Chapter 12: The Fall and the Minefield.
The race continued, a chaotic stream of quirks and adrenaline.
Midoriya Izuku was lagging behind, struggling without using One For All, relying on his wits and a piece of metal plate he had scavenged from the destroyed robot.
Aokiji, meanwhile, was cruising in a comfortable fourth place. He wasn't sprinting. He was pacing himself.
They reached the second obstacle: The Fall.
It was a massive canyon. Stone pillars were connected by thin tightropes. One slip meant falling into the darkness (and safety nets) below.
Tsuya Asui hopped from rope to rope.
A support girl with gadgets used a grappling hook.
Aokiji stood at the edge. He looked at the rope.
"Walking on a rope requires balance," he muttered. "Too much effort."
He stepped onto the rope. The moment his shoe touched it, ice coated the line, thickening it and making it slick. He didn't walk. He crouched slightly and slid. He turned the tightrope into a zip line, grinding down the frozen cable with sparks of frost flying from his heels.
As he slid across, he glanced to his left. On another rope, a bulky student with thick lips was muscling his way across. This was Sato from Class 1-B.
Aokiji blinked.
Sato was grunting, his muscles bulging as he hauled himself hand-over-hand.
"Hey," Aokiji called out as he zipped past him. "Nice biceps."
Sato looked up, startled. "Huh? Oh! Thanks, man! Hey, aren't you the Kuzan guy? Who fought the Numo."
"Well I guess so," Aokiji noted. "Do your best."
"You too!" Sato shouted back.
Aokiji landed on the other side of the canyon seamlessly. I think Class 1-B seems nice, he thought. Less screaming than my class.
The Minefield
The final obstacle. A field of dirt packed with landmines. Not lethal, but loud and forceful enough to blow you backward and humiliate you.
Bakugo and Todoroki were at the front. They were fighting each other now, pushing and shoving. Bakugo blasted mines to blind Todoroki; Todoroki created ice walls to block Bakugo.
"DIE, HALF-AND-HALF!"
"GET BACK, BAKUGO."
They were slowing each other down.
Aokiji arrived at the edge of the field. He saw the explosions.
"Loud," he grimaced.
He stepped onto the dirt. He didn't try to navigate the safe spots. He just froze the ground before he stepped on it. The mechanisms of the mines, frozen solid, couldn't trigger. He walked in a straight line, a path of frost trailing behind him.
"He's nullifying the traps!" Present Mic shouted. "Kuzan is walking through the minefield like he's window shopping!"
Aokiji was catching up to the leading pair. He was just a few meters behind them.
He looked at the finish line ahead. He saw the cameras. The interview podiums. The flashing lights where the winner would have to stand and give a speech.
If I win, Aokiji calculated, I have to do the winner's interview. I have to be the center of attention. Dad will call me immediately.
He slowed his pace slightly.
Fourth place. Fourth place is good. Respectable. But not 'headline news'.
Just then, a massive explosion rocked the rear of the field.
A pink cloud of smoke erupted. Flying out of it, riding a piece of metal on the shockwave, was Midoriya Izuku.
Aokiji watched the green missile fly past him.
"DEKU?!" Bakugo screamed, looking up.
Midoriya flew over their heads. He slammed his metal plate onto the mines in front of Bakugo and Todoroki, triggering another blast that propelled him forward past them.
The lead changed instantly. Midoriya was first. Todoroki and Bakugo panicked and chased him.
The final stretch was a blur.
Midoriya tumbled across the line. First Place.
Todoroki, fuming, crossed second.
Bakugo, hyperventilating with rage, crossed third.
Aokiji strolled across the line a few seconds later. Fourth Place.
The crowd went wild. Confetti cannons fired.
"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!" Present Mic screamed. "THE DARK HORSE, MIDORIYA IZUKU, TAKES THE GOLD! FOLLOWED BY THE TITANS OF CLASS 1-A!"
Aokiji raised his head, to see the fantastic view of the crowds. He wasn't out of breath, but he wiped a bead of condensation from his forehead.
"Arara," he sighed, looking at the chaos of the top three. "I almost broke a sweat there. These guys... they fight like their lives depend on it."
In the plaza outside the stadium, the students were catching their breath. Midoriya was crying.
Bakugo marched up to Midoriya, grabbing his collar. "YOU! DEKU! YOU TRICKED ME!"
Then he spun around to face Aokiji, who was drinking a water bottle.
"AND YOU!" Bakugo pointed a shaking finger. "Why did you slow down?! You were right behind us! Are you mocking me?!"
Aokiji lowered his water bottle. "Are you angry though you have won?"
"BULLSHIT!" Bakugo screamed. "I BEAT YOU!! But it doesn't feel like a WIN at all!"
Bakugo pointed at Todoroki. "And you too!"
Aokiji and Todoroki headed off in opposite directions, neither wanting to stick around the boy who looked seconds away from exploding.
Kaminari arrived at the arena entrance, breathing hard as he slowed to a stop. "What's his problem?" he asked between breaths.
Uraraka Ochako reached the arena just a step behind him, chest rising and falling with exertion. "Just ignore him," she said, trying to catch her breath. "Act like we don't know him."