on the clock! Start forming teams!"

This time, the moment Midnight finished students began grouping together, heading for their classmates and friends.

Izuku was happy to see Tokoyami immediately snatched up - sure, it probably happened so he couldn't team up with Izuku again, but still. At least the other student (and maybe new friend?) was getting some appreciation.

Even if Dark Shadow kept looking at him longingly.

However, the majority of people were avoiding his gaze. And he couldn't truly blame them - for those that didn't know him, it was safer to trust their friends. For those that did know him, they'd want to prove themselves on their own terms.

The addition of being the biggest target was an extra deterrent.

Speaking of…

Izuku turned and looked at Momo, who was observing the other teams forming. "M-Momo, are you sure you still want to team up?"

Momo looked startled at the question. "Of course, we are partners, aren't we?" He felt a stab of uncertainty from her. "Unless you wish to separate? I admit, I just assumed after our hypothesis regarding the second round that we would work together, but - "

"No no no, I'm totally fine with it!" Izuku hastily assured her, overjoyed and relieved beyond belief.

The two of them had known the second round would be team-based in some way, but he hadn't dared to assume.

"Then we shall." Momo beamed at him. "I admit, becoming a target this early wasn't exactly expected. But if worse comes to worse we could toss it aside as a distraction while we steal some others."

Izuku found himself calming down.

That's it, he needed to do something nice for Momo. He had no idea what, but for putting up with him and everything she'd done for him, she deserved it.

"Hey guys!" The two turned to see Uraraka jogging over to them with a bright smile. "Got room for another?"

"Uraraka!" Izuku exclaimed, feeling a surge of relief, "A-are you sure? We're going to be the target of everybody here…"

Uraraka gave him a strange look. "Between you and Yoayorozu, I think I'll be fine." She assured him. "Besides, it's always better to team up with your friends, right?"

Izuku had to hold back a few tears. Who could have known that having friends was so nice?

That meant they just needed one more person.

Tokoyami was out.

"Team up with me first place!"

"Gah!"

The sudden declaration behind him, followed by the wave of sheer emotion, caused Izuku to leap backwards with a yelp.

A girl. Pink hair, goggles. Manic expression.

It also looked a tad familiar…

"Y-you were at the beach cleanup." Izuku realized, remembering a girl that Power-Loader Sensei had had to monitor almost the entire time.

"Yep! That's me! I was able to make so many babies from all of that!" The girl gushed.

Izuku's brain promptly blue-screened.

"My name is Mei Hatsume, from the support department!" She introduced herself enthusiastically. "Everybody's gonna be looking at first place, right?! I need you so people can see my babies!"

"I-I-I-what?" Izuku's brain attempted to reboot, and failed. "B-b-babies? W-what do you mean?!"

"My babies!" Mei repeated cheerfully. "I've been working on them for weeks! And all the material I got from your project was a huge boost! All the big support companies are gonna be watching, and now's the perfect time for me to show them off!"

Wait, taking away the words themselves, it sounded like she was talking about -

"Excuse me, Hatsume?" Momo interjected, pulling Izuku back from the girl, giving him a chance to breathe. "Are you… talking about your inventions?"

"Naturally!" The girl beamed. "If everybody is looking at your team, then your team is where I want to be!"

Ok, good, good. The world made sense once more.

"Of course, in return for the publicity, you guys get to use my stuff! As a support student, I'm able to use any and all of my babies for the events - take a look!"

Hatsume began bringing out various pieces of equipment, with Momo and Uraraka asking a few questions regarding her inventions - they did look fascinating - but Izuku got caught looking at her emotions.

First off, was the love and affection she had for her inventions. The pride she felt as she described each one (and oh my gosh, was that Air Jet's jetpack?!) was unmistakable.

Then there was excitement and desire, combined with an overwhelming determination that he was kinda in awe over, as well as joy.

He couldn't detect any fear or anxiety amongst the bright emotions. No darkness or shades indicating she was hiding anything.

Mei Hatsume… Was exactly how she presented herself. What you saw is what you got. Already, his butterflies were dancing around her in eager anticipation, luxuriating in the emotions being broadcasted.

"Excuse me, Hatsume?" Izuku asked hesitantly, interrupting the other's explanation, "are you aware of what my quirk does?"

Mei looked at him blankly. "Does it really matter?" She asked blandly.

That… Huh. That was probably the first time he had ever heard somebody say that in regards to quirks.

Hesitating briefly, Izuku glanced at Momo and Uraraka to make sure they were alright with this, before turning back to the pink haired engineer.

"Kind of," Izuku answered, reaching out and letting a butterfly land on his hand.

This part, this sensation, never ceased to amaze Izuku. He and Nooroo provided the energy, but it was a person's emotions that were the catalyst. It was difficult to explain to somebody who hadn't experienced it before. and in a few moments he was presenting the butterfly to Hatsume.

"You want to show off your work." He murmured as Hatsume's eyes zoomed in and out on the butterfly, seemingly entranced by what she saw. "Hatsume, will you become my Champion?"

Her eyes zoomed in on his, burning curiosity clear on her face. "Yes."

The butterfly flew up to her goggles and melded with it, and Izuku breathed out slowly.

"Then let us show everybody the Pinnacle that technology can achieve."

Several minutes later

Present Mic's POV

"Five minutes in, and we're already seeing some interesting matchups amongst the contestants out there! And it looks like Team Midoriya is taking advantage of that time already!" Present Mic boomed excitedly from the announcers booth.

Oh man, he really wanted to comment more on just what they were doing - but it required a special balance to commentate on events like this.

You had to hype things up for both audience and contestants, give insightful commentary for all kids - not just crowd favorites - all while not spoiling the strategies of the contestants.

Yet as he remarked on some of the other teams, he found his gaze continually drifting to Team Midoriya.

Observing the Hatsume girl as she emerged from the smoke, cackling like a villain, Present Mic hadn't been sure what to think.

Unlike Tokoyami and his shadow, Hatsume had had a far less drastic change. Visually, she still looked like herself, just with her hair done differently and a costume change.

Instead of the UA uniform, she sported a well-worn leather jacket and vest. Goggles that he vaguely remembered her having remained the same, and her hair was brought back into a ponytail. A variety of belts and buckles carrying tools wrapped across the ensemble.

Oh yeah, and was it just him or was her entire right arm robotic now?!

But most concerning was probably how she practically sparked with electricity.

After a moment of Midoriya talking with Yaoyorozu, the girl began to produce items. Items that, as soon as they formed, Hatsume's electricity would spark to, where it would then be dismantled, or reform somewhat. The pieces were flying around Hatsume in a chaotic swirl, connecting and forming by themselves.

And it wasn't just items from Yaoyorozu - Hatsume had brought quite a few support equipment with her, and then there was Yaoyorozu's shadow-cycle monstrosity from the previous round. They, too, were disassembling and reassembling at rapid speeds.

A technomancer, his mind supplied.

It was a good system.

The boosted Hatsume, thanks to Midoriya, had a bountiful amount of equipment to draw upon. Yaoyorozu would then provide what they didn't have, and Hatsume made use of her own knowledge from the support class. This actually covered Yaoyorozu's weakness of having to know exactly what it was she was creating. With the inclusion of Uraraka, he felt he had a pretty good grasp of what their strategy would be.

"Can we get a comment on what you think your students are up to, Eraserhead?" Present Mic asked cheerfully before blinking and looking beside him.

At the empty seat.

"Eraserhead? Where... Eraserhead! What are you doing down there? You can't commentate like that!"

A grunt came out of Erasurehead's iconic sleeping bag currently under the desk. "Shut up. If I can't see the BS that's about to happen, it might not actually be happening. I blame Powerloader's student."

Their radio crackled to life.

"Eraserhead! What the heck has your student done to my student?!"

A hand snaked out and turned the radio off.

"As I was saying, it's Powerloader's fault."

Todoroki's POV

Todoroki had frowned when Yaoyorozu had joined Midoriya's team.

Not that it was unexpected, what with them having become both friends and class president and vice-president, but he was disappointed all the same.

Both she and Midoriya had quirks that were extremely versatile. Yaoyorozu could create something for any situation, while Midoriya could change somebody to fit any situation.

Honestly, the fact that Midoriya hadn't chosen either Uraraka or Tokoyami was relieving and worrisome. During their first Battle class, Uraraka had shown she could lift entire buildings under Izuku's influence, while Tokoyami had become a terrifying… thing.

Either one would have been a powerful ally in this particular bout.

Yet Midoriya had chosen somebody unknown.

Why?

Todoroki sighed to himself. He wanted those 10 million points, but he was smart enough to know when to play it safe.

"We'll pick off the other teams while everybody is focused on first place." He informed his teammates. Iida and Aoyama both nodded, while Kaminari looked confused.

"We're not aiming for first?" The electricity user asked.

"The most important thing is to pass the round." Todoroki replied firmly. He was willing to lose the battle in order to win the war. "If we see an opportunity to take them, we'll address it then, but they are a lower priority."

Kaminari shrugged. "If you say so, but I think they messed it up this time." He snickered as he looked at the group.

Team Midoriya were currently standing in a boat.

It looked like a stereotypical, old-fashioned sailing boat, though Todoroki would admit he was hardly the most knowledgeable on that topic.

It wasn't large, but it still fit them comfortably. It looked to be made entirely out of metal, gears seen through certain areas along the hull, a single mast in the center.

The unknown student stood in the back with some kind of interface, still cackling every once in a while. The other three stood in various places on the boat

It was impressive, but he couldn't see how it would help them this round.

"I mean, sure, they're gonna have some trick or other, that's obvious, but they can't expect to hold off everybody with that, can they?" Kaminari asked with a raised eyebrow. "I get that he's been impressive so far, but it's not like Midoriya makes somebody invincible or anything."

While Todoroki would admit that was true, he could clearly see the other support students in the stands. They appear to have gathered together and were observing everything behind a series of riot shields.

Their caution put Todoroki on edge.

Iida rubbed his chin, "Perhaps, but it is clear that they had some idea they were going for," he replied stiffly, but with a degree of hesitance.

"Oui, but perhaps they attempted to sparkle too much and burnt out?" Aoyama asked with a small pose. "Despite the similarité to iconique figures, they are not them, non? We are all still students."

Similarity?

Iida and Kaminari shot Aoyama identical confused looks, but Todoroki ignored it. That wasn't important.

"We can't get tunnel vision and lose out on getting other points. People will be after us as well." Todoroki shot down before looking at the other team once more.

"Looks like our time is up!" Present Mic shouted. "And man, I sure see some interesting teams, don't you Eraserhead?"

"Hmph."

Todoroki shook his head. "Alright, get ready." He warned them as he let himself be carried on their shoulders.

"Alright! With that affirmation, let's begin the countdown!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Start!" Midnight called out, cracking her whip.

Predictably, as one, every team turned and charged towards Midoriya's team in their land bound 'boat'.

At the same time, Midoriya's team made their move.

It started with a low humming sound, the bottom of the boat beginning to glow was the only warning.

A large burst of air exploded out from the ship, large thrusters lining the bottom lifted the boat into the air. Sails unfurled and sparkled in some kind of interface pattern in the sun, tendrils of electricity flowing down the mast into the ship proper. Meanwhile, multiple gears shifted and whirled, bringing several guns into view.

It was an intimidating sight, as well as impressive.

"You think you can stand up to my babies?" A voice called down, echoing across the arena as everybody stood in shock at the sight.

The unknown pink haired girl stood up to the bow, hands on her hips as she smirked at them all. "You think you stand at the top? Then come!" She spread out her arms, "Test your mettle against the true Pinnacle!"

"DEKU!"

The predictable insult came at the heels of a powerful explosion.

Todoroki wasn't sure what beef Bakugou had against Midoriya. Didn't care, really. But the blonde was usually content to keep it to glares and snarls.

Now though, Bakugou was being more proactive as he blasted his way skyward, his explosions carrying him up towards the ship in an impressive display of control and strength.

The blonde hurled himself towards the ship at breakneck speeds…

Only for Yoayorozu to fire one of the deck guns at him.

It wasn't a rubber bullet, like Todoroki expected. Instead, it was a baseball sized lump of something. Right before the projectiles hit him, Bakugou threw a hand out, an explosion meeting whatever it was.

The projectiles broke apart, promptly splattering all over Bakugou like foam. Said foam then rapidly expanded and hardened, covering over large portions of the blonde's body.

Suddenly unable to create any explosions, Bakugou was unable to do anything as a net flew at him from the boat…

Until Sero's tape caught him and yanked him back.

"Gelifoam Lattice Organism Obstructor, or GLOO!" The pink haired girl shouted cheerfully despite Bakugou being saved. "Quick hardening flame retardant glue that expands as it hardens! Perfect for restraining suspects and putting out flame or electrical hazards!"

Todoroki watched as the girl began to describe the various features of the boat and its weaponry.

This… Would be interesting.

The air quickly filled with projectiles and explosions.

Izuku's POV

You would think that showing a strong approach would manage to dissuade people.

N-not everybody! But if there was a duel between two fighters, and the first guy absolutely destroyed their first opponent, it should make everybody else hesitate, right?

It was why Momo had instructed Pinnacle to say what she did. She stated that somebody (and Izuku just knew that it would be Kacchan) would take the bait and seeing somebody taken out that quickly should make others wary and give them some breathing room.

Izuku ducked down just in time to dodge another projectile.

Wrong.

It made them more determined.

He supposed that that's what they get when the motto of their school is 'Plus Ultra'.

"Two teams, Tsurburaba and Shishida, coming up on the back starboard side!" Izuku called out as he refilled his gun and fired haphazardly.

Tsurburaba, who was creating platforms with which to get to the airship, quickly made a barrier to catch the expanding foam.

The ship shuddered, and Uraraka turned slightly green. "Kendo's throwing rocks on this side!" She called out weakly.

"On it!" Pinnacle called back cheerfully as she spun a wheel. With a deep thrum, the ship shot over the groups to the other side of the arena and away from the pocket of Class 1-B teams.

Avoidance was the better part of valor at the moment. They didn't need more points - they just needed to defend what they had.

Which was getting considerably more difficult.

Quirks were flying left and right in an attempt to hit the airborne ship. Lasers, explosions, boulders, scrap, and even body parts flew across the arena.

Uraraka was using her quirk to negate the ship's weight, giving them vital maneuverability while also doing her best to keep an eye out. But even with the anti-nausea pills Momo had given her, she was clearly flagging.

Meanwhile, he and Momo were on protection duty, shooting down or pushing back threats and airborne projectiles.

And in the midst of it all, Pinnacle guided the ship with maniacal glee, keeping them moving while dodging threats, her thoughts a constant buzz in Izuku's mind.

Each time Izuku made a Champion the experience proved different. Each time, it was so… Unique. He couldn't properly describe it.

In Pinnacle's case, she was driven.

The previous Champions? It felt like he was walking alongside them. Despite their strength and the knowledge that they could overpower him at any time, they were working with him.

Pinnacle though?

Pinnacle's mind was charging ahead without any regard for him or anybody else, constantly straining at the leash as she dragged him along.

Where the others had been more or less willing to follow his lead (save for that suicidal shadow charge Revelry initiated) Pinnacle was constantly pushing what she could do.

Fun fact: while he knew he could read the thoughts of his Champions - and he could send them his thoughts - he didn't realize the Champion could read his if they tried hard enough.

Izuku could keep them out, but since they didn't have a choice in having him in their mind, it felt more… Fair? To keep it open. Right?

'Aw, thank you!' Pinnacle chirped in his thoughts, causing him to jump.

Izuku was brought back to the present when Momo grunted, bringing in a net over the rail.

"Got another hand." She said wearily, quickly tying the disembodied limb down next to another hand and leg they'd caught, along with the flock of birds Koda had sent. "Whoever this is, I hope they're running out of body parts."

"Unless they have high speed regeneration, probably." Izuku agreed as he focused past the mood of the crowd and on the most determined emotions… There! He quickly shot several shots at Jirou's team, and she and her team quickly retreated.

Mental note: see if UA provides gun lessons. They had Snipe as a teacher, so it had to be offered in some capacity, right?

'Oh! Oh! Invite me to that as well! I have so many ideas for gun-type babies that could be used for that!' Pinnacle thought enthusiastically.

"Looks like Shouji's going after others now," Uraraka called from her side. "Buncha teams still -" She was cut off by Pinnacle.

"Hold on!" Pinnacle exclaimed, barely giving them a chance to grab anything as the ship lurched and dodged several screws that had increased in size, a move that caused Uraraka to turn green. "Hah!"

Izuku breathed a quick sigh of relief. "H-how's everybody holding up?"

Uraraka managed a shaky thumbs up. Pinnacle didn't say anything, but he heard her mental acknowledgment given with a cheerful tune. Momo gave a frown. "We're running low on ammo, and I'm worried that Todoroki hasn't made his move yet."

"Y-yeah, and Kacchan hasn't come back since that first attempt." Izuku but his lip worriedly.

He had actually been expecting Todoroki to attack straight away. Instead, it seemed he was playing the long game. Which was, admittedly, smart. More nerve wracking for them though.

Uraraka groaned. "Maybe they're content with second and third place?" She suggested hopefully.

Izuku pursed his lips and didn't reply. Based on her emotions, not even Uraraka believed her words.

"We just need to hold out for a little while longer." Izuku said determinedly. "We're getting tired, but so is everybody else."

It was a battle of attrition.

An emotion suddenly tickled the edge of Izuku's senses. One directed at them. Anticipation.

Izuku's eyes widened. "Pull up! Pull up now! Hurry!"

There was a familiar rumble, and suddenly a mountain of ice erupted in the arena. It reached up and, to his shock, actually managed to encompass a portion of their ship, enough for both him and Momo to yelp and leap away from the sudden ice on the sides.

… Todoroki really was impressive, wasn't he?

"We're stuck!" Pinnacle called out, brow furrowed as he sensed the flurry of thoughts and calculations. "Rerouting power to heating units… At its current level, we can't break free without breaking the hull."

"Can we break the ice?" Izuku quickly looked over the edge.

"Sure!" Pinnacle chirped after thinking about it for a second. "But at the current structural integrity, the explosion needed would damage the ship."

Izuku abruptly coughed. Explosion?!

"L-let's avoid that." He quickly told her as he looked around desperately. "W-we don't want to hurt anybody."

"Then it'll take a while for the anti-ice protocol to melt enough to do it safely." She responded promptly.

To his surprise, Todoroki wasn't taking advantage of their sudden immobilization despite clearly being the cause of it.

It took a second, but Izuku found him and his team moving away from the newly created iceberg.

Every team that was at risk of not qualifying (and a few that weren't) charged up the iceberg (and it was really unfair that Todoroki hadn't made it slippery or something).

'He wants to wear us down.' Izuku realized. Helping the other students reach them would allow him to see what else they had up their sleeves while simultaneously tiring them out. Todoroki would no doubt swoop in later to take the winner after they were all tired out.

Unfortunately, just because he had figured out Todoroki's strategy didn't mean he could do anything about it.

"Uraraka, release the ship but get ready to reapply it once we're free." Momo instructed, moving up next to Izuku.

"Remember, d-don't go all out!" Izuku added on.

He felt Pinnacle's distinct disappointment quite vividly at that, but held firm. There was too much time left, they couldn't afford to go all out now.

"Fine!" Pinnacle pouted dramatically, metallic arm shifting subtly before buzzing with energy. "Preparing to repel boarders!"

Izuku and Momo instantly began shooting, at both the teams and the slope itself, making it more difficult to traverse, even if it was only a stopgap.

Shishida was the first. In full beast form, he towered over everybody else. Rin, his only other teammate, was on his back smirking at them. "Is this where I tell you to walk the plank?" He asked slyly.

Shishida lunged forward at Izuku, only for Izuku to nimbly dodge, Uraraka dashing forward to slap his hand, making him weightless. Momo then grabbed his arm. Twisting her body, and with far more strength than the other team expected, the two went tumbling down the other side of the iceberg.

"Hiryu Rin has touched the ground! Team Rin is out!"

Next was Team Hagakure. "Sorry about this Momo!" Jiro called out, while Sato was shielding them with two large slabs of metal.

Up until Pinnacle dashed forward and slammed her fist into Sato's shields. Electricity jolted through the metal and traveled through the entire group, making it easy for Izuku and Momo to push them down the slope.

"Sorry Jiro," Momo called back with a wince.

This went on for a while, though after those first two teams were dealt with people were more wary, a couple even working together to try to catch them off guard.

After a few minutes of being besieged, the iceberg shuddered with a loud crack. Izuku looked over the edge into the ice below and blanched.

"Ibara's vines are digging through the ice!" He shouted in alarm. She had mentioned she could go through concrete, so it made sense she could go through ice...

"Really?" Pinnacle dashed over to her terminal and messed around with a few things, eventually pulling a lever with a cackle. "Perfect! Deploying depth charge!"

… Wait, deploying WHAT?!

There was a loud kerchunk! And a cylindrical object fell through a portion of the ship that wasn't frozen. A few seconds later, and a loud concussive blast shook not only the iceberg and ship, but the entire arena. Izuku felt his entire body vibrate with the force.

More importantly, the ice cracked. Already weakened by the heating ship, further so by the incoming vines, the rest of the ice collapsed, setting them free.

The entire ship dipped forward precariously, and Uraraka hastily slammed her hands against the ship itself, turning green from both the effort and the lurching from side to side as the ship stabilized. Everybody clutched the sides as best as they could until it finally smoothed out, and Izuku was able to breathe easier.

"Pinnacle." He called out weakly. "W-what did I just say about explosions?"

"To avoid it so people don't get hurt." The steampunk pilot promptly responded. "Which is why I calculated the charge precisely so the blast range wouldn't damage anybody!"

Ok, well, that was good, but…

"Still, d-don't use it anymore. J-just in case." Izuku bit his lip as his scattered mind thought of a rebuttal.

At least till another sound rang out that almost made him bite through his lip.

"DEKU!" Bakugou screamed, already in the air and on a direct course to clash with them. "You and your dumb nerd team are dead!"

"Heeey, why is he allowed to use explosions and not me?" Pinnacle pouted as the blonde picked up speed.

"Not now!" Izuku shouted in alarm as he brought his gun to bear. Both he and Momo did. This time, however, Bakugou was prepared. Instead of deflecting the foam he twisted and dodged, and neither Izuku or Momo were skilled enough to actually hit him.

Ok, Izuku was gonna demand lessons from Snipe, whether the hero had a class for it or not. This was just embarrassing.

"Hold on!" Pinnacle called as she twirled the wheel, thrusters blazing, but Izuku could already see that they weren't moving fast enough. Bakugou was smaller and lighter than their ship. Izuku could only watch as Bakugou swiftly closed the gap despite Pinnacle's efforts, about to grab the rail -

"Uraraka! Release!" Izuku shouted.

The girl gave him a baffled look, but still brought her fingers together and said the familiar phrase.

The ship dropped, along with Izuku's stomach.

Bakugou's momentum, fully prepared to meet resistance, sent him flying over them with a shocked look.

It wasn't a freefall - their thrusters were still working, and he could tell from his link to Pinnacle that this wouldn't crash them. But it was still an uncomfortable feeling, the entire ship groaning and straining as the thrusters surged, trying to compensate for the sudden reapplication of weight. Without Uraraka removing their gravity they were limited to about five feet off the ground.

Bakugou was caught by his team once more, and Uraraka collapsed on her knees with a groan. "S-sorry guys." She whimpered, holding her stomach. "I-I don't think I can do that again."

"It's alright, you did more than enough." Momo assured her, kneeling down to run her hand across her back for a second.

Izuku's attention was on Bakugou and his team, who had turned towards them once more. Yet before they could charge at them again his own headband was yanked off telekinetically.

Monomo from Class 1-B casually caught the points, giving Bakugou a smug smirk. They were too far away for Izuku to hear him, but it was clearly a taunt of some sort. As they began to run away, Monoma gave Izuku a quick wink.

Whatever was said was clearly effective, as Bakugou erupted. Izuku wasn't sure he had seen the other boy so angry as he demanded he chase the other team instead of Izuku.

… Having friends was so nice.

Izuku really needed to do something for his friends. Even if it was just speaking at their funeral. Which he might have to in Monoma's case.

… Wow, whatever Monomo said really pissed off Bakugou.

Izuku hoped they'd be able to keep Bakugou at bay long enough for the time to run out. Depending on what quirks Monomo had gathered, it was possible.

Still, that was one of the major obstacles out of their way. That just left -

"I'll be taking that headband now."

A surge of ice, smaller than before but no less effective, froze their airship once more.

Todoroki's team had arrived.

Present Mic's POV

"And after waiting practically the entire game, Team Todoroki is making their move!" Present Mic declared excitedly.

"They waited till their opponent was worn down by everybody else, and even assisted said opponents to ensure it happened." Aizawa observed with approval. "Time is running out, and teams are starting to flag from exhaustion. Now is the opportune time to strike."

"But Team Todoroki isn't the only one still going strong! Team Midoriya's weathered the assault this long, will they be able to continue? I'm at the edge of my seat!"

Momo's POV

"Will you stop freezing my ship?!" Pinnacle raged at the other team, her metallic arm sparking haphazardly even as the ship thankfully began heating up once more.

Momo breathed out slowly, watching Todoroki warily as she shifted away from the edge to the center and warmer part of the ship.

She had used a lot of her reserves helping Pinnacle create the ship, and even using every tip and trick Tikki had shown her, it was a lot. Then there was the exhaustion that came with fending everybody off this entire time…

Momo was feeling the strain. They all were,

"Todoroki, you have enough points to pass already." Momo called out to the other team, doing her best to force any nervousness out of her voice. "You don't need to do this."

Something flickered in Todoroki's eyes, but didn't answer.

This was… unfortunate.

Of all students, it wasn't an exaggeration to say Momo dreaded the idea of facing off against him.

Ever since she had accepted Tikki, her perception of temperatures had shifted, Chilly weather became miserable, while snow was something to dread. Momo didn't even want to consider what it felt like to be covered in ice.

Still, if you knew something was inevitable, that meant you could prepare for it.

Momo swallowed, "Izuku? I think it's about time to go all out."

Between herself and Izuku they knew the more powerful students from both Hero Classes, what their quirks were, and had been able to create countermeasures.

Tikki had officially earned the title of 'Best Kwami' in Momo's opinion by walking her through the formula of materials that didn't exist yet. Lighter and more durable, with less lipid cost.

Pinnacle had been over the moon when she saw them. Apparently, she was already planning on patenting them.

Izuku didn't get the chance to respond to her when Pinnacle let out a cheer. "Finally!" She pulled her goggles, which glowed a faint copper, over her eyes and proceeded to pull levers in a seemingly random order.

The mast began to crackle with electricity, while the hull of the ship began to rumble as gears shifted and turned. Ice began to melt as the hull heated up, only to be re-frozen in another wave of ice by a frowning Todoroki.

The two teams stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up, when Todoroki looked somewhere at the stands. When his gaze returned to them, his expression had hardened.

She heard Izuku quietly groan next to her. "He was thinking about going away."

If that was the case, it clearly wasn't anymore.

Todoroki murmured something to his team, and they charged forward, with Todoroki creating an ice staff.

The ship's mast crackled with energy, and Todoroki's eyes widened as he barely managed to throw up an ice shield that blocked the lightning strike from the mast.

The ice shattered, only for him to have to throw up another while Iida barely managed to dodge the foam shots from their guns.

After a third, it was clear that the power was decreasing, and when Todoroki slammed his staff into the ground and created an ice tunnel that led directly to the ship, the subsequent blasts weren't able to break it.

The remaining teams noticed it as well. With a cry, several of them charged the grounded ship…

Only for those cries to turn into panic. Extendable poles shot out from the hull and slammed into people with unnerving accuracy, rubber bullets pelting the remaining.

They also targeted the ice, yet it held firm.

"You know, some explosives would do great about now." Pinnacle tried, giving Izuku a side-eyed look.

"No!" Izuku yelped next to her, looking slightly panicked. "No explosives!"

Momo hesitated as well. Sure, she could make all sorts of things to quickly destroy the ice. Napalm, explosives… Even a cannon would suffice.

However, she had no desire to see the damage it would do if it hit another person. And it seemed Izuku was of the same mind.

Soon, they were out of time. A loud thump sounded against the hull, followed by the zap of electricity… That did absolutely nothing.

"Hah! Did you really think I'd build a ship that could control electricity if it was vulnerable to electricity?" Pinnacle cackled proudly.

The silence lasted all of two seconds before a laser (Ayoma's quirk) drilled straight through the metal, causing all of them to jump back.

It was just a tiny hole, but it was followed by multiple more blasts that traced a rough circle. When enough holes had weakened it, she heard Iida let out a grunt, and the remaining metal blasted away with a powerful kick.

A hand reached through the hole and was immediately hit by both Izuku and herself, the foam quickly expanding and hardening, covering the hole.

Almost in synch their guns petered off, indicating a lack of ammo.

Before they could do anything else, the foam froze, ice covering it and the surrounding deck. A few loud thumps later and it shattered, Todoroki leaping through the gap onto the deck.

Todoroki's movements were fluid and methodical - almost practiced. The moment he was on deck he launched a kick towards Pinnacle, freezing her to the wheel while reaching out with his hand towards the next closest person - Uraraka - and froze arms, both girls letting out yelps at the sudden attack.

In that same motion, Todoroki tried to slam his foot into the deck while reaching for Momo, only for a panel to open up, revealing a gap that his foot went through instead. The sudden lack of resistance threw him completely off balance.

"Hah!" Pinnacle crowed, eyes glowing dangerously. "I'm the master of the ship, not you!"

Momo took the moment to shift herself in front of Izuku while creating a yo-yo. A flick of the wrist, and it was sent around Todoroki. Pulling tightly, his right arm was quickly secured against his body.

Izuku was the one that first noticed after multiple Hero Classes, but Todoroki only created his ice from the right side of his body - and his ice always originated from either the hand or foot.

It was a long shot, but if it was true and they could pin his arm and leg…

Todoroki blinked in shock, only to glare. Suddenly, the wire of the yo-yo froze, and Momo barely managed to drop it before the ice reached her.

Ok, so it wasn't just his hand or foot that the ice came from. That was fine.

Momo quickly created another yo-yo and launched it at Todoroki's leg, a move that he quickly shifted, causing it to hit his leg instead and making him grimace. She was about to try again when Kaminari popped up through the hole (the boat was getting really crowded now), eyes bright. "Did anybody call for an electrician?" He asked with a smirk, arms sparking.

Only to blanch at Pinnacle's manic expression as she leaned closer as best as she could while still frozen to the wheel. "Yes I did." She purred, latching onto his arm with her metallic one.

All at once, Kaminari stopped sparking. At the same time, Pinnacle's arm began humming loudly, pieces of it glowing. In synch, the mast also began humming as well.

With a cackle of energy, the ice surrounding Pinnacle shattered, and both Kaminari and Todoroki hesitated.

"We're out of time!" Iida's voice barked from below. "Hold tight!"

"Reciproco Burst!"

The next moments were a blur.

Todoroki was still semi-wrapped up, with Momo debating with herself on whether to shove Todoroki off the ship or use her newly created yo-yo to tie him further. Kaminari was facing off against a freed Pinnacle.

Momo had the briefest moment to recognize Iida launching through the hole. The next, he was grabbing Todoroki and Kaminari while Ayoma clung to his back. The next, he was already past her, Todoroki's left hand reaching out to Izuku…

Momo reacted instinctively, throwing her yo-yo at the blur even as she was buffeted by the movements, her heart sinking immediately as she realized she'd miss.

Todoroki's hand brushed the ten-million-dollar headband, Izuku's eyes were wide with shock as his wings popped out and he tried to dodge or fly away.

She didn't know if he'd succeed or not - Izuku was agile, but this move took them all by surprise…

And then Momo's yo-yo hit the mast.

The yo-yo conducted a current of electricity that zapped outward and towards Todoroki, the sudden current causing all of his muscles to spasm, fingers clenching moments too early to snatch the headband.

It was just for an instant, and then it was over. Todoroki and his team's momentum threw them over the edge of the boat and away, and they were in the clear.

Pinnacle quickly fiddled around with a couple of dials, "Sparky's boost was just enough I think - we should be able to… Ha!"

With a deep shudder, the ship managed to break free of the ice, and it turned ponderously towards the other team.

Todoroki, for his part, was glaring fiercely at them. Iida looked like he was trying to talk him down, while Kaminari and Ayoma looked dazed.

On the other side there was Bakugou and his team, the blonde gritting his teeth furiously while staring intently at the still crackling mast.

Momo was about to ask Uraraka if she felt well enough to use her quirk in the boat once more when -

"And with that fantastic display of skill, TIME IS UP!"

Momo breathed out, feeling the tension flow out of her even as the noise of the crowd increased dramatically. She wanted to collapse. Izuku nearly did, even as Uraraka cheered and gave them all a hug.

"We did it! We won!" She cheered.

"Y-yeah, we did." Izuku admitted faintly before turning to Pinnacle. "Thank you so much for your help! We'd never have made it this far without you."

"It was our pleasure." Pinnacle patted the ship fondly. "Oh! Remember, we need to talk about shared custody and visitation rights, got it?"

What?

Momo looked at Izuku in confusion, but before he could explain, Present Mic's voice sounded out over the intercom.

"Now then! Let's see what our final results are! In fourth place, we have team Shinsou!"

Huh. Momo wasn't aware of who Shinsou was. Somebody from the General or Support Class?

"In third place, we have Team Bakugou!"

Bakugou looked… Upset. To put it mildly. Kirishima was doing his best to calm the blonde down, but spared a moment to give their own team a wave and a thumbs up. Ashido and Sero looked slightly disappointed, but still pleased to have made it.

"In second place, we have Team Todoroki!"

Todoroki had stormed off somewhere, but the three that remained did their best and waved awkwardly.

"And finally in first place, where in a stunning display they managed to keep their prized headband the entire time, we have Team Midoriya!"

As the crowd exploded in applause once more, Momo noticed Izuku staggering as if he had been hit. Subtly placing a hand on his back, she leaned forward. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku stammered faintly. "It's j-just a little much…" he shook his head. "I c-can't believe we actually did it!"

Momo covered her mouth to hide her smile. "We did." She agreed, but understood precisely where he was coming from.

"Psh, I knew we had it in the bag." Uraraka beamed as she leaned against the railing, shaking ice off of her arms. "Although that was a dirty trick they pulled at the end there. I had no idea Iida could go that fast!"

"I know, right?" Izuku nodded rapidly, fingers twitching, like he wished he had his notebook with him. "It's gotta be something he's been working on for a while. Based on the trajectory and distance, I wonder…"

"Congrats to all four of those teams!" Present Mic cheered. "You'll all be moving to the final round! Though before that, let's have lunch! We'll see you all in an hour!"

"Finally." Aizawa grumbled.

With the call to lunch, all of the students began to gather up on their way back through the tunnel. Whether they'd won or lost, everybody was mostly tired.

Momo watched as Izuku took the butterfly back from Pinnacle (despite her protests), only for him to stumble once more, and Momo hastily caught him.

"Izuku?" Momo asked cautiously.

"I-I'm fine." Izuku assured her, giving her a tense smile.

Momo narrowed her eyes at him. "Let's get some food." She prompted. Nooroo wasn't the only one that needed food now, and sitting down would probably help.

Izuku protested the help lightly, but allowed himself to be directed to the stadium exit to the lunch hall.

And then Izuku fainted, and she promptly changed direction to Recovery Girl.

Mei's POV

Mei had felt a spike of concern when Viceroy collapsed, but Matter Replicator had things handled. He trusted her, so he'd be fine.

Mei was too busy staring at her newest baby.

Even after transforming back, the ship the three of them had made remained. It was battered, with dents and holes and several portions wrecked, but it was still there.

Mei didn't even bother resisting a squeal of delight.

She had had to use the majority of her previous babies to create it, but the results had been soooo worth it!

An airship! An actual, fully functioning airship! And it was hers!

Well, not just hers of course, but also Viceroy's and Matter Replicator's as well. That was fine - Mei didn't have a problem with shared custody.

She'd need to talk to them later to hammer out the details.

It was a shame she didn't have Pinnacle's vision right now. She'd been able to see through the ship in all of its engineering glory and manipulate it at will. The way it felt like an extension of herself.

And then there were Viceroy's thoughts. He might not have thought he was doing much, but it was a steadying presence. Weird. Good-weird, but still weird.

Oh! And he had so many good ideas! He might not have known how to accomplish said ideas, but that was her job. And boy did she have ideas…

Ugh. Working with just her hands was going to be torture now!

"-tsume! Hatsume!"

"Huh?" Mei blinked and glanced at her Sensei. Oh. When did he show up?

Powerloader rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I said we need to clear the field." He frowned and leaned in closer. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yep!" Mei replied cheerfully, already running through the logistics of how many babies she had left that could help her in the third round. Not as many as she'd like… she sacrificed a lot for this round.

… Worth it!

Oh! Maybe she could convince the principal that Viceroy and Matter Replicator should belong in the Support Class?

They'd be able to make so many babies if they were all in the same class!

Mei's eye's glazed over as she imagined it.

It would take some doing, since they were in the Hero Course and probably liked it there…

Oh, wait. Powerloader was giving her that look he usually did when he was closing the class shop and unjustly forcing her to leave.

Right, airship, clearing the field, then strategizing!

Author's Note:

Don't worry - Izuku is just worn down from all of the emotions and stress. He needs some rest is all.

Even for two miraculous users, having to fend off every single team filled with superpowered teens for 15-30 minutes has gotta be rough, no?

I was so close to removing the fight with Todoroki… Fights are really really hard to write, and in my mind it would have been common sense to avoid Izuku and Momo. But Todoroki is trying to make a point, so a fight we had.

And yes, Mei now has her very own (slightly used) airship at the expense of many items she might have used in the later stages, so her fight in the one-on-one matches is gonna be very different. She (and I) have no regrets, lol.

GLOO cannon invention was taken from the video game 'Prey'. The thrusters of the ship were upgraded from Mei's jetpack. Solar sails are a standard in steampunk I feel, and the various other defenses are random ideas from Mei's other inventions.

A couple people have asked about Izuku's abilities, and whether he can make himself a Champion. Well… The answer is technically 'yes'. However, Nooroo is going to do everything in his power to keep Izuku from realizing that.

See, I don't think I'm misjudging Izuku here when I say that if Izuku realized he could make himself a Champion, he'd never make anybody else a champion again. He'd only make himself a Champion. Because he wouldn't want anybody else to get hurt. One of the reasons I began writing this was I wanted a story where Izuku wasn't OP and constantly throwing himself in danger and getting injured. Here, he has a powerful ability, but it forces him to actually strategize and work with others. Does that make sense?

Anyways, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter. As usual, I'd like to thank those who are currently supporting me on pa tr eon; For anybody that is interested or would like to support me, the link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces). And I'll see you guys in the next chapter!