"Shina Etsuha… 30 seconds!"
At the finish line, Present Mic hurriedly stopped the timer, glanced at the display, and read the result out loud.
"Thirty seconds? Are you sure you read that right?" Aizawa Shouta, who had just arrived, looked at him in disbelief.
"Thirty seconds—confirmed. That's a new record!" Present Mic replied confidently. Then, noticing Aizawa's reaction, he couldn't help but tease him. "What's wrong? Didn't expect it? Even with that kind of setup, he still crushed it. This kid is something else."
"…You're right." Even Aizawa Shouta, usually calm and composed, had to admit it this time. Etsuha's talent was extraordinary. The way he handled the race had completely overturned expectations.
Nearby, Shoto Todoroki watched Etsuha with intense focus.
"What incredible control… it's completely different from mine."
Both of them wielded ice, yet the difference in precision and application was overwhelming. Shoto Todoroki couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
At that moment, Inasa Yoarashi descended from the sky in a rush. The excitement from earlier had vanished—replaced by genuine respect.
"That was incredible, Shina. I've never seen anything like it."
Etsuha simply smiled in response.
Meanwhile, another competitor came sprinting toward the finish line—the student who could turn the terrain into a quagmire.
After realizing he could no longer interfere with Etsuha, he had decisively turned on his own teammates, trapping them in the swamp while making a break for the finish himself.
The two students with "high-temperature" and "melting" Quirks were having a miserable time. Their abilities weren't suited to this situation. Even as they tried to fight back, they couldn't escape the sinking mud. All they could do was watch helplessly as their bodies were dragged deeper and deeper down.
It was worth noting that their Quirks didn't conflict with each other. Though both were temperature-related, they functioned very differently—especially the "high-temperature" Quirk, which could maintain an object at a fixed heat indefinitely. It was nothing like ordinary flame abilities, and certainly not something that would clash like Etsuha and Shoto Todoroki's ice powers.
"Third place is mine!"
The quagmire user charged forward, excitement written all over his face.
Aizawa had already stated the rules: the bottom five would fail. That meant only the top three would pass.
As long as he made it across the line, his position would be secured.
Whoosh!
Just as he was reveling in his success, a figure suddenly shot past him from behind.
It was Yaoyorozu Momo!
"Brilliant strategy!" Present Mic exclaimed, unable to hold back his amazement.
What he saw left him stunned.
Yaoyorozu Momo was riding along the ice track Etsuha had created earlier—her feet equipped with specially crafted ice skates!
With this setup, her speed skyrocketed. She cut cleanly across the terrain, heading straight for the finish line.
"No way I'm letting you pass!"
The quagmire user panicked and immediately tried to manipulate the terrain again. But the moment he reached down, he froze.
A thick layer of ice covered the ground ahead of the track—his hands couldn't even make contact with the soil!
"Did Shina set this up beforehand?!"
He stared in shock.
And in that instant, Yaoyorozu Momo had already crossed the finish line.
"Third place—Yaoyorozu Momo! Time: 1 minute, 3 seconds!" Present Mic announced.
"She used a rope to climb onto the ice track, then created skating equipment to maximize her speed…" Aizawa Shouta analyzed quietly, nodding in approval. "That's an impressive use of her Quirk."
In what should have been a disadvantageous situation, Yaoyorozu Momo had turned the tide entirely, creating a unique advantage for herself. It was a strategy no one had anticipated.
"Ahhh! My third place is gone!"
The quagmire user collapsed in frustration. By the time he crossed the line, he had already dropped to fourth place.
"Shina, thank you!" Yaoyorozu Momo said cheerfully, clearly relieved. "If not for your ice track, dealing with all those offensive Quirks would've been a nightmare."
"It was your idea," Etsuha replied with a slight smile. Even he had to admit—her approach had been clever. She achieved maximum efficiency with minimal effort.
Had she chosen to team up earlier, she might have ended up stuck in the swamp alongside the others.
And those unfortunate students…
At this point, they were nearly unconscious, still sinking into the quagmire.
"What is this?! Let me out!"
"Damn it… that swamp guy! If I get out of this, I swear—!"
"Help! I can't swim! I can't even swim in mud—glug…!"
"Wait, the high-temperature guy is starting to eat dirt! Someone help him!"
"…Pathetic."
Aizawa Shouta watched the scene with a frown, clearly unimpressed.
"No need to continue. None of you qualify."
With that, he casually reached down and pulled the mud-covered high-temperature student out of the swamp.