Avoiding another explosion, Midoriya started zigzagging between the multiple fights that had broken out across the Red-Green border.
To use the term very loosely, it was a warzone. Neither Green nor Red had a distinct advantage over the other. When it seemed like one team had gained the momentum, the other would motivate each other and regain ground. Aside from the desire to retaliate, there was another reason the Green and Red fights were escalating.
"AGH!" Tetsutetsu staggered back and fell on his rear, receiving a strong right hook from Kirishima. "Dammit!"
"Hey! You okay there, man?" Tetsutetsu turned to an unfamiliar guy with messy indigo hair kneeling by him. "Need a hand?"
"Nah, bro! I'll be–" Tetsutetsu stopped, his eyes glazing over.
"Still wanna go another round, bro!" Kirishima charged forward, his full-body Hardening activated. "I'm game!"
"Hold on!" Shinso held out his hand. "I think the guy needs a sec."
Kirishima skidded to a stop. "Oh really? Did I hit him–" He stopped as his expression went blank.
Shinso smiled wryly. "Never mind. You both can continue beating each other senseless." He turned and ran away.
Tetsutetsu and Kirishima robotically walked toward each other and resumed their fight, albeit at a slower pace. When the Hardening and Steel-users landed solid haymakers, they were promptly snapped out of their daze.
"HUH?! What happened?! YOU?! Why are you attacking me?! I didn't attack you! STOP COPYING ME!" From there, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu resumed their brawl.
"HRRAGGHH!" Still in his Beast form, Shishida showcased his incredible strength by overpowering Sato and sending him flying. "DESTROY RED!"
"Impressive strength, Sasquatch." Shishida turned to see Shinso standing close by, looking nonchalant. "Looks like your IQ drops when you bulk up, huh?"
"RAWWWW! CRUSH LITTLE–" Shishida went limp as his expression went blank.
"Don't mind me. Just continue attacking everyone in front of you." Shinso then ran away.
Obeying the command, Shishida robotically ran on all-fours toward the student in front of him, which happened to be Ojiro.
"Seriously?!" Ojiro used his tail to push himself out of Shishida's path, but the brainwashed beast was still too quick as he latched onto the tail. "Oh no…" Ojiro was then repeatedly slammed into the ground like a ragdoll before being roughly tossed to the side.
The poor Tail-user couldn't seem to catch a break today.
Shishida then continued his rampage by attacking other students around him, whether they were Red or Green.
At the Red Team's fort, Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Shiozaki were focusing all of their attention on holding back Todoroki's ice. The scarred face teen was periodically sending wave after wave of ice surges at the fort. Shiozaki and Jiro were doing their best to stave off the glaciers with their vines and soundwaves respectively; however, both young women were starting to feel overwhelmed.
This, however, provided Tokage and Ashido with the perfect cover to enact their own plan.
"Ready, Mina-chan?" Tokage asked while flying over the Red Team's vine fortress.
"Ready!" The pinkette chirped while being held up in the air by Tokage's arms. "Let's bring the Acid Rain!" Extending both arms, Ashido sprayed a torrent of highly corrosive acid that dissolved the vine-ramparts on contact while producing a nauseous smell. The acid continued to burn through the vines until making contact with a Node hidden on the ground.
Moments later, the barrel's aluminum plating started to pit and corrode away.
"And just as soon as they arrived, the bouncers Tokage Setsuna and Ashido Mina kick the Red Team out of the triple digits club!" Present Mic stated.
"Tokage and Ashido took advantage of the stress that Todoroki is exerting on the Red Team's defenses." Aizawa observed. "Good teamwork on their part. But they should be careful about using that particular move in the future."
'Geez… Can't catch a break with Aizawa, can we?' Tokage and Ashido sweat-dropped.
The scoreboards across the arena were updated.
Blue: 110
Red: 90
Green: 85
Shiozaki's eyes narrowed. "Vile wolves!" She regrew the vines killed by Ashido's acid and wanted to lash out at them, but was forced to remake another wall to block Todoroki's ice surge. Yaoyorozu then stepped and held out her airsoft gun, firing a couple rounds.
The rounds burst in midair to release a cloud of pepper spray. Tokage was swift enough to maneuver away from the nasty cloud and fallback with Ashido in tow.
"Nice work, Mina!" Tokage praised. "Now we just have to take out the other two."
"That'll still leave us with less points than the Blue Team, yeah?" Ashido asked.
"Yeah, but only by five points. Once we eliminate the Red Team, we'll only have to take out one of the Blue Team's Nodes and we'll be the winners!" Tokage declared, grinning toothily.
'I guess, but…' Ashido glanced at the ice barrier separating the Blue Team's territory from the other teams. '...why do I have an uneasy feeling?'
Meanwhile, Shiozaki was starting to breathe heavily, sweat forming on her brow. "It is…becoming difficult…to grow more…vines… Lord." She prayed, closing her eyes. "Please give me strength…"
Jiro discharged another soundwave to shatter an ice surge. "We can't hold Todoroki-san off for much longer! Why aren't the others trying to stop him!?"
"They're caught up in their own battles. But it's alright." Yaoyorozu's stomach glowed with rainbow-colored light as she produced a cartridge and placed it inside her airsoft rifle's chamber. "This will end Todoroki-san's siege."
Taking aim, Yaoyorozu pulled the trigger. The cartridge flew across the battlefield and struck the ground right in front of Todoroki, igniting into a miniature conflagration. The force sent the bi-haired young man flying off his feet and tumbling across the ground.
Rolling to a stop, a pained groan escaped Todoroki's mouth. As his eyes returned to normal and his vision refocused, he was met by the blue sky above and surrounded by the cacophony of fighting and the cheering crowd.
Todoroki slowly sat up, blinking to clear his dazed mind. 'What…? Where…?'
Midnight smiled to see Todoroki recovering, albeit a little slowly. Had he remained on the ground longer, she would've had to call another injury timeout for him to be removed from the field.
"Whoa… You shot an actual explosive at him?" Jiro turned to the heiress, shocked.
"Not to worry. It wasn't anything fatal, and I shot several meters ahead of him to ensure he wasn't seriously injured either." Yaoyorozu reassured her. "He'll be fine."
The creation heiress continued. "But we have more pressing matters. Time is running out and we're still behind."
"Not to mention the Green Team is starting to land blows against us. Any ideas on how to break the stalemate?" Jiro asked.
Yaoyorozu looked out across the battlefield, particularly to the Green's territory.
Their fort had shrunk back to its original size and was wrecked, the frame twisted and warped to the point it was barely recognizable. Their territory was still covered in a blanket of Monoma's copied vines, albeit they were wilting and drying out. Thankfully, the ground beneath it had hardened once Honenuki's Quirk was deactivated on it. She spotted two girls from Class 101-B atop a makeshift barrier of rocks and pieces of crushed debris from their fort.
'That has to be where they're hiding their Nodes.' Yaoyorozu presumed. 'Losing Tokoyami is a huge loss for Setsuna's team. She knows that which is why she's focused so much on offense. But, if we can take out just three of their five Nodes, we can take the lead.'
Yaoyorozu inhaled and concentrated on her Quirk. Multi-colored light sparkled off of her abdomen and pulled out a large cartridge to fit into her airsoft rifle.
"We'll take out the Green Time with this–"Yaoyorozu stopped when, out of her peripheral vision, she spotted someone that she didn't expect. 'Izuku?' She watched as the verdette was running away from Bakugo, managing to outrun and acrobatically avoid his explosions.
The ravenette narrowed her gaze and lowered her airsoft rifle. "Shiozaki-san…Do you see Izuku-kun over there?" She pointed him out, earning a nod from the Vine-user. "Capture him and bring him here, if you'd be so kind."
"Of course." Shiozaki nodded, internally controlling her vines to seek out her target.
Meanwhile, the cat-and-mouse chase between Bakugo and Midoriya continued with the latter slipping past the former at every turn. This, however, only served to enrage the ash-blonde.
"BASTARD!" Bakugo hollered. "GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME, DAMMIT!"
'He's persistent.' Diving out of the range of the umpteenth explosion, Midoriya landed in a hand stance and pushed himself up in the air. He then flipped and twisted his body, landing on his feet before resuming his sprint. 'Still… Tunnel vision much?'
Growing vexed with Midoriya's evasion, Bakugo fired more explosions from his palms, rocketing himself past the verdette. Still in midair, he fired off another blast in the opposite direction and landed in front of the super-soldier. He then extended his hands out, exclaiming, "Die!"
Midoriya's breath hitched in his throat as time seemed to slow down for him. Various images flash through his mind.
Gunshots…
Explosions…
Various Meta-Abilities…
…The screaming…
He saw the sparks crackle off Bakugo's hands that ignited the sweat dripping off them, and the bright fiery explosion slowly expanding from his palms.
Midoriya reacted instantaneously by deploying the Energy Shield and slapped it into Bakugo's arms. This consequently redirected the explosion off to the side, creating a charred shallow trench into the earth.
"Dammit!" Bakugo exclaimed. "Is that all you are?! A damn…shield…?" He trailed off as the smoke cleared, revealing Midoriya with an intense expression. The ash-blonde momentarily froze up, long enough for the super-soldier to slam the photonic heater shield into him and send him tumbling back across the ground.
From a platform at the end of the arena, both Midnight and Cementos perked up.
"Miss Midnight…" Cementoss sounded concerned.
"I know… But let's not intervene just yet." Midnight insisted.
"Okay, but if something like that happens again, we must–"
"Yes. We'll step in." Midnight assured him. She eyed Midoriya and Bakugo closely. 'That blast from Bakugo could've caused serious injury… and that look in Midoriya's eyes…' Memories of her brief therapy session with him raced across her mind. 'Surely he wouldn't have…'
"Grgh…" Bakugo clenched his teeth, grimacing. He shakily turned his blood-red eyes on his self-proclaimed rival. "Bastard! I'll…I'll!"
"ROARING RAGE!" The ash-blonde was cut off when Shishida, still in his Beast form, suddenly rammed into him.
Midoriya shook his head and blinked a few times, clearing his head. 'Damn. Not the time for all that…'
He was so wrapped up in his musings that he didn't notice the Shiozaki's vines wrap around his legs. The verdette was suddenly yanked off his feet and restrained by many more vines before being pulled over to the Red Team's fort. 'This should go well.'
After tumbling from Shishida's charge, Bakugo glared daggers at the hairy student. "DAMMIT! STAY THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY, BIGFOOT!" He fired off an explosion that stopped Shishida in his tracks and sent him careening back, his hair burned in places.
Shishida groaned painfully. "Ergh… Huh?" He looked around, confused. "What happened…?"
Bakugo ignored the Class B student and looked around for Midoriya, vexed to find no sign of him. "Where the hell'd he go!?"
Kendo, meanwhile, was locked in a battle with Monoma. Shiozaki's Quirk had proven to be too taxing for him to continue using, so he switched out by copying Kamikiri's Quirk. Now, he had blades sprouting from his forearms, waist, and legs–which proved to be quite challenging for the Big Fist-user.
"Try as you might, Kendo-chan. Fighting me will only injure yourself." Monoma haughtily stated.
Kendo growled. "I've never let a little pain stop–" She paused upon noticing someone out of the corner of her eye: Shinso. "HIM!?"
"Mhmm?" Monoma cocked a brow. "Him, who?"
"It's the General Course student from the Blue Team! Monoma-san, I think he can–"
Monoma interrupted. "Kendo-chan, your fight's with me, not some no-name Blue Team member. Now let's continue!"
"Monoma-san, no! If he's here that means–" Kendo was cut off as Monoma charged forward, forcing the ginger-haired girl to backpedal to avoid his blades. 'No, dammit! If that guy's here, Blue Team has to be up to something. But everyone's too caught in the fighting to notice!'
Her teal eyes shot open as it occurred to her. 'Wait… Is that their plan!?'
As Monoma charred at her, Kendo kicked up some dirt into the blonde's eye. A dirty move, yes, but he was using blades against her when she was unarmed…so she didn't mind too much. This distraction allowed the redhead to swipe the blonde's feet out from underneath him and then deliver a knockout blow to his unprotected head.
With her opponent knocked out, she went to tap the communication piece in her left ear. "Yaoyorozu-san, the General Course student from the Blue Team, I think he can control people through verbal responses! Warn the rest of the team! If you speak to him, it's over!"
Kendo didn't have time to explain further before she was suddenly attacked by Shoji.
Midoriya was pulled into the Red Team's fortress with his arms and legs restrained by vines. "Yaomomo. Jiro-chan. Shiozaki-san. How's it hanging?" He coyly greeted.
"Aren't we supposed to be the ones asking you that?" Jiro pointed out, a hand resting on her hip.
"Apologies for abruptly capturing you, Midoriya-san…but Yaoyorozu-san wanted to speak with you." Shiozaki said cordially.
Yaoyorozu stepped forward and directed a serious expression at the verdette. "Izuku-kun."
"Momo."
The ravenette ignored the warm feeling she felt when her given name came off his lips and focused on the reason for her conversation with the verdette.
"I must confess, I am surprised to see you're here. I presumed with the ice barrier you somehow had Todoroki create, your side would focus solely on defense." She briefly paused. "I still haven't quite deduced how you managed that…"
"But if you're here, that must mean you're trying to deliver your team's HVIs." The ravenette approached him and went to reach into his track pants pockets. "I apologize. I don't want to see my friends lose. But I'm here to win and do my best as well. So we'll be taking those points–EH?"
His pockets were empty. "What? Then why–"
Midoriya interjected. "You thought I was here to deliver the orbs? I can understand that. But no… I'm just here to help set the stage."
"Set the stage?" Jiro questioned, bemused.
Suddenly, Kendo's voice reverberated through Yaoyorozu's earpiece. "Yaoyorozu-san, the General Course student from the Blue Team, I think he can control people through verbal responses! Warn the rest of the team! If you speak to him, it's over!"
Overhearing the report with enhanced hearing, Midoriya's smile became shrewd. "Looks like the gig is up. But it's too late, I'm afraid."
Shinso observed the battlefield and smirked at the chaos between the Hero Course students. 'So short-sighted. As the old saying goes, they can't see the forest through the trees.' He then glanced at the clock, noting that it had just passed the three-minute mark. 'Looks like it's time to kick off Phase 2.'
Shinso reached into his pocket to pull out a small clicker-like gadget with a red button and clicked it.
Moments earlier…
"I've got several babies with me that would pair well with those great legs of yours!" Hatsume claimed while pulling the capture net with Iida still trapped inside of it. "After the Games, if you stop by the Support Department, I can make even more super-cute babies for you!"
"W-What do you mean by babies?!" Iida spluttered comically. "If you are suggesting we commit fornication, I must decline! There are proper steps to be taken; particularly actually being in a romantic relationship!"
"Huh?" Hatsume glanced over her shoulder, still grinning. "You're weird, Legs."
"Me?!" Iida yelled, dumbfounded. "And my name is Iida Tenya! Please show me the common courtesy of referring to me by name!" He chopped his hands to show how frustrated he was.
"Sure thing, Glasses. Anyways, I have these cute babies called Hydraulic Bracers! They can detect an incoming enemy and…" Hatsume went on, which only seemed to further fluster Iida.
Kaminari, Tsunotori, and Uraraka were nearby and listened in on the comical exchange. They were currently standing in front of the Castle.
Uraraka smiled sheepishly as a sweat-drop raced down her face. 'Okay… She is just a weirdo then.' Inwardly, she felt relieved by the fact Hatsume wasn't flirting with Midoriya earlier.
She paused. 'Wait…'
Tsunotori and Kaminari chuckled in amusement.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Iida." Kaminari commented, grinning ear-to-ear. "You guys sound like an old married couple already."
"You found someone who can match your level of intensity." Tsunotori chided. "I'll be rooting for you both."
"That is NOT what's happening!" Iida strongly refuted.
Before anyone could comment, a gadget on Hatsume's device started beeping continuously with a flashing red light.
Hatsume's grin became more maniacal. "That's the signal!" She activated her thruster-boots to levitate in the air with Iida dangling down from the net.
The team perked up.
Tsunotori detached four horns from her head and hopped on a pair. "You ready, Denki?"
Standing on the other two horns, Kaminari smirked roguishly as electricity sparked over his body. "Hell yeah!"
"Good luck you guys!" Uraraka yelled encouragingly. "I'll get the rest of our Nodes inside the Castle."
Kaminari gave her a thumbs-up. "Cool!"
"What are you doing?" Iida demanded, bewildered. "What's going on?"
"Heh!" Kaminari grinned roguishly. "Lightning war, dude."
Iida cocked a brow. "Lightning–WHOA!?"
The trio soared into the sky with Tsunotori and Kaminari surfing on the pony-girl's horns while Hatsume used the boots powered by her prototype Arc Reactor to fly while carrying Iida.
'Wait… They're planning to move their Nodes in the Castle?' Iida mulled over that thought.
As the trio flew away and went over the wall, Uraraka adopted a determined expression. 'Just in case, I'll prepare for Phase 3.' With that, the brunette quickly got to work!
The Green and Red Teams were mostly locked in combat at their respective border, trading places for second place. Nevertheless, neither wanted to settle for second. Both believed that if they could eliminate the other team, they'd have little competition standing in the way of acquiring the Blue Team's points before time expired.
But there was another factor that was escalating the Red-Green feud: Shinso. Most of the students that Shinso had used his Brainwash Quirk on were ordered to attack any opposing team member within sight. Even when the mind-controlled students were jarred back to normal, when they found themselves under assault by an enemy opponent, they would react accordingly.
The cycle of retaliation further prolonged the combat amongst the two squads.
It was this conflict that the Blue Team had been counting on.
Kaminari, Tsunotori, and Hatsume flew up to the top of the ice wall with the latter still carrying Iida from the net. He kept trying to wriggle himself out, but it only served to further entangle himself. The fact that his Engines were still stalled from using Recipro Burst earlier only added to his plight.
With her steampunk-like goggles down, Hatsume utilized Zoom to search for their targets.
Hatsume searched the Green Team's territory. "I count five on the Green side behind a makeshift barrier three meters(~9 feet) at their fort's 2-o-clock. Two defenders, both female." The pinkette then turned to the Red territory. "Looks like the Red side has theirs hidden under a bunch of vines. Oh…and they captured First Place too." She sounded nonchalant.
Kaminari and Tsunotori were suddenly alarmed while Iida was surprised.
"Midoriya-kun was kidnapped… I did not expect that." Iida then shook his head. "Still, I must commend my team's efforts!"
"Hold on! Shouldn't we help him?" Kaminari asked worriedly.
Tsunotori chimed. "Yeah! We can't just leave–"
Hatsume interjected. "You both just focus on your part of the plan so that we're victorious. As for me," she stood up, puffing her chest out proudly with her hands on her hips in a hero-esque pose. "I'll help First Place! We'll meet you back over at the rendezvous point in no-time!"
Iida cocked a brow at Hatsume's confident declaration. Hatsume was planning to rescue Midoriya? She planned to take on his team, which consisted entirely of Hero students, all by herself? Though he commended her desire to aid her teammate, he was doubtful she'd be successful.
Kaminari and Tsunotori were also skeptical but didn't see any alternative options that wouldn't also threaten their mission.
"Okay, we'll trust you to save Izuku." Tsunotori acquiesced, and then turned back to Kaminari. "We'll strike the Green side first."
Kaminari gave her an affirmative thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me!"
"Operation Blitzkrieg is a go!" Tsunotori chirped excitedly.
Tsunotori and Kaminari, surfing on the former's horns, soared toward the green-marked territory while Hatsume went in the opposite direction.
"In the name of the Red Team, I demand you stop this!" Iida cried out.
"What's Phase 2?" Uraraka questioned, tilting her head.
Midoriya smiled confidently.
"Phase 2 is where we go on the offensive and take advantage of the chaos caused in Phase 1. We'll strike the Red and Green teams with a Blitzkrieg."
"Blit-Krieg?" Kaminari tried and failed to repeat. The others seemed bemused by the foreign word as well. "That doesn't sound like a Japanese word."
Midoriya chuckled a bit. "It's not. Blitzkrieg is German for 'lightning war'."
"Heh." Kaminari grinned. "I'm liking the sound of that. So we attack the other teams with my lightning?"
"Not exactly. You see," Midoriya elaborated, "Blitzkrieg is a military tactic meant to create shock and disorganization in enemy forces with a powerful surprise attack. Think of it as an ambush where you strike the enemy hard and fast." His expression then becomes sly. "This is where Pony, Hatsume, and you come into play, Kaminari-kun."
The group perked up, Hatsume included.
He turned to Tsunotori. "Pony, you can fire a barrage of horns to break down defenses and take out Nodes from the air."
Tsunotori descended to the Green territory with her sights set on their makeshift fort. Yanagi and Kodai were standing guard with the five Nodes hidden behind the debris.
'Time to break out the new move!' She crouched down and leapt off her horns and started to fall.
"Horn Banzai!"
Yanagi and Kodai were given zero warning as a bombardment of horns rained down around them. Dirt clouds were thrown up from the violent impacts and choked the air. Though Tsunotori was cognizant of her aim to not hit the two girls directly, she was counting on the sudden attack to stun them.
As the ground encroached, Tsunotori quickly placed a pair of horns under her hooves and curved backwards. The blonde foreigner then pulled out a green orb from her pocket.
She descended toward the Green Team's square-shaped safe zone and deposited the ball. "Package delivered! Go Denki!" She shouted enthusiastically.
"Hatsume-san, you mentioned you had leg braces, and something called 'Electromagnetic Soles' that can improve the wearer's mobility and speed. Correct?" Midoriya inquired.
"Yep!" Hatsume nodded vigorously. "That's right! I'm so happy you remembered them!"
"Wait… Then why didn't you use those gadgets in the race earlier?" Uraraka asked, curious.
"My Repulsor Boots were a better choice for clearing obstacles." Hatsume replied, gesturing to her armored boots. "Those who can fly, should fly, yah know."
Tsunotori nodded in agreement, knowing firsthand how much of an advantage flight can provide. Uraraka, meanwhile, adopted a thoughtful expression at that statement.
"Well, I think those two gadgets will be perfect for Kaminari-kun to use." Midoriya directed his attention at the electric-blonde. "There's another item I had in mind too."
As Kaminari descended via Tsunotori's horns, a whirring noise then emanated from a pair of large mechanical boots that Kaminari was wearing. There were circular devices around the ankle area that started to glow light-green as Kaminari charged his body up.
The moment the electric-blonde's feet touched the ground, he took off in an incredible burst of speed with lightning cackling around him toward the dust cloud thrown up by Tsunotori's attack. He zoomed through the dust and, with the aid of the braces on his legs, hurdled over the makeshift barrier in a single leap.
"Improvised Move!" He held his arms out and strapped onto them were a pair of peculiar, metal forearm gauntlets with four holes. Pulling back his index fingers, eight wires suddenly extended out. "Blitzkrieg Shock!"
He channeled electricity into the gauntlets, which instantly traveled through the conductive wires. Yanagi and Kodai were unable to avoid being electrocuted by several thousand volts. Additionally, the lightning also arched out and struck several Nodes–frying their internal circuitry and scorching the metal casings.
"Hatsume-san, could those Wire Arrows of yours be repurposed?" Midoriya questioned.
Hatsume blinked twice. "Repurposed? You mean…reconfigured into another baby?"
Midoriya nodded. "Kaminari has to touch someone directly to electrocute them without risking electrocuting everyone else around him, allies included. But if he had something to channel his electricity through, say those wires, he could–"
Hatsume perked up, realizing what Midoriya was alluding to. "Say no more! I know exactly what he needs!" With several clicks, the pinkette quickly disconnected the two barrels that were positioned on either side of her chest plate. Midoriya was impressed as the barrels looked like they had been built into the chest plate. "Sorry Wire Arrows… but momma's gonna turn you into an even more awesome baby!"
Pulling out a set of tools from her belt, Hatsume immediately got to work reconfiguring the equipment.
Kaminari jumped out of the makeshift fort and sprinted down the field while Tsunotori flew in and surfed on her horns close by.
"WHOA! Where did that come from!?" Mic shouted in shock. "The Blue Team's Kaminari Denki and Tsunotori Pony just performed a killer surprise attack on the Green Team! They just took out four Nodes in less than a few seconds! And delivered their green HVI!?" The crowds' volume increased from the exciting attack.
"Only four?" Tsunotori tried to deduce where the fifth Node was but drew a blank. Unbeknownst to her, Yanagi had managed to throw a Node out of the way just before Kaminari had attacked—staving off elimination for the Green Team. 'I guess those Class B girls must've hidden one just before our attack. Well, I can't worry about it now.'
The scoreboards were promptly updated.
Blue: 165
Red: 90
Green: 45
The fighting that had been taking place at the Red-Green border came to a screeching halt. Everyone froze at the shocking announcement.
Ashido, who was still being held in the air by one of Tokage's detached arms, was equally dismayed. "W-W-Where the heck did they come from?! H-Hey, Setsuna! We gotta do something!"
She received no response from her greenette bestie. The pinkette also noticed she was starting to lose altitude. Something wasn't right!
Ashido glanced back at Tokage's floating head and torso above and was bewildered by her weird expression. Did she freeze up at how quickly they lost so many points? Well, she supposed she couldn't blame her, but still!
"H-Hey, girlfriend! Snap out of it!" She pinched one of Tokage's arms to get her attention.
This seemed to do the trick as the beautiful body-splitter was snapped out of her daze. "What…?" When she glanced at one of the jumbotrons displaying the score, her eyes shot open in horror. "Oh crap! What happened!?"
On the ground, things were about to get worse for members of both squads.
"What the hell is going on now?!" Bakugo angrily yelled as his legs sunk into the mud.
Without warning, the ground around the Red and Green Team fighters softened and turned into quicksand.
"Honenuki?!" Kaibara frantically looked around for his classmate. "What're you doing?! You're trapping us too!"
From a distance, Honenuki was kneeling down with both hands pressed to the ground. His eyes were glazed over as he stared forward with a blank look.
"The twists just keep coming! Now the Red and Green Teams are caught in Honenuki's quicksand move?! What's going on?!" Mic's voice reverberated throughout the stadium.
"This is what I was alluding to earlier. The Blue Team's Shinso Hitoshi has turned this competition on its head." Aizawa proclaimed.
Yaoyorozu was taken aback by the sudden attack on the Green Team's territory and the quicksand trap both teams were caught in. She snapped her head back to Midoriya, who was still nonchalant.
With Kendo's report in mind from a mere moments ago, it finally clicked for the heiress. "I see. This was all part of a plan…to ambush both teams…"
"I knew we couldn't fight off both teams, especially if you worked together. So, we pinned you both against each other. It drained precious time off the clock while also leaving you vulnerable for a Kaminari-Pony Combo Attack." Midoriya explained. "They're still working on a team name but I personally think Thunder Horn is a fitting name."
Jiro clicked her tongue at that statement, feeling her ire rise at that.
Yaoyorozu's eyes shot open in shock. 'No!'
"Such deception… How could you? It is not proper for Heroes to encourage such violence!" Shiozaki claimed.
"I agree. But in the context of this event, Shiozaki-san, it was necessary."
Jiro perked up, eyes widening. "We have incoming!"
A bluish-white energy beam came down and cut through the vines restraining Midoriya like a hot knife through butter. The instant the verdette was freed, he deployed his Energy Shield and threw the red-colored shield at Jiro, knocking her aside. Yaoyorozu was about to retaliate until a heavy object suddenly collided with her, knocking her to the floor. It turned out to be Iida, still trapped inside the capture net.
"Vile wolves! You shall not–AWK!" Shiozaki was knocked off her feet by a blue plasma blast striking her torso. It didn't burn her, but it did pack enough concussive force to stun her.
"That's a new one, Hatsume-san." Midoriya noted.
Hatsume hovered into view, with her left arm extended. She was wielding a bulky metal glove with a white circle in the center of the palm. A little trail of smoke could be seen wafting from the hole, indicating it was the source of the energy blasts.
"Thanks! This is my Repulsor Glove!" Hatsume declared. "This baby is still a prototype, but the potential applications are astounding! Just like the Repulsor Boots, it draws power directly from the Arc Reactor, and by taking excess electrons and turning into muons, it can—"
"Hatsume!"
"Oh, right! Gotta save you first!" She smiled cheekily before gesturing to her back. "Hop on and I'll tell you about my baby along the way!"
Midoriya obeyed and jumped to latch onto her armored shoulders, dangling off her back. However, his added weight caused Hatsume to descend.
"Geez, First Place! You're freaking heavy!" Hatsume rudely shouted. "Is that all muscle or what?!"
Midoriya ignored her uncouthness. "Can you increase the output of your boots?"
"Already on it!" The repulsors implanted in Hatsume's boots whirred louder as the power output increased. This provided enough thrust for the pair to gain altitude and flew away from the Red Team's fort.
"There! Now, as I was saying about Repulsor applications–"
"I hate to ask, but could you fashion some sort of radio device too, Hatsume-san?"
"Oh?" The pinkette inventor glanced up from her dismantled Wire Arrows. "What for?"
"Shinso-san and I'll need some way to notify the rest of you when it's safe to start the Blitzkrieg. A plain one-way communication device will get the job done."
"Pft! Easy peasy!" She waved her hand. "Though, between this new baby AND the ticking clock, I can only make one transceiver and receiver…and you won't be able to talk into it either. It'd just be beeping or something like that."
Midoriya nodded in understanding. "We can work with that. Thank you." He then returned his gaze to the others. "Once our territory is secured, Shinso-san and I will invade the other territories. We'll keep the fighting focused over there. But if we do have some people who manage to invade our side, I'll be counting on you guys to stop them."
Tsunotori, Kaminari, and Uraraka nodded in acknowledgment.
He explained further. "When you receive the signal, Pony and Kaminari-kun can initiate the Blitzkrieg. If she's not busy, Hatsume-san can join in too, if she wants. With her array of gadgets, she'll be a wildcard on the battlefield."
Hatsume perked up at that declaration.
Tsunotori chimed. "Plus, the fact she's in the Support Course may cause some to overlook her."
Midoriya smirked. "A mistake that'll surely cost them."
With the majority of students trapped in mud, Kaminari and Tsunotori faced no opposition as they crossed over into the Red territory. While Kaminari continued running straight, Tsunotori veered to the right towards the Red Team's vine-covered fortress.
She was excited to see Hatsume flying out of it with Midoriya latched onto her back. 'Awesome! Now that Izuku is out of the way, I can let loose!'
An uncharacteristic cocky smirk crossed Tsunotori's cute face. Jumping off her horns, she aimed her head downward.
"Horn Banzai!" As she began to fall, she fired out a widespread salvo of horns at the area surrounding the fortress. The horns easily pierced through the plant matter and struck the ground underneath. In the process, one of Tsunotori's horns managed to land a direct hit on a Node.
"Tsunotori's horn salvo destroys one of the Red Team's Nodes!" Mic yelled. "That's 10 more points for the Blue–NO wait! Kaminari just delivered the Blue Team's red HVI with no opposition! That's another 25 points for the Blue Team!"
The stadium burst into excited screams, thrilled by the show they were receiving.
The scores were updated again.
Blue: 190
Red: 80
Green: 45
Tsunotori quickly placed a pair of horns underneath her hooves and regained her altitude. She looked back to see Kaminari sprinting away from the Red safe zone. She smiled brightly at the sight of his confident smile.
'Mission accomplished!' She internally cheered.
She paused when she noticed a sheet of ice starting to rapidly expand across the ground, specifically in Kaminari's direction. "UH OH!" Popping off another horn pair, she controlled them to swoop down and hook underneath Kaminari's arms, lifting him up in the air moments before his feet would have been frozen to the ground.
Kaminari whipped some sweat off his brow, looking relieved. "Thanks for the save, Pony!"
"Of course!" She smiled back at him. "Glad I got you in time before you turned into a popsicle."
"We need to fall back quickly."
Both blondes glanced to their right, seeing Shinso fly up to them with Hatsume's Jet Pack.
"Endeavor's son is pissed." He added.
The pony-girl and electric-blonde looked back and were unsettled by the cold, angry glare that Todoroki was shooting at them. Fittingly, the pair felt a cold chill race up their spines.
'Scary!' Kaminari and Tsunotori internally shouted.
The trio soon caught up with Hatsume and Midoriya in the air over the ice barrier.
"Great work, team!" Midoriya commended before adopting a serious expression. "But it's not over yet. Everyone will be coming after us now!"
"Looks like we're moving onto Phase 3 after all." Shinso commented.
"This is really coming down to the wire, huh? Man, if Iida hadn't taken out that Node earlier, we'd have won by now." Kaminari bemoaned.
"Or you and Tsunotori-san could've made sure you destroyed all of the other teams' Nodes." The CSI student countered dryly.
"Don't worry. This is why we have contingencies." Midoriya reassured.
"Grgh!" Kendo strained as she pushed herself through the vicious softened earth. Using her enlarged hands though, the redhead was able to acquire just enough leverage to pull herself free of the sandtrap.
She looked around and spotted Honenuki over 15 meters (~50 feet) away, kneeling on the ground with a robotic expression. She immediately deduced that Shinso had gotten to him!
"Honenuki-san!" The tan-haired young man showed no sign of acknowledging her as he continued to blankly look forward.
Kendo didn't waste time and sprinted towards her classmate. "Snap out of it!" She then slapped him across the face with her normal-sized hand. The sudden stinging jolt was enough to snap the young man out of his brainwashed state.
"Whoa…W-what just–"
"Honenuki, turn the ground back to normal!" Kendo shouted.
Honenuki looked out and saw that the ground ahead of him was softened, trapping members of both squads in it. "OH!" Placing both hands on the ground, he deactivated his Quirk.
Once the ground had rehardened, several students began to free themselves from the earth. However, the ones who had zero leverage to move needed to be pulled out. Kendo quickly rushed in to free her trapped competitors, regardless of team designation.
"DAMMIT!" Getting fed up, Bakugo aimed his hands down and released multiple blasts. He managed to produce enough lift to free himself from the ground. He turned to glare at Honenuki. "What the hell was that for, No Lips! Aren't we on the same team or something?!"
"Lay off!" Kendo yelled back, currently trying to pull Sato out of the ground. "He was mind-controlled by the General student on the Blue Team. He had no control of what he was doing. Just like we were!"
"Mind control?" Bakugo's breath hitched in his throat, recalling his memory going blank the moment he yelled at the disheveled dude. Tiny explosions popped off his hands as his ire increased further. 'Those bastards…!'
"The Blue Team is making an aerial retreat back to their territory with a sizable lead!" Mic shouted. "What a devastating attack they've just inflicted on their opponents! With over a minute remaining, is it over?! Do the Red and Green Teams have any hope of pulling off a miraculous upset!?"
Aizawa added. "I wouldn't say it's over yet. The Blue Team still has 110 points that can be taken…and a Castle worth 30 points that also grants someone an automatic place in the Finals. If they're quick about it, the Red and Green Teams can still pull an upset."
Aizawa's statement hung in the air for many.
"Todoroki!" Tokage called out. "You have to lower that–"
Todoroki didn't listen as he surfed forward on a ledge of ice. As he approached the ice barrier, he immediately created a pillar under his feet that shot him up into the air and over the wall.
"Dammit! That icy pri—"
"DIE WALL!" Bakugo shouted over Tokage's curse.
Holding out both arms, the ash-blonde unleashed his most powerful explosion of the day so far upon the ice wall. The ice promptly shattered and some of it actually turned into steam from the intense heat.
A wide gaping hole was now present in the glacial wall.
Students from both sides briefly looked at the hole before responding accordingly.
"CHARGE!"
With that, the prior conflict between the Red and Green Team members was immediately forgotten as both squads blindly charged into the Blue Team's territory. But they were unprepared for what they encountered there.
Yaoyorozu groaned as she sat up, pushing Iida off of her.
"My apologies, Yaomomo! Are you alright?" Iida sounded worried.
'All except my pride, yes.' Yaoyorozu internally admitted.
"Yes, I'm okay." She turned and finally realized that Iida was wrapped up in a net. "Iida, why are you–"
"Tsunotori's horn salvo destroys one of the Red Team's Nodes!" Mic yelled. "That's 10 more points for the Blue–NO wait! Kaminari just delivered the Blue Team's red HVI with no opposition! That's another 25 points for the Blue Team!"
Yaoyorozu perked up, becoming alarmed. "No!"
"Yaomomo, we need to invade the Blue side quickly!" Iida urgently declared.
"Ugh…" Jiro picked herself off the floor, still reeling from the blow she received by Midoriya's red shield. "...yeah, no duh. They have all the points now."
"I'm…" Shiozaki sniffled as shakily stood up, holding her torso area. "...I'm sorry. I…I couldn't protect…our sheep…"
Jiro approached the crying girl and patted her back, albeit awkwardly. "Uh, there-there. Don't blame just yourself. We…We all got our pants pulled down." She consoled.
Yaoyorozu directed her attention to the ice wall where she spotted Tsunotori, Shinso, and Hatsume fly away with the former carrying Kaminari via her horns while Midoriya was latched onto the latter's back.
"The Blue Team is making an aerial retreat back to their territory with a sizable lead! What a devastating attack they've just inflicted on their opponents! With over a minute remaining, is it over?! Do the Red and Green Teams have any hope of pulling off a miraculous upset!?"
"I wouldn't say it's over yet. The Blue Team still has 110 points that can be taken…and a Castle worth 30 points that also grants someone an automatic place in the Finals. If they're quick about it, the Red and Green Teams can still pull an upset."
The ravenette's eyes burned with fiery determination. "Aizawa-sensei is right. It isn't over yet!"
"I overheard that Uraraka planned to move all of their Nodes to the Castle!" Iida stated. "We need to destroy that immediately!"
Nodding in understanding, Yaoyorozu tapped the communication earbud she made for her whole team–sans Bakugo who didn't accept one. "Red Team! All of Blue Team's points are in the Castle! Move in quickly and destroy it!"
"Yes, ma'am!" They responded.
Yaoyorozu clenched her jaw, feeling frustrated with herself. 'I… I'm a fool. How could I not have seen it sooner?'
The Red and Green squads invaded the Blue Team's territory and set their sights on the Castle Node in the distance. However, the miniatures glaciers and haphazard boulders made traversing the terrain difficult for some while other Quirks allowed them to get by. With under a minute remaining though, everyone was equally determined and desperate to find the Blue Team's Nodes. Any chance of getting to the Finals rested on scoring more points for their respective teams…and hoping to increase their own individual scores.
Meanwhile…
"HHHHHRAAAAGHHHHH!" Bakugo roared violently while igniting continuous explosions from his hands, propelling himself across the Blue territory. This allowed him to bypass the icy spikes and rocky debris scattered throughout the area.
With bloodshot eyes, all he saw was red! Pure, unadulterated rage coursed throughout his entire being, allowing him to ignore the stinging pain in his shoulders. To hell with the pain! The old granny could use her Quirk to fix them later!
Right now, he absolutely refused to lose! Not to Midoriya! NOT AGAIN!
On the ground, Todoroki was plowing through the terrain riding atop an icy ledge. His nostrils angrily flared at the sight of the icy spikes he had unknowingly and unwillingly created in the Blue Team's area.
He had been used like a tool…
Flashes of his childhood played through his mind.
Endeavor's harsh and intense training…
The cold and callous treatment he and his siblings had received…
His mother pouring boiling water on his face…
Todoroki bared his teeth with an enraged expression. Ice completely covering his right side as a chilled breath was exhaled from his flared nostrils. He would not go down like this! He absolutely refused to lose!
"Bakugo and Todoroki are making a beeline for the Castle Node! Bypassing the Blue Team's defenses! Less than a minute remains! Will they destroy it? Or will the Blue Team hold strong until the final buzzer!?" Mic frantically shouted. "I DUNNO! Folks, don't you dare look away!"
Aizawa could be heard groaning into his mic, sounding like he was ready for the event to be over already.
Bakugo and Todoroki were laser focused, neither paying any mind to the other. The only thing that mattered to them at that moment of time was the four-towered structure ahead. As the duo neared the castle, both young men prepared their finishing moves.
Bakugo blasted himself into a whirling spin, sucking in air as he went, spinning faster and faster to create a tornado of fire. "Howitzer Impact!"
Instead of shouting an attack name, Todoroki let out an enraged battle cry. A large spiky glacier burst forth from his right side and surged toward his target.
KA-BOOM!
Both the fiery explosion and freezing cold glacier intersected at the Castle. This collision of cold and hot air created a larger, more powerful blast that completely blew the structure apart.
Todoroki and Bakugo managed to perform evasive maneuvers at the last second to escape the blast radius, both rolled along the harsh gravel a few times before coming to a stop.
The audience was in awe at the destructive prowess of the two young men.
"Bakugo and Todoroki unleash their respective blasts that completely level the Blue Team's Castle! But who's attack struck first! I don't know! Folks, for the second time today, we have ANOTHER photo finish!" Mic shouted loudly.
"That's what we have instant replay for." Aizawa said wryly. "Still, it doesn't matter either way."
As Todoroki and Bakugo slowly returned to their feet, both perked up at Aizawa's remark.
"Huh!? What the hell does he mean by that?!" Bakugo exclaimed.
It then clicked for the ash-blonde. The Nodes! Swiveling his head around, he failed to spot any of the metallic barrels anywhere. Actually, he realized he didn't see any members of the Blue Team in the Castle Node either. A small voice at the back of his head said that may have been a good thing as his last attack was pretty powerful. Outside of the fact he could've seriously hurt the other squad, he definitely would've been disqualified from the Games.
Bakugo shook that thought away. "If those Blue bastards aren't in the Castle, then where–" His eyes widened as a realization occurred to him. If they weren't anywhere with his sight horizontally, then maybe…
He slowly titled his head up and almost felt his jaw drop.
Floating in the air, partially blocking out the sun and casting a wide shadow on the ground, was a square concrete platform floating over 90 meters (~295 feet) in the air.
The other contestants soon noticed the floating small platform as well. It took them a second to realize the platform was actually the Blue Team's safe zone. The Blue Team were all safely standing atop it with their eleven Nodes neatly stacked in the center.
"Now, a Blitzkrieg is a fast and strong surprise attack–not a prolonged battle. The goal is to take out as many Nodes as you can and deliver our HVIs safely." Midoriya pulled out the red and green orbs he had received earlier, handing them to Tsunotori and Kaminari respectively. "If we haven't won by that point, we'll need to retreat fast. Because everyone will be coming after us by then."
"I don't like the sound of that." Kaminari rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Hopefully we're already the winners by then…"
"Just in case we're not, we'll have a Phase 3." Midoriya turned to Uraraka. "This is where you'll shine the most, Occhan."
"Me?" The brunette perked up.
Midoriya nodded and smiled. "While we're initiating the Blitzkrieg, I need you to gather our Nodes and stash them in the safe zone. You can use your Quirk to move them around easier, and I'm sure Hatsume-san can lend you some spare wire from her Wire Arrows for you to gather more than one at a time."
The pinkette, who was surprisingly listening, gave an affirmative thumbs-up.
Uraraka blinked twice. "You…want me to place all our Nodes there? Why?"
"I'm confused too." Shinso joined in. "Won't all of our Nodes being in one spot just make us vulnerable?"
"It would… If our foes could see it."
His response confused the others.
"...You're gonna have to explain that one, dude." Kaminari scratched his head.
"Oh! I know!" Tsunotori's eyes widened. "Ochako-chan's going to make the slab float! That way it's out of everyone's sight and reach!"
"Seriously? Is…that allowed?" Kaminari asked, sounding dubious.
Midoriya shrugged. "Midnight never said it wasn't."
"Float? I dunno… That platform looks pretty heavy." Uraraka sounded unsure.
Midoriya stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her breath hitch. He looked at her with a confident smile that made her heart skip a few beats. Gosh! Why does he have to be so cute and hot? Couldn't he just pick one? He can't be both!
"You only have to float it for a minute at most. You can do it, Occhan." He said assuredly.
"W-what the heck!?"
"How'd they get THAT up there!?"
"Hold on, is that even allowed!?"
Overhearing the objection, Midnight spoke into her microphone. "Judges say yes! There is no rule stating they can't!"
Meanwhile, Uraraka was kneeling on the platform with a strained expression. "This…is…a lot…!" She breathed heavily.
"Well, the platform is at your weight limit, maybe even a little over." Midoriya knelt by her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay! It hurts now, I know. But time is almost out. You can do this!" He encouraged her.
"Y-yeah…" Uraraka felt more determined after hearing Midoriya's words.
Though her stomach was twisting, she'd be damned before she let herself and her team (Midoriya especially) down before deactivating her Quirk! She was going to tough it out and endure to the end!
"She won't need to." The team turned to Shinso, bemused. He then pulled out a certain object from his pants pocket, earning surprised gasps from most of them. "We've already won."
Midoriya smiled proudly. "Well done, soldier."
Meanwhile, Bakugo and Todoroki intensely glared up at the floating slab of concrete.
"You won't escape me…" Todoroki shivered madly as he aimed his right arm up, preparing to shoot off a few icy lances.
Despite the flaring pain in his joints, Bakugo prepared to launch himself. "DAMN BLUE TEAM! I'LL KILL ALL OF—"
"AND THAT'S IT! IT'S OVER!" Midnight suddenly declared.
Everyone across the field froze up at the announcement.
"What?!" Many shouted.
Asui glanced at a jumbotron and was confused to see there was still time left on the clock. "Kero. But… There's still twenty seconds left. So how–"
"The Blue Team stole the Green Team's blue HVI and successfully delivered it to their safe zone." Midnight announced.
Floating in midair, Tokage's body parts stiffened up. "What?! No! That's not right! I have it in my–" One of her hands dug through her pants pockets…and discovered they were empty. "But…I had it…"
Her emerald eyes suddenly shot open from a memory.
She was flying in the air, carrying Ashido with both arms down below. Both were taking advantage of the openings Todoroki was creating in the Red Team's defenses with his ice attacks. They had just managed to land a blow and score ten points.
He then felt someone tap her shoulder. She looked around and was surprised to see a purple-haired Aizawa lookalike flying with a Jet Pack. "Hey. Feels good to fly, doesn't it?"
"Uh…yeah. Wait, aren't you with–" That's when everything went blank.
Tokage blinked twice. The last thing she remembered after that brief encounter was Ashido pinching her arm, so why didn't she recall anything in-between? She wasn't sure, but knew that time frame had to have been when she lost their team's Blue HVI.
Midnight went on. "With a total of 205 points, the Blue Team are the winners of Risk Trifecta!"
The stadium then erupted into a deafening applause.
"Okay." After finishing laying out their team's strategy, Midoriya stood up from his kneeling position. "Before we get ready, I have something I need to say."
The other five members gave Midoriya their undivided attention; even Hatsume glanced up from tinkering with her equipment.
"I know it may sound cheesy, but teamwork is key here." He paused briefly. "Regardless of how simple or intricate our plan may be, none of it is going to matter unless all of us are bought in. If even one of us goes rogue, we might as well just surrender all of our points and prepare to spend the rest of the day in the stands. Because that is exactly what will happen."
Several flinched at the bluntness in the verdette's tone, but knew he was right. They were already outnumbered, so losing even one member would be very detrimental to their chances of winning.
He continued. "There is no 'me' or 'I' right now. It's just 'us'. For the next 15-minutes or so…we're a team. We look out for each other. It's us versus everyone else."
The group felt their blood pump as their excitement and resolve increased.
"Pony…Kaminari…Shinso…Hatsume…Occhan…" The verdette looked each member in the eye. "I mean it when I say every single one of us will be crucial to achieving victory." He then extended his hand out, palm facing down. "Whatever happens, whether we win or lose…we'll do it together."
Uraraka and Tsunotori immediately placed their hands atop his. "Together!" They beamed.
"Hell yeah!" Kaminari placed his hand on the pile, careful not to accidentally activate his Quirk. "We'll crush this!"
"You sure have a way with words, First Place." Hatsume placed her hand on the others, grinning widely. "You can count on me, Hatsume Mei, to support all of you!"
The group then turned to their sixth member. The droopy-eyed student sighed deeply before a small smile crept on his tired expression. "You're right. That did sound cheesy…" He then placed his hand on the top. "Still surprisingly effective though. I'm in."
Midoriya smiled confidently. "Together. Blue Team on three."
"...1…2… Blue Team!" The group shouted, though Shinso was more subdued, the excitement was present in his voice.
All six members were bought in and ready to defy the odds!
As the crowd continued to cheer, Hatsume and Tsunotori carefully pushed the concrete platform back down with their thrusters and horns respectively. The moment the concrete made contact with the ground, Uraraka immediately released her Quirk…and went to hurl rainbows over the side. She needed a moment to recuperate afterwards.
But once she did, Midoriya suddenly found himself pulled by the brunette into a group hug with her, Tsunotori, Hatsume, and Kaminari. Shinso stood off to the side with his hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes closed, a small smirk present on his face.
"We did it! We did it! We did it!" Uraraka and Tsunotori cheered, jumping up-and-down.
"This is sick!" Kaminari said excitedly. "We're going to the Finals in our first All-Star Games!"
"I…I feel like I could cry." Uraraka sniffled on the verge of crying.
"Don't! If you cry, I will too!" Tsunotori pleaded, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Some of my babies got plenty of spotlight thanks to you guys!" Hatsume grinned widely. "I can't thank you enough!"
The rest of the competitors were understandably in a less-than celebratory mood; Bakugo and Todoroki, especially.
After hearing words from the video crew, Midnight activated her microphone. "We had another exciting photo ~climax~ today! The Castle Node was destroyed and although its 30 point value will not alter the game's outcome, it does grant the individual who destroyed it a spot in the Final Round. Everyone please direct your attention to the screens!"
The students and attending audience turned to the nearest monitors. A slow motion clip of Bakugo and Todoroki deploying their finishing moves on the castle was replayed. It was close…but the video clearly showed who's attack hit the structure first.
"As you can see Bakugo's explosion hit the Castle a mere half-second before Todoroki's ice did. Therefore, Bakugo Katsuki will advance to the Finals!" Midnight concluded.
The stadium erupted into roaring applause.
The Risk Trifecta scores were updated for the final time, accounting for the destroyed Castle Node.
Blue: 205
Red: 110
Green: 45
Up in a private box suite, Yagi was clapping at the announcement of the Blue Team's victory, grinning ear-to-ear.
"That was quite a show. Even though they were outnumbered and had the biggest target, they pulled off such an overwhelming victory." Yagi held his chin thoughtfully. "That Shinso student… He really helped turn the tide in the Blue Team's favor. To think he didn't make it into the Hero Course."
"Thankfully we have this event to catch those who fall through the cracks during the Entrance Exam process." Nezu stated. "Even if Shinso were to lose in the first round, I have no doubt he'll be receiving plenty of looks from Pros–if he isn't already."
Yagi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. His Quirk is pretty powerful. To have that on the side of Good will go a long way."
"Agreed." Nezu paused to take a long sip of tea. "Tell me, All Might, did you believe your potential Successor would find a way to win? I noticed you never seemed nervous at any point in the event."
"Well… To be truthful, yeah." Yagi truthfully admitted. "I just…had a suspicion young Midoriya's team would overcome the odds somehow. Though I wasn't expecting them to win by such a wide margin." He looked out the window, focusing on the verdette super-soldier standing with the other students, smiling proudly. "They certainly didn't disappoint."
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Nezu then began cackling madly. "Indeed! I must commend Midoriya's brilliant yet nefarious strategy! Using the competitive spirit of the games to breed discontent between enemy teams? Brainwashing other students? Initiating a Blitzkrieg? Finding the loopholes in the stated rules? Brilliant! Absolutely stupendous! HA-HA-HA-HA!"
Yagi sweat-dropped, feeling unsettled by Nezu's maniacal reaction. Maybe he should look into finding another box?
All For One watched the All-Star Games broadcast zoom in on the victorious Blue Team, displaying highlights of the six competitors; the Captain was predominantly featured. With his chin resting in his open right palm, the corner of his mouth twisted into a sneer.
'This outcome was to be expected.' The Symbol of Evil mused. 'Though the other competitors may have impressive Quirks, experience and excellent strategy can often overcome power alone.'
The program then showcased Midoriya defeating Kendo, Kamikiri, Ojiro, and Iida with impressive martial arts and a red-colored Energy Shield. All For One chuckled at that. "You love your shields, don't you, Captain?"
He then frowned and sighed, mildly frustrated. Though the second event had been intriguing to watch, it did not yield the answers he wanted. There was still no conclusive evidence that the Captain had One For All. If the 21st Century Super-Soldier had the Quirk, then he hadn't been pushed hard enough by any of the competitors to show it, and All For One was beginning to believe that trend may continue in the tournaments as well.
All For One sighed exasperatedly. "I suppose it was foolhardy to expect any of these young Hero hopefuls to challenge a battle hardened veteran. Still," he readjusted himself in his chair, "I'll continue to watch on the off chance I'm surprised…and also to show support for my old friend." He chuckled darkly.
In a break room designated for the security team patrolling the stadium grounds, Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and Mt. Lady watched one of the monitors at a table. The final score for Risk Trifecta was displayed amongst various highlights. Needless to say, the trio (as well as other Pros in the room) were surprised by the outcome.
"Damn… Blue Team utterly dominated." Death Arms commented. "From start-to-end. It was hardly a competition."
"No kidding." Mt. Lady agreed, taking a sip from a soda can. "Hot Stuff's squad crushed it."
"I'll confess when Midoriya drafted that Support Course student over Endeavor's son, I was certain his team would lose." Kamui said.
"Same." One Pro Hero added. "That Support Girl turned out to be not half-bad, actually. Those gadgets and her team used were pretty impressive."
"I thought that green-haired kid was insane…but he clearly had a much bigger plan in mind." Another piped in, munching on chips.
"I dunno." A third chimed in, sounding dubious. "I think he just got lucky. Heck, if it weren't for that Shinso kid's mind-control Quirk, there's no way the Blue Team would've won."
"Man…" A fourth Pro leaned back in his chair. "...Wish I had a Quirk like that. It'd make things much easier."
"A shame that kid isn't in the Hero Course. What's UA thinking?"
"Well, there's tons of applicants every year. Some are bound to slip through the cracks." Another advocated. "This kind of event does give people like him a second chance, though."
"I'm curious… The General for the Blue Team, they mentioned he was in the American military. Yeah?" The first Pro inquired.
Kamui nodded. "They did. Although they didn't clarify which branch."
"So Hot Stuff's a soldier boy, huh?" Mt. Lady perked up. "Huh… Wonder why he decided to come to Japan instead of staying in the US."
"Well, he looks Japanese." Death Arms added, taking a puff from a cigarette. "Could be he just wanted to reconnect with his roots or something."
"What did they say his Quirk was, by the way?" A Pro asked.
Kamui answered. "I believe it's an enhancement type, much like Death Arms here."
"Think he's as strong as you?" Mt. Lady asked the muscled man, smirking.
"Hmm," Death Arms hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe. Based on what I've seen, he's definitely much faster and more nimble than me. I'll concede to that."
"His Quirk doesn't seem to be all that flashy though." One commented.
"Still, he was forty seconds off from tying All Might's record in the race." Another mentioned. "That's got to count for something."
"Ha! He's far from being All Might though."
Kamui perked up as the program continued. "Hold on, quiet down! They're about to announce the other finalists."
Bakugo scowled, ignoring the applause for his advancement to the Finals.
This was far from what he wanted. Sure, he wanted to destroy the Castle Node, but he wanted to advance by winning the whole event! Not by relying on just the Castle alone. It felt cheap. Like a copout.
'Midoriya… He beat me again…' Midoriya's intense expression appeared in his mind again. The ash-blonde clenched his fists tightly, ignoring the sharp pain in his arm joints. 'DAMMIT!'
Todoroki, meanwhile, was fairing no better. If Bakugo's anger was a raging wildfire, then his was a bone-chilling blizzard. He dropped his head, a shadow hiding his expression. Steam wafted off his body as used his left side to finally thaw himself out.
'Midoriya... You made me look like a fool in front of everyone… In front of my sh*tty father…' He clenched his jaw, flames beginning to ignite from his left arm as his temper flared. His eyes then widened in shock as soon as he felt the flames, quickly extinguishing them. 'No! Stop! Control yourself. Don't give in. Otherwise, I'll be doing exactly what he wants.'
Todoroki was determined to win this competition with his mother's power only! His father's wishes be damned! Still…it did stung his pride that he couldn't even make it to the Final Round. He felt so pathetic.
The scarred-faced teenager glanced in the direction his father was watching him to see him scowling. He scowled back at him and turned away. He was definitely not looking forward to the ear-full his crappy father would give him later. It was turning out to be a miserable day.
Endeavor, meanwhile, looked down at his stubborn son in vexation. He was already irked that All Might's creation had achieved an overwhelming victory. But the possibility of his own son not advancing to the Final Round due to his stubborn rebellion only irked him further.
'If you would have used the power I gave you, you would've won BOTH events soundly!' Endeavor internally shouted. 'Dammit! You're not a child anymore, Shoto. You need to grow up and use your full power!'
As Bakugo and Todoroki stewed in their own respective defeats, the other contestants were handling their losses better in comparison; though they were still disappointed in the outcome.
"Man…Total a** kicking." Sero commented sullenly.
Ashido sighed, slumping her shoulders. "This sucks… And we started off in second place too."
Kirishima rubbed the back of his head. "Midori-bro sure doesn't hold back."
"Sorry, guys…" Tokage descended and reattached her body parts, looking dejected. "It's my fault we lost…and so badly too."
"Kero…" Asui placed a hand on her fellow greenette's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Setsuna-chan. We were all too focused on the Red Team."
"Todoroki-san going rogue and losing Tokoyami-kun was a big blow for us too." Shoji pointed out.
Kirishima clenched his fists. "I should've suspected something was up when I suddenly woke up in the middle of fights with no recollection of how I got there… But I didn't say anything."
The others looked at the dyed-redhead curiously.
"You too, huh?" Asui asked.
"It happened to me too." Shoji confessed.
"Same." Sero added. "It was so weird."
Tokage furrowed her brows. So it wasn't just her? She considered the possibilities before the image of the indigo-haired General Course student came to mind. "Did you guys remember seeing the General Course student on the battlefield?"
The group became thoughtful.
"Now that you mention it… I do." Asui replied.
"Same here." Kirishima added.
Shoji and Sero both wordlessly nodded.
"I thought I saw him using a jetpack to fly away from me and Setsuna-chan earlier." Ashido mentioned.
The group of Class 101-A students realized that Shinso was the cause of their memory lapses…and quite possibly a factor in the irrational fighting against the Red Team.
Across the field, Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Iida (who had been freed from the capture net) walked out of the hole Bakugo had blown in the glacier earlier with dejected frowns. Though Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Iida were happy that a portion of their friend circle were moving onto the Finals, they were nevertheless disappointed about losing.
"I apologize…" Yaoyorozu said dourly. "After our initial success against the Green Team, I thought we'd be successful if we kept targeting them…but I failed to see through Izuku-kun's plan. I should've called for a retreat when Bakugo-san and the Class B members attacked the Green Team so unexpectedly."
"I doubt Bakugo-san would've listened." Jiro pointed out. "Besides, you have nothing to apologize for."
"Indeed!" Iida added, dramatically chopping his hand. "Your plan was exceptional. With so few points, the odds were stacked against us and yet we managed to more than double our initial score! If that's any consolation…"
Jiro laid a hand on the taller girl's shoulder. "We win together and lose together. Yeah?"
Yaoyorozu looked between her two friends and smiled. "Yes." She nodded.
Present Mic spoke up. "An outstanding effort by all three teams today, but only sixteen can advance and we have our first seven already slated in!"
There, a list numbered one through sixteen was displayed with the first seven slots filled out by the Blue Team members and Bakugo.
"The next nine contestants were selected by our panel of judges ranking on showings, helpfulness of the team, impact to the game, and finally Heroic acts! Let's take a look at the charts to see who's rounding out the top sixteen!"
Aizawa sighed and drawled. "You could just say their names…"
Everyone in the stadium directed their attention to the large screens. It cycled through many names in the last nine slots for too long, likely playing up the suspense for the audience. A moment later, the screen finally slowed to a stop and displayed the names of the remaining competitors moving on to the finals in seemingly random order.
2197 UA Freshmen All-Star Games Finalists!
1. Midoriya Izuku
2. Hatsume Mei
3. Tsunotori Pony
4. Kaminari Denki
5. Uraraka Ochako
6. Shinso Hitoshi
7. Bakugo Katsuki
8. Iida Tenya
9. Honenuki Juzo
10. Monoma Neito
11. Shiozaki Ibara
12. Kaibara Sen
13. Tokage Setsuna
14. Kendo Itsuka
15. Yaoyorozu Momo
16. Todoroki Shoto
The list of names was enough to send the crowd into a roaring cheer; much louder than normal.
Several people were shocked by their selections, Yaoyorozu and Tokage included. The ravenette felt tears brimming in her eyes, earning a congratulatory pat on the shoulder by Jiro. Monoma was momentarily surprised, but quickly recovered and resumed his haughty demeanor. Kendo stared at the screen for a while in shock, ignoring the praise she was receiving from classmates (Tetsutetsu especially) about her selection. Iida hid his face behind his forearm to hide his tears, declaring how grateful he was for the opportunity.
"And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! Our sixteen rising stars who will take these games into Plus Ultra! Let's give them, and all of our competitors, a big hand!" Mic encouraged.
The crowd, which had already been cheering at the reveal of the finalists, became deafening at Present Mic's urgings. Midoriya and Jiro both covered their ears and flinched from the volume.
"For those who didn't advance, don't you worry! We've got a special event planned for each and every one of you soon." Mic announced enthusiastically. "For now, we'll break an hour for lunch before our special event, and finally the tournament!"
"I don't think they heard you." Aizawa remarked, his and Mic's voices were drowned out by the crowd.
"And now a word from our sponsors. Stay tuned, folks! C'mon, Shota! Let's get something to eat."
"Do what you want. I'm taking a nap."
From there, the students began filing out of the arena into one of the tunnels.
"Hey…Midoriya." The super-soldier turned to see Shinso facing him, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Looks like we'll be back to being enemies now."
Midoriya smiled and nodded. "I understand. It was a pleasure to fight alongside you, Shinso-san." He then extended his hand. "Good luck in the Finals."
Shinso smiled a little and accepted Midoriya's handshake. "Thanks. I would say the same, but I know you won't need it."
With that, the two young men respectfully departed.
Watching Shinso walk off, Midoriya returned his attention to a screen displaying the All-Star Games finalists. He couldn't help but smile to see his name on it. Over seventeen months ago, he had been found in the Arctic–preserved in the ice. Now, in a world of superheroes and supervillains, he was competing in one of the biggest and most popular Heroics competitions on the planet.
Though he felt bad for those who didn't make it, especially for some of those in his friend circle. Speaking of…
"Man… I was really looking forward to showing my stuff." Ashido bemoaned, slumping her shoulders.
"Yeah…" Kirishima laid a hand on her back to console his girlfriend. "...It is a bummer we all couldn't advance. We'll just have to train harder for next year." He then grinned at the ones who did advance. "But hey, you guys did great out there! This is gonna be an awesome tournament for sure!"
"I'm still surprised I qualified…" Tokage admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "I mean…we did lose."
"I understand how you feel, Setsuna-chan." Yaoyorozu joined in, frowning. "I fail to see why I moved on as well."
"Kero. Don't be so down, you two." Asui walked up to the group. "You both clearly did well enough if the judges thought you deserved to go forward."
Midoriya nodded, deciding to add his own two cents. "Mic-sensei did say the judges were looking at showings, team helpfulness, impact, and Heroic acts. You guys definitely checked the boxes for all of those categories."
Several others nodded in agreement.
"I know I couldn't have done as much if Yaomomo hadn't made me these speakers." Jiro noted, pointing to the devices still strapped to her legs. "And she made those earpieces for us to stay in contact with each other."
"The stellar support Yaomomo provided was likely a big contributor to her advancement." Iida added.
"Tokage-san was a pretty good leader too." Sero joined in, shrugging. "Not her fault Todoroki-san went rogue from the start."
"Losing Tokoyami-san barely midway didn't help either. Kero." Asui chimed. "She did the best with what she had and never gave up. The judges definitely saw that."
Tokage and Yaoyorozu, meanwhile, both felt touched that their friends were trying to encourage them. It motivated them to do better in the upcoming tournament.
"To be fair, I'm not sure many would've stood a chance against whatever scheme Midori-bro here cooks up." Kirishima slung an arm over Midoriya's shoulder. "Seriously, man. You didn't hold back on us, did you?"
"Well…I did want to do my best." The verdette sheepishly chuckled.
"Midoriya."
Midoriya, along with the others, turned around to see Todoroki standing close by. The dual-haired young man was ignoring everyone else present, staring solely at the Living Legend.
"Need something, Todoroki-san?" He calmly asked.
The others were impressed that Midoriya could remain composed in spite of the unnerving intensity in Todoroki's heterochromatic gaze.
"Yes. I need a word with you. Do you have a moment?" Todoroki requested.
Midoriya considered Todoroki's request and nodded. "Sure." He turned back to his friends. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet up with you at lunch."
"If…you're sure." Yaoyorozu said, curious as to what Todoroki wanted from Midoriya.
With that, the group–sans Midoriya–continued down the tunnel to follow the other students.
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu glanced back at Midoriya in concern, clueless to what Todoroki's intentions could be.
Midoriya and Todoroki were now alone at the tunnel's entrance; the former stood composed and calm on one side while the latter leaned against the opposite wall stoically. The verdette was unaffected by the intense gaze his red-and-white haired classmate was giving him. Silence reigned in between the pair, the tension slowly becoming suffocating.
"You wanted a moment. You have it."
Todoroki was silent, eyes boring into him.
The verdette, however, was not intimidated. "If you have something to say, you should hurry. The cafeteria will fill up soon."
Todoroki closed his eyes, looking like he was trying to find the right words to say. "I was humiliated today." He reopened his monochrome eyes. "Used like a tool. I didn't appreciate that." His tone was ironically frosty.
"It was nothing personal." Midoriya kept his tone even. "With Shinso's Quirk, we'd have been foolish not to utilize it."
"...I'm aware of that. Your team was the smallest and had the biggest target on its back. You were exploiting every advantage you could to achieve victory. I'm not mad about that. It's just…" He trailed off, lowering his head.
"Todoroki-san…?"
The red-white-haired teen sighed. "Midoriya… Out of everyone in our class, I respect you the most. As such, I feel you deserve to know why I wanted to challenge you so badly." He lifted his head, meeting Midoriya's verdant gaze with his blue-and-brown one. "If you could, please don't tell anyone what I'm about to say."
Midoriya cocked a brow, bemused. 'Odd. He doesn't need to tell me anything.' He briefly considered possible motives for why Todoroki wanted to confess something seemingly personal to him. 'Perhaps he just sees this as an excuse to get something off his chest…?' He rationalized.
"Okay. I won't say anything. You have my word." Midoriya promised.
Todoroki nodded in appreciation, and then held up his right hand, letting wisps of chilled air flow around it. "Like you alluded to back in the locker room, you've noticed I only use my right side–my ice. I never use my left side in battle."
"I have." He glanced to Todoroki's left; more specifically, his left hand. The super-soldier was curious as to why he never uses his flames. If he did, he'd be much more formidable. He wondered if it was a physical limitation of some kind.
"It's because of my father." Todoroki's hand clenched into a fist. "You know of my old man, right?"
Midoriya nodded. "Hard not to. Endeavor, the Flame Hero. He's the Number Two Pro in Japan."
Todoroki bristled. "Top Ten Globally. But let's just stick to national rankings. It's clear you have some connection with All Might, the Number One, and me to the Number Two." He shrugged. "That's more reason for me to defeat you."
'Is that what this is about? Some rivalry between the top two Japanese Heroes…Oh brother.' Midoriya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The bitter rivalries within the modern Hero Industry really irked the 21st Century super-soldier. 'They're missing the whole point…'
Todoroki stared deep into Midoriya's emerald eyes. "My old man won a name for himself as a Pro Hero with crushing force and an unyielding drive. He has a strong desire to rise to the top spot, but All Might has constantly denied him that. No matter what he did, he never could beat All Might in power, popularity, or anything else–aside from Villain arrests, I guess. But then, he had an epiphany. He couldn't beat the Number One on his own, so he decided to go a different route." He took a deep breath, running a hand through his medium-length hair.
"A different route?" Midoriya questioned, confused. "What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki-san?"
"Have you heard of Quirk Marriages?"
Midoriya flinched. He had come across that term plenty during his personal history studies.
"Yes. People who force a partner into a marriage, solely for the purpose of producing powerful children." He replied grimly. "From what I understand, it became prevalent across the world during the Dark Times. It's not widely approved in first-world countries anymore, but it still goes on in the least developed parts of the world. People with powerful Quirks who want to marry have to be evaluated to make sure they aren't conducting a eugenics experiment—Oh…" He trailed off, putting the puzzle pieces together.
Todoroki's ice and fire abilities. It made sense now.
Todoroki nodded. "My mother's family was chained in gambling debts. And, like a knight in shining armor," he sneered at that, "dear old dad comes in with a deal. He agrees to pay the debts and give them enough luxury and wealth to last a generation, and he gets to marry a certain daughter in return."
He glared at the ground. "They agreed to it and forced their daughter into an unloving marriage all for familial piety. Covering for their own mistakes." The dual-haired teen looked back at the taller verdette. "My father practically bought my mother for her ice Quirk alone. He never could surpass All Might on his own, so he decided to produce a child that could. It took him four tries before he got it 'right'."
Todoroki lowered his head again and held up a hand to cover his scarred face, baring his teeth.
Midoriya was utterly disgusted by what he was hearing. "Surely someone would've noticed something like this…"
Todoroki shook his head. "My father used his influence to get people to look the other way."
'Of course…' He angrily clenched his fists, frowning.
Todoroki began to tremble. "I hate it!" He suddenly exclaimed. "I'm not his son! I'm just a damn tool for his ambitions!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "My mother…I still remember her crying."
Midoriya remained silent as Todoroki continued to vent to him, his heart going out to his classmate. 'Has he not talked to anyone else about this? Has he really been bottling up all of this?' He was beginning to think that was the case.
Todoroki went on. "My mother…couldn't take it anymore. One evening, she said, 'That left side of yours, I can't stand it.'" He removed the hand from his burnt scar. "And poured boiling water on my face."
The verdette's eyes widened. 'That's…That's awful.' He could never imagine his own mother doing such a thing. May her soul rest in peace.
"She was locked up in a psych ward after that…but I don't blame her for this. Everything that she suffered, everything that my siblings have suffered, and everything I've suffered is all because of Endeavor."
He paused before looking back at Midoriya with a burning, controlled rage. "I vowed years ago that I would surpass him, All Might, and every other Hero out there with just my mother's Quirk. Endeavor can watch from the sidelines as I become the greatest Hero without his damn fire Quirk." He declared resolutely.
Midoriya was stone-faced.
"All that to say, I'm aiming to beat you for my own personal reasons. You may have won the first two events, but that won't matter in the end. When you and I fight in the tournament, just know I'm going to crush you. I'll prove that I don't need Endeavor." With those chilling words, Todoroki turned and began to walk away. "Sorry to waste your time."
Midoriya stood there in silence, digesting everything he had just heard.
He knew Endeavor didn't have a likable personality or anything, but his impressive track record as a Hero spoke for itself. He never would have fathomed he'd engage in illegal eugenics and treat his family so horribly, all for the sake of dethroning All Might from the Number One spot.
Though Endeavor as a person and "hero" now sickened him, there was a more pressing matter at hand. Todoroki Shoto himself.
'His mentality…His goal…His rage…It's hard to fault him for any of it. Still, he's misguided.' He thought. 'He can't become a Pro Hero the way he is now. He'll just end up getting himself and/or other people killed. All for the sake of his vow.'
Midoriya looked in the direction Todoroki had walked off in with a concerned visage. 'Someone needs to save him.'