"Tokoyam-sani, Kirishima, Shoji-san, Kodai-san…I think you four should be on defense. Tokoyami and Kirishima will be on the frontlines." Tokage declared. "Shoji-san, the fortress should give you a good vantage point over the field. Alert our defenders to any enemy activity and provide aid to anyone who needs it."
The masked giant nodded. "I can do that." He said with one of his mouths.
"Yanagi-san," Tokage turned to the pale-haired girl, "do you have any limit with your telekinesis?"
"I do. My weight limit is 80 kilos (~176 pounds)." Yanagi replied.
Tokage glanced at one of the nearby Nodes. "Those cylinders don't look that heavy." She turned back to Yanagi and Kodai. "I'm thinking you should be on defense too. If anyone gets past our frontlines, Kodai-san can make anything she finds larger while you use your Quirk to throw it at opponents. Worst-case, you can levitate Nodes away from anyone who gets too close."
Yanagi and Kodai both wordlessly nodded in understanding.
"Tsuyu, Mina, Sero, Shishida-san, and Monoma-san," Tokage called out, perking the quintet up. "We'll be on offense. Blue Team's our first target, so–"
"Don't bother." Todoroki rudely cut in.
Everyone turned to the dual-haired young man, standing a few meters outside the group. He regarded them with a cold, impassive expression. "Just focus on holding off the Red Team for a little while." He then shifted his gaze to Blue Team's castle across the arena. "I'll handle the Blue Team alone. I'll take out as many of their Nodes while I'm over there, including the castle."
Everyone looked at Todoroki as if he had grown a second head.
"That…seems reckless." Shishida said.
"Hmph!" Monoma smirked. "What do you expect from someone in Class A? This is par for the course for those showoffs."
"Well, he did take out one of the Zero Pointers like it was nothing earlier." Ashido hesitantly mentioned.
Kirishima didn't look convinced. "Todoroki-san, I get you're strong and all. But I don't know if that's a good–"
"There's no one on their team capable of stopping me." Todoroki stated pointedly. "I'll take them out instantly." The air around the red-and-white-haired teen suddenly became colder, prompting Asui to take several steps away to avoid going into a hibernation-like state.
"Hmm…" Tokoyami closed his eyes, humming. "If Todoroki-san is able to freeze their entire territory, it would grant us an automatic victory."
"He did the same thing during the Battle Trials too…" Dark Shadow brought up.
Tokage frowned worriedly. 'Seriously…I get he's powerful and all, but going to fight them alone? I have a bad feeling about this.'
"Todoroki-san, if you want to go after the Blue Team, fine. But can you at least hold back before then and form an ice wall around our perimeter first?" Tokage requested. "We could really use that to hold off the others."
"What's the point?" Todoroki regarded her stoically. "A wall would serve no purpose when we win instantly."
"Yeah? And what if Greenie has a way to counter your–"
"I'm going." Todoroki stubbornly asserted. "Just stay out of my way and protect our Nodes. I'll carry us to victory."
With that, the scar-faced young man walked away from the group. His heterochromatic gaze focused solely on the Blue Team's castle.
The 101-B glared at Todoroki unfavorably while his own classmates currently had no ground to stand on to defend him, nor were even willing to at this point.
"Tch!" Tokage clicked her tongue, exasperated. "Fine. Guess he's going solo." She turned her attention to her ten other teammates. "In case Pretty Boy can't deliver on his promise, we'll have to pick up the slack."
She went on. "Red Team is likely going to have a small force dedicated to defense with most of them on offense. Most of us on the attack squad are mobile, so we have a better chance of getting around whatever their defenses are. If we take out their Nodes swiftly, that's one less team to deal with."
Asui, Ashido, Sero, and Shishida nodded in agreement.
'Though with Yaomomo on their side, it's easier said than done.' Tokage inwardly admitted.
Tokage then looked at Monoma and handed him the red orb that she had been holding in her left hand. "Here! Wanna prove how great Class B is, get this to its safe zone…and maybe copy some useful Quirks while you're over there." She then winked slyly.
Monoma blinked twice in mild surprise before promptly resuming his smug demeanor. "Hmph. At least there's one person in Class A who can recognize my superb talents." He said while taking the red orb.
It took all the self-control Tokage possessed to not roll her eyes at that statement.
"I'll keep the blue HVI on me and deliver it when I find the right moment." Tokage placed the blue orb in her pants pocket, and then looked around at the rest of her teammates–sans Todoroki. "So, does everyone know their roles?"
The group nodded in response.
Tokage smirked. "Well then, let's go get us a victory!"
The fourteen Red Team members assembled in front of their base, which was an identical structure to the Green Team's, sans the red flags. Yaoyorozu stood before her teammates holding their team's HVIs; one was blue and the second was green.
"Before we can strategize, we need to know each other's capabilities in order to function properly as a team." Yaoyorozu started off. "Since there's a fair share of 101-B students here, why don't we start off with introductions from you first?"
Nodding in agreement, a young woman standing at 167 centimeters (five-foot-six) with a slim, yet muscular build stepped forward. She had long orange hair tied into a bun with some of it sticking up in large tufts at the top and her bangs split into three clumps around her beautiful teal eyes.
"I'm Kendo Itsuka, the president for Class B." Kendo introduced. "My Quirk is Big Fist. I can enlarge my hands, and without sounding arrogant, I'm pretty good in close-quarters combat."
The silver-haired Kirishima look-alike stepped by Kendo. "Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! I can cover my whole body in Steel!" He backed up his claim by covering his arms in steel and pounding them together, making a few sparks. "I can take whatever someone throws at me AND dish it back out too!"
"So… He's basically Kirishima-san, only with metal." Sato observed.
"They're practically twins." Jiro murmured.
Next was a young pale-skinned man standing at 175 centimeters (five-foot-nine) with spike beige-colored hair and a flat nose. His most discernible feature was his lack of lips, revealing his teeth and giving him a skull-like appearance.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Honenuki Juzo," he said cordially, "and my Quirk lets my Soften any non-living thing I can touch."
"Soften?" Iida questioned.
Honenuki wordlessly demonstrated by touching the ground in front of him, turning it into a mud-like substance. He touched it again which instantly reverted it back to normal.
'That could be very useful for trapping competitors.' Yaoyorozu internally noted.
Another young man of an average 172 centimeters (five-foot-eight) height stepped forward. He had long, spiked black hair, and wore a blue and white zigzag patterned headband on his forehead to keep his hair out of his rounded gray eyes.
"Awase Yosetsu. And I can pretty much f**king Weld anything together at the molecular level, whether it's organic or not." Awase casually remarked.
"Awase-san! Please, watch your language!" Another 101-B female student said angrily.
She was of medium height standing at 167 centimeters (five-foot-six) and had green thorn-covered vines for hair that stretched down to her waist. Above her dark-green eyes and long eyelashes, a set of her hair was wrapped around her forehead a couple of times giving it the appearance of an X.
"Repent of your sins!" Using her vines, she whacked Awase on the head.
"Right, right. Sorry, Shiozaki-san." Awase sighed heavily, looking away and murmuring the f-word to himself.
It wasn't quiet enough as the vine-haired girl, Shiozaki, briefly glared at him before turning her attention to the group. "Hello, I'm Shiozaki Ibara. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She smiled sweetly, a metaphorical light shining down on her.
'Where is that light coming from?' The present Class A members, sans Bakugo, wondered.
"Nice to meet you as well, Shiozaki-san. May I ask what your Quirk is?" Yaoyorozu inquired politely.
Shiozaki's hair suddenly started to grow and move like tentacles, surprising some of the Class A students. "My Quirk, Vine, is a blessing that allows my hair to attack, defend, and trap enemies. I can rapidly grow it as well if I'm well hydrated and have sunlight. I just pray I can be of use to our team."
'That's an impressively versatile Quirk.' Yaoyorozu mused in amazement. 'She'd be well-suited for defending OR attacking.'
A young average-looking man standing at 172 centimeters (five-foot-eight) stepped up. He had a muscular build with long blonde hair tied up into a bun. His most distinguishable feature, however, was the large bulky tail behind with a tuft of blonde hair at the tip.
"Guess I'll go next. I'm Ojiro Mashirao. My Quirk is Tail. Pretty self-explanatory, honestly." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can use it to attack and defend. Also, I'm quite adept with martials arts."
Standing next to Ojiro was a young man of similar height at 172 centimeters (five-foot-eight). He had a modest athletic build with dark, shaggy hair and dark-brown eyes, and a rather lazy-looking expression. "Kaibara Sen. My Quirk is Gyrate. Basically, I can make any part of my body rotate like a drill." He introduced with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. "Not as great a fighter as Ojiro, but I can pair my Quirk with my hand-to-hand combat skills."
Ojiro smiled and patted Kaibara's left shoulder. "You'll get there, Kaibara-san. Just keep practicing."
Yaoyorozu then directed her attention to the last pair of Class B members, who were standing on the rim of the group. "That leaves only you two. Would you care to introduce yourselves?" She asked politely.
"Tch." Came an annoyed scoff from a tall, slender heteromorphic man standing at 190 centimeters (six-foot-three). He had pale yellowish-green skin with fluffy lime-green hair tied into a short bun. More noticeably were the two hooked blades jutting out from his cheeks, giving him the appearance of a praying mantis.
"Kamakiri Togaru." He then held out his right arm and suddenly produced a pale-yellow blade from his forearm! "I can make blades from any part of my body. There's nothing I can't cut." He stated unhesitantly.
Yaoyorozu nodded in understanding, paying no mind to Kamakiri's terse demeanor. 'It seems we'll have no shortage of close-range combatant types. Kendo, Tetsutetsu, Ojiro, Kaibara, and Kamikiri. And that's not counting the ones from my class.'
The final member of 101-B was a young man standing at 177 centimeters (five-foot-ten) with long fluffy white hair, black eyes, and pitch-black skin. Etched onto his face was a seemingly irritated expression.
"Kuroiro Shihai." He replied tiredly. "And I can merge with anything that's dark and take control of it."
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Anything dark? Even shadows?"
Kuroiro nodded. "Especially shadows."
'I see.' Yaoyorozu glanced over to the Red Team. 'His Quirk would be useful for handling Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.'
"Thank you. I'm pleased to be working with all of you. I understand we're in different classes, but I hope we can put that aside and work together as a team." Yaoyorozu proclaimed, earning several nods of agreement. It was then the ravenette noticed that one individual was missing: Bakugo.
Looking around, she spotted the ash-blonde standing at the Red Team's perimeter intently staring at the Blue Team's castle across the field.
"Bakugo-san! We're about to begin strategizing. Would you care to join us?" Yaoyorozu requested.
Bakugo glanced over his shoulder, scowling. "Hell no. I'm going alone."
"Bakugo-san! Don't be foolish!" Iida chastised, chopping his right arm. "Our team is already starting off with the least amount of points. We need a plan of attack to increase our odds of victory!"
"I have a plan, Four Eyes. Attack." Bakugo retorted.
"Tch…" Kamakiri clicked his tongue. 'I hate to admit it, but that was a bada** line.'
Jiro growled under her breath, annoyed. "Hey!" She called out sharply. "You're on a team, dude! It's not just about you. If we lose, all of us get eliminated."
"That's why I'm going straight for the castle, Ears!" Bakugo snapped back. "That'll give us 30 points. I'll also take out the Blue Team's other Nodes along the way too. You sh*tty extras just focus on protecting our own tin cans. I've got my sights set on the big prize."
Kendo crossed her arms over her impressive bust, scowling. "Sounds more like you're looking out more for yourself than anyone else." She said tersely.
"Weren't you listening to rules, Ginger?" His remark caused a tick mark to appear on Kendo's temple. "Everything we do in this game is a risk." Bakugo then turned forward. "And this is the risk I am taking. So you extras just stay out of my way."
The team sharply glared at the ash-blonde, although a few inwardly admitted that he raised a fair point. The Red Team was starting off with very few points and it'd be a challenge to catch up. If their team couldn't win, they understood that they needed to excel to increase their own individual scores in hopes of making it to the finals…even at the expense of their teammates.
'Of course…' Yaoyorozu internally sighed, exasperated. 'But I anticipated this. We'll just have to plan around him, and hope he's successful in destroying a few Nodes too. At the very least the team will benefit from his success.'
"Okay." Yaoyorozu spoke up to regain everyone's attention. "Bakugo-san is going solo, but fortunately there's enough of us here to make up for his absence. It's no secret we're going to be fighting an uphill battle. Fortunately, numbers are on our side. So, more than half of us will need to dedicate ourselves to offense while the rest guard the four Nodes we do have."
"Right, right. So who's all gonna be fighting and guarding then?" Tetsutetsu asked impatiently, and hardened his fists into steel before pounding them together. "I'm ready to crush both teams!"
"We'll have two teams dedicated to the Green and Blue Teams." Yaoyorozu elaborated further. "Tetsutetsu-san, Honenuki-san, Kaibara-san, Sato-san, and Kuroiro-san, you five will focus on the Green Team."
The quintet nodded in acknowledgment.
"Got it!" Tetsutetsu responded eagerly. 'That Class A copycat is on that team. I can't wait to pulverize him!'
Yaoyorozu continued. "Iida, Kendo-san, Kamakiri-san, and Ojiro-san… You four will focus on the Blue Team. If we count Bakugo-san, that's five members we'll have going up against their team of six. With their limited numbers, we should hopefully be able to destroy some of their Nodes."
"Makes sense." Kendo nodded in agreement.
"Heh." Kamikiri sneered smugly, producing blades from his forearms. "Just let me at 'em! I'll turn the Blue Team red in no time!"
"Uh… Try not to go too overboard, Kamakiri-san." Ojiro said sheepishly. "Remember, no lethal force."
"Tsk! I know when to hold back, Tail!" Kamakiri countered.
"Awase-san, Shiozaki-san, and Kyoka-chan." The three students perked up as Yaoyorozu called them out. "We'll stay here and guard our Nodes."
"Huh… I get why I am on defense and all. But why Shiozaki-san?" Awase questioned. "She's one of our class's strongest students, and a Recommended Student to boot. How come she's on guard duty?"
A few Class 101-B students hummed in agreement, and looked at Yaoyorozu questioningly.
"As crucial as it is for us to score points, it's equally important that we guard our four Nodes. And Shiozaki-san's Quirk gives us the best chance of accomplishing that." Yaoyorozu explained, and then turned to the vine-haired girl. "Is that okay, Shiozaki-san?"
"Hmm…" Shiozaki had her head bowed and hands clasped together as she silently prayed. She looked up with a determined expression. "Yes. I shall take on the role of the Shepherd and protect our four sheep from the dastardly wolves surrounding us. You can count on me."
Yaoyorozu smiled in satisfaction and then turned her attention to Awase. "Awase-san, your welding Quirk will pair well with my Creation Quirk. We can put structures together that will delay or trap our competitors."
Awase gave her a thumbs-up, smirking. "Got it."
"What about me, Yaomomo?" Jiro asked. "I get without my Costume my attacking options are limited and all, but…" She trailed off.
Yaoyorozu smiled. "Don't worry. I'll create some weapons that pair with your Quirk, Kyoka-chan. It may be overkill to have you on defense too, but considering our opposition…I believe it's necessary."
"Mhmm." Jiro nodded in understanding. "Alright. You can count on me, Vice Prez."
"Question." Kendo raised her hand. "Is it really necessary for four of us, not counting Bakugo, to go after the Blue Team? I mean…If you think about it, the Green Team may prove to be our biggest competitor." She pointed out, resting her hand on her curvy hip. "Blue Team will likely be the first team eliminated anyway with Bakugo and the Green Team attacking them simultaneously. We could use that as an opportunity to knock out the Green Team."
"I'd be inclined to agree with your strategy, Kendo-san." Yaoyorozu briefly paused. "But the Blue Team is too much of a threat to ignore."
"How? There's only six of 'em!" Kamakiri argued. "We're sure to crush 'em!"
"Besides, aren't they going to be fully focused on defense anyway?" Honenuki mentioned. "I seriously doubt they'll be coming after anyone."
"And they don't have anyone as strong as Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san on their side, right?" Ojiro chimed in. "So their attack options are limited."
"They may not have a Bakugo or Todoroki…but they have Izuku-kun, and that's enough." Yaoyorozu stated.
"Indeed." Iida's expression became serious. "He isn't to be underestimated in battle. Please, I caution all of us attacking the Blue side to be wary of him. If you're not careful, he can and will take you down."
The 101-B students looked at each other curiously. They understood that Midoriya was strong and all, given how he had dominated the First Round; however, he didn't seem to display any flashy abilities like Bakugo and Todoroki.
Was Midoriya really that much of a threat, especially on a small team with the odds stacked against him?
While both the Red and Green Teams strategized, the six members of the Blue Team were gathered behind the thick, two-story high walls of their fort. Unlike a classic medieval castle, there was no Keep building or structure between the walls, just empty space. The six Blue Team members stood in a circle in their castle's Bailey with their attention on Midoriya–sans Hatsume who was kneeling a few steps away, tinkering with her chest plate.
Midoriya momentarily glanced around the fort and nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, we should be good to talk now."
When Midnight had dismissed the teams to gather at their designated areas to prepare for the match, Midoriya had requested his teammates remain silent until they were safely behind the castle walls.
"What was the point of staying quiet?" Kaminari asked.
"Security." Midoriya simply replied.
"Are you worried about the other teams spying on us?" Tsunotori added.
He nodded. "Between Jiro, Shoji, and the 101-B students, the risk of the other teams' potentially eavesdropping on us is too risky to ignore. But we should be protected from any of them lip-reading or snooping on us behind the castle walls. Hopefully…"
"Makes sense, but it's a little bit paranoid, don't yah think?" Kaminari tilted his head.
"No. It's appropriately paranoid." Midoriya corrected. "Security is rule number one in anything."
That was fair.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to be extra careful. Considering our…uh, circumstances." Uraraka said carefully.
"No point in beating around the bush. We're at a severe disadvantage." Shinso bluntly stated. "So taking extra steps to make sure no one's spying on us is perfectly rational if you ask me."
Tsunotori turned to the tired-eyed student curiously. '... I'm getting heavy Aizawa vibes from him. Maybe they're related?' She wondered.
"We have the most points though. That's gotta count for something, right?" Kaminari mentioned.
"Yes. It makes us the biggest target." Shinso dryly noted, and then glanced up at the castle's blue flags flying in the air. "This castle is also going to draw a lot of unwanted attention."
"Right… An automatic entry to the Finals for whoever can destroy it." Uraraka murmured worriedly.
"I can think of a few people who're gonna be gunning for it right from the get-go." Tsunotori chimed.
"But Midori-bro's pretty good with planning." The electric-blonde turned to the verdette, looking hopeful. "You have some awesome plan in mind to lead us to victory. Yeah, dude?"
Midoriya calmly looked away and closed his eyes, adopting a thoughtful visage. The group–minus Hatsume–looked at him with varying degrees of anticipation. Seconds later, he looked back up. "I have some ideas. But before I get to that, we need to know each others' capabilities first." He directed his gaze to the two members not in his class. "Why don't you two quickly introduce yourselves since you're not from our class?"
Hatsume, who had been looking intently at her armored chest plate, glanced back at them and waved. "Hi, I'm Hatsume Mei. I love making babies! Actually, I plan to make some for First Place after the Games if he tells me who owns that indestructible shield. Also, I'm probably not gonna remember any of your names."
Midoriya was left speechless by the horrified embarrassment he felt from Hatsume's unique choice of words. Shinso cocked a brow in confusion while Tsunotori gasped and covered her mouth aghast.
Uraraka, meanwhile, went ghostly pale as her eyes turned completely white, the world seemingly shattering around her. 'WHAAAAA?!' She internally screamed, her jaw practically falling to the ground.
Kaminari started grinning ear-to-ear and placed an arm around Midoriya's shoulder. "Midori-bro, you sly dog! I knew you had to be getting some action! You like to play up being a cinnamon roll, but it's all just a front huh? In reality, you're engaging in all sorts of scandals behind the scenes." He winked. "Crafty, my dude."
Uraraka remained speechless as she stared at Midoriya in shocked dismay. 'So… He really does know her. And they're…close. Very close.' She frowned heavily as her chest began to painfully ache, conflict swirling inside of her. Why did she feel like she wanted to puke when she hadn't even activated her Quirk yet?
"NO!" Midoriya pulled away, waving his hands frantically. "That's not it! That's just what she calls her inventions! I swear!"
"That so?" Kaminari turned to Hatsume, still grinning slyly. "Hey, Hatsume-san, how long have you and Midori-bro been doing the dirty if you catch my drift?"
"D-Denki!" Tsunotori shouted, flustered.
Shinso groaned in exasperation, rubbing his temples. "This is really not the time."
"Hmm?" Hatsume tilted her head, still smiling eccentrically. "Don't know what you mean by 'doing the dirty', but today's the first time I've ever met First Place."
Uraraka perked up at that. 'Wait… Really?' She felt the sharp pain begin to steadily fade away.
"There! You see." Midoriya groaned and shook his head, irritated. "Alright, moving on! Hatsume-san."
"Hmm?" The pinkette perked up, looking at him.
"Earlier you told me you had an arsenal of gadgets. Can you show me everything you have really fast?" He requested.
Hatsume fidgeted excitedly. "OH? Interested in my babies, are we?"
'So she really does refer to her inventions as babies?' Uraraka mused, seeing the validity in Midoriya's claims. Perhaps Hatsume was just a weirdo then? It was starting to seem that way.
Hatsume suddenly pulled out a metal briefcase seemingly out of nowhere and opened it, revealing an assortment of Support Gear. "This is my Jet Pack. It's based on the Pro Hero Air Jet's jetpack, but I added my own twist to it. And this is my Capture Gun. It fires special cartridges that hold nets. These are my Wire Arrows. They can help me traverse difficult terrain, attacking, or grabbing items. OH! These are my Electromagnetic Soles! They improve the mobility of the wearer and give them instant evasive action! Also, with enough energy flowing into them, they can also drastically increase the wearer's speed! And this is my…"
Kneeling by her case, Midoriya nodded as he pointed to the different gear while Hatsume excitedly explained what each device was.
"Can he seriously keep up with her?" Shinso asked as the team watched Hatsume go over every piece of technology she had.
"Without a doubt." Uraraka replied unhesitatingly. "He's memorizing everything Hatsume-san tells him."
Shinso's eyes widened in mild surprise. He could memorize all the nonsense that Support Girl was spouting? Even he'd admit that was impressive.
Moments later, Hatsume had finally finished showing Midoriya her gadgets, and then stood up and turned his attention to the tired-eyed student. "I know we're already acquainted, but why don't you introduce yourself to the group."
Shinso sighed tiredly. "Fine. I'm Shinso Hitoshi. I'm in UA's General Studies, more specifically, the Criminal Investigation Course. I'm hoping to earn a spot in the Hero Course. Pleasure to be working with you, I guess."
'Is he Aizawa's secret love child?' Kaminari, Tsunotori, and Uraraka wondered.
"Thank you, Shinso-san. Now, before we can strategize anything, could you tell us what you're capable of?"
The indigo-haired man winced at that question, even though he knew it was coming. He let out a reluctant sigh and lowered his head. "I was hoping I could keep this close to the vest till the Finals, but that's obviously impossible now." He looked backed up. "My Quirk is Brainwashing. Like the name implies, I can mind control people."
This reveal was met with varying reactions by Uraraka, Tsunotori, and Kaminari that ranged from shock to unease. Shinso internally sighed. He had seen their expressions plenty of times throughout his life. Even without a mind-reading Quirk of some kind, he could practically hear what they were thinking.
That sounds like a Villain's Quirk.
"That's incredible!" Midoriya exclaimed with starry-eyed amazement.
…
…
It took a few moments for Shinso to register his words, but after blinking a few times, the baffled student couldn't help but ask, "Say what?"
"How does it work? Is there some sort of trigger or condition that needs to be met for you to control someone? Or is it of your own violation? Is there a limit to how many people you can control at a time? What's your level of control over them like? Can you…" Midoriya continued to bombard a dumbfounded Shinso with rapid fire questions.
Uraraka sweat-dropped, smiling sheepishly. 'There he goes…'
Tsunotori giggled at the amusing sight while Kaminari blinked in confusion, unable to catch anything that Midoriya was spouting. Hatsume mostly ignored the exchange as she placed her armored chest plate back on with a solid 'click' noise.
"Uh…Izuku-kun." Uraraka stepped up and yanked on his sleeve, which snapped the verdette out of his muttering spree.
"Oh, r-right! Sorry!" Midoriya shook his head, blushing slightly from embarrassment. "Anyways! Were you able to catch any of my questions or should I repeat myself?"
Shinso didn't immediately respond as he stared at Midoriya, flabbergasted. Blinking twice, he finally snapped back to reality. "You're a weird one. But yeah, somehow I caught all that. First, my Quirk only works when I intentionally activate it, and for me to brainwash someone, my target has to verbally respond to something I say."
'A very specific use case. If others catch onto it, they can avoid being brainwashed just by not talking to him. Still, it's a very effective ability.' Midoriya mused analytically.
Shinso continued. "I can have multiple people under my control, but I can only activate Brainwashing on one person at a time. I also can't have them do anything that requires advanced brain function, like talking or writing a name from memory."
Midoriya hummed thoughtfully. "What if you gave someone detailed instructions? For example, could you order someone to use their Quirk for a specific task? Could they do it then?"
Shinso briefly mulled over the question. "Yes… To a degree. If a person's Quirk requires them to concentrate heavily, they wouldn't be able to use it to their full potential."
Midoriya nodded in understanding. "Okay. Let's see…" The super-soldier held his chin in a contemplative manner. His enhanced brain worked extensively to determine a path to victory with all the known variables, including the teammates he had, and the environment and circumstances they were placed in.
"I can practically see the cogs turning in his head." Shinso dryly commented. "He also hasn't stopped muttering to himself…"
"Well, Izuku-kun can," Uraraka paused to consider her words carefully, "...go off the deep end when he focuses on something. He usually mumbles and gets lost in his thoughts though. But he's super-smart! He can come up with great strategies on the fly."
"Yeah! He came up with a great plan that gave us a win in one of our class exercises. The way he can analyze people's Quirks is cool too." Tsunotori chirped. "He's helped several people in our class already by offering suggestions to improve their Costumes and train their Quirks differently."
"Yeah, I should know." Kaminari admitted unashamedly. "He was really helpful in helping me control my Quirk more effectively."
Shinso inwardly noted their statements, looking at the verdette with more intrigue.
A short moment later, Midoriya ceased his mutterings and returned his attention to his team. "Okay, I have a plan."
Kaminari, Tsunotori, and Uraraka smiled while Shinso outwardly remained stoic. Even Hatsume glanced up from one of her gadgets to look at the verdette attentively.
Midoriya knelt down and motioned for everyone to huddle around him. He then drew a crude yet recognizable drawing of the divided arena in the dirt. "Here's what I have in mind. Feel free to speak up if something confuses or concerns you too, by the way. So, it's no secret we're outnumbered and have the biggest target on our backs. Strategically, that puts us in a tough spot. So the solution will be to take away the other teams' main advantage they have over us, their numbers."
The group was curiously attentive as Midoriya laid out his gameplan. He drew arrows from the Red and Green sides pointing toward the Blue side.
"You see, both the Red and Green Teams' are aiming to crush us, Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san especially. That competitive spirit is exactly what we'll use against them."
The group exchanged curious glances with each other.
Shinso quirked an eyebrow. "Mind elaborating?"
Midoriya smirked coyly.
The atmosphere in Morino Hiroshi Stadium's arena was changing. As the clock wound down, students began lining up. Even the large crowd in the stands could feel the shift. Any second the signal would be given, and all hell would be let loose. It was no secret that Blue Team, with its stash of Nodes and the Castle, would be the prime target.
'This is it.' Tokage took a breath, clearing her mind for the upcoming battle. Her fellow teammates on offense eyed down the Red Team's territory, zoning in on their four Nodes. The defenders prepared themselves for the Red Team's potential assault. 'Let's show everyone what we're capable of.'
Todoroki, meanwhile, was standing away from his teammates and glaring at the Blue Team's towering castle. The air around him dropped several degrees as his breath came out as a frigid mist. He was dead set on securing victory. He would end the match very quickly. It may not be entertaining for those watching, but he didn't care. He was here to win, not entertain the masses.
'This time, I'll be on top.' Todoroki was determined.
Both of Red Team's offensive groups eyed down their respective targets, preparing to leap into battle at any second.
'Preparations are ready.' Yaoyorozu internally noted. She, Awase, and Jiro were currently standing in front of a rampart of vines surrounding their four Nodes and fortress, courtesy of Shiozaki. 'It'll be tough, but we can win this!'
Yaoyorozu wielded a sophisticated airsoft gun loaded with 'capture glue' as she stood by her fellow defenders. Jiro stood close with a pair of speakers (smaller than her Costume's versions) strapped to her legs, her earlobes millimeters away from entering the auxiliary ports. Awase sported an assortment of steel cylinders and plates strapped to a leather belt and a diagonal strap hanging from his left shoulder–similar to his Costume.
Standing near the Blue-Red border line, Bakugo popped his knuckles as crackles and sparks sizzled in his palms. His gaze was locked onto the Blue Team's castle across the field. He was of a similar mind as Todoroki. He was shooting for the big prize, automatic entry into the Finals. Additionally, he also wanted to be the sole reason Midoriya lost as well.
That'd be so satisfying, he mused.
Strangely though, the Blue Team had yet to leave the confines of the castle. Were they planning to turtle up? No, that didn't seem like Midoriya's style. So where were they?
Bakugo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'What the hell is Midoriya up to? What's his grand scheme?' The explosive teen knew that the former American soldier had to have a plan. He always seemed to, what with that ever present analytical gaze in his verdant eyes.
Sizing people up. Taking stock of their strengths and weaknesses, and then exploiting them. Memories of how quickly Midoriya had taken him down during the Heroes vs Villains battle trials instantly came to mind.
He scoffed, shoving that memory away. No! This time he would be the undisputed victor!
"TIME'S UP!" Midnight suddenly announced, standing on a platform outside the arena. "Let the match begin NOW!"
Everything happened at once. Competitors on the field tuned out the crowds' cheers as they focused on their tasks. Offenders charged toward their targets while defenders prepared to guard their territories.
"And they're off!" Present Mic shouted. "All of you listeners prepare yourselves! This is bound to be a wild ride!" The crowd cheered louder in response. "We'll try and keep you updated with everything happening on the battlefield!"
Forming an ice slide beneath his feet, Todoroki surfed forward into the Blue Team's large territory. He could already see several Nodes in his path. Easy points, he surmised.
Meanwhile, Bakugo rocketed ahead with his explosions, eyes focused squarely on the castle in front of him. The Castle was his. His place in the Finals was assured. He would defeat Midoriya and the rest of the extras.
He was done messing around!
As Bakugo launched himself forward, the Red Team's offensive group tasked with attacking the Blue Team followed behind.
"LET'S GO!" Iida yelled.
"Right!" The other three shouted.
Iida raced forward with Kendo, Kamakiri, and Ojiro following behind.
"The Red Team's Bakugo and Green Team's Todoroki aren't wasting time going straight for the Blue Team! Following behind them are the Red Team's Iida from 101-A and Kendo, Kamakiri, and Ojiro from 101-B!" Present Mic proclaimed. "Meanwhile, the remaining Red and Green players engage in their own battles! So much to keep up with! Who will score the first points?!"
Up ahead, Bakugo noticed several Nodes randomly scattered ahead of him. He sneered to himself. It would be him that scored first! However, just as he was about to unleash an explosion on the cans, he suddenly felt the air becoming colder. He shifted his head to the right to see Todoroki passing by him on an ice slide.
It appeared the dual-haired teen was heading towards the Nodes as well.
"Get out of my way, Icy Hot!" Bakugo shouted, aiming his right arm to fire a chain of explosions at his opponent.
Todoroki was forced to slow down and summon a large chunk of ice to block the explosions. "Tch! Annoying…" He swiped his right arm up to launch an icy blast towards Bakugo. The ash-blonde was stopped to maneuver out of the way, avoiding the icy attack.
Bakugo quickly spun himself around and then launched himself toward Todoroki. "You think that'll stop me?!" He exclaimed angrily.
"Looks like the 101-A's powerhouses Bakugo and Todoroki are engaging in a one-on-one brawl for Blue Team's points! But hold on, where is the Blue Team?" Present Mic asked, sounding curious himself.
The part of the audience that wasn't focused on the Red-Green conflict were curious about that too.
"Looks like you were right, First Place." Hatsume said, observing the fight between Bakugo and Todoroki through her steampunk-esque goggles. "Ice-Man and Explosion-Boy are going at it!"
"As expected." Midoriya commented. "And just call me by my name, Hatsume-san."
"Sure thing, First Place!" She gave a thumbs-up.
Midoriya sighed and shook his head, brushing her rudeness aside. The Blue Team was currently standing on the castle's frontward curtain wall, kneeling down to avoid detection.
"I have a visual on those four Red Team members too." Hatsume reported. "There's a chiseled dude with nice legs up front."
"Must be Iida." Uraraka noted. "No surprise he's leading the charge."
"Should I intercept them?" Tsunotori asked, turning to Midoriya.
Midoriya shook his head. "No. I'll handle them. You and Kaminari prepare for Phase 2. Although I could use a lift."
Tsunotori smiled and nodded. "I can do that!"
"And Occhan, I need you to stop their progress." He pointed to one of many objects scattered in the area around them.
Catching onto the verdette's meaning, Uraraka grinned confidently. "You can count on me!" She gave him a thumbs-up.
"Man… I'm so pumped! I'm ready to head out already!" Kaminari said excitedly.
"Hold your positions and wait for the signal. Shinso-san," he then turned to the CI student, "you know your assignment?"
The messy indigo-haired teen nodded, smirking slyly. "I do."
Midoriya smiled, nodding. "Then let's defend our territory."
"DIE!" Bakugo fired another large explosion, busting up Todoroki's glacier once more.
Todoroki leapt to the side and held out his arm to shield himself from flying ice debris. "Dammit…" He shot a cold glare at the ash-blonde. "You're wasting my time!"
"Don't look down on me, bastard! Midoriya isn't your only challenger!" Bakugo fired off more explosions.
Todoroki swiftly formed an ice ledge to surf away and held out his right arm to shoot off icy spikes at Bakugo. To his credit, Bakugo skillfully dodged the projectiles in midair before smoothly landing on his feet. The pair were completely unaware of the Nodes positioned ahead, completely unguarded.
The pair's brawl was about to continue until a dull-sounding voice interrupted them.
"Geez… For Hero Course students, you act like bickering children."
Bakugo and Todoroki paused and turned to see Shinso flying through the air, courtesy of Hatsume's Jet Pack. He landed several meters away, standing between them and the Nodes.
"Seriously. You two had the perfect opportunity to nab some easy points, but you're caught up in some d**k measuring contest. Are all people in the Hero Course as prideful as you two?" He asked tiredly.
"Huh?!" Bakugo snarled. "Why don't you just fu–"
Bakugo stopped mid-sentence as his body stiffened up. Todoroki cocked an eyebrow, side-eying the ash-blonde. Why did he stop? Due to the ice debris blocking his view, Todoroki couldn't see that Bakugo's eyes had glazed over.
"And aren't you supposed to be Endeavor's son?" Shinso turned to Todoroki. "You didn't even place in the Top 5 the last round. Honestly, that's just sad. Your dear old man and little mommy must be really ashamed of you. I know I would."
The mention of his mother instantly spurred a reaction from Todoroki. Baring his teeth, the temperature began to plunge around him. Whatever caution he had of Shinso after Bakugo stopped talking was thrown out the window. "Shut up the hell–"
Everything went blank.
Like with Bakugo, Todoroki's eyes glazed over as his body stiffened up.
"Heh." The corner of Shinso's mouth curled up. "Perfect."
"Now… You." Shinso pointed at Todoroki. "Be a good Hero and build up an ice wall around our perimeter."
Todoroki wordlessly responded as he robotically turned around. A sheet of ice extended out from his right side and suddenly shot up when it reached the perimeter. The ice continued to grow and expand to form a towering ice wall across the Blue Team's border.
"WHAAAA?! What's this?!" Mic exclaimed, shocked. "Todoroki is forming a barrier around the Blue Team? What could he be put to?"
"Looks like Blue Team had a wildcard on their team." Aizawa dryly commented.
"Yo, Explosion Boy." Shinso glanced at Bakugo, who remained motionless. "Do I have plans for you..." He smirked impishly.
"You see, both the Red and Green Teams' are aiming to crush us, Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san especially. That competitive spirit is exactly what we'll use against them."
The group exchanged curious glances with each other.
Shinso quirked an eyebrow. "Mind elaborating?"
Midoriya smirked coyly. "Simply put, we're going to force the Red and Green Teams to fight each other. If both teams were to collaborate and come after us, we'd have no chance to fend all of them off. So, we're going to play up disunity and the competitive spirit of the Games, and effectively turn them against each other."
"Sowing some discord, eh?" Kaminari grinned. "I like it!"
"But… How do we do that?" Uraraka tilted her head, confused. "It's hard to imagine Setsuna and Yaomomo falling for that."
"Simple." Midoriya turned to Shinso. "Shinso-san will play a crucial part in this plan."
"Me?" He seemed taken aback.
"That's right. You'll be on the frontlines with me. Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san will likely be the first to cross our border. Of course, they'll be too distracted fighting each other for a bit before coming after the Nodes and the Castle. Using Hatsume-san's Jet Pack, you can intercept them and use your Quirk on them. It should be easy for you to get a response out of them with how heated they'll both be."
"Wait…" Tsunotori's eyes widened, gasping. "That means we could have Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san on our side?!"
"Seriously?! That's kick ass, dude!" Kaminari pumped a fist.
Midoriya nodded and continued, still addressing Shinso. "You can order Todoroki-san to fortify our defenses. As for Bakugo-san," a hint of mischievousness was present in his smile, "Well… Like Kaminari said, sow some discord."
As Bakugo and Todoroki duked it out, across the field Iida, Kendo, Kamakiri, and Ojiro were running as a group to a collection of Nodes positioned ahead of them.
"Hey! We should spread out!" Kendo called out. "We can cover more ground and take out more Nodes!"
"No!" Iida immediately disagreed. "We need to stick together! Trust me, we'll need–LOOK OUT!" A flying boulder came flying toward them.
The group stopped and immediately turned around as the boulder crashed into the ground ahead, rolling toward them like a bowling ball. Wanting to avoid being the pins, the quartet split up and dived out of the way as the large rock continued tumbling past them.
"Nice dodge!"
The Red Team quintet turned to the voice, seeing Midoriya standing on a pair of Tsunotori's horns. He then jumped off and landed in a crouching position in front of them.
He then stood up. However, strapped to his left forearm was a peculiar projector-like apparatus. None of the four students could discern what it was.
"I would've felt bad if you guys actually got hurt."
"Tch!" Kamakiri clicked his tongue. "You should worry more about yourself getting hurt, Green Hair!" Sharp blades suddenly sprouted out of his forearms.
Ojiro sheepishly glanced at his aggressive classmate. 'Um, you have green hair too.'
"That boulder." Iida stood up, regaining his bearings. "Uraraka?"
Midoriya nodded, smiling. "Our territory is littered with so many rocks, it'd have been foolish not to select her. Meteors make for a good deterrent."
Before anyone could respond, the ground began to shake as the temperature dropped a few degrees.
"Hey! What's going on?" Kendo shouted.
"Why's it getting colder?" Ojiro asked.
A shadow then started looming over half of the arena territory.
"HUH?!" The group looked back to see a massive ice wall spanning the Blue Team's border; much to their shock.
"WHAAAA?! What's this?! Todoroki is forming a barrier around the Blue Team? What could he be up to?"
"Of course having a wall comparable to Troy helps keep enemies out too." Midoriya added slyly.
"I…I don't understand." Iida was flabbergasted. "Why would Todoroki-san do this? What did you do?"
"Classified." Midoriya simply replied. "Now, since you guys are trespassing, I'm going to take you down. No hard feelings."
"Midoriya…" Iida straightened up and directed a serious look at the verdette. "I respect you. You are my friend…but you're also my rival. I will not hold back against you." He got into a sprinter's stance, preparing to shoot himself forward.
Midoriya smiled. "That's good to hear." He widened his own stance.
"As if you could beat us!" Kamikiri yelled back.
"I like your bravado." Kendo grinned and got into a Karate-esque fighting stance, enlarging her fists to nearly quadruple their normal size. "But don't underestimate us!"
"We're trained in melee combat, and we have you outnumbered." Ojiro followed up, getting into a Judo stance.
Iida, Kendo, Kamakiri, and Ojiro positioned themselves to effectively surround Midoriya on four sides.
"You're right. You do outnumber me." He admitted.
Midoriya then pressed a red button on the gadget strapped to his left arm. All of a sudden, a red-colored projection shaped like a triangular heater's shield appeared in front of him. It was partially see-through and shielded its wearer from the chest-to-knees.
The four Red Team members were baffled by the reveal of the Energy Shield construct.
"That's why I pity you." The Captain declared.