Chapter 20: In Their Own Quirky Ways
The same recap from the last episode, then the opening.
"Why does it keep saying Deku's going to become the greatest hero?!" Bakugo shouted.
"I guess this disc is trying to make you jealous." Kirishima teased.
"Whatever the recap's about, I like this new opening song! Though, the other one was also pretty dope." Kaminari thought out loud.
"Has anyone else noticed Midoriya and Todoroki in their new hero costumes instead of their old ones in this opening?" Jiro pointed out.
"That's a wonderful observation, Jiro!" Yaoyorozu told her.
"I guess, but they haven't changed their costumes yet." Jiro added.
Recap of the previous episode.
Title screen 'In Their Own Quirky Ways'
"Why was there another flashback?" Kaminari whined.
"Probably showing that Deku's not backing down from Todoroki's declaration of war!" Uraraka answered.
"Did Midoriya ever return Todoroki's declaration, though?" Sero questioned.
'Yeah… I did…' Midoriya thought, glancing at Todoroki to see him glancing back at him.
'He did…' Bakugo narrowed his eyes.
"-first game is an obstacle course race! It's a cruel chicken race where anything goes as long as you stay on the course!" Present Mic announced.
"Hey." Aizawa ducked as Present Mic swung his arms around.
"We'll bring you the exciting scenes with camera robots set around the course!" Present Mic continued.
"You don't need me, do you?" Aizawa sighed.
"Do you think that's how they record us?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I'm beginning to wonder how they recorded certain things!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"Exactly!" Kaminari agreed, adding, "And they knew All Might's true form this whole time too!"
"-mass of Robo Infernos?!" Present Mic asked in a monotone voice.
Reply of Todoroki taking down the robots.
"Do you think Todoroki had beef with his father before the festival?" Kamainari whispered to Jiro and Yaoyorozu.
"I hope whatever happened between them got resolved." Yaoyorozu answered.
The students covered their faces from the dust whipped up from the robot fall.
"The first one through the first barrier is Shoto Todoroki from Class 1-A!" Present Mic announced to the audience.
The other robots rolled toward the other students,
"Hey! Someone's trapped underneath!"
"Wouldn't that kill them?"
"Will people die at this sports festival?!"
A girl with vine hair gasped as a crack sound went off from inside the robot, Kirishima breaking from underneath the robot.
"Like I'd die!" Kirishima yelled.
"Ha! You see that? I won't be killed by some measly robot, Todoroki!" Kirishima declared.
"My intention was never to kill anyone, but I'll let you think that way." Todoroki replied.
"-Todoroki! He timed it on purpose so it'd be right when they fell." Kirishima whispered. Turning to the students, Kirishima yelled, "If it hadn't been me, someone would've died!"
'Eijiro Kirishima. Quirk: Hardening'
"I've used my quirk before, why introduce it now?" Kirishima exclaimed.
"Because it showed you using it like a badass…" Bakugo muttered, thought Kirishima heard as he beamed in response.
Another crack in the robot, catching Kirishima's attention.
"That Class A…"
Another student bursted from the robot; the gray-haired student, his body hardened and gray, finished his sentence, "...really is filled with bastards!"
"Tetsutetsu from Class B was also underneath! That's crazy!" Present Mic announced.
Tetsutetsu glared at Kirishima.
"If it hadn't been me, someone would've died!" Tetsutetsu declared.
'Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Quirk: Steel'
"Jeez, his parents must've not liked him to give him a name like that." Bakugo smirked.
"Our quirks are pretty much the same?! I have a hard enough time standing out as it is! Kirishima cried, continuing the race.
"Wait, you little-!" Tetsutetsu ran after Kirishima.
"Those guys are lucky… They can get through without being afraid of getting crushed." Kaminari sighed.
"Anyway, let's work together for now to clear a path!" One of the students yelled at the others, his arm turning green and scaly. An explosion behind the students went off as Bakugo used his quirk to propel himself over the robots.
'Like I'd let you get ahead of me!' Bakugo gritted his teeth, getting across.
"But you did." Todoroki turned to him
"Not of purpose, you bastard!" Bakugo yelled back.
"You seem like you'd be the type to plow straight through, but you can go around when you need to, huh?" Sero yelled out, tape shooting out of his elbow to also climb himself over the robots along with Tokoyami and his shadow.
'Hanta Sero. Quirk: Tape'
"Land!" Tokoyami told the shadow.
" Aye, aye! " the shadow replied.
'Fumikage Tokoyami. Quirk: Dark Shadow'
The three jump onto the ground, the crowd cheering them on.
"As expected, most of the group that's gone ahead is from Class A." the cowboy hat teacher remarked, Thirteen and All Might overhearing.
"Class B and the other courses aren't bad, either!" All Might defended them.
"Don't defend those extras!" Bakugo exclaimed.
"It's fine, Kacchan." Midoriya objected.
"Shut up, nerd!" Bakugo yelled at him, demanding, "You haven't even passed the robots yet, so how the hell did you make it to first place?!"
"Maybe if you quiet down, we'll find out." Kirishima suggested.
Montages of Class 1-A taking down the robots while Aizawa explained, "Those who experience firsthand that world above them through the incident at USJ… Those who had fear planted in their hearts… Those who dealt with it and pulled through… They all used that experience to drown out their hesitation."
'I can't rely on One for All this early in the competition!' Midoriya thought as he ran through the course. He dodged a robot when he noticed a piece of armor on the ground, realizing, 'It's the armor of the one Todoroki defeated! That robot will lock onto the target and track it. I'll make it build up momentum...'
Midoriya picked the robot piece up and turned around, slashing the robot with the piece before running again.
"Go Deku!" Uraraka and Kaminari cheered.
"All he did was hit a robot…" Bakugo protested.
"But it's a little cool, I mean, the dude's fighting!" Kirishima elbowed Bakugo.
"Whatever…" Bakugo muttered.
Midoriya glanced behind when robots started falling to the ground, seeing Yaoyorozu had whipped out a cannon.
'Yaoyorozu!' Midoriya thought.
"A piece of cake." Yaoyorozu declared before she started running again, leaving behind the cannon while robots fell one by one, the students using the opening to run.
"She defeated those zero-point villains so easily?" Midoriya thought out loud, watching Yaoyorozu as he added, "No wonder she got in through recommendations."
"I appreciate the compliment Midoriya." Yaoyorozu smiled at him, catching Midoriya off guard.
"Oh-Uh… You're welcome, Yaoyorozu." Midoriya uttered before calming down, adding, "Your quirk and strategies are perfect for a hero."
"Thank you." Yaoyorozu mustered, glancing at Todoroki, smiling softly, 'It was thanks to Todoroki and Aizawa Sensei that I gained my confidence again…'
"-things to be defeated, they're dumb hunks of metal. You'll start to see openings." the cowboy teacher stated.
'I want you to tell the world 'I am here'!'
'I told him that even though I knew it'd be unreasonable. It doesn't matter if it's close! Just get to the next round!' All Might pleaded for Midoriya.
"Then why'd he put all that unnecessary stress on Midoriya!" Hagakure asked.
"Would you rather he have Aizawa Sensei's threat of expulsion or the stress?" Ojiro chuckled.
"The threat, because I at least knew I passed!" Midoriya answered.
"-what about the second?" Present Mic wondered, the students standing on a cliff to where ropes connected to other platforms of rock, Present Mic announcing, "It's 'The Fall!"
"When did they build this stage?" Uraraka gaped.
Asui walked to the front of the students where Ashido and Uraraka stood.
"Tsu?" Ashido questioned.
"Ribbit!" Asui croaked as she jumped before landing on a rope and starting to crawl on it, noting, "Ribbit. This is like a glorified tight rope."
"She's fast!" Ashido commented before she and Uraraka heard a tiny giggle behind them. They turned around to see a pink-haired girl decked out in gadgets.
"Here it is! Here's my chance to show off! It's time for my support items to be in the limelight!" the pink-haired grinned before she raised her voice, announcing, "Look, all you support companies across the country! Wire arrows and… hover soles!"
"You're from the support course?" Uraraka exclaimed.
"What? It's okay to bring in items?" Ashido accused.
"The hero course undergoes combat training regularly, right? In order to keep things fair, we are allow to equip items and costumes, as long as we developed them ourselves! Or perhaps I should say…" the girl explained, shooting a wire from her support item as she continued, "...for those of us in the support course, this is the place where we can show off our ideas and skills to companies!"
The wire stuck into a ledge as she activated her hover boots before leaping over the edge, cheering, "Come, take a look, all you companies! Especially the big ones!"
"That girl is kind of scary…" Koda whispered.
"I can't believe I let her use me for advertisement!" Iida shook his fist in the air.
"At least she walked off, showing she gave up." Jiro told him.
"I think she only wanted to show off her items." Yaoyorozu noted.
"That's the only reason why she wanted to team with me…" Midoriya sighed.
"Oh, about that…" Ojiro said awkwardly, apologizing, "...sorry I walked away when you wanted to team up."
"It's fine, Ojiro, don't worry about it." Midoriya assured him.
"-can't lose!" Uraraka declared, running after her.
"That's some misplaced equality!" Ashido exclaimed, following Uraraka along with the rest of the students.
"Nice…" the purple-haired student muttered, smirking.
"A lot of different people are working hard for their chance, huh, Eraser Head?" Present Mic asked him.
"What are you idiots stopping for?" Aizawa groaned.
On the rope course, Todoroki slid on the ropes with his ice.
"And now, the leader of the pack is easily getting through first!" Present Mic announced as he finished the stage.
Todoroki glanced behind him as he ran to see Bakugo blasting his way over the course.
'Looks like he's getting fired up? A slow starter.' Todoroki thought, looking forward again.
"What do you mean 'a slow starter' Half n' Half?!" Bakugo demanded.
"You were slow at lashing out your anger." Todoroki answered flatly.
"Why you little-" Bakugo started before he was stopped by Kirishima, shouting, "Let go of me, Shitty Hair!"
"Come on Bakugo, just calm down a bit and watch, okay? I mean, you did ask early how Midoriya won, and, you'll only find out if you watch." Kirishima pointed out, guestering to the TV.
"-me act uncool!" Iida declared about his brother watching before he used his engines to ride the ropes.
"That's so uncool!" Present Mic yelled.
"That's so unkind." Uraraka teased before leaning to look at Iida, telling him, "You were so cool in the cavalry battle, Iida!"
"I appreciate the compliment, Uraraka. Thank you." Iida nodded.
"-quirk is really strong, but his natural athletic ability and judgement are also a cut above everyone else's." someone in the crowd pointed out about Todoroki.
"Of course it is. That's the Flame Hero, Endeavor's son."
"No wonder! The blood of the guy second only to All Might, huh?"
"There'll be fighting over who gets him as a sidekick!"
Todoroki got up from where he was sitting.
"Todoroki, is everything okay?" Midoriya watched him get up.
"Yes, I just need a glass of water." Todoroki replied.
Midoriya watched Todoroki walk through the others before sighing, and turned back to the TV.
"-everyone's clumped together! They haven't announced how many people will make it through, so you can't relax! Push forward!" Present Mic announced.
Midoriya hanging onto a rope, inching his way across with the robot piece on his back.
"Izuku…" Midoriya's mom cheered softly, tears in her eyes.
Todoroki stopped at the beginning of the third stage to catch his breath.
"And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier! The reality here is that it's a minefield! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to exploit your eyes and legs!" Present Mic yelled, Todoroki at the start of a flat field with a sign labeled, 'Danger Mates!'
"Sounds perfect for someone with an explosion quirk." Kamainari teased, turning to look at Bakugo before his face turned horrified.
Bakugo raised his hand, making little sparks, smirking, "You're right, Kaminari, it does sound perfect..."
"I think I peed a little!" Kaminari muttered in a high voice, covering his mouth before adding, "Also, I'm not sure if I want to hear Bakugo call my name again."
"Then don't provoke him." Jiro sighed.
'-place is already there? Faster!' Midoriya thought, running from the second course.
Someone placed their foot on the ground only to get blown into the air by pink gas.
"Ouch…" some of the class winced from the memory.
More explosions went off as more students flew through the air.
'I see. This is an obstacle that puts those in the lead at a disadvantage. Trying to make it entertaining, huh?' Todoroki thought, watching where he stepped while Bakugo used his quirk to get closer and closer to Todoroki, grabbing his attention.
"This doesn't affect me!" Bakugo declared as he passed Todoroki, taking the first place spot, shouting at Todoroki, "Bastard, don't declare war to the wrong person!"
Before Bakugo continued, he tried to get a hit at Todoroki, who dodged the blast.
"And now, we've got someone new in the lead! Rejoice, mass media! It's the kind of development you guys love!" Present Mic announced, the crowd cheering.
Iida sprinted across the minefield, the mines going off behind him as he ran across, trying to outrun the explosions.
"Hey, the rest of the pack is also speeding up! However! Even as they push and pull at each other, can the two at the top remain in the lead?" Present Mic wondered.
While Present Mic talked, Todoroki and Bakugo fought it out with their quirks.
"Bakugo, why didn't you just explode yourself to the finish line?" Sero asked him.
"What does it matter?!" Bakugo yelled at him to hide his regret.
Midoriya made it to the last stage with the robot piece in hand. Showing the field, a glowing dot showed where Midoriya was, and another on Bakugo and Todoroki.
"It… It's far…! But there's still stuff I have to do!" Midoriya exclaimed as he put the robot piece into the ground.
The students tried getting across the field without activating the bombs.
"I'm gonna borrow your idea, Kacchan!" Midoriua whispered, holding the robot piece as he ran with it before dropping it on the dirt. A huge explosion behind the students went off, catching their attention.
"There's a huge explosion at the back?! What's with that force?!" Present Mic yelled. As the blast died down, everyone looked up to see Midoriya high up in the air.
"What?!" All Might jumped up out of his seat.
"Was it an accident, or did he do it on purpose?" Present Mic questioned, Todoroki and Bakugo stopping their fighting to watch Midoriya head straight for them, Present Mic announcing, "Class A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!"
"Yeah, Deku!" Uraraka cheered.
"I have to say, that is very impressive Midoriya." Iida told him.
"It's not that big of a deal…" Midoriya muttered, hiding his face.
"How is that not a big deal?! You blew yourself up hundreds of feet into the freaking air!" Kaminari exclaimed before turning back to where Todoroki leaned against the wall, calling, "Hey, Todoroki! You might want to consider this one another death experience!"
Seeing him nod, Kaminari turned back to the screen.
"Wait, why is it going back before it happened?" Sero asked, everyone else turning back to the TV, showing Midoriya digging up dirt.
"What?! They're gonna show the nerd doing that again?!" Bakugo yelled.
"I mean, it was pretty cool, you gotta admit Bakugo." Kirishima elbowed him.
"Hell no it wasn't!" Bakugo argued.
"Let us just calm down and watch. I would like to see how Midoriya was able to create that huge explosion." Yaoyorozu admitted.
"Just ask him!" Bakugo pointed at Midoriya.
"But, if we see it in action, it'll be so much cooler!" Ashido argued.
'-injuries and stamina into account, it'd be better to slow down and avoid them.' Midoriya thought, continuing to dig at the ground with the piece.
"Way to think ahead." Tokoyami agreed.
"Come on, it's Midoriya. He always thinks ahead." Kaminari stated.
"Except for how not to break his bones…" Sero noted.
"I'm not breaking them now!" Midoriya defended himself.
"Just wait until it, hopefully, shows you and Todoroki's fight then." Sero teased.
"That's in the past, Sero!" Midoriya exclaimed.
'-you'll have to avoid. They probably can't go very fast with all the obstacles. Look carefully! The places where those in front avoided… Everyone was the most careful around the entrance. There are a lot of landmines left. It'll be fine.' Midoriya thought as the students continued, Jiro looking back at Midoriya.
"What's Midoriya doing?" Jiro thought out loud before continuing.
Jiro nervously chuckled as she put her hand behind her neck. "Maybe I shouldn't question what Midoriya does."
"Yeah, you should've thought 'What's his ridiculously dangerous plan this time?'." Kirishima told her.
"I didn't know him at the time, so I was just confused." Jiro explained.
"-the last barrier soon!" Present Mic announced about finishing the last course.
'All right.' Midoriya thought, looking over his pile of landmines that he made.
"I'm gonna borrow your idea, Kacchan!" Midoriya whispered, preparing the robot piece.
As he started running to the pile, Midoriya declared, 'Super explosive speed turbo!'
Midoriya jumped onto the landmines, creating a huge explosion in the back, grabbing the students attention.
"Hey, that could be a name for an ultimate move for you, Bakugo." Kaminari noted.
"Like I'm naming it something like that!" Bakugo yelled.
The students stared at the explosion, Iida muttering, "That's…!"
"Class A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!" Present Mic yelled out.
"Okay, now I'm starting to question how they were able to get shots like that?" Yaoyorozu questioned.
"Maybe they… didn't…?" Sero suggested.
"Then how were they able to record us, huh?" Ashido asked.
"Can we discuss this later, please?" Jiro asked them.
'I flew just like I planned, but there's so much force! And… I didn't think about landing!' Midoriya thought after announcing he was in first as the ground came closer and closer to him.
"Now you can definitely write that done as another death experience." Kaminari smiled at Todoroki.
"Seven it is." Todoroki whispered to himself, marking a line in his notepad.
"Deku! Don't go ahead of me!" Bakugo yelled, exploding his way to him while Todoroki used his ice to make a path on the ground.
'This'll give those in the back a path but I don't have time to worry about what's behind me!' Todoroki thought as he ran across the ice towards Midoriya and Bakugo.
"The two formerly in the lead have stopped trying to slow each other down and are chasing Midoriya! Now that they have a common enemy, they've stopped fighting! The fight's not over yet, though!" Present Mic announced the scene playing on the course.
"What are you saying?" Aizawa questioned him.
'Oh no… I'm losing speed! That's not surprising. They'll overtake me in an instant!' Midoriya thought, glancing at Bakugo and Todoroki as they closed in on him. As Todoroki and Bakugo got beside him to pass him, Midoriya gritted his teeth, thinking. 'Thinking about the time I'd lose landing, there's no way I'd be able to take back the lead. Damn it! No! Don't let go!'
"Wait, that's illegal!" Kaminari gasped.
"Shut the hell up!" Jiro raised her hand, threatening to smack him, Kaminari shrinking away from her hand.
'Midoriya's too pure to swear, even if it's in his head!' Kaminari thought.
'-you got to get in front of these two, and don't let go!' Midoriya grasped the piece tighter. Planting his feet onto the backs of Todoroki and Bakugo, Midoriya vowed, 'If I can't take back the lead, then I can't let them get ahead of me!'
Midoriya slammed the piece on the ground, making the landmines he hit explode, sending him forward. Midoriya landed on the ground, rolling until he found his footing and started running for the finish line.
"That was so cool!" Ashido exclaimed.
"If he didn't find that piece of the robot and take it, he probably wouldn't be first place!" Sato stated.
"Right! It was like fate!" Hagakure agreed.
"That's awesome, Deku!" Uraraka smiled at Midoriya, who had a slight blush to his cheeks that grew at each compliment.
Bakugo and Todoroki cleared their way through the pink gas and rushed to catch up.
"Eraser Head, your class is amazing!" Present Mic exclaimed at him, asking, "What're you teaching them?!"
"I didn't do anything. They got each other fired up on their own." Aizawa answered.
"U.A. sports festival, first-year stage! Who could've predicted the developments at the beginning or this conclusion? Right now, the first person back in the stadium is that man..." Present Mic announced while Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya running through a long narrow hallway to enter the arena, until…
"Izuku Midoriya made a huge splash!"
Midoriya appeared in the arena as Present Mic announced his arrival.
The crowd roared until it showed Midoriya's mom sobbing, murmuring, "Izu…!"
"Like mother, like son." Sero nodded.
"Huh?" Midoriya turned to him.
Uraraka covered her mouth to conceal her laughter. 'He was like that during the cavalry battle, too!'
"-that kid's…" Death Arms turned to the TV outside the stadium, Kamui watching too.
"Oh yeah. If I remember correctly, he's from last year…" Kamui remembered.
"I still think it was rude what they said…" Uraraka crossed her arms.
"Shigaraki…?" Shoji whispered, making some look to the TV, the others joining.
"He was watching…" Tokoyami thought out loud as it showed Shigaraki watching the sports festival from a computer.
The crowd roared while Midoriya had his hands on his knees, catching his breath. He stood up, still breathing heavily as he looked around at the people in the stands until he saw All Might, clapping. Midoriya clenched his fist, holding back tears before he wiped his eyes.
'This sports festival is a competition where they have to aim for the top, even if it means defeating their friends and classmates. Modern heroes depend a lot on their popularity, so they need to have that desire to be above all the others.' All Might narrated, the other students making their way to the end. While the TV's played back Midoriya's win, All Might continued, 'At your core, you are a hero who wants to help others. That is why I choose you, but I thought that was also your weakness.'
Midoriya stiffened when All Might said he thought it was his weakness.
"I guess All Might does have a point…" Kaminari rubbed his chin, adding, "But that doesn't mean he won't help himself."
"All Might is right. Midoriya will do anything to help anyone." Shoji commented.
"Even if it means breaking every bone in his body." Sero sighed.
Todoroki listened to what All Might thought of Midoriya's weakness, looking down at his left hand.
'It's your power, isn't it…'
'-to stop being such a crybaby, though.' All Might smiled.
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, sorry, All Might." Kaminari chuckled.
"-you think?" someone rubbed their chin.
"First of all, Midoriya's stock will climb fast."
"However, he still has not shown his quirk yet, so it's hard to predict what will happen."
Three students stood together in the stands, talking about Midoriya's performance.
"If you took on management of an agency, how would you market him? Opinions? What do you think?" a student asked two others.
"His appearance is out." one declared.
"What the hell is this?" Kirishima questioned.
"Students from the business course." Aizawa answered.
"Why do they care about shitty Deku?" Bakugo huffed.
"Well, he did finish first." Jiro answered his question.
Midoriya ran his fingers through his hair. 'Is it… my hair?'
"-without the raw material to work with…" another added about Midoriya's abilities.
'That business course!' All Might narrowed his eyes at the three.
"All Might doesn't like them talking about his son like that." Kaminari shook his head.
"What do you mean 'son'?!" Midoriya exclaimed.
"I'm just agreeing with Todoroki's theory on All Might being your dad, and since this has yet to show you're real father, it just makes more sense." Kaminari explained.
'It's true that I don't know my dad, but that doesn't mean All Might's my dad!' Midoriya thought to himself.
Bakugo had his hands on his knees, catching his breath before standing back up.
"Again… Damn! Damn it!" Bakugo raged quietly to himself.
Todoroki had his hands on his hips, also catching his breath while steam came from his body.
"And now, they're finishing one after another! We'll make a list of the results later, but for now, good work!" Present Mic announced while Todoroki glanced at Midoriya before walking away.
"Deku! You were amazing!"
Midoriya looked over, seeing Uraraka run up to him after finishing the course, Iida in the background catching his breath.
"Uraraka?" Midoriya jumped.
"First place is amazing! That's so frustrating, dang it!" Uraraka beamed to him.
"I-It was just…" Midoriya blushed, hiding his face.
"Aw! This is adorable!" Aoyama declared.
"Hmph!" Ashido agreed, adding, "Flustered Midoriya is best Midoriya."
Midoriya stared at the two, before uttering, "H-Huh…?"
"Who cares which Deku is the best! Besides, all parts of Deku are the worst!" Bakugo objected.
"Just shut up…" Jiro chuckled.
"Poor Iida…" Koda whispered.
'-my luck. It was a lucky punch. My real ability will be tested after this...' Midoriya thought as he uncovered his face.
Yaoyorozu walked limply into the stadium, out of breath.
"This isn't how it was supposed to…" Yaoyorozu sighed.
"I killed two birds with one stone! I'm a genius!" Mineta cried on the back of Yaoyorozu, his face beaten up and bleeding.
"You're the worst!" Yaoyorozu glared back at Mineta.
Everyone stared up at Mineta, who was still hanging from Sero's tape, hearing him sigh.
"The first game of the first-year stage is finally over. Now, take a look at the results!" Midnight announced to the crowd, showing the results of the top 42.
"Man, Bakugo doesn't look happy about being third…" Sero jokes.
"I was supposed to be first." Bakugo glared at Midoriya, who could feel his glare.
"Sixth place isn't bad Iida!" Uraraka smiled at him.
"Yes, but with my quirk, I should've done better…" Iida noted.
"It's better than mine…" Uraraka sighed, showing her being in sixteenth.
Some of the class winced when they saw Aoyama's face when he ranked last.
"At least you made it into the final round…" Ashido tried to comfort him.
"You still beat him." Aoyama told her, Ashido laughing nervously in response.
"-to the next round. It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine." Midnight licked her lips, continuing "The real competition begins next! The press cavalry'll be all over it! Give it your all."
The same board from before began to spin again.
"Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be?" Midnight teased while Midoriya gulped. Midnight pushed her glasses up before announcing, "I just said it, and now here it is…"
"A cavalry battle? I'm bad at those..." Kaminari read the sign.
"But we sure did make a good first place, huh? Iida, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki…" Kaminari smiled, turning around where Todoroki stood.
"We get it, Dunce Face! Now just the hell up!" Bakugo yelled.
"You're just angry that we didn't get first…" Kirishima whispered to him, Bakugo glaring at him, before he scuffed.
"A point-based system like the entrance exam, huh? That's easy to understand." Sato noted when Midnight explained they'd have a point system like battle.
"In other words, each team is worth different points depending on who's on the team!" Uraraka added.
"I see!" Ashido agreed.
"You guys don't hold back even though I'm talking, huh?!" Midnight yelled at the two. A point system on the board appeared, Midnight continuing, "Yes, that's right! And the points assigned go up by five starting from the bottom! So 42nd place gets five points, and 41st gets ten points!"
While Midnight explained, the students scanned the list of points.
"And the point value assigned to first place is…" Midnight explained while Midoriya gaped as Midnight announced, "...ten million!"
The class bursted out laughing when they saw Midoriya's reaction to his ten million points. Midoriya, on the other hand, just stared into space.
"T-Ten million?!" Midoriya choked out.
'Ten million, huh?' the purple-haired student smirked at Midoriya.
'In other words, if you take down the first place player's team…' the pink-haired girl with the gadgets grinned at Midoriya.
All the students stared at Midoriya, an imagery of their eyes glowing red in Midoriya's head.
'...you can stand at the top no matter what place you're in!' the students stared at Midoriya.
"That's right. It's survival of the fittest, with the chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!" Midnight announced their thoughts.
Ending plays.
"No! It was just getting to the good part!" Ashido and Sero complained.
Uraraka glanced at Midoriya before covering her mouth to hold her laughter in as she saw his face.
"D-Deku…" Uraraka uttered out, making everyone look at him, to see his zoned out face.
Kaminari covered his mouth, muttering, "He looks so petrified..."
"He probably thought we were going to kill him…" Yaoyorozu agreed, feeling sympathy for him.
"All right. Iida, Yaoyorozu. You're in charge for now. Make sure they turn it off at a reasonable time." Aizawa instructed, getting up to put his chair away before narrowing his eyes, "If there's any new information about the League, I need you to tell me or All Might about it tomorrow."
"Yes, sir! I, Tenya Iida, the class representative of Class 1-A, will carry out the duty of a class rep!" Iida announced.
"Shouldn't you stay then?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I'm tired, so no." Aizawa put the chair he'd been sitting in back, and walked out of the building.
'That's exactly how it felt when they looked at me!' Midoriya sweated.
Chapter 21: Strategy, Strategy, Strategy
The same recap from before.
Opening plays.
"Why does it keep showing this?! I don't wanna hear another word about how the damn nerd's gonna be the greatest hero, 'cause he's not!" Bakugo shouted.
"But it showed you looking so badass, bro." Kirishima objected, trying to make him calm down while Bakugo just glared at Kirishima before glaring at the TV.
"Deku? Are you okay now?" Uraraka asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if I frightened you." Midoriya apologized, rubbing his neck.
Another small recap from the previous episode.
"Even though we've already seen this, that explosion was really cool." Kaminari noted.
"Thank you." Midoriya muttered before adding, "But, it's not really that big of a deal…"
"Hell yeah it is, you flew through the air, man!" Sero exclaimed.
"The second round of the U.A. sports festival first-year stage is…" Midnight pointed at the board, announcing, "A cavalry battle with the top 42 from the qualifier! Those at the top will suffer more. You'll hear this many times as you attend U.A. This is what 'Plus Ultra' means!"
Midnight pointed at Midoriya in the crowd, adding, "Izuku Midoriya, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points!"
"Is it just me, or did it change how Midnight Sensei announced the point-values?" Yaoyorozu observed.
"Yeah, a little." Jiro agreed.
"Who cares!" Kaminari shouting before whispering, "Oh, this again…"
Turning to the TV, it showed Bakugo and Midoriya from junior high flashbacks.
'You're quirkless!'
'The eyes around me are different from junior high… The top spot I got for an instant because of luck… Even so…' Midoriya thought as the eyes of students laid on him.
'You're quick to understand, huh, young man?' All Might narrowed his eyes.
'Even so, is it really this heavy, All Might?' Midoriya clenched his fists.
Title screen 'Strategy, Strategy, Strategy'
"Maybe All Might should not have put all that pressure on you before the festival?" Yaoyorozu glanced at Midoriya, giving an awkward smile.
"Maybe, but in a way, the pressure also helped me try my hardest." Midoriya looked at his hand before glancing up, saying, "You know, go beyond?"
"Plus Ultra!" the class cheered.
"Which means…" Yaoyorozu muttered as Midnight explained the rules for the battle.
"Since there are 42 people, there will be ten or twelve teams on the field the whole time?" Sato finished her sentence.
"That's tough." Aoyama popped out from behind them.
"One strategy could be to let someone take your points first so you'll be more free." Ashido thought out loud.
"It's hard to say without seeing how all the points end up getting split up, Mina." Asui pointed out.
"During the game, it'll be a cruel fight where you can use your quirks. But it's still a cavalry battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose! You'll be removed immediately!" Midnight explained.
"Damn." Bakugo spat.
"If Midnight Sensei didn't say that, you think Midoriya would have another tick on that notepad, Todoroki?" Kaminari turned to him.
"Most likely, yes." Todoroki nodded.
"I think you two are being a bit too carefree about this. Midoriya could have been killed many times. It just makes me think you do not care for his safety." Yaoyorozu worried.
"No, we do! That's not the point of it!" Kaminari defended them, adding, "It's just a serious thing we need to watch out for."
"I'm just keeping track to threaten him with it anytime he tries to do something ridiculously dangerous." Todoroki admitted.
"Can we just watch?" Midoriya sighed.
'-on my team are… that person, and that person!' Midoriya planned.
"Who?" Sero asked.
"We already knew Midoriya's team, so it doesn't matter." Asui told him.
"True." Sero shrugged.
"-sports festival is more about simulating the competition they'll face as heroes than seeing how prepared they are to be heroes." Death Arms observed, cigarette in hand.
He, Mt. Lady and Kamui sat in a small warehouse near the arena to cool down.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mt. Lady asked him.
"In a world crowded with hero agencies, in order to put food on the table, there are times when you have to kick down others in order to show your stuff. That was what the obstacle course race in the qualifier was, right?" Death Arms explained.
"Doesn't that just pain your heart?" Mt. Lady asked, waving away the smoke.
"You little-" Kamui turned to her, remarking, "You did that quite gleefully, remember?"
"Oh, he's still salty about that, huh?" Jiro smirked, showing Mt. Lady's debut.
"On the other hand, even if you're business rivals, there are many cases where you have to work together." Death Arms continued, showing a flashback of the sludge incident.
"Why is it showing this?!" Bakugo barked.
"Yeah, can it show the cavalry battle now?" Kirishima agreed.
"Are you not listening?" Jiro turned to the two, explaining, "They're giving advice about being a hero, that I think you need especially, Bakugo."
"Does it look like I give a shit?!" Bakugo asked her.
Jiro sighed, murmuring, "Typical Bakugo…"
"-compatibility and other people's quirks…" Mt. Lady pointed out, adding, "It's a give-and-take situation…"
"Coordinating with your sidekick, and joint quirk training with other agencies." Kamui unscrewed his water bottle, only for it to bang against his mask when he went for a drink.
"The kids are doing stuff now that will be their way of life after they become pros." Death Arms stated.
"They've got it rough." Mt. Lady agreed.
Students in the top 42 asked around, picking their teams.
"Team up with me!" Sato pointed to himself.
"What? Bakugo, team up with me!" Ashido told him.
"Don't you want to team up with me?" Aoyama mustered while holding his stomach.
Bakugo stood in a circle with Shoji, Sato, Hagakure, Aoyama, Sero and Ashido surrounding him.
"I don't know what quirks you all have! What?!" Bakugo exclaimed.
"How could you not know Hagakure's? It's always on!" Sato asked.
"You have to be that rude, man?" Kirishima smirked at him.
"-his personality's like that, he still came in third and has two hundred points. Considering the all-purpose use of his quirk, it makes sense that he's popular." All Might observed from the teacher's seating area.
"Hey! Todoroki chose his team already!" Kirishima waved, making his way to the circle around Bakugo, telling him, "Bakugo, team up with me!"
"Weird hair." Bakugo replied.
"I'm Kirishima! At least try to remember! My hair's not that different from yours!" Kirishima exclaimed, pointing at their hair. Smirking again, Kirishima declared to Bakugo, "You're gonna be the rider, right? Then who'll be a front horse that can take your blasts?"
As he finished, Kirishima hardened his arm.
"Quick thought: If the top three; Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo, were to team up in this, I think it would be clear who would win." Hagakure thought out loud.
"Are you sure?" Ashido asked while chuckling.
"Yeah…" Jiro chuckled, an imagery of the three, Midoriya and Todoroki backing away from an explosive Bakugo, with Jiro noting, "I don't think Bakugo would want to team up with them."
"Damn right about that!" Bakugo confirmed.
"Besides, the object of the battle was to take down the top." Kirishima pounded his fists together, sparks flying off as it hardened.
"Well, just my opinion." Hagakure sighed.
Shoji turned to his name being called, seeing Mineta walking toward him
"I wanted to team up with a girl, but it's no good! Please team up with me!" Mineta begged Shoji as he cried while Shoji started walking away, Mineta pleading, "I'm tiny, so I can't be a horse! But no one'll be my horse if I'm a rider!"
"You're a bug that's in the way, that's why you're so easy to crash." Bakugo smirked up at him, forming a fist as smoke steamed from it, making Mineta shake in his cocoon.
"-my whole body, can't you? Right?" Mineta explained about Shoji covering him, making Shoji stop.
"That's a great idea, Mineta." Shoji agreed.
Students talked with their peers to form teams, Midoriya standing by himself.
'As expected, people are teaming up with their classmates, huh? Since no one has a good grasp of what quirks those in the other classes have. I need to do something quick, too…' Midoriya rubbed his chin.
An imaginary spotlight landed on Midoriya, the words 'Isolated' appearing.
'...about the current state where everyone's totally avoiding me!' Midoriya panicked.
Midoriya nervously approached Ojiro nearby.
"Um, Ojiro…?" Midoriya uttered, making Ojiro jump.
"Sorry…" Ojiro slipped away, Midoriya gasping.
"Ah, sorry about that, Midoriya." Ojiro rubbed his neck while his face went red.
"It's fine Ojiro. You already apologized before." Midoriya assured him while Ojiro nervously chuckled.
'-one wants to try to keep the points for the whole game. It'd be a better strategy to try to steal points at the end. And unlike Todoroki or Kacchan, I didn't use my quirk, so on one has any confidence in me…' Midoriya panicked.
"Deku!"
Midoriya nervously turned his head in the direction of his name to see Uraraka.
"Let's be a team!" Uraraka beamed.
Midoriya immediately bursted into tears, Uraraka covering her face from the water.
"Uraraka!" Midoriya cried.
Some of the class tried to hold their laughter while others giggled.
"Once again, Uraraka saves Midoriya's life!" Kaminari declared. Turning to Todoroki, he asked, "You got a chart about that?"
"No." Todoroki replied.
"Dang it." Kaminari sighed.
"-ten million points!" Midoriya told her while she wiped her face from his tears.
"If we run away the whole time, then you'll win, right?" Uraraka replied.
Blinking, Midoriya muttered, "I-I think you're overestimating me, Uraraka…"
"Like I would! Anyway, it's better to team up with people you get along with!" Uraraka beamed at him again. Midoriya closed his eyes, his face screwed up as the words 'Heart-squeeze' appeared.
"Your face looks gross doing that, Midoriya." Asui noted as TV Uraraka agreed.
"I-I was just taken back by her reason." Midoriya mumbled.
"-nothing…" Midoriya told her, wiping his eyes. "It's just that you're so bright that I can't look straight at you…"
"Aw!" Ashido and Hagakure gushed while Uraraka's face had a slight blush.
"Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment?" Jiro teases, Midoriya's face turning red in response.
"All right! That's enough! Stop teasing them and continue watching." Iida announced. Everyone turned their attention to the TV, much to Midoriya's relief.
"Ptff!" Kaminari bursted out when TV Mineta questioned Midoriya's tears on the ground for urine.
"Ha!" Sero looked up at Mineta, questioning, "What the hell, dude?"
"-it's best to be with people you can communicate with smoothly, right?" Midoriya pointed at him and Uraraka.
"Yup, yup!" Uraraka nodded.
"Actually, with your quirk and one other person, I thought of a plan!" Midoriya told her as Uraraka looked behind Midoriya to see Iida.
"Iida." Midoriya called, making him turn around.
"That was so cute when you both did that!" Ashido smiled, imitating what they did; lifting her fists and bringing them down, her elbows bending while Midoriya and Uraraka stared at her, getting a little embarrassed.
"What did I say?! Stop teasing them!" Iida waved his hands at her.
"Yeah, that's not nice, Ashido!" Kaminari joined in.
"Oh, come on, you would've done the same…" Ashido argued.
"-we use Uraraka's quirk to make Iida and me lighter, we'd be able to maneuver easily." Midoriya planned.
"I see!" Uraraka realized.
"It's better to have someone physically strong as the rider, but I haven't decided who…" Midoriya continued. Looking up at Iida, he said, "Anyway, this is all I could think of to keep running away until the end…"
"I expected no less, Midoriya…" Iida murmured. Louder, Iida declared, "But I am afraid I have to refuse."
Midoriya and Uraraka gaped while Iida continued.
"Ever since the entrance exam, I keep losing to you. You are a wonderful friend, but that's why, if I keep following you, I will never grow."
Iida pushed up his glasses, staring down Midoriya.
"Bakugo and Todoroki aren't the only ones who see you as a rival." Iida turned around, walking to Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Kaminari behind him, declaring, "I will challenge you."
"Oooo…" the class gasped.
"Iida, if you were planning to go to Todoroki's team, why did you listen to what we were planning?" Uraraka asked him.
"To defeat you, of course." Iida answered.
"Betrayal at it's finest…" Kaminari whispered behind her.
'-enemy. That's right. I'm at the top right now. I can't just play at being friends' Midoriya thought, staring at Bakugo's team; Ashido, Sero and Kirishima, and Todoroki's team.
Someone giggled behind Uraraka and Midoriya.
"As I thought, this is great. You stand out!"
Midoriya and Uraraka turned behind them to see the girl with gadgets before she got in their faces.
"Team up with me, person in first place!" the pink-haired girl demanded.
"Ah, so close! Who're you!" Midoriya freaked out.
She chuckled before answering, "I am Mei Hatsume, from the support course!"
"Oh, that weird person from back then." Uraraka muttered.
"Uraraka, that wasn't nice!" Kaminari teases.
Uraraka stared at him for a while before saying, "She didn't care."
'What the hell does that mean?' Kaminari questioned.
'She's honest!' Midoriya flinched about Hatsume saying she wanted to use his position.
"If I team up with you, then I'll inevitably become part of the team everyone's watching most, right? If that happens, then my super cute babies will inevitably be seen by the big companies. That means, in other words, that those big companies will see my babies!" Hatsume explained, inching closer and closer while Uraraka and Midoriya inched back.
"W-Wait a minute. Babies and big companies? What are you-" Uraraka asked her.
"And, I think you guys will also benefit." Hatsume continued to Midoriya.
'Oh, she's not interested in me…' Uraraka shivered.
"Is that what you meant by 'she didn't care'?" Kaminari asked.
"She didn't care…" Uraraka repeated, giving the same stare from before.
'What is with this girl?!' Kaminari widened his eyes.
"-heroes deal with their quirks. I have a ton of babies, so I'm sure you'll be able to find one that you like!" Hatsume explained as she opened a box filled with gadgets. Midoriya stood frozen until Hatsume held up an item, asking, "Oh, has this one caught your eye? I made this based on a certain hero's backpack, adding my own original twist to it."
"Could you be talking about the Buster Hero, Air Jet?" Midoriya asked her. Hatsume laughed in response, Midoriya gushing, "I like him, too!"
"Really?" Hatsume beamed.
"Fanboys will be fanboys." Asui smiled.
"I don't think Uraraka likes that, though." Ashido pointed out as it showed Uraraka in the background, frowning.
"It's not that I didn't like it! I just felt kind of left out..." Uraraka replied, rubbed her neck.
"I'm sorry about that Uraraka, I was just-" Midoriya started.
"I was just being a fanboy!" Sero interrupted, Midoriya's face turning a little red.
"Will you nerds shut up! Some of us are trying to watch!" Bakugo groaned.
"Why do you care?" Kirishima teased.
"I just don't want to hear their nerdy talk, okay?" Bakugo glared.
"All right." Kirishima smiled.
'-missing… The one who can fill that spot is…' Midoriya thought as he looked around until his eyes widened before Midoriya walked away from Uraraka and Hatsume.
"Deku?" Uraraka questioned.
Midoriya put his hand on someone's shoulder, finishing his thought. "...you!"
"Almost everyone here has their eyes on Class A. Why is that? And like Tetsutetsu said, Class A is full of themselves about it… It's strange, isn't it? The only difference between us and them is that they fought villains. Why were those of us in Class B happy with being in the middle of the pack? Let's let that arrogant Class A know, guys." a blond smirked at his teammates.
The timer to make a team went off while Midnight stretched her arms.
"Now then, it's about time to get started!" Midnight announced.
"Come on, wake up, Eraser!" Present Mic tapped on Aizawa's shoulder, waking him up before turning to the field, explaining, "After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve calvary teams are lined up on the field!"
"There are some interesting teams out there." Aizawa noted.
"Now, raise those battle cries! It's time for U.A.'s bloody battle!" Present Mic declared.
"He talked as if we were going to kill people for points." Yaoyorozu stated.
"I bet someone would've killed a few people for points." Kaminari stated, turning to glance at Bakugo.
"Hell yeah I would've." Bakugo grinned.
"Imagine if Tokoyami said no like Iida did." Hagakure thought out loud as it showed Midoriya's team of Tokoyami, Uraraka and Hatsume.
"I thought Midoriya's strategy of running away was a very smart one, seeing as he had the most." Tokoyami said.
"Midoriya always has good plans." Shoji agreed.
"Expect not to break his bones." Sero pointed out.
"I don't break them anymore!" Midoriya defended his past self.
"Okay, okay." Sero chuckled.
"-thought it would be the most stable formation." Todoroki told his teammates about why he chose them.
"Why is it going back again?!" Bakugo yelled, adding, "And why to IcyHot?!"
"It's showing our strategy!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"It would've been nice to know during the games." Sato whispered.
"-in charge of insulation and assisting with defense and movement. Iida, you'll be in front as the main source of mobility and physical defense." Todoroki explained to them.
"So you will attack and create diversions with ice and fire, then, Todoroki?" Iida asked him after Todoroki explained their positions.
"No." Todoroki answered, looking up into the stands as he clenched his fist, vowing, "In battle, I will never use my left."
Todoroki glared at a fiery hero in the stands.
"I hope whatever Todoroki was angry about with his father cooled down." Yaoyorozu said.
"I get it, because he has an ice quirk, huh?" Kaminari laughed.
'I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu. What my father did… can not easily be forgiven.' Todoroki thought as he glanced at her before turning back to the TV.
"All right! You've made your teams, right? I'm not gonna ask if you're ready or not!" Present Mic called.
"Tetsutetsu." the blond called, making Tetsutetsu turn his way as the blond asked, "No hard feelings, okay?"
"Yeah." Tetsutetsu replied.
"Now, let's go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal! Three!" Present Mic announced.
"We're aiming for…" Bakugo cracked his knuckles.
"Two!"
"...one thing." Todoroki finished.
"One!"
"Start!" Midnight yelled, signaling all the teams to race for Midoriya's.
"It's basically a battle for the ten million points!" Tetsutetsu yelled out.
"Midoriya, I'll take that!" Hagakure laughed, her shirt off.
"I'm sorry if I made you guys feel uncomfortable." Hagakure apologized to Jiro, Koda and Sato, seeing their flustered faces on screen.
"It's okay, Hagakure, you were just trying to use your quirk to your best advantage." Jiro told her.
"Y-Yeah, what Jiro said." Sato agreed, Koda nodding.
"Sometimes, I just wish I could control my quirk." Hagakure sighed, glancing down at her hands (but no one could really see it, so…).
"-course, our move is to run away!" Midoriya told his teammates.
"I won't let you!" Tetsutetsu yelled as one of his teammates used his foot to make the ground turn to quicksand around Midoriya's team.
"What is this?" Uraraka asked.
"We're sinking?!" Midoriya observed. Looking up at Tetsutetsu's team, he thought, 'That person's quirk, huh?'
"It's no good… I can't get out!" Uraraka cried.
"Uraraka! Hatsume! Turn your faces away!" Midoriya instructed. When they did, Midoriya pushed a button he was holding, activating the jetpack on his back and shooting them into the air.
"He flew? Thanks to the support course, huh? Follow them!" Tetsutetsu turned around.
"Jiro!" Hagakure called.
"I know!" Jiro's earphone jacks shot into the air after them.
Dark Shadow fended them off, her muttering, "Tokoyami!"
"Good!" Tokoyami confirmed, ordering, "Dark Shadow, keep watch over our blind spots!"
" Got it! " Dark Shadow replied.
"It's actually kind of nice to see how our fights went." Midoriya thought out loud.
"Why's that, Deku?" Uraraka asked him.
"Because it's like seeing how much we've improved, but also showing how much we still need to improve." Midoriya explained.
"I think you're mostly talking for yourself, but I agree that you're onto something, Midoriya." Tokoyami agreed.
"Wait, remember what that notecard said when Midoriya first brought the box in?" Ashido exclaimed.
"Wasn't it something along the lines of 'the past being a teacher'?" Kaminari tried to remember.
"Shut up extras, or I'll kill you!" Bakugo yelled, making the conversation end.
'-Uraraka weightless, so our weight is just Uraraka plus the equipment and clothes.' Midoriya stared at her in awe as they landed.
"What do you think of my babies? Aren't they cute? Cuteness can be made, you know." Hatsume gushed to Midoriya.
"Excellent mobility! The babies are amazing, Hatsume!" Midoriya replied.
"Right?" Hatsume beamed.
"It's because I'm making them afloat…" Uraraka muttered, glaring at Hatsume.
"Why didn't you say what you thought of Ochaco's quirk out loud? You made her jealous..." Hagakure told Midoriya.
"Well, I-I um…" Midoriya stuttered.
"It's okay. It's fine." Uraraka reassured her.
"Your headband's gone!" Sato exclaimed to Hagakure.
"When did that happen?!" Hagakure blurted out looking left and right.
"Profiting while others fight." the blond sighed, twirling the headband.
"Monoma…" Hagakure muttered.
"Now then, even though barely two minutes have passed since we've started, it's already turned to a free-for-all! Fights over the headbands breaking out all over! Ignoring the ten million points and going for second to fourth places isn't bad, either!" Present Mic announced.
A merciless laugh sounded out, catching Midoriya's attention as he turned to the sound as he saw Shoji running at him with his arms covering his back.
"Fighting? No, this is a one-sided pillage!"
"Shoji? What? By himself? But it's a team battle!" Midoriya questioned.
"So, you thought I was alone, Midoriya?" Shoji asked him.
"That's what it looked like." Midoriya responded.
"Then you must have been real surprised to see me and Mineta?" Asui asked.
"Yeah…" Midoriya nodded.
"-against multiple opponents!" Tokoyami told Midoriya, their team starting to move before Uraraka had to pause
"What?" Uraraka questioned, looking down.
"What's wrong, Uraraka?" Midoriya looked down at her, seeing one of Mineta's purple balls stuck to the bottom of her hover boots.
"I'm stuck!" Uraraka cried.
"That's Mineta's…" Midoriya mumbled, looking around, asking, "Where'd it come from?"
"From here, Midoriya…" Mineta murmured from under Shoji's arms.
"What? Is that allowed?" Midoriya asked.
"It is!" Midnight answered.
A long tongue stuck out from the shadow of Shoji's arms. Midoriya ducked in time, along with Tetsutetsu barely missing.
"I didn't expect any less from you, Midoriya." Asui commented, revealing herself from under Shoji.
"Asui, too? That's amazing, Shoji!" Midoriya admired.
"Even as opponents, you can't resist complimenting people, huh, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked him.
"It's just a habit…" Midoriya rubbed his neck.
"A bad one." Bakugo mumbled.
"Come on man, don't be jealous. Midoriya spent years admiring you!" Kirishima remarked.
Midoriya pressed the button, activating the jetpack again. Mineta's sticky ball was still stuck to the bottom of Uraraka's hover boot, so when Midoriya activated the jetpack, the hover boot broke.
"My baby was torn apart!" Hatsume shrieked.
"Sorry! But we got away!" Midoriya apologized.
Bakugo shot out explosions from his hands, making his way to Midoriya's team in the air.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya gasped as he noticed Bakugo.
"Don't get carried away!" Bakugo yelled as he reached to grab Midoriya's headband, Uraraka flinched back as Bakugo got close.
"Damn it!" Bakugo yelled.
"Tokoyami!" Midoriya shouted.
Dark Shadow got in between Bakugo and Midoriya, taking the blast from Bakugo while the crowd cheered as they watched.
"He's gotten separated from his horses! Is that okay?!" Present Mic announced.
"What's with this guy?" Bakugo muttered as he hung in the air before beginning to fall until Sero used his tape to reel Bakugo back.
"Nice catch!" Kirishima praised as Sero and Ashido caught Bakugo.
"It's a technicality, so it's okay!" Midnight answered, adding, "It wouldn't have been if he'd touched the ground, though!"
"Our team could've been disqualified if Sero didn't catch you, Bakugo!" Ashido glanced at him.
"But it wasn't, so shut it, Racoon Eyes!" Bakugo yelled.
"It was just a lucky catch." Sero sighed.
"But what's Todoroki's team been doing this whole time? It hasn't shown anything about them." Jiro observed.
"Hopefully, you'll see." Yaoyorozu and Kaminari smiled.
'-this is inefficient… We can't run to the air anymore. We'll have to survive this with our increased mobility from Uraraka's Zero Gravity and with Tokoyami's Dark Shadow.' Midoriya thought.
"Maybe we could've just stayed in the air." Uraraka thought out loud, Tokoyami nodding in agreement.
"Maybe…" Midoriya muttered. "...and there's the advantage of staying out of the other teams range, but also a disadvantage, since we still don't know all of Class B's quirks, even from the training camp. And, there's also the possibility of…" Midoriya continued his muttering while the class just shook their heads.
'There he goes again…' the class sighed.
"Midoriya, you need to stop thinking about what you could've done, and focus on what you can do now." Asui told him, getting him out of his muttering.
"Shut it, you damn nerd!" Bakugo yelled at him.
The crowd cheered and roared as they watched the teams.
"Now, let's take a look at each team's points… It's been seven minutes! Here are the current rankings up on the screen!" Present Mic announced.
The crowd grew silent as the rankings appeared on the TV.
"Huh? It's kinda…"
"What? Wait a minute." Present Mic questioned while a headband got snatched from a team.
"Damn copycat…" Bakugo raged quietly.
"-Midoriya, Class A isn't doing so well…" Present Mic noted, getting a closer look at the rankings and team points before exclaiming, "Bakugo? What?"
"Class A is too simple-minded." the blond smirked as he snatched Bakugo's headband.
"He got us!" Ashido gasped.
"What'd you say, bastard? Give that back! I'll kill you!" Bakugo yelled as the blond's team stopped moving.
"Since Midnight said it was the first game, it wouldn't make sense for them to cut a ton of people in the qualifier, right?" the blond asked Bakugo.
"Huh?" Bakugo glared at the blond.
"Assuming they'd keep about forty people for the next stage, we just made sure we stayed within that number as we ran, observing from the back the quirks and personalities of those who would be our rivals. There's no point in being obsessive over winning in the prelims, right?" the blond explained
"So, he was calm at first, before…" Uraraka began.
"...he started going all psycho." Jiro finished, twirling her index fingers at her head.
"-good idea, right?" the blond remarked, wrapping the band around his neck.
"Hey, they're coming." one of his teammates said.
"It's better than going after a temporary 'top' like a horse with a carrot waving in front of its face. Oh, while I'm at it, you're famous, aren't you? As the victim of the sludge incident!" the blond told Bakugo.
"And, that's when he hit a nerve." Kirishima sighed.
"About how it feels to be attacked by villains once a year." the blond smirked.
"Kirishima… change of plan…" Bakugo muttered, a dark aura engulfing Bakugo.
Kirishima turned to look at Bakugo, only to gasp as he noticed Bakugo's change.
"Before we get Deku, let's kill all these guys!" Bakugo smirked manically.
"That's strangely what it felt like when he said that…" Ashido hid half of her face.
"Someone totally would've died, no doubt about that." Kaminari winced.
'-they could leave a stronger impression by overturning the mood that favored Class A before the sports festival started. But based on their way of thinking, it means they won't necessarily come after me.' Midoriya overheard the blond's plan before turning to his team, reassuring, "Everyone, it'll be easier to run aw-"
A roller blade screeched on the ground, cutting Midoriya's sentence short as it made Midoriya's team halt from moving. Midoriya looked to see who stopped them, seeing Todoroki's glare.
"Less than half the time is left now!" Present Mic announced.
Midoriya took a quiet breath before whispering, "It won't be that easy, huh?"
"The cavalry battle is about to enter the second half! In this unexpected rise of Class B, who will wear the ten million points in the end?!" Present Mic wondered.
"I'll be taking that now." Todoroki narrowed his eyes.
Ending plays.
"NO!" some of the class cried.
"It's just getting to the interesting parts!" Uraraka protested.
"Why the cliffhangers?!" Kaminari whined.
'It hasn't shown Bakugo getting blown by his own quirk. Maybe it won't show it, then.' Kirishima thought.
"Settle down Class 1-A!" Iida yelled, getting their attention, "Aizawa Sensei said we have time for one more, remember. Now, settle down, and we can continue."
"But the cliffhangers are so annoying…" Ashido complained.
"Ashido, we already know what happens." Ojiro told her.
"I know, but still." Ashido sighed.