Angel: A new episode comes out today, I didn't mention it last time because I don't wanna be reminded of the last episode we had back at the end of July. But I have to suck it up and watch it. These new episodes are going to be so hard to get through when I get to writing season 7, I swear. I already know the manga spoilers in regards to where we last left off, so I know things will be fine, but it's still not easy for me to watch aaah.
Side note, I am currently working on the second half of season 4 because there's a big moment that I wanna get to so bad in that arc. I won't spoil what it is! And also, the manga ends in just 2 days, it's insane to think about since when I started this fic or I was like halfway through uploading the first season, I think it was just announced that it was ending. I imagine that older fans are more upset than me, I was a newer fan when I started watching, so I'm not as upset as others would be. And the new movie came out yesterday too, but I haven't seen it yet because I don't live in Japan. Can't wait to watch it!
"43 qualified to move on," Midnight's voice boomed to the crowd. "Now gird your loins and prepare for a Cavalry Battle!" She then pointed her flogger whip forward. "Izuku Midoriya placed first in the qualifier. He'll be worth ten million points!"
Izuku suddenly felt like he had a target on his back with the intense looks he was getting from everyone. "It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!" Katsuki and Shoto's teams were staring down Izuku's.
Tenya then pushed up his glasses. "Bakugo and Todoroki have challenged you both already, but they aren't the only ones who see you as a rival, both individually and together," He then turned away, walking off from his friends. "I'll try my best to defeat you," He joined his actual team of Shoto, Momo, and Denki.
The last teammate of theirs was Fumikage, up in front. Izuka, Ochaco, and Mei were behind supporting Izuku as he was the rider. "Ready?"
"Yeah!" Ochaco looked up at him in determination.
"Hatsume?" He asked next, earning a laugh in return.
"Tokoyami?"
"Yes," Fumikage nodded from up front.
"Izuka?"
"I'm ready," She answered with a small nod standing between Mei and Ochaco.
"Let's do this!" He glared towards the arena, preparing for the other teams to come at them.
"Take this!" Kyoka extended her ears, but Dark Shadow flew in, swiping at the air so her lobes would move away from Izuku's team. "Stupid bird!"
"I told you to call me Tsu," Tsuyu corrected, shooting out her tongue. Minoru tossed a few of his sticky balls towards the group. Izuka held up a small shield to knock away the sticky balls. Izuku moved to the side from Tsuyu's tongue just like Tetsutetsu did.
The boot's boosters from Ochaco broke off as they took to the sky. Katsuki put down his arms and launched himself into the air with his explosions. He flew into a curve. "Kacchan!"
"Almost forgot about him..." Izuka murmured while looking away. Katsuki noticed this and grunted in annoyance, accelerating himself towards the team.
"Don't think for a second that you're safe," He warned as he reached out towards Izuku's headband. Ochaco yelped in alarm at him. "I've got you!" He shouted and Izuku held up his arm in front of the headband.
"Tokoyami! Izuka!" He shouted at the two. Dark Shadow extended himself in front of the team while Izuka pointed her blaster at the blond. It powered up, white coming from inside before she fired, sending a shooting star at the boy. Just as Katsuki fired off his explosion, Dark Shadow took the blow. Then Izuka's star collided with it so that the two explosions cancelled each other out.
The green-haired boy looked up with a small gasp, seeing that Shoto's team were in front of them. It was dead silence between the two teams. Izuka gave a small frown towards Shoto's team, giving extra attention to Momo and Shoto. The former because they were friends (at least, that was what Momo conveyed to her), and the latter because of his assumptions regarding All Might. And how his reasoning for wanting to win might've stemmed from personal things.
"...I'll be taking that now," Shoto revealed to the team.
Izuku gritted his teeth staring at their opponents.
Minoru was whimpering while hiding inside of Mezo's makeshift tent. He had tears in his eyes as Tsuyu stared at him. "Normally, I wouldn't have teamed up with you, but this was a good plan," She commented while tapping her chin, but unfortunately, Minoru's only headband was nowhere to be found. "Though I'm not sure how you lost your headband."
"Where the heck did it go?!" He cried out since he didn't feel anyone take it. And dropping it would've meant that Mezo would've seen that occur. "This just means there's nothing left to lose! Shoji! Full-on attack mode!" Mezo opened up his arms and raced towards the two rivaling teams. Though neither of them had actually moved. "We'll use all our powers to steal the points from those two teams!"
"I didn't think this confrontation would happen until later in the contest," Fumikage spoke up, Shoto glaring at them intensely. "He seems to have it out for you both, Midoriya and Mido."
"Hm?" Izuka blinked at him in thought. Is this because of Mr. All Might like he said earlier? Or is it because he really doesn't believe that we're not meant to be friendly towards each other? She then stared at the boy as if she was analyzing him like her brother would. Shoto Todoroki, the son of Endeavor, the current number 2 hero. From what I've seen, his ice is pretty powerful. No matter how much power I use...I might not be able to match him in terms of power level. He and Bakugo-San combined have all of the years of experience I've missed with my Quirk...
"The game's only halfway over," Izuku reminded his team. "We can't stop now!" He then moved his body to the side a bit.
"Now, Ida. Forward!" Shoto ordered the boy.
"Right!" He boosted up his engines and then ran forward.
"Yaoyorozu. Be ready to protect us," He told his teammate, who was actually on skates.
"On it!" She used her right arm and her torso to start creating something.
"Kaminari!"
"Oh, I know what I gotta do," He smirked confidently as he didn't need the order. Izuku looked a bit nervous and glanced around trying to think of something quick.
"Watch our surroundings," The boy warned his team. "It's not just Todoroki. Everyone's after us!" Several other teams were following Shoto's team towards the five.
"I hope you made something strong, Yaoyorozu!" Denki called out as Shoto threw a blanket over himself. Something black and long hit the ground after Momo created it. "Indiscriminate Shock. 1.3 million volts!" He shouted while sending lightning towards the team. Izuku yelped, bracing himself as Dark Shadow flew in front of him. Izuka held up her arm to create a shield to push back against the electricity as much as she could. However, the electricity broke right through her shield seconds later and she gasped. Meanwhile, other students were getting shocked as well, aside from Shoto's team thanks to the insulated blanket. Momo had used a similar tactic when she was going up against villains in the USJ.
"Kaminari!" Kyoka cried out while clenching her teeth in pain. The electricity eventually stopped and Shoto held up his right hand, ice coming from it.
"Less than six minutes left," He gritted his teeth, turning the pole Momo made into ice. "It's time to make a move," The pole was still being dragged against the ground, so the ice started to spread to other teams. This caused their feet to get stuck. "Sorry, but there's no other way."
"Will you look at that!" Present Mic announced as he and the crowd watched the struggling teams. "He's stopped all those teams cold in their tracks!"
"But only after Kaminari had immobilized the students using his electricity," Mr. Aizawa spoke up next. "In the obstacle course, he was surprised by how many people avoided his attack. He's adapting his strategy."
"Nice commentary!" Present Mic gave him a thumbs up.
A girl with orange hair gasped while looking up, seeing Shoto had grabbed some of her headbands. He held them up over his head. "I might as well take these," He called out and she gasped in disbelief.
She then let out a small growl. "Come back!" She shouted after him, unfortunately unable to move.
"What? Mine too?" A student wondered as Shoto then created an ice wall in front of the groups.
The jet pack started to wear down, which Izuku noticed immediately. "The jet pack's malfunctioning!"
"Baby!" Mei cried out from behind. "Guess it needs some upgrades!"
"Oh no, they're too fast!" Ochaco warned as she still only had the one boot. So it was getting harder and harder to move around with it. "We can't get away!" She looked towards Shoto's team coming in fast.
"Take care of them!" Fumikage ordered Dark Shadow, who flew in towards them. Izuka held up her arm and fired a shooting star with it.
"Let's do this, Tokoyami-San!"
"Yaoyorozu!" Shoto held up his arm in front of his head. Momo quickly created a small pole to deflect Dark Shadow. Fumikage gritted his teeth as Izuka's shooting star hit the pole, causing it to break into pieces. Unfortunately, that was all she could manage to pull off. Momo then tossed what was left of it away.
"That was close! Is everyone okay?" Izuka glanced to all of her teammates.
"We're good. Thanks Mido!" Ochaco told the girl.
"She's too good at her Creation Quirk," Izuku narrowed his eyes a little. "We have to be careful."
"She's getting better with her Galaxy Quirk the more time goes on," Momo noticed of Izuka attentively. "We need to proceed with caution, we don't know if she's capable of obtaining a new ability right now. In fact, it's even possible that she's already unlocked it...but she's biding her time as much as possible."
Shoto, Denki, and Tenya all gasped in alarm of her assessment. They definitely had to take precaution with that if Izuka was gonna be in the final round...
"Contrary to your belief, Kaminari is the one to fear," Fumikage corrected Izuku, staring at the boy. "If there was any more sunlight...Kaminari's attack would have completely destroyed Dark Shadow."
Izuku gasped sharply from this, remembering just how he recruited Fumikage in the first place. "So what I want you to do is devote yourself to defense with Izuka. I'm hoping you won't have to attack at all. Sound good?"
Mei was helping him put on the jet pack. Ochaco was putting on the boots while Izuka was adjusting the blaster in her arm.
"Hmmph. Interesting," Fumikage commented, getting their attention. "My Quirk's offensive ability gets stronger when I'm in darkness. But that makes Dark Shadow aggressive and difficult to control. On the other hand, the beast is easy to handle in the sunlight. That's at the cost of its attack power, though. You couldn't have known this, and yet you've chosen the correct role for me. Your proposal seems like a good one, under the circumstances. Not to mention Mido's attacks shouldn't be a drastic effect on my Quirk if she's planning to use regular attacks."
"Oh, y-yes! I promise," She told him with a small nod. "I-I'll try not to make it too overwhelming with your Quirk."
He gave a small smile from her answer. "Very well. I'll follow your lead. We're counting on you, Midoriya."
His voice echoed in Izuku's head, and he realized why Denki was the one to watch out for, despite his teammates being just as strong. And why Izuka's attacks couldn't be too strong. "I get it. His lightning is our big problem."
"As long as he keeps using his Quirk, it will be very difficult for me to attack," Fumikage explained to the boy. Dark Shadow was floating in front of him, looking a bit sad. "Dark Shadow is too timid in the light." Izuku gasped as Dark Shadow let out a whimper.
"Violence solves nothing..."
Well, he has morals. That's something at least Izuka gave an awkward smile. All of them suddenly jumped to a stop as they were surrounded by ice. And they couldn't move any further back unless they wanted to lose the game.
"Team Midoriya has nowhere left to run!"
The boy glanced behind them, glaring towards Shoto's team heading right for the five. "Once we advance in this round, Izuka would reach her limit. Your attack power is low, but they have no idea that's the case, right?"
"I don't think so. The only person I've mentioned this weakness to is Koda back at the USJ," Fumikage explained to them; since they were working together, he felt it was best to tell his classmate this in case it was a hindrance. "And he's a man of very few words."
"...Okay, good deal," Izuku looked up while thinking of a strategy. "We can use that. This will work out. All we have to do is hang onto the ten million points, no matter what!"
Izuka narrowed her eyes at them. "We've got this, little brother!"
Katsuki gave a sound of shock as his headband got snatched. "Your class is too small minded," The rider remarked while clutching the headband. "Think bigger."
"He got us!" Mina glanced back in alarm.
"What did you say?!" Katsuki called out after him angrily. "Come back here!" He then gasped as he saw the bandage on the boy's cheek. He's that asshole extra I punched because of him taunting the mouse.
"Oh, hey. You're kinda famous, huh? For being attacked by that sludge villain. And then that short stack tried to save you. You'll have to tell me about it some time. Though wouldn't her being the victim be her job since she's your girlfriend? Oh, wait," The boy gave a small smirk. "She wouldn't even wanna be seen with you." Katsuki slowly clenched his teeth, looking up as his blood was boiling just like it was with Shoto. "It must be strange to always find yourself in the role of the victim instead of a girl who cheated her way to this school."
Katsuki then flinched as several memories came to mind. Such as when he saw her upset face as kids, and when he talked to her after they found out about the rumors. And this made him REALLY furious now as his eyes were pure white. And he didn't think he could feel twice as pissed off as he was when he punched the boy in the face. I don't know even why this is bothering me so much...maybe because hearing about her is annoying me. But the fact that she was crying and willing to quit before all this started because of people like him... "Kirishima...we have a slight change of plans," He started off with a scary tone to his voice.
The boy glanced back with a smirk. "Monoma. Don't provoke him, man," One of his teammates informed him. "That's the kinda thing he would do. And bringing the girl into this? Come on, man, she's technically the reason you got punched."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Monoma gave a slight shrug. "It's not very heroic of me. Besides, you know how these things work. Heroes are always being hounded by moronic villains desperate for some kind of revenge. Although I guess seeking out attention with a weak Quirk like Izuka Midoriya is also pretty moronic when she's a total loser."
Katsuki was shaking furiously and Eijiro glanced back up at him. "Calm down, Bakugo. You gotta keep a level head or we'll never get our points back! He's saying all that stuff about Mido just to get you riled up! Trust me, I'd like to get him too for it, but we can deal with that later!" Eijiro then stared at him curiously, wondering why Katsuki was even reacting like this about Izuka. He and Mido have a weird relationship, now that I think about it. He did go after her when this jerk called her out in front of us, and yet he still wants to defeat her like her brother. Maybe deep down, without realizing it, he actually really cares about her.
Katsuki let out an angry roar, punching his hands together. "SHUT UP! I've never been calmer," He started as there was a bunch of smoke surrounding them. "Can't you tell? Now get after them, Kirishima! And then we'll go after mousy so I can destroy her!"
Or maybe not.
His teammates all glanced up at him in terror. "Please don't make us regret this," Eijiro slid his foot back a bit before running as fast as he could. Mina and Hanta tried to keep up with him.
"You think you're tough? And that you can take over insulting mousy? That's my job! DIE!" He screamed while reaching out his hand, preparing an explosion. Monoma smirked and moved his head to the side just as the explosion went off. He then held up his hand, Katsuki gasping in shock that someone like him easily dodged his explosion. He turned around, gritting his teeth, only to be caught off guard as Monoma held up his hand in front of his face. He sent Katsuki an explosion of his own, to his utter shock.
"Ha! Wow," Monoma gave a small smirk. "I see why you like this Quirk!" He then lightly touched the top of Kirishima's head while the team was distracted.
"My power!" Katsuki rapidly shook his head to get over the attack.
"Whoa, weird!" Eijiro exclaimed in disbelief. "That guy has your Quirk!"
This made Katsuki only more pissed off as he swung his arm forward. "Damn it!" He fired off a bigger explosion, the wind blowing hard.
"You both have impressive powers," Monoma remarked, and the smoke cleared as he revealed his arms were hardened, just like Eijiro's actually. "But I think you'll agree mine's better."
Katsuki gasped sharply while recoiling back at this display. "Huh?! What? Mine too?!" Eijiro barked while Katsuki had smoke coming from his right hand.
"Bastard," Katsuki grunted, causing Eijiro to look up at him. "His Quirk. He can copy other powers," The blond narrowed his eyes a little.
Monoma smiled, pleased as he put down his arm. "Very good."
Neito Monoma. His Quirk: Copy. He can use the Quirks of whomever he touches, but only for five minutes. Plus, he can only borrow one at a time.
"So," Neito pointed to the side of his head. "Even an idiot could figure it out."
Katsuki slowly gritted his teeth at the insult, growling furiously as his team raced forward. Before he could attack Neito, someone nearby shot out glue between the two teams. This caused Katsuki's team to slide backwards.
"Nice one," Neito smiled towards the team, as they were actually from his class. "Thanks for the backup, Bondo."
"Monoma," One of his teammates spoke up. "If we keep those headbands, we're good. As long as no one gets near us, we'll make our class proud." Neito's team then ran off in the opposite direction.
"Stop 'em!" Katsuki ordered his front runner.
"It's too sticky! Crap!" Katsuki looked down to see that Eijiro's foot was stuck in the glue. "I can't move!"
"No prob!" Mina moved her foot towards the glue, smoke coming from her. "I'll melt through this gunk with my Quirk!"
"Well hurry!" Hanta urged her while glancing around rapidly. "We're sitting at zero points now!"
Katsuki was shaking again watching Neito's team getting away. "Oh, no hard feelings, right?" Neito glanced back while waving a hand, setting off a little explosion to taunt them. "After all, you provoked us. What was it you said in your little speech before the games? Uh...oh, right. Oof."
Katsuki let out another growl, being even more pissed off than he was before.
"I just wanna say I'm gonna win."
This isn't over. I'm still gonna come out on top. And I won't just make it to first place—I'll be the undeniable champion!
The crowd cheered as they continued to watch. "Only one minute left! Todoroki has cornered the ten-million-point team and is poised to seize the ultimate prize! At least that's what I would've predicted five minutes ago!" He then laughed with a big smile on his face. "Unbelievably, Team Midoriya's been able to keep away from the ice master for the last half of the game!"
Shoto narrowed his eyes a bit as Dark Shadow was in front of Izuku's team. Not only that, but he and his team didn't know what Izuka could do. Thankfully, she didn't have a reason to use her secret new move that she hadn't showcased yet. His team moved, but Izuku's stepped backwards.
"Stay back!" He ordered as Izuka narrowed her eyes. Dark Shadow loomed in front of him.
You're doing good, you two Toshinori smiled proudly at the twins.
"The twins are exploiting your weaknesses," Endeavor commented in disapproval. "Don't be a fool."
Shoto kept his glare towards the two. Midoriya is keeping his distance and staying on my left side. That's his strategy. From this position if I try to freeze them, I'll hit Ida. If he keeps moving like this...there's no way I can get a clear shot at his team.
Denki's eyes twitched at the opposing team. "I'm not...done yet..."
Plus, Tokoyami can defend against Kaminari's electricity. Mido is able to do the same with Yaoyorozu's creations thanks to her near-perfect reaction time. I can't help but both praise and despise it at the same time right now. There's not much time left. Izuku was panting heavily staring Shoto down. The bastard.
Izuka stared up ahead at the team. Thanks to what I've seen from Todoroki-San up until this point...he never seems to use his left side, for reasons that I don't understand. Therefore, he won't dare use it here, so if we stay towards his left, we can wait it out in order to keep our points. Little brother must've realized it too at some point if he's using it to our advantage. Todoroki-San may have been a formidable opponent in the obstacle course, but...deep down, he can be a great team player when it's necessary. Even if he has his own goals.
Tenya paused before looking up. "Everyone...we have less than 60 seconds. I'm gonna do something that'll make me useless to you," Denki and Momo blinked in shock. "But it's worth it."
"What are you gonna do?" Shoto looked down at him curiously.
Tenya kneeled down a bit. "Make sure you get that headband." Shoto looked at him in confusion, still not knowing what that meant. But he felt like he could trust the class rep. "Brace yourselves. Hold on tight!"
His engines gained a boost of power, flames coming from him. Then blue flames shot out of them, the engines heating up. "Torque...Over!" He announced, Denki grunting as his head was tilted back from the sudden burst of speed. Tenya headed over so fast hardly anyone could see him.
"Watch the-"
Shoto snatched the ten-million headband in an instant, giving Izuku's team hardly any time to react. "Recipro Burst!"
Izuku let out a shocked gasp, as he or anyone had no idea that Tenya was even capable of this. Shoto gripped the headband tight in his hand, Tenya zipping past their opponents. He then spiraled around and came to a stop. His teammates stared at him in shock while the class rep was trying to catch his breath.
"Wha-ho-ho! What just happened? That was one big blur! Holy smokes, folks! Why didn't he show that super speed in the preliminaries?" Momo and Denki were thinking the same thing Present Mic just said, staring at him in utter silence.
"Ida," Shoto looked at him wide-eyed as well. "What was that?"
Tenya finally caught his breath, looking up. "Forced my torque and RPM into overdrive, which gave me explosive power!" A ton of smoke came from his engines. "Unfortunately, the recoil stalls my engines for a while. It's a secret move I've been saving." Izuku's team were just as shocked as the others. "No one in the class knew about it."
Izuku let out a shocked sound while dropping his arm. He had notes on everyone's Quirks in his books, and he had no way of predicting a move like that from anyone. Maybe he was underestimating just how amazing their Quirks were...
"I told you, Midoriya, Mido..." Tenya looked back at them with a proud smile, but not out of maliciousness. "That I'd do my best to beat you both."
"Ida-San..." Izuka blinked incredibly at him at how he was still acting like his regular self, but today...he had shown just how much of a force he was to be reckoned with. Even if he did just stall his engines just now.
The whole crowd then erupted into cheers. "Insanity! This entire game was just turned completely on its head!" As Present Mic was speaking, Endeavor had a small proud smile on his face. "Todoroki's team has the ten million points, and Midoriya's team is suddenly left with nothing at all!"
Toshinori sweated nervously at this development, as he had no idea now where Izuku's team stood.
"Don't let them go!" Izuku shouted at his team urgently.
"Kaminari's still a problem for us," Fumikage glanced behind him. Dark Shadow shook his head rapidly in fear, meaning that he didn't want to go near Shoto's team again. "It'll be smarter for us to try for other points now."
Mei slowly nodded in agreement. "We can't!" Izuku shouted as he didn't agree at all. "We don't know who's got the other headbands. This is our only chance!"
"He's right," Izuka looked up at her brother. "Not to mention we're blocked off from other teams still. Trying to get past this barrier would take up too much time. And it might cause us to go out of bounds, costing us the game."
Ochaco glanced down nervously from the pressure, but could understand where the twins were coming from. She then looked up in determination. "Then let's go!" She ran forward first, causing her teammates to be pushed. "We'll get the points back, Deku, Mido. I know it!" She shouted without any doubt and the two gasped at her.
"Uraraka..." The boy murmured from her resolve.
She clutched her skirt the same way she did as a child. "I'm gonna become a pro. I'll sign with a good agency and make plenty of money. Then my parents will have an easy life!"
Izuku gritted his teeth looking up ahead. That's right.
"I'd like to use your fame to my personal advantage!" Mei stated without hesitation, hands on her hips.
I'm not alone in this.
He and his teammates all looked up ahead in determination while heading for Shoto's team.
Fumikage gave a small smile. "We're counting on you, Midoriya."
Izuku then powered up his arm.
Izuku sighed while turning to his sister. "At least I have one teammate. Thanks for sticking by me, even though I know you had other options."
"We're still family at the end of the day," She reminded with a small smile.
All four of them put their trust in me. This is my responsibility! He looked up ahead, Shoto gasping from his power. We all have our reasons to win this, and I refuse to let the others down!
Shoto raised his hand, making fire appear. Izuku lunged his arm forward, the two rivals about to go head to head.
"With time almost up," Present Mic spoke to the enthusiastic crowd. "Team Todoroki is in first place with four headbands. Despite their best efforts, Team Midoriya has fallen to the bottom!" Above his team were Teams Kendo, Tetsutetsu, and Monoma. "Will these be the top four teams that move on to the next round?"
"Second place," Neito said while being pleased with his team. "We've done pretty well for ourselves. Now we can let the clock run out."
"LOSERS!" An angry Katsuki screamed at them. "Get back here!"
Neito let out an annoyed sigh. "Doesn't he ever give up? Knowing you've been bested is an important part of being a hero."
He looked back just as Katsuki fired off an explosion, sending himself into the air to the shock of everyone around him.
"Hey, don't just fly off on your own!" Eijiro shouted after the blond, who didn't listen.
"Tsuburaba!" Neito shouted in alarm. "Stop him!"
His classmate took in a deep breath and then blew into the air. This created a giant bubble to trap Katsuki in. "A'right!" He smirked proudly at this.
Kosei Tsuburaba. His Quirk: Solid Air. He can harden the air to form walls or steps. Katsuki gritted his teeth while trying to punch himself out of it. The bigger the breath, the stronger the shield!
Kosei let out an amused chuckle. "You look pretty stupid fighting with air," He turned around to get away. However, this made Katsuki growl as he recoiled back his fist. He then broke right through the shield, and he grabbed some of Neito's headbands. This caused the blond to look back at Katsuki in shock, just as Katsuki flew backwards while removing as many headbands as he could.
"Crap, he snatched some of 'em!" Neito shouted as Katsuki was grabbed by Hanta's tape. He was then pulled backwards into the air.
"Team Bakugo nabs two headbands and moves into third place!" Bakugo's team moved from 6th place to third on the ranking screen. This also made Monoma's team 4th place. "The final moments of the game have been full of shakeups! Oh, to be young again!"
A team consisting of only two from Class 1-B charged forward, only to be caught in an air bubble. "Tsunotori!"
Another team from Class 1-B advanced towards their classmates. Neito blew an air bubble of his own to knock them backwards. "Damn it!" Neito gritted his teeth from Katsuki's interference as he now only had one headband to show for it.
"We're still in fourth," Kosei glanced back at him. "It's fine. Kendo's been frozen and hasn't been a real player." Kendo's team was still stuck as they didn't have a proper way to break free from the ice.
"Yeah," Neito agreed while moving up his headband in front of his face. "If we defend this one to the death, we'll move forward."
"I told you to warn us before you jumped!" Hanta cried out while pulling Katsuki back into place. His tape recoiled back into his arm and he moved it back underneath Katsuki's foot.
"Whatever, this means we're advancing," Eijiro dismissed what his teammate did, even though he did agree that it was crazy.
"We're not done!" Katsuki declared with intense eyes from his face. Hanta looked up at him in confusion as the blond gritted his teeth. He also started knocking his fist into Eijiro's hair. "We're gonna be the indisputable champions of the game!" The only reason why he wasn't going after his other rivals from his own class right now was because he wanted to teach Neito a lesson. And not just for insulting him either.
"This entire time we haven't even seen her Quirk. Makes you wonder if she's faking it all just for the attention," The boy waved a finger as if he was looking down at the girl, already acting as if he was superior to her. Izuka recoiled back in alarm, her eyes wide.
She then ran down the hall, clutching her bag next to her arm. She passed by Katsuki...and his eyes widened a bit. He could see a single stream of tears going down from her face, even though she had a shadow over her eyes.
Katsuki gritted his teeth towards Neito. No one upsets mousy while I'm around.
"Now look at this," Mr. Aizawa watched Katsuki's team. "Class 1-B's strategy was a reasonable one...but there's one thing they forgot to consider."
"I couldn't brace myself earlier when I jumped," Katsuki told the others, keeping his eyes focused on Neito. "Get closer!" He then clenched a fist. "We'll get our points back from this idiot, then go for the big one!"
"Heh," Eijiro gave a small smirk. Mina gasped up at him in shock while Hanta gave a big grin similar to Eijiro's. While all three of them were put off by Katsuki at times...they couldn't deny that his drive to win never faltered once.
"Do it!" Hanta called out while still smiling.
"Elbow guy. Tape him!" Katsuki held up his left leg so that Hanta wouldn't miss his shot.
"My name's Sero!" He shot some tape up ahead past the team.
"You missed!" Neito mocked them, though he didn't understand that this was part of Katsuki's strategy.
"Raccoon eyes! Lay down some acid in the direction we're going," Katsuki ordered, holding up his right leg this time.
"It's Mina Ashido!" She protested while spraying some acid in front of them.
Toshinori stared down at the team in shock. Young Bakugo. You understand something crucial, a truth no one had to teach you. Eijiro slid on the acid, since his Quirk could withstand it, and Hanta continued shooting his tape. That there's a difference between those who aim for the top, and those who will settle. Neito could only stare back in shock as Katsuki fired off an explosion, his team picking up speed. And that difference matters.
"Class 1-B didn't take into account Bakugo's overwhelming tenacity," Mr. Aizawa spoke up again just as Kosei was blowing an air shield. This wasn't enough to stop Katsuki and he let out a yell. He then fired off an explosion to break the shield, also grabbing the headband in return. His teammates all looked up at him, impressed.
"Bakugo is a merciless force! What a point hog! That was a shield break heard round the arena, and I can't wait to watch the replay!" Present Mic stated just as Katsuki's team moved into 2nd place.
"Now!" The angry blond turned towards the ice barrier, as he knew it was from Shoto. "We're going after Deku, Todoroki, and mousy."
Izuku was still outstretching his arm. "It was the first time I used my power against a person," He recalled himself saying to Toshinori about the Nomu. Shoto was coming in quickly. This'll be fine. I'm not actually going to hit him. I'm just slicing through the air to take out my opponent's defenses! And then big sis can distract them!
Just as he was about to grab Shoto's arm, he swiped hard towards the right, knocking away Shoto's left arm. The strong wind from this caused his arm to move out of control. And the fire from him died out, causing him to gasp in shock. No one had ever done something like that to him. He then realized that...in that moment, he could've used it just like his father wanted him to.
My left side. What am I doing?
Izuku's arm was still glowing, but he thankfully didn't break it unlike previous times. My hand hurts, but it's not broken! He's turned the bands around to hide their point values.
"Izuka!" He shouted at his sister for the signal. She then narrowed her eyes, holding up her hand not holding the gear she got from Mei. She pressed two fingers together and flicked a small shooting star upwards, catching their opposing team off guard.
But he put the ten million one on last, right? So it must be on top! He then grabbed the headband, snatching it away. I've got it!
Shoto stood there in silence. "That's it. I did it!" Izuku turned back to him with a big smile, and the crowd cheered again.
"With just 11 seconds left, Team Midoriya's back in the game!"
"Uh, wait a minute," Mei spoke up nervously while eyeing the headband. "Please tell me I got something wrong with my eyes."
He blinked and looked at the headband. He then gave a nervous expression as he was holding...only a 70-point headband. "They tricked us!" He should've known this when Shoto didn't even react to the headband being snatched in the first place.
"We mixed the headbands up," Momo explained while turning to them, having predicted that he'd go for the top one. "There's no way we'd leave the prize on top. You underestimate us."
Izuku gritted his teeth while Ochaco and Izuka glanced back in shock. "Todoroki," Tenya glanced up at his teammate. He was currently looking at his left arm. "Better watch yourself. That was too close."
"Oh no! Team Midoriya didn't get the ten million points after all!"
Izuku glanced up at the rankings board, as they weren't even in the top five. "Only 70 points. It's not enough," His team was currently in 6th place.
His sister gave a dismayed look at the turn of events. With so little time left, how were they going to advance now?
"The game is almost over! Time for a countdown!" Ten seconds remained as Midnight held up her flogger whip.
"Tokoyami! Izuka!" Izuku shouted at the two of them. Izuka held up her blaster as Dark Shadow attacked. The girl fired off a stronger shooting star.
"Kaminari!" Shoto ordered and he gave off a strong electric blast to fend off Dark Shadow. Momo held up a strong pole to fend off Izuka. Fumikage gritted his teeth as Izuka bit her lip nervously. An explosion went off nearby as Katsuki came in flying.
"Deku! Mousy!" He shouted with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Bakugo!" Eijiro cried out as his team looked up at him.
"Uh...?" Denki had now reached his limit since his face looked dumb now.
"Uraraka!" Izuku screamed at the girl.
"Let's go!" She shouted as Izuka narrowed her eyes.
"We won't lose! We'll make this count!" She stated as the three teams were coming towards each other in an ultimate face-off. However, Tenya's engines were still stalled, and he gritted his teeth at this.
"Yaoyorozu!" Shoto glanced back at the girl. Izuku held up his arms while Izuka pointed the blaster again.
"Who's got the points?!" Katsuki looked around rapidly since he couldn't tell now who had what from his spot. Momo had created a pole, handing it off to Shoto. Izuku reached out his hand, Izuka powering up her blaster. Katsuki then came flying in using his explosion.
"Dammit, Icy hot!" He figured out immediately Shoto had the points. Izuku wouldn't be attacking if he didn't.
Shoto froze the pole in his hand, the four rivals all staring at each other. It all came down to this as they got closer and closer...
"Time's up!" Present Mic announced, and Katsuki fell to the ground with a thump. "And with that, the second round is officially over!"
Izuku grunted as he put down his arm. Izuka sighed slowly while putting down her own arm, looking up at her brother. He looked disappointed with himself and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could tell he was placing their loss on him...
"Bakugo!" Hanta shouted as he, Mina, and Eijiro ran over to the shaking Katsuki.
"Are you okay, man?" Eijiro held out a hand.
They earned a frustrated yell in return. Katsuki slammed his fist into the ground repeatedly.
Shoto then jumped down from his spot. "Damn it," He muttered from the fact that he was forced to use his left side...when he had sworn not to. Even if it would benefit him.
"Now, let's take a look at who our top four teams are!" Present Mic pointed down to the teams. "In first place, Team Todoroki!" Denki was still getting over the effects of his Quirk.
Momo then let out a small sigh. "We ended in first place, but it was too close for comfort."
"I'm sorry," Tenya gritted his teeth while clenching a fist. "I let everyone down, didn't I?"
"That's not true," Momo gave him an assuring smile. "You're the reason we won. Thank goodness for that special move of yours."
"In second place, Team Bakugo!" Present Mic announced next, earning a groan from Mina.
"We were so close to first place," She shook her hands to get some of her acid off.
"Eh, sure," Hanta gave a small shrug, as it didn't seem to bother him. "But we're movin' on, so it's all good."
Eijiro gave an awkward look up ahead. "I don't think our leader would agree with you. Like, at all."
Katsuki gave an angry scream, not even acknowledging anyone else. Izuka heard his scream and glanced at the angry blond. She turned away with a small chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand so no one heard her. Not because he was in second, but because he just looked really amusing sometimes when he was angry.
Why the heck am I considering that a good thing? She blinked rapidly at her assessment, snapping out of it. All this stuff with Bakugo-San is really confusing and not what I need to be worried about right now.
"In third place is Tetsute-" Present Mic was astonished, as was Mashirao apparently since he was on the purple-haired boy's team. "Wait, what? It's Team Shinso? When did they come back from the dead?" Shinso gave a small smirk, Mashirao staring after him.
"Thanks for all your help," He stated, leaving his team utterly confused.
Mei was removing the jet pack from Izuku while Izuka took off the blaster. Fumikage leaned in towards her ear to tell her something and she gasped, giving a small smile. Katsuki glanced up at them and upon seeing their faces, he let out a small growl. The pink-haired girl gave a small whine while checking over her invention. "Hey, Deku," Ochaco approached him, and Izuka glanced at the boy as he hadn't responded yet.
"Guys," He turned around to the three girls. "I'm...really sorry." They all blinked at him in confusion before Ochaco let out a chuckle. They all moved aside to reveal Fumikage, his eyes closed. Izuku just gave a look of confusion.
"I must apologize. When Todoroki was shaken by your first attack..." He then opened his eyes. "I tried to grab the ten-million point headband...but things didn't go as planned." Dark Shadow came up, and Izuku gasped sharply. "Still, I got one." He jerked a thumb to Dark Shadow holding a headband worth 615 points. "It was around his head, where his guard was the weakest. Midoriya. You're the one who created the opening for me. And ensured our advancement."
Dark Shadow then gave a thumbs up.
Izuku had tears in his eyes as the last team was announced. "And in fourth place is Team Midoriya!"
He let out streams of tears towards the sky in relief over this. And after all that time of him thinking that they had lost. "Izuku..." His sister gave a slightly embarrassed look, though she still rubbed his back comfortingly. She also had a feeling that their mother would react the same way back at home.
"These four valiant teams will advance on to the final round!" Present Mic stated as Ochaco patted Dark Shadow with a smile. Mei was too focused on fixing her jet pack to celebrate. Izuka glanced towards her brother with a small smile.
Toshinori let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Izuku continued to cry while Shoto watched from afar. He looked at his left arm. I said I'd never use this to attack. But as soon as I was overwhelmed...I broke my own promise. He clenched a fist, and gritted his teeth immensely. "At this rate, he'll win and I'll end up exactly who he wants me to be," He said bitterly; and by him, he meant his father, who was still watching him. After a few seconds, the hero turned around and left.
Izuku sniffed while wiping his nose with his arm and then glanced up at his sister. He noted how she wasn't focusing on the crowd. "Oh hey, you seem to be doing much better with being in front of so many people."
As soon as he said that, her brain froze and she hid behind Izuku. "I don't wanna be here anymore..." She mumbled into his back, Ochaco giving a slightly awkward smile.
"Or maybe not..." He glanced down at her sheepishly.
"Well, at least she hasn't completely shut down yet..." Ochaco patted Izuka on her back.
"Now, let's take an hour lunch break before we start the afternoon festivities," Present Mic said as people started to leave the stands to find some food. "See ya soon! Hey, Eraser Head. Let's grab some food."
"I'm taking a nap," Mr. Aizawa immediately dismissed the suggestion, and Present Mic let out a small breath.
"What the hell just happened?" Tetsutetsu asked his team in disbelief; he had no idea how they lost. "Suddenly we had zero points and it was all over." Similar to Mashirao, it was like they couldn't remember how they had gotten their placement.
"Maybe it was some sort of karmic punishment," The girl with green hair pointed out sadly. Using her hair, she reached out to the little tent Mezo had made to protect Minoru and Tsuyu. "For taking the tiny one's headband. It was so underhanded."
She escaped with the headband, leaving Minoru devastated. "No, what happened?! All my points are gone!" He cried out in dismay.
Tetsutetsu held his head while Shinso walked past. "No fair! I want a do-over!"
Tsuyu looked pretty miffed herself from her loss, smoke coming from her head. "How disappointing," She grumbled a bit as the students were walking out of the arena as well. She then approached Mina. "Mina, congrats."
"Mm," She rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks, but Bakugo only asked me to join because I could melt Todoroki's ice. It's not like, you know, I really helped that much."
Ochaco was moving her arms to mimic running, also miffed towards Tenya for his special move. "Ida, you were holding out on us. I had no idea you could do that!"
He waved a hand as Momo walked past. "Rest assured it wasn't my intention to deceive you, I was just being strategic." Denki was still being affected by using up all of his power while the brunette gave a big pout. "I merely wanted to show that I could compete with Mido and Midoriya."
"You're always trying to one-up each other," Ochaco then realized that neither of the twins didn't seem to be anywhere nearby. "Oh, speaking of which, where'd they go? Has anyone seen Deku or Mido?"
Momo stopped and glanced at the brunette, giving a small frown to herself. She hoped that she could find Izuka later, given her reaction to facing off against Momo earlier. I didn't mean to make her think that we're not friends. But the Sports Festival is a way to show what I can do as a future hero. Hopefully I can clear things up with Mido sooner than later. I don't want us to have that strain between the two of us once the Festival is over.
In the hallway of the faculty and student entrance, Shoto was staring down the twins in silence. Both of them looked pretty nervous to be there, considering what he had said to both of them in the waiting room. "You brought the both of us here. Now what?"
"Todoroki-San...wh-what is this about?" Izuka wondered a bit anxiously, a fist in front of her chest. However, he didn't answer either of them.
Somewhere nearby, Endeavor was walking down a staircase. Someone approached him from behind. "Yo! Long time no see!" It was All Might standing behind him, and he gave a big smile. "Let's catch up, Endeavor."
"...All Might..." He glanced over his shoulder with a look of bitterness on his face.
"And now, updates from the UA Sports Festival," Inko was shaking from the couch. "The first years have finished their second round." The four teams were then displayed on the screen. "That means we know which 17 next-generation heroes will be moving on to the final tournament!" Then the names of the twins were displayed.
Inko let out a small whimper...before sending out streams of tears just like Izuku did learning of the team's placement. And like how Izuka had predicted once the second round was over. "Izuku, Izuka, my babies!" She cried out happily for them. "I'm so proud of you two! You worked so hard for this! But please, my babies. Don't get hurt in the final round...!" She continued to cry, and hopefully she could calm down by the third round...