Ben and Tetsutetsu watched as Shiozaki took a single vine and thrust it into the ground, and started tunneling. After a couple seconds, the vine broke out of the ground a couple feet away from its initial entry point.
"Right on! That's a good technique to hold onto and surprise our opponents in the ring!" Tetsutetsu praised.
"Alright, looks like we are good. Let's go to Midnight-sensei."
"Please wait a moment. You never told us who you were gonna transform into. Isn't that something we should know?" Questioned Shiozaki.
"Oh, that's because I don't know who I'll transform into. Look, I don't know all of my class's quirks and much less your class and the gen ed boys. I want to take the 5 minutes to see what will work. Like I said before, Midnight didn't say we had to maintain the same formation through the entire game. I'm trying to be a bit more smart with my transformations. If we're gonna win, I need to make sure I got the right one for the job."
"Very well. It's your quirk, so you know best. I trust you."
"Ok, we got a game plan! Let's go confirm with Midnight to get our headband and name of the scoreboard."
Tetsutetsu led the three towards their teacher, who was slightly surprised that she was handing the headband to someone other than Ben. She quickly recovered, and just wished them luck with a smile. Hurrying to their spot in the circle formation the teams would begin the event in, Team Tetsutetsu started forming up.
"Hrg!" Ben carefully spaced out his legs to distribute the weight as Tetsutetsu held his arms out to maintain balance. Shiozaki braced her palms under Ben's as they held Tetsutetsu in their cavalry formation. It was a bit wobbly due to the height difference between the front and back horses, but the two managed to carry their rider with minimal strain.
"You good Ben?" Tetsutetsu asked, watching as the younger boy took deep breaths.
"Yeah. I've been taking extra conditioning classes with Aizawa-sensei, so I got a lot stronger over the past two weeks." Ben grimaced at the hellish memories, but begrudgingly admitted that without them, there would be no way he could hold Tetsutetsu for 5 minutes.
"Nice! Maybe once this is over, we can head to the gym, get a workout routine going!" Ben nervously laughed at this proposition, but the fire in Tetsutetu's eyes and the bulging of his flexed biceps told Ben that whatever the guy thought was a normal gym workout would probably match Aizawa's. He couldn't accept that, it would end him.
"It looks like everyone's getting into formation as well. We should be starting soon." Shiozaki interjected from the back.
Ben looked to his left and right, evaluating the teams. Midoriya tightened his headband with a final tug, his expression one of determination. Uraraka and Hatsume supported him from the sides, with Tokoyami leading the team, and all of them wearing a piece or two of support gear. Bakugo, supported by Sero and Ashido with Kirishima in front, flexed his fingers, palms pointed upwards and already popping with explosive power. Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Ida stood with focused expressions, with the nervous Kaminari looking a tad out of place. Shoji stood alone, with many of his arms ballooning behind him, forming an orb. Were his teammates inside that? Ben could only surmise so, as solo teams were not allowed. Jiro and Koda formed a team similar to Ben's, but their headband was seemingly floating in midair. So, that meant Hagakure was their rider. Monoma, slightly slouched and with his fake smile on his face, gave a final talk to his team. 3 boys, one clenching his fingers together into a strange shape, the other with excited, oval shaped eyes and brown hair, and the final one with a pitch black skin tone nodded along. Kendo led her team of class B girls, with a girl with white hair and a vacant expression, a girl with brown hair who hid behind her team, and Tokage who Ben recognized from the lunch he had also met Shiozaki. Shoda rubbed the bridge of his nose as he supported a girl rolling her head around with an indifferent gaze. Supporting alongside Shoda was Pony and another class B student, but their strange physiology made it difficult for Bent to tell who they were. Did those holes in their head expel some sort of fluid? A boy with a mantis-like head slammed his fists together, a chinese boy with sharp eyes holding him from the back and a massively built beast-like student with fearsome features taking point. The only duo team, a boy with a headband atop the boy with exposed teeth who finished alongside Shiozaki calmly stood at the ready.
It was the last team that didn't sit right with Ben. That gen ed kid with the eyebags and purple hair stood with loose arms and a Monoma-like smile one his face. Ben was used to that, but what really unsettled him were the people supporting him. Sato, Ojiro and Aoyama formed around him, but they had such empty expressions on their faces. It was a different kind of emptiness, as they were not talking, concentrating, interacting with their teams. The class A boys looked like robots; dead until given a command to move. It gave Ben chills. That gen ed guy definitely had some skill if he made it past the race, but to what extent did his powers go?
"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, THE HUMAN CALVARY BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice shook the stadium, and caught the students below off guard. During the race they were outside the stadium, and thus were protected from the voice hero's commentary. Now that they were here, they had no such protection.
"I HOPE YOU FORMED A SOLID TEAM, 'CAUSE IT'S DO OR DIE TIME! LET'S START THE COUNTDOWN TO THE START OF THIS CLASH!"
"3!" Ben breathed out slowly, relaxing his body.
"2!" Every student had their eyes on just one target.
"1!" The only headband that really mattered: The one with 10 million points!
"START!" At Present Mic's scream, every team angled themselves towards Ben and surged forward. Explosions fired, students roared and projecticles flew. All aimed at one group.
"Tetsutetsu! Take it!" Shiozaki snapped off a small, withered vine from her head with a fresh one and slithered it up into their rider's hand.
"Use this!" Before even getting into the cavalry position, Ben had picked up a small chunk of the arena floor from the edge that had come loose during the stadium's assembly.
Ripping the headband out of it's loose knot around his head, the steel quirk user got to work. Gripping the dead vine between his teeth, Tetsutetsu grabbed the small chunk of gravel from Ben and wrapped the headband around it several times. Taking the vine, he then wrapped the vine to secure the headband-wrapped rock while leaving plenty of length left. Even with the pressure of every team rushing them, Tetsutetsu took his time to make sure his work was done right, pulling at his rock-headband laso to make sure it held.
"IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE HAS THE SAME IDEA AND ARE RUSHING TEAM TETSUTETSU FOR THE 10 MILLION! BUT THAT TEAM HAS YET TO MAKE A MOVE AND- WAIT DID HE REMOVE HIS OWN HEADBAND? DID HE, DID, WAIT HE JUST MADE SOME SORT OF LASO? WHAT IS THE GAME PLAN HERE MAN?"
"You all want this headband, right?" Tetsutetsu held up the headband, dangling from the vine. Every rider's eyes snapped up, the hunger evident. The teams, with their target now in sight, moved even faster, with the frontrunners like Team Todoroki preparing to attack. Tetsutetsu hoisted the rock above his head and started spinning. The rock, with the headband wrapped securely around it and held in place by the vine, started whipping around at high speed, to the point where it disappeared into a circle of gray and green. The other teams faltered, unsure of this tactic.
"Well, go fetch!" With a final heave, Tetsutetsu let the vine go, letting it soar out of his hands and over the heads of the teams right in front of them. They were so close that Ben could see the sweat running down their foreheads from the quick sprint. All heads turned, watching the rock sail gracefully through the air and arcing down. With a dull thud, it landed near the center of the arena, where it didn't roll or move. For a moment, there was peace in the arena. The audience and participants alike didn't know how to react to such a strange move by Team Tetsutetsu.
Then the peace broke.
"Get it!" The riders screamed and the carriers obeyed. As Ben expected, the aggression that was targeted at his team just moments before was suddenly gone. All eyes were on the headband, and a massive melee broke out in the center over it. Dust was kicked up from the powerful attacks teams threw against each other, adding to the confusion. The headband was securely tied to the rock, which sat on the floor, presenting an additional issue: reach. Many teams didn't have the ability to grab the headband, as they chose riders expecting to grab the headbands from other people's foreheads, not the ground. If one of the horses tried to reach down, the stability of the rider was at risk, and in such a melee a moment of weakness could mean one's own headband was at risk.
Ben saw flashes of ice from Todoroki, heard booms from Bakugo, the smacks from Kendo's fists and the cries of his fellow students. It was a mess, and he couldn't tell who was closest to the 10 million headband, or if anyone even knew where it was anymore. It was just pandemonium, a tangle of arms, legs and quirks. The fact that only the riders could use their quirks to their full potential added to the chaos. The horses had to support the rider with their hands and work together to move, trying to attack on top of that was difficult, especially for teams with less than three horses.
"I got it!" The class B bandana boy emerged from the melee, his fist rising above the dust. The 10 million point headband clenched tightly in his fist, the boy positively glowing with triumph.
"Oh no you don't, Awase!" A large had chopped Awase in the back of the head, causing the boy's eyes to bulge in pain. The headband fluttered out of his grasp, and was caught in some spectral power. Team Kendo's point, the girl with pale skin, narrowed her eyes in concentration as she levitated the headband closer. Kendo reached out with her enlarged hand, fingers quivering as she tried to reach just a few centimeters more.
"Shit, she's almost got it! Go for it Shishida!"
"GRAH!"
A beastial roar shook the arena as Shishida from class B pumped himself up, activating his quirk, Beast. Now so large that the riders had to angle their heads up to see his face, Shishida raised both arms, with hands open wide. In a single leap, the boy leapt over Shoji and slammed his palms down on the ground right in front of Kendo. The resulting shockwave sent dust flying up, and the turbulent air shook the pale girl's concentration and the headband flew away.
"No!" Kendo grit her teeth in frustration. She looked down, ordering her team forward, but then her instincts flared up. Arcing her head to the side, she narrowly avoided the tape attack that nearly caught her cheek. Looking back, she saw the smirking face of Sero and the face of absolute concentration of his rider, Bakugo.
"Get out of the way, extras!" Bakugo snarled, raising his palms to aim directly at the center of the melee. Kendo and the other teams within earshot quickly ordered their teams to move to the side.
Kaboom!
In a fierce twin explosion, the dust in the center was blown cleanly away, leaving dazed teams in its wake. The 10 million headband, the rock it was attached to now showing signs of damage, flew from the sight of impact, in clear view as all teams looked up. A long tongue lashed out to grab it, but was jabbed away by a pair of ear jacks. Class B's beast student bent down to perform another leap, but the ground beneath him suddenly softened, preventing him from moving. Bakugo's team managed to jockey into a position under the headband, and the blonde rider reached a hand up, only to get blocked by a wall of solid air. In the brief lull of combat, Koda rushed forth, Jiro barely managing to keep up, and the headband suddenly started following the quiet boy. Hagakure was now in possession.
"After her!"
"IN A SHOCKING MOVE, TEAM TETSUTETSU WILLINGLY THREW AWAY THEIR HEADBAND TO THE WOLVES, CAUSING ABSOLUTE CHAOS! THE 10 MILLION HAS BEEN IN SO MANY DIFFERENT TEAM'S HANDS THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHO IS IN THE LEAD! I COMMEND TEAM TETSUTETSU'S BRAVERY, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE GOING A TAD TOO FAR! WHAT DO YOU SAY ERASERHEAD?"
"While a strange move, the logic behind it is sound. Team Tetsutetsu realized that the headband will make the team who is in possession of it the public enemy. Giving up the headband has been attempted several times in the past for the same reason. Tire the competition out, then counter-attack later to pick off the exhausted teams. Of course, this plan can easily backfire. The plan revolves entirely around Team Tetsutetsu's assumption that they can earn back enough points. If they misjudge their own abilities, they will have just thrown away their ticket to the final event. Only time will tell."
13 minutes and 45 seconds remaining!
"How are you two holding up?" Tetsutetsu called out, keeping his eyes forward.
"Fine." Ben grit out. Really he was feeling the slight strain of holding up Tetsutetsu, but he had gone through worse.
"I am alright, thank you for asking." Even in the face of so many teams, Shiozaki never lost her cool attitude.
"Well, looks like the plan went off without a hitch. The scoreboard is shifting every second." Tetsutetsu looked up at the main screen, which showed a graph depicting each team, their score and their placement. Their team was tied with multiple others in last place.
"I would not say it has gone fully as planned. It looks like there are two other teams with similar ideas to us." Shiozaki scoured the field, and easily identified two other teams.
The first was Team Midoriya, who skirted around the outskirts of the arena. Despite this team's massive score total, they were able to remain under the radar due to the 10 million point bounty on Ben's head. All 4 of Team Midoriya's members had been in the top 10, and so they easily had enough points to make it to the next event, so they chose an intelligent, defensive plan. The other team was that gen ed kid, with the 3 class A boys silently holding him up. They did not move, nor talk or even flex a facial muscle. Now Ben was unnerved, and his team was starting to feel uncomfortable too.
But there was no time for that. Puffing out his cheeks, Tetsutetsu got his blood moving. "Alright guys, let's move around! No point staying in the same spot all game."
Shiozaki agreed. "It would be prudent of us to move while eyes are not on us."
Ben hoisted Tetsutetsu up a fraction. "Alright, let's move! Where to?"
"Just move opposite to that green dude's team. Stay on the perimeter. When they move, we move."
"Got it."
Ben and Shiozaki shifted their formation to move in the clockwise direction that Team Midoriya was using, and started to go from a walk to a brisk jog. Then Ben's battle sense, beaten into him through countless battles, went off. There was someone quickly moving to engage them. But from where? He couldn't see!
"On the right!" Tetsutetsu's panicked cry startled Ben and Shiozaki into action as they slid their feet left. Just in time, as a team of 4 barreled past them, only just missing collision. Yet, not fast enough as Ben received a rough slap on his right arm. His sleeve caught most of it, but his hand's exposed backside stung from the blow.
"Ow!" Ben winced as the initial spike of pain from the blow subsided. Looking forward, the team that had hit them halted and spun around. Not really recognizing them, Ben assumed that they were from class B. All boys, but he did recognize the rider.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt? I didn't think a mere love tap would make the great Tennyson of class A wince!" Monoma laughed, throwing his arms out. "Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki, I am wounded! Would you really choose this pompous class A brat over your own class?"
"Dude, attacking from the back is not cool." Tetsutetsu scolded. "And why I chose Ben is honestly none of your business. I did what I thought would get me through the round, nothing more or less."
"We don't have points, so there is no reason to incite a fight, Monoma. Is your vendetta against class A that important to you?" Shiozaki peered around her team to talk.
"Oh my dear Shiozaki!" Monoma brought his arms back to clutch his heart. "You truly did forget about me! Do you not remember my quirk and how it works from our first training exercise together?"
Ben's teammates eyes widened in realization.
"Oh shit! Ben, did he touch you?" Tetsutetsu called down urgently.
"Yeah, he got my arm. Why? Is that bad?" Ben replied.
"Tennyson, Monoma's quirk is Copy! It allows him to copy the quirk of anyone he touches for a set period of time!" Shiozaki explained. "His plan the entire time must have been to isolate us and then copy your quirk!"
"Oh, so you do remember! Well then, you should have realized that I would have come for your team, points or no points, the moment you decided to team up with that class A brat! Now, let's have a taste of this legendary transforming power, shall we?" Monoma curled his hands into fists, closed his eyes, and tightened his smile.
Memories of Kevin Levin flashed before Ben's eyes. The way he morphed into the 10 aliens, then mutating into an abomination consisting of all of their powers. How it warped Kevin's mind. Ben would not let that happen again! Pushing his left hand, which was under Tetsutetsu's foot, Ben began mentally preparing for a transformation. If Monoma's quirk acted like how he thought Kevin's did, then it wouldn't be long before he lost his sanity. But looking for just a brief moment stalled Ben.
"Uh... you OK?" Monoma was no longer smiling. His face was scrunched up, eyes clenched shut, jaw set and cheeks reddening. His shoulders shook, his arms quivered and the blush spread to his collarbone. Both teams stalled out as neither was sure what to do.
"rrrraaaAHHHH!" Monoma let out a strangled scream.
"Monoma, what's going on up there?" Monoma's lead horse called up through grit teeth.
"You're embarrassing us!" The boy with black skin hissed out. Indeed, several camera crews noticed the mini-confrontation and some small screens were showing the stand-off. In particular, they were zooming in on the student who looked constipated.
"What. Is. Going. On!" Monoma finally broke, his smile gone. His face morphed with pure fury, and his gaze landed on Ben. "I can feel your quirk! I felt it! I felt it being copied by my own! It's in me, but I can't bring it out! I can copy mutation quirks like Shiozaki, emitter quirks like Tsuburaba, transformation quirks like Shishida, but I can't copy yours! But I did! What are you?"
"Uh, I do have a quirk. Cellular Adaptability. If you weren't screaming, you'd probably notice its effects. They're small, but they are there." Ben gave a half-hearted shrug.
"W-w-what!" Monoma sputtered. "But you- but you- you, transform into other creatures! Where's the link from Cellular Adaptability to that?"
"I dunno. Copy is your quirk right? Shouldn't you know this stuff works?"
"Grrrrr! Tsuburaba! Forward!" Monoma commanded, snarling out orders.
"Uh, no, dude. You told us the plan was to take Tennyson's quirk and then use that to get points. They don't have any and we just wasted a bunch of time on nothing. You couldn't copy Tennyson's quirk, they don't have the 10 million, and we looked like a bunch of idiots on national TV. We need to get back in the game." Tsuburaba huffed.
"He's right. We still have time, so let's recover fast from this blunder." The black-skinned boy agreed.
Monoma looked down, his eyes covered by his hanging blonde bangs. "Very well. But this isn't over Tennyson! Not by a long shot!"
Team Tetsutetsu just looked on in confusion as Team Monoma ran off back into the melee.
"Uh, so you want to tell us what just happened Ben?" Tetsutetsu asked, scratching his head. "Did you lie just to get him off our backs?"
"I wasn't lying. It's just as I said: my quirk is Cellular Adaptability. Makes me really resistant, but not immune, to sickness and I adjust quickly to environmental changes, particularly to temperature." Ben did remember one time on his summer road trip where he got sick, but that was his fault. Not even a quirk could protect him from over half an hour in the back of an ice cream truck, eating till he was literally sick.
"How does that connect with your ability to transform?" Shiozaki asked next.
"Oh that's easy. He doesn't have an Omnitrix. Err, that's what I call my watch." Ben quickly skated over revealing the Omnitrix. "Monoma can't absorb a watch, can he?"
"As far as I can tell, he can not. Moreover, since your watch is merely facilitating your quirk, I do not think touching will make a difference." Shiozaki said.
'Oh, if only you knew.' Ben thought.
12 minutes and 57 seconds remaining!
"WHAT AN ACTION-PACKED 2ND EVENT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AS THE BRAWL FOR THE 10 MILLION HAS YET TO HAVE A CLEAR WINNER! TEAM HAGAKURE TRIED TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT, BUT TEAM SHOJI BATTERED INTO THEM, FORCING IT OUT OF HER HANDS! BUT TEAM SHOJI IS UNABLE TO TAKE THE HEADBAND FOR THEMSELVES AS TEAM KODAI LETS LOOSE A GLUE BARRAGE, COURTESY OF BONDO, FORCING THEM BACK! TEAM KAMAKIRI RUSHES IN FROM THE RIGHT, AND IN A STORM OF SCALES, CLAWS AND BLADES, TAKE THE 10 MILLION! DON'T REST NOW, CAUSE HERE COMES TEAM BAKUGO, POWERING THROUGH! THE HEADBAND CHANGES POSSESSION YET AGAIN! BUT TEAM AWASE CAUGHT TEAM BAKUGO IN SOFTENED SAND TO TAKE BACK THE HEADBAND! TEAM AWASE WAS THE FIRST TO ACQUIRE THE 'BAND AND- OHHHH, WHAT A SPEEDY STEAL! POWERED BY IDA, TEAM TODOROKI BLINDSIDES TEAM AWASE TO TAKE THE HEADBAND!"
"Keep a good distance between us and the rest, Ida. Yaoyorozu and Kaminari, prepare to deflect any incoming attacks. We end this needless squabble now." Todoroki coolly ordered.
"Yes!" Ida's legs pumped up and down as he extended the gap between his team and the rest, but careful not to endanger his team's formation. Yaoyorozu and Kaminari looked over their shoulders to spot any incoming threats. Yaoyorozu produced some sort of launcher out of her elbow and Kaminari spun several sparks between his fingers. Todoroki himself started to secure the other headbands they stole around his neck. It was nothing when put next to the 10 million, but it was never a bad thing to have a backup plan.
Todoroki scanned the battlefield, and spotted Team Tetsutetsu moving along the edges of the battlefield. But, just as he was when he first approached his team when the event started, Tennyson was still not transformed.
'What are you waiting for Tennyson?' Todoroki narrowed his eyes. What was the boy planning?
12 minutes and 7 seconds remaining!
"Damn it! He's running like a coward!" Bakugo spat, firing off an explosion at the retreating Team Todoroki. It did nothing, as Ida quickly brought Bakugo's targets out of his range.
Bakugo threw his head back and gnashed his teeth in frustration. This was not how the event should have gone! He was supposed to overpower his opponents with explosive power, and prove once and for all he stood above all these extras! That he was the closest to becoming number 1! But what happened instead?
Tennyson, that damn American, just forfeited the 10 million right as the game started! He didn't even transform! Was he looking down on him, not thinking that it was worth it to use his quirk? Whatever the case, that cowardly move forced the teams into a frenzy, a frenzy that Bakugo did not come out on top. At least his own headband wasn't stolen in the chaos, but he didn't manage to snag any more headbands either. Unlike damn Todoroki, who somehow grabbed three other team's headbands before securing the 10 million. And then he just booked it and ran away! Was he the only person who had any pride at this school?
It was that pride that propelled him forward, edging him to do more than just qualify for the next event, but to crush everyone and demonstrate just how much stronger he was. His headband was loaded with points! He didn't need to go on the offensive like this, but he wouldn't just let someone else take his rightful first place! Bakugo snuck a look at the scoreboard. Stupid Todoroki should be in first and he should be second-
'Nope! That's it. This will not fucking stand!'
How was shitty, useless Deku above him? The person who had never challenged him before, how was he in a place above him? Did he surround himself with stronger people to make up for his own lack of strength? It was a fluke that he finished the race before him. A fluke! Here, in this event, he could do something about this himself! No All Might to put stupid restraints on him, no villains to interupt his work, just him and Deku.
"Kiriman! Change targets! We're going after Deku now!"
"It's Kirishima." The lead horse sighed as he pushed off course and started running towards Team Midoriya. "And are you still calling Midoriya, Deku? Are you just bad with names?"
"No, I'm not bad at anything! Shitty Deku is Deku, that's all he is and will be! Now charge!"
"What about the 10 million? You said it was our only target!" Ashido called from his right-backside. She did, as well as the two other horses, obey his order to speed up.
"We'll grab it later, once Deku is taken care of!" Midoriya finally spotted the charging team and frantically called out orders. Bakugo was close enough to where he saw the fear in Deku's eyes. Bakugo felt satisfaction flow through his body. Deku still knew where he stood. So why didn't he just give up? Bakugo braced his wrists behind him.
"Catch me before I hit the ground or I'll kill you!"
"Huh?" Boom! Bakugo's three teammates cried out as he blasted off into the air, without a single care for how his take-off affected his team.
"Game's over Deku! Now die!" Bakugo's feral grin emerged as he flew through the air, hands outstretched. He could see the whites of Midoriya's eyes.
"Tokoyami!" He heard Deku call out. But Bakugo couldn't put the name to a face.
"I see him. Dark Shadow, repel him!"
"On it!"
Seemingly from the bird extra's stomach, a massive shadow flew out and placed itself between Bakugo and his prey. Quickly throwing out his palms, Bakugo let loose twin explosions that battered the shadow. His victory was short-lived however, as the dark mass regained its form and made a retaliatory swipe. Bakugo used his right hand to fire off another explosion to create some distance. As the explosion moved him away, the shadow retreated.
"What the fuck was that?" Bakugo begrudgingly admitted he needed to brush up on the extra's quirks. Letting his body fall, Bakugo then felt something snap onto his left shoulder. The object stuck to his uniform, and heaved him back. He crashed into Kirishima, who shrugged off the damage and held still as Bakugo used him to get back into position.
"After him! Don't let him run!" Bakugo yelled, and his team pushed onward. They easily closed the distance, riding up on Team Midoriya's left side.
"Pinky! Attack!"
"It's Ashido! It's not that hard!"
Ashido lifted her right arm to fire off a stream of acid. Bakugo followed it up with a smaller, but focused explosion near the middle of the steam. Sent scattering from the explosion, the acid flew towards Team Midoriya, in small quantities from every direction, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
"Hastume! Uraraka!" Midoriya called out his other teammates.
"Alright, revving my babies up!"
"Hold on everyone!"
Team Midoriya took a small hop synchronously, and that small shared airtime was extended through Uraraka's quirk. Hatume then activated a booster back on Midoriya's back as well as firing the familiar Hover Soles on her feet. The entire team jerked back several feet, and the acid that seemed like a sure hit just moments ago fell to the ground harmlessly.
"Hahah! I told you I didn't need Tennyson! My babies are perfectly fine on their own. I should know, cause I built them!"
So that's how Deku got so many points! He's leeching off the leech! Well, no matter. She didn't have Tennyson this round! Wait, why was Deku backing away?
Snatch!
"Ah, class A, always so rash! Like taking candy from a baby." Monoma twirled Bakugo's headband twice before adding it to his own.
"You were all so focused on achieving first place in the last event that you failed to strategize! Did you really think that class B couldn't challenge you for first? We let you pass, so that we in the middle and back could observe your quirks and strategies. Explosions, Acid, Tape and Hardening, led by an aggressive, barbaric leader. I suppose that's what happens when you're attacked by villains so often. How many times does that make it that you've ended up in the news Bakugo, twice, I believe?" Monoma was back in his element. He needed to recover from that debacle with Tennyson!
But he may have chosen the wrong target.
"Kirishima. Change of plans. Before Deku, before the 10 million... I'm gonna send these no-name shitstains to their early graves!"
10 minutes and 48 seconds remaining!
"Are you sure about this, Shiozaki?" Ben nervously asked the girl.
"Yeah, I think even a dunce would notice the vine just laying on the ground. A bit obvious, don't you think?" Tetsutetsu agreed.
"You boys fail to consider their perspectives. Some realize that their headbands don't have enough points for them to safely believe themselves qualified. Others have had their headbands stolen, and are desperate to make a move. Even if they do notice my vine, which I'm sure they have, they will not have the time nor mental energy to consider what it means for them." Shiozaki commanded a single one of her vines to snake to the side, closer and closer to the center, where the majority of teams were still fighting it out.
"When a team lets themselves fall too deep into their emotions, they grow sloppy." The mantis-head class B student pointed at the retreating Team Hagakure, and gave chase. Team Hagakure ran over the vine, showing no signs of noticing it other than making sure they didn't step on it lest they roll their ankles.
"That is the time to strike." As soon as the beast-student passed over the vine, Shiozaki let loose a crack that sent a wave of force down the vine, similar to a whip. The vine flew up and striked the student bringing up the rear, snapping against the inside of his thigh. He let out a cry of shock and pain, and dropped his rider. Mantis-boy fell back, and landed atop the horse. The team was so busy reorganizing themselves, that they didn't notice the vine snaking up the mantis-boy's shoulder until it was too late. The vine wrapped around the back of their headband and yanked the head and headband back. The headband was securely in the vine's grasp and Shiozaki reeled it back.
"Awsome." Tetsutetsu smirked as he tied the new headband around his forehead. It wasn't 10 million, but it was a start.
"Shiozaki! Just for that, I'm gonna put your team out of commission!" Now reassembled, but headbandless, the class B team stood face-to-face with Team Tetsutetsu.
"So confident, eh Kamakiri? Then come and get some!" Tetsutetsu snarked back.
"All right, we will! Let's go, team!" Team Kamakiri moved onto Team Tetsutetsu, aiming for their headband. Ben saw blades growing out of the mantis-boy's arms, in a process similar to Yaoyorozu. He already knew what Shishida could do. The boy in the back, who Ben heard them call Rin, morphed his arms to be covered in green scales. It was a 3 on 2. Not good, especially when Team Kamakiri had quirks specializing in close quarters combat.
"24 seconds until the 10 minute mark Tennyson!" Shiozaki called out as she sent a mass of vines forward. They wrapped around Shishida, and managed to restrain him for a few precious seconds before he managed to rip them apart. Tetsutetsu was in a fierce battle with Kamakiri; blades sparking off steel, punches being woven in, and sweat pouring down their faces in concentration. Ben narrowly pulled his foot back from being smashed. Just a little while longer!
"17 seconds!" Ben dropped his shoulder down to avoid the scales shot his way. So Rin could fire them from a range as well!
"12 seconds!" Tetsutetsu gripped one of Kamakiri's arms and held it to the boy's chest, but one arm was insufficient to protect himself from a scale assault. Forced to steel his face and close his eyes, Tetsutetsu had to back away.
"8 seconds!" Shiozaki threw more vines to buy some time and space, but Shishida attacked them before they could bunch up. He easily ripped through individual vines, and the few that did make it didn't have enough power to hold him back.
"Just a few more...!" Ben clenched his teeth as he tried to back up, but it was Tetsutetsu who was now in Kamakiri's grip. Yanking Tetsutetsu towards him, Kamakiri grew a long slender blade from his knuckles and aimed for the side of Tetsutetsu's head.
"Not yet, Tennyson, not yet!" It was too close! Kamakiri's blade slid under the headband and started moving outwards!
10 minutes remaining!
"Now!" Shiozaki's cry was all Ben needed. Tetsutetsu was being indirectly supported by Kamakiri's grip on his arm, so Ben safely dropped Tetsutetsu's right foot to swing his right arm around to the Omnitrix.
"Alright!" Ben quickly dialed through the watch, the alien he wanted already decided a while ago. Team Kamakiri noticed what was going on, but watched on with only curiosity, as they didn't know much about Tennyson. Then they figured it out. Their eyes shot open and their actions grew frantic. But in that panic, they messed up and Kamakiri was unable to remove their headband from Tetsutetsu.
"Time for a show-stopper!"
Slam!
Flash!
The anticipated green flash of the Omnitrix bathed the stadium in a pale green glow, drawing attention of participants and spectators alike. Fingers pointed, cameras rolled and eyes stared as everyone knew what the light represented. Team Kamakiri threw their hands up and backed away, temporarily blinded by the light. Once the light subsided, they couldn't believe what stood before them.
Towering above even Shishida, at around 8 feet, stood a crystalline giant! His main body was clad in a black and white skin-tight uniform divided in half: black on the right and white on the left. The omnitrix nodule was located on the left side of his chest, with a black decal under it. It was the exposed arms and head that really stood out. The humanoid had no skin, rather it seemed to be made up entirely of pale-green crystals! Harsh edges and geometric shapes were cut all around the exposed exterior. The shoulders were wide and built, and the forearms had long rectangular sides. The connection between the shoulders and the forearms were definitely less built. There were 5 fingers on both ends of the forearms, made of two rectangular prisms put together. 4 spines grew out of the figure's back at an upwards angle, the top two growing out even past the head, and the other 2 were only a few centimeters out of the uniform. The neck was smooth and transitioned into the sides of the head. That transition fed into the back of the head, which extended into a sharp fin. The face was an area indented into the head, and the jaw was the bottom of that indentation. Sharp yellow eyes outlined in black ran parallel against the top of the indentation.
The roar of the crowd shook the air itself.
'I hope you're watching Tetrax.' Ben raised his arms and clenched his hands into fists. 'Today's the day I show you just how far I've come!'
Omnitrix Form #6 - Species: Petrosapien, Hero Name: Diamondhead
Strengths: One of Ben's most reliable aliens, Diamondhead is a force of nature thanks to his incredible array of abilities. For starters, Diamondhead has inhuman physical might and can punch well above his weight class. However, what truly sets Diamondhead apart is his durability. Diamondhead is able to withstand ungodly amounts of punishment without even flinching thanks to the silicon-based crystal structure that makes up his body. Most attacks made against Diamondhead won't leave a scratch, and whatever weapons and limbs performed those attacks may break on impact. The crystals that make up Diamonhead's body are not just there to tank hits either. Ben can manipulate the crystals at will, allowing him to morph his own limbs into weapons like swords and giving him some regeneration capabilities. He also has complete control over all the crystals he produces, which lets him fire crystal shards out of his hands as projectiles, create shields, conjure crystal formations and even encase his enemies in a crystal cage.
Weaknesses: Diamondhead may seem like an unstoppable force, and to most fodder he is. However, Ben's more powerful enemies have demonstrated several key weaknesses and effective methods of attack. Diamondhead, similar to the gem he was named after, is brittle. Durable, yes, but the moment a force powerful enough hits, the damage is terrible. A powerful blow from Vilgax cracked younger Ben's face while he was Diamondhead, and that left him immobilized. Petrosapian's are not known for regeneration, and that is because that trait is there to reform crystals used as projectiles, not to withstand constant assaults. More so, Diamondhead is strong, but not Four Arms strong. Powerful adhesives can slow him down, and physically superior opponents can cause Ben to struggle. Despite all of this, there is a reason Diamondhead is always in Ben's back pocket: he is an alien that can always pull through.
"Yeahahahahaah!" Tetsutetsu now found himself on Ben's shoulders, in a piggy-back ride style. He smacked his head against Ben's head, still encased in steel, and threw his head back in laughter and joy as the fist just bounced off.
"This guy is so freaking awesome! Even cooler than Four Arms!" His gaze met the stunned Kamakiri. "Are you guys still sure you want a piece of this?"
"Beautiful." Breathed Shiozaki, now resting atop the top left spikes of the four spikes shooting out of Ben's back. She ran a hand down the spike, marveling at the smooth, cold sensation. Peering at the left arm, Shiozaki was shocked to see that she could see her own reflection refracted in one of the smooth, flat surfaces of Diamondhead's skin. "A man made entirely of crystal!"
"THERE IT IS FOLKS, TENNYSON HAS MORPHED ONCE AGAIN! LAST EVENT HE WAS A GOOEY GREEN TECHNO-BLOB AND NOW HE'S A CRYSTAL PERSON-THING! LOOK AT HOW THE LIGHT REFRACTS OFF HIM, AND CHECK OUT THOSE SPIKES ON HIS BACK! WOW, I KNOW I SAID HE CAN TURN INTO MULTIPLE FORMS, BUT HOW MANY DOES HE HAVE? WHAT DOES THIS TRANSFORMATION DO? LET'S FIND OUT!"
The stadium was in uproar, with people cheering, cameras rolling, broadcasters analyzing and students fighting. The only one who wasn't making any noise was Ben himself. Unlike every other time he transformed, Ben did not say a word. He stood, quiet and unmoving. His teammates were active: Tetsutetsu on his shoulders was cheering and Shiozaki on one of his back spikes was enthralled with what she saw. Yet, Ben stood motionless, staring into the stands. Was he looking for someone?
Team Kamakiri shook off their shock and rallied together. Kamakiri slapped his face twice, and sucked in deep breaths. "So what if you transformed? You think that's gonna change anything?"
Kamakiri bent his left arm and a blade shot out of his elbow. With his left hand clutched against his chest, the boy swung at Ben's chest, expecting him to dodge like he did when he was human.
Tink
Kamakiri could only stare with wide-eyes as Ben did not move an inch. His blade swung true, but made only the most pathetic noise on contact. So small that it seemed to be lost in the noise of the melee around them. Despite this, both teams heard the sound loud and clear. The sound of weakness. And Ben finally moved.
"Cool. You form swords out of your body." Ben bent his neck down so he could look Kamakiri, eye to eye. At the sounds of the crystals bending, Kamakiri hastily withdrew his arms and his team stepped back.
"We are not going to give up until we have our headband back!" Kamakiri swung again, this time with a sword protruding from his forearm. Ben raised his right arm, and aligned all his fingers upwards.
Crrrrrrch!
Clang!
"...what the hell?"
"So can I. Wanna test might?"
The green blade of Kamakiri was intercepted by Ben's new sword arm. While Kamakiri's was narrow, Ben's was as large as the arm it was made from, and far tougher while being just as sharp. There was no way Kamakiri could overcome such a difference of power.
"Sir Kamakiri, let us switch off!" Shishida stepped up, and with a guttural roar, grew to his full height. With Kamakiri and Rin clinging onto his back, Shishida now had full use of his limbs and towered above even the tall Diamondhead. The alien in question merely tilted his head up, and reformed his blade into an arm and hand.
"I have been advised against using my full strength against my fellow students, but you seem like a worthy foe!" Shishida bent down, pawing the ground with his claws. Feeling his team secure on his back, he surged forward. He charged at Team Tetsutetsu, hands outstretched. "Now you will fall!"
Thump!
"Grrr-ah!" Beast met diamond as Shishida and Ben clashed. Ben bent his knees and held out his hands to meet Shishida head-on. The force of the attack was impressive; Ben was pushed back several inches. But no more than that. Ben started pushing back, his yellow eyes narrowing. Shishida's hands were trembling from the amount of force behind them. So Ben started to squeeze.
"Arg!" Shishida felt pain shoot through his hands as rough crystal crushed his flesh and pressured his bones. Even with a charge attack he couldn't break through Tennyson! The pain was unlike anything he experienced before and it was only increasing! Shishida fell to one knee, then the other. He could vaguely hear the shouts of his teammates on his back, but the pain was too intense.
"Hold on to something." Ben instructed his own team. Feeling a pair of arms tighten around his forehead and vines wrapping around his torso, Ben moved.
He started by ripping his hands out of the deathhold he had Shishida locked in. By swinging his body to the left, he sent Shishida off balance and freed his hands. Halting his backwards momentum, Ben pulled his left arm back into a powerful punch, slamming cold, hard crystal into Shishida's face. The beast-student staggered back, now completely disoriented and off-balance. Ben extended his right arm and morphed it into a massive circular orb. Using it as a crude club, he started with a crushing swing, smashing into Shishida's left arm. This time following through with his momentum, Ben spun in a tight circle, and with the orb grazing the concrete beneath, finished with an upwards strike. The orb caught Shishida in the stomach, and sent him flying a good distance away.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy.
"Holy crap, you've been holding out on us Ben! What do you call this guy?" Tetsutetsu spoke in awe, still staring at the undignified heap Team Kamakiri landed in.
"This is Diamondhead." Diamondhead turned around, and saw many other teams staring back at him. While they had a variety of expressions on their faces, Diamondhead could see the nervousness. And fear. The terrified glances they gave their teammates, the shuffling feet of the horses and the face that none even tried to approach him.
But there were some that held their ground. The ones that were preoccupied in fighting and didn't notice Ben's transformation. It was one of those teams that stopped, looked around to see why everyone else had stopped, and finally saw Diamondhead. Heterochromatic eyes locked onto solid yellow. Diamondhead could see that Todoroki had multiple headbands, but it was the one he had tied to his forehead, the safest position, that caught Ben's attention.
10 million.
8 minutes and 51 seconds remaining!
"Now let's get our points back."