Chapter 16: Collision
"Everyone have what they need?" Yamada-sensei called one last time.
Izuku was standing in the middle of the room. He wore his PE uniform and his suppressing bracelets. At his feet were two gear cases that held the two items he'd been cleared to use. Getting them finished in time for the festival had been a bit of a stretch, but he and Hatsume had both managed to pull through. Somehow.
"Let's just go," Aizawa-sensei said. He looked more tired than usual. "I want to get this over with."
"Why? Are you that sure your class will disappoint you?" Kan-sensei needled him. "My students have been working hard these past weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if they blow 1-A out of the water."
Aizawa-sensei tilted his head. "That sounds like you want Izuku to lose," he said.
Kan-sensei snorted. "Izuku excepted of course."
"What do you think of that?" Aizawa-sensei asked, turning to look at Izuku.
Izuku considered the question for a moment. Having seen what both classes were capable of, he was of the opinion that 1-A would perform slightly better, if only because their learning curve was steeper than 1-B's. They were bound to see a lot of improvement as they trained their quirks for the first time, while 1-B's progress would be slower but steadier.
However, there was a third factor, and he was sure that was the reason Aizawa-sensei had sent the question his way. Shinso would be competing as well. He was a wild card. There was a chance he would be eliminated in the early rounds, but if he made it through to the tournament round, Izuku was confident he would dominate.
He'd done some more quirk training with Shinso in the week leading up to the festival. It was very light and mostly about subtle ways to get his quirk to activate. They'd established what types of responses would allow Shinso to take over. Even just a "huh?" was enough for him. The answers didn't have to make sense. He just needed a response of some kind to his question. Asking the question while the other person was speaking didn't allow him to activate his quirk, at least not unless the other person acknowledged the question in some way.
In order to prepare for the early rounds, Izuku had made him run the obstacle course a few more times. He'd also continued his workouts. Two weeks wouldn't make a huge difference, but Shinso needed every advantage he could get.
"I think," he said, "that I'm not going to spoil anything for you."
"All right, boys. You can do your sports betting later." Kayama-sensei herded them toward the door with her coiled-up whip in hand. "We're going to be late."
"Good," Aizawa-sensei said, but he walked out the door with Yamada-sensei anyways.
Izuku had to separate from the staff almost immediately. Aizawa and Yamada were going to the announcer's booth. Thirteen-san and Cementoss-san were on duty for cleaning, constructing, and repairing. Kayama-sensei, of course, was down in the arena itself, welcoming the crowds and preparing the opening announcements. Other staff members were on security.
UA may have decided to go on with the sports festival despite the recent attack, but that didn't mean they were complacent. Other pro heroes had been brought in to help make sure the event went smoothly. Nedzu-sensei himself was watching the cameras. They'd even spread out the events so that none of the years would be competing at the same time. Nedzu-sensei wasn't willing to run the risk of spreading his security team too thin.
Walking through the cool hallways of the arena, with its smooth concrete floors and the rough cinder block walls, Izuku felt strangely at peace. He noted some of the passage entryways that he was less familiar with. Above him, the stadium would be packed with people coming to watch the sports festival, people who would soon learn that he was quirkless. How would they react?
His phone buzzed in his pocket with messages of support from the Big Three, who'd promised to watch every second of the first-year festival since their own wouldn't be until later. They at least would be supporting him.
He found the locker room designated for their class to wait in until the signal to enter the stadium came. Most of the others were there already, ready and waiting in their uniforms. Uraraka looked like she might throw up, and Yaomomo was offering her saltines from her stash of snacks. Tokoyami had taken over a corner and looked like he was meditating or trying to do so. Todoroki was sitting on one of the benches, face blank, and staring off into space.
Kacchan looked at Izuku when he walked in but quickly turned back to his conversation with Kirishima. Izuku sighed inwardly. He'd thought that their relationship was on the mend, but Kacchan had been weird since the USJ. Well, he had been weird since the beginning of the year, but the weirdness had compounded since the attack.
Izuku had thought that Kacchan was finally going to respect him, but he had clearly taken offense about the way Izuku had ordered him around and also the fact that Izuku had been fighting the villains before he got there. He couldn't exactly tell him everything that happened, and he didn't want to. He was beginning to think that he'd been delusional, thinking Kacchan had changed. He'd wanted to believe it so badly, even while he was angry about how he'd been treated in the past.
Moving to the far end of one of the benches, Izuku set out his gear cases. They were shiny and crisp and new, emblazoned with the number 18. He opened the cases and got a comforting whiff of the scorched metallic scent of the support labs.
In the end, Izuku had stuck with his decision of not bringing a gun to the sports festival, despite how happy it would have made Snipe-sensei. Instead, he had prototype boots designed to reinforce his legs and absorb shock on impact. They were fairly lightweight but gave his kicks an extra punch. Hatsume had showed him a trick with the soles that he altered to give him an effect a little like Shoda's Double Hit. It helped with combat, but also with jumping. His vertical improved by several inches just from wearing the boots. After extensive testing, he and Hatsume had determined the highest distance he could fall without risking serious injury was approximately five meters, an improvement from his usual three and a half meters without the boots.
Izuku took his time putting them on, checking and double-checking every strap as he fastened them. When he was finished, the boots reached his mid-thighs. They were a little stiff to move in, but he hadn't had time to iron out all the kinks in the design. It would probably take weeks before he was satisfied, and even then he would have to upgrade them from time to time. He did like the color, though, a dull crimson.
His second item was the one he had adapted from Aizawa-sensei's capture weapon. Much as he admired his teacher's fighting style, it simply wasn't for him. What he had come up with so far was a grappling hook integrated with an arm brace. The design was still bulkier than he would have liked. He wanted something nigh invisible, and much lighter. As it was, the grappling device made it much more difficult to use his arms. He'd be leaving it off for any combat heavy rounds.
In the event that Izuku made it into the final, he wasn't planning on using any of his gear. For one, he had made it with mobility in mind. It wouldn't be of much use in the tiny confines of the ring. He also wanted to win or lose by his own power. The crowd wouldn't accept it if he didn't, and he wouldn't either.
As he was tightening the last straps, a body blocked the light in front of him. Izuku looked up to see Todoroki looming over him. "Midoriya, objectively, I think I'm stronger than you. You may be powerful, but as it currently stands, I'm stronger. I'm going to beat you," he declared. "I just thought you should know that."
The chatter in the room died. Until that moment, there had been an unspoken understanding that they were in this together. Todoroki had just shattered everyone's trust.
"Why?" Izuku could understand Todoroki having a lot of pressure on him to win. He was the son of the number two hero with a strong quirk and far more training than most of his classmates. What he didn't understand was Todoroki's need to single him out. In terms of threats, Izuku was at the bottom of the barrel. No one expected much from him. Even if he knew that Izuku had a quirk, Todoroki didn't know what it was and also would have been told that Izuku wasn't using it. Todoroki beating him wouldn't be much of a show. Not that he thought Todoroki looked down on him. On the contrary, the other boy had shown a grudging kind of respect, especially after the USJ. But, Izuku wasn't the person to beat. If he had to choose someone, he would be better off giving his declaration of war to someone like—
"What the fuck, Icyhot?" Kacchan said, a little quieter than Izuku would have expected. "You tryna pick a fight?"
Todoroki ignored him. "It's obvious to me you've been trained," he said to Izuku. "I don't know what UA is willing to reveal about you, but know I will beat you."
"Oi, pick on someone your own size!"
Izuku took a deep breath, feeling a vein popping in his forehead at Kacchan's words. It wasn't wrong or unfair of Todoroki to challenge him. They were equals. If Kacchan thought they weren't…
"You can try," he said, staring resolutely into Todoroki's steely eyes. "You won't be able to hold back."
Todoroki didn't respond to that, going back to his seat on the bench. Kacchan was on his way over when the speakers crackled to life.
"Students, please make your way to the exits. We are ready to start."
Izuku was able to maneuver away from Kacchan in the press of bodies. He joined up with Yaomomo and a slightly less green looking Uraraka.
"Izuku," Yaomomo said, inclining her head in greeting. "I hope what Todoroki said didn't upset you too much."
Izuku gave her a tight smile. It wasn't so much Todoroki's declaration that had bothered him so much as the reaction Kacchan had to it.
"Pick on someone your own size."
Was that really what Kacchan thought of him? Was he so much below them? Maybe Kacchan had become disillusioned after the USJ. Izuku had been beaten there, although in his defense, he had kind of taken himself out. It was a moot point.
"I'm fine," he told Yaomomo. "It's a competition after all. We might be able to team up in the early rounds, but anyone who makes it to the final will have to fend for themselves. If he wants to fight me, then I'll just have to make it to the finals so it happens."
"That's such an encouraging way to look at it!" Uraraka exclaimed. "If that had been me, I would have been so nervous. I mean, Todoroki's not a bad guy, but he is pretty strong."
"You're strong, too," Yaomomo said. "Besides, it's not like losing to him would reflect poorly on you. He is a favorite to win."
Uraraka slapped both of her cheeks. "Right! I just have to do the best that I can! Let's all do our best!"
"Please welcome Class 1-A!" Kayama-sensei's voice boomed over the stadium's speakers.
The class broke into a jog as they entered the wide grassy field in the center of the stadium. The cheering reached a fever pitch, so loud that Izuku could have sworn he felt the vibrations in the air.
They didn't have anything to do once they came out except watch the other classes enter and wave at the crowd. It was bound to be nerve-wracking for some.
For his own part, Izuku was detached. In the face of so many people, he felt very far away from everything. A floaty sensation took hold of his mind, like he was untethered in space. The sky above him was too open. There was too much space. No walls for hiding places for dozens of meters. He was exposed.
Izuku clenched his hands and stuffed them into his pockets. He could deal with this much. It was nothing he hadn't felt before. His surroundings whited out around him, his stomach dropped, and he was weightless, like Uraraka had used her quirk on him. For several long seconds, Izuku spiraled. His head might as well have been filled with cotton, and his ears as well.
He couldn't give in. A few deep breaths and sensation returned to his limbs. He wiggled his fingers, sound flowed back in, roaring silence turning to roaring cheers, and he was able to focus on what he was seeing.
"Looks like the first round will be an obstacle course!" Kayama-sensei announced, and Izuku started. He hadn't even noticed she had been talking What else had he missed? He hadn't had an episode quite as severe in years.
He stumbled as the crowd of students made their way over to the start of the course. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea. Maybe he had been right in not wanting to compete. If he told Kayama-sensei right now, she'd let him leave. He could get out of here, away from the eyes, somewhere safe.
But, he couldn't run away. There was a thin line between an intelligent retreat and cowardice. If he left, Izuku would be retreating. He wasn't in any real danger at UA. Competing in the sports festival wouldn't put his life at risk. The staff wouldn't allow that. He knew that, logically. It didn't stop his stomach from clenching in fear.
The time to withdraw had passed. He was already in the thick of the crowd. He noticed with a sense of relief that the first obstacle was the narrow exit. He wanted to worm his way out of the group just to stand between those two walls and shut himself off from the stadium full of spectators.
"Ready? Start!"
The crack of the starting pistol was nearly drowned out by the crackle of ice. Todoroki froze over the entire space and a large chunk of the competitors who had already surged into the tunnel. The ground was covered in a sheet of ice, smooth and slippery. Having seen Todoroki do this at the recommendation exam, Izuku wasn't exactly surprised. Being toward the back of the pack, he had avoided being frozen. The way was still blocked by the mass of bodies in front of him, though.
After a few preliminary steps backward, Izuku sprinted forward. He launched himself into the air over the heads of the frozen students, kicking from one wall to the other to cover the distance.
Todoroki and Bakugo were already far ahead of him. Yaomomo had also cleared the obstacle quickly. Izuku spotted Shinso being helped over the ice by another student and had to suppress a sigh. He wasn't supposed to be using his quirk so early.
He didn't have much time to worry about Shinso, however, as the next obstacle came into view. The zero pointers from the entrance exam rose in the field ahead of them. Todoroki promptly unleashed another wave of ice that froze them in place and ran underneath them. Before anyone else could follow, the robots collapsed in his wake. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu burst through the rubble, quirks activated.
There were still zero pointers blocking the way, but seeing Yaomomo creating a canon, Izuku was sure they wouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, he didn't need to destroy the robots. He just needed to get passed them without being squashed. He waved to Hatsume as she sped by, impressed as always with the inhuman strength she had to lug that gear around.
Speaking of gear, Izuku had his mobility gear, but he was kind of wishing he had more offensive gear at the moment. The zero pointers had deployed a number of the smaller robots as well, which were more difficult to avoid.
Izuku narrowly dodged a two-pointer's blow. When the arm was buried in the ground, he ran up it onto the robot's back. He wrapped his legs around its neck to secure himself before he tore off the panel on the back and tore out a fistful of wires. As the robot shorted out, Izuku jumped to the ground, noting with pleasure how well his boots absorbed the shock.
He snatched up a piece of scrap metal from an already defeated robot, using it to redirect blows and block ranged attacks as he ran forward. The best strategy was to press forward. Destroying robots would only slow him down and make it easier for the people who came behind him.
When he had left the last robot behind, Izuku looked forward to see a massive canyon in the ground, spanned by several lines intersecting at pillars of rock in the middle of the canyon.
Hatsume whooped as she leapt into the open air and opened her glider. There must have been some kind of draft because she soared into the air without issue.
Across the Fall, as he heard Yamada-sensei call it, Izuku saw an open field. He wasn't sure what waited for him on the other side. Keeping his scrap metal would make it more difficult to cross the Fall, but he might need it if there were more robots. Unless…
Bracing his arm against the impact, Izuku fired his grappling hook at the nearest rock pillar, carefully lining it up with one of the empty lines. The anchor buried itself in the rock. Izuku set his metal sheet on the wire and stood on it like a surfboard before retracting his own line. He sped across the wire.
Izuku had to repeat the maneuver two more times to cross the Fall, but he was ahead of the pack. Todoroki and Kacchan were in front of him, but they had slowed down considerably.
The giant sign on the side of the field explained why. It was a mine field. Since the entire area was packed dirt, the lumps where the mines were buried were barely distinguishable, hence why everyone was slowing down to pick their way across. Even while he watched, someone set off a mine. It exploded in pink smoke, throwing the unlucky student on their back.
The mines didn't have enough force to seriously injure them. Or at least, one of them didn't.
Twenty would have to be enough. Todoroki and Kacchan were already past the two-thirds mark of the obstacle, and the others weren't lagging behind. Izuku held his sheet of metal in front of himself protectively and leapt. The mines exploded on impact, sending him soaring into the air. Wind rushed through his air. He tightened his grip on the wires and kept the sheet close to his body.
The, he was falling. His heartbeat thumped louder and louder as the blood rushed to his head. It was exhilarating.
He closed in on Todoroki and Kacchan, but he was losing momentum. The ground approached maddeningly quickly. With a twist, Izuku brought the sheet of metal up and around his body. With only a meter before he hit the ground, he slammed the metal against the dirt, hitting at least two mines.
The subsequent explosions threw Todoroki to the ground and made Kacchan draw up to avoid the same fate. Izuku had angled himself so that he was thrown forward. He let go of his metal sheet, tucked, and rolled. There were only a few meters left of the mine field, and he picked his way over them quickly. Kacchan and Todoroki in hot pursuit. Todoroki gave up on not using his quirk and created an ice bridge for the last section. Kacchan launched himself into the air with Explosion.
After the mine field, it was an open stretch to the finish line.
Frustration bubbled up in Izuku's throat as first Kacchan passed him, then Todoroki. He was pushing himself as hard as he could in the final sprint, but it wasn't enough. Not against quirks like theirs. The distance between them lengthened, inch by inch, until he was a several meters behind the two.
As they entered the final tunnel into the stadium, the true final stretch, Izuku decided to take the risk. He stopped, braced himself, and fired his gauntlet. The line shot into the wall just above the finish line. Izuku pressed the trigger to reel himself in and was yanked into the air. He quickly made up for the time lost firing and was gaining on his classmates just as quickly.
But the finish line was too close. Kacchan saw him coming and put on a burst of speed. The heat bloomed over Izuku's face. He closed his eyes against it and tumbled forward over the finish line. He staggered into someone who steadied him as he blinked the stars out of his eyes and coughed the smoke out of his lungs.
"Thanks," he wheezed. He looked up into red eyes and Kacchan's carefully controlled expression. "Sorry," he said. he backed away, and Kacchan's hands fell away from his shoulders.
"Tch, whatever," Kacchan said and turned away, massaging his wrists.
Izuku blinked. He'd been expecting a bit more of a reaction from running into Kacchan. It made more sense a few seconds later when he looked up at the scoreboard.
First Place: Bakugo Katsuki
Second Place: Midoriya Izuku
Third Place: Todoroki Shoto
Kacchan had won. That had to have had a calming effect on his temper. Izuku sat down on the grass to wait for the rest of the competitors to trickle in.
By the time the end of the round had been called, at forty competitors, the entirety of Class 1-A had made it through the course, along with Hatsume and Shinso. Most of Class 1-B had also made it through, although Izuku didn't see Shoda among them. As expected, the hero course had dominated the first round.
"Congratulations to the forty of you who are moving on!" Kayama-sensei announced. "It's time for the second round!" She strutted across the small stage set up for her and gestured to the screen. "Time to see what it will be!"
A colorful wheel appeared on the screen and spun wildly. It gradually slowed down until it stopped with the arrow pointing to a gray segment. The wheel disappeared, and the screen turned gray with bold black words in the center.
"Capture the Castle!" Kayama-sensei exclaimed. "You'll be divided into teams of ten based on your placement in the first round. The first five to finish will be the team captains."
That meant himself, Kacchan, Todoroki, Iida, and Hatsume.
"Your objective is to defend your castle while attacking the enemy castles. Every castle will have a crown that must be defended. Should you capture an enemy castle's crown, your team is guaranteed a spot in the finals. If a team loses their crown and does not retrieve it or capture another by the end of the round, the entire team is eliminated. If they keep the crown in their possession the entire time, the captain automatically passes. Any team with more than one crown in their possession at the end of the round automatically passes. Only the top two teams will move on to the finals. If there is a tie in terms of crowns, eliminations will be counted instead. A contestant is considered eliminated if their target is hit with sufficient force or they are no longer able to fight. If you are eliminated, you are disqualified for the finals, regardless of how well your team performs. Eliminations are counted individually. Thus, if there is a tie, the individual members of both teams who scored the most eliminations will move forward."
While complicated, the game had a careful balance to it. Teamwork was being encouraged, because if the crown was lost, everyone failed, but it was also in everyone's best interest to go on the offensive, since two crowns was a guaranteed win. The individual elimination scores prevented students from riding on the coattails of their teammates and encouraged them to work to secure their spots.
In other words, it had Nedzu-sensei written all over it. While the second round of the sports festival was often team-based, this was a more intricate game than usual. Izuku knew that the choice of event wasn't actually randomized as the wheel suggested, and that Nedzu-sensei had almost certainly chosen this particular game with a purpose in mind. He couldn't tell for sure what that purpose was, but Nedzu-sensei never acted without a goal.
The most interesting factor was the way the teams would form. None of the four captains were from 1-B. The outcome of the game would be greatly influenced by how well the two classes managed to work together, which of course depended on the captain. Iida was likely to be respectful, and Todoroki was quiet and intelligent enough not to meaninglessly offend people. Hatsume was scatter-brained, but Izuku had confidence that she could carry her entire team if needed. She also wasn't prone to intentionally making enemies. Kacchan on the other hand….
"Team Captains, you have ten minutes to recruit your teams! Good luck!"
The first person Izuku wanted on his team was…
"Yaomomo!" he called. His friend looked over at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Todoroki looking her way, too, so he jogged over to join her. "Will you be on my team?"
"Of course," Yaomomo nodded. "I trust your strategies."
It was good that he had secured Yaomomo on his team, not only because her quirk was versatile, but also because she was a diplomatic person to have on his side. He trusted her judgment. She would be able to act on her own if necessary.
Todoroki looked away, moving toward Kaminari instead. That was fine. Kaminari undoubtedly had a powerful area of effect move, but with Yaomomo on his team Izuku could easily counter that. Kaminari wasn't a real threat, yet. If he had been able to control his voltage with more precision, something Izuku had been working with him to achieve during the past week or so, he would have been a game-changing recruit.
Knowing that Iida, Todoroki, and Kacchan would start their recruiting with 1-A, Izuku turned his attention to 1-B. Having already met the class, he had an advantage. He caught Monoma scowling at the other captains, probably miffed that he would have to serve under a member of 1-A and locked onto his target.
He slid next to the other boy. "Monoma," he greeted him.
"Midoriya."
"How do you feel about winning?"
Monoma grinned ferally. "Anything to prove our superiority."
With Monoma on board, recruiting the other members of 1-B that he wanted was trivially easy. They already knew him, trusted his plans, and had seen firsthand that he could turn their quirks into something much more formidable. Honenuki, Tsuburaba, and Kuroiro happily joined his team.
He would have liked to secure Kaibara as well, since his quirk Gyrate would be an offensive threat, but Hatsume got to him first. She had also recruited Uraraka and Yanagi. Her team was shaping up to be a real threat.
Izuku scanned the remaining pool of contestants. He'd gotten everyone he absolutely had to get. Most of the obviously key players in this game had already been snatched up, so what was left was to determine who would fit with his plan best.
Someone tapped his shoulder. "Pardon me, Midoriya, but are you still accepting teammates?" Tokoyami asked, with Dark Shadow hovering over his shoulder.
A grin stretched across Izuku's face. "Yes, I am. Would you like to join."
Tokoyami nodded. "Dark Shadow and I are in agreement that you are the best leader for us."
"Then welcome to the team. I'm excited to work with you!" He was surprised that no one else had recruited Tokoyami, as Dark Shadow had proven to be a formidable quirk in their sparring classes, but he wasn't about to argue.
There was now only one remaining spot on his team.
Shinso was still standing off by himself. He hadn't been picked up yet, which was to be expected, since no one knew who he was or what his quirk was. Izuku sidled over to him, putting a curious expression on his face like he was just scouting out the new kid.
Shinso raised an eyebrow when he saw Izuku approaching. "I'm not joining your team," he said, right off the bat.
"I don't want you to," Izuku responded, keeping his voice soft.
"Ouch," Shinso winced.
Izuku rolled his eyes. "You don't want to be carried. I already know.
"Yeah." Shinso relaxed a little. "I can't get through because of one of your plans. I need to do it on my own strength."
Izuku shook his head. "You're going to give yourself quirk exhaustion before you ever make it to the finals. Well, it's your choice. You said you don't want to get through because of one of my plans, but I do have some advice for you." He leaned in and whispered something in Shinso's ear. The other's boy's face went through a cycle of expressions, confusion, realization, excitement, and finally smug satisfaction.
"I'd avoid Hatsume's team," Izuku advised him. "If she's doing what I think she's doing, you won't want to be anywhere near her."
"Got it. I guess I'd better find myself a team then." Shinso smiled a leering smile. "I'll be seeing you in the finals."
"Good luck." Izuku left Shinso, who wandered off toward the other team captains. Another piece in place.
He returned to his team to find Jiro waiting for him beside an embarrassed Yaomomo.
"I'm sorry if I was being presumptuous," Yaomomo began, "but I noticed we didn't have anyone with a quirk for detecting sneak attacks or gathering information, and the other teams did, so I thought I'd ask Jiro." She shut her eyes and bowed.
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad you did that, Yaomomo. I wanted to find our last member as quickly as possible," so Shinso wouldn't be assigned to their team by default, "and you're right, we did have a bit of a hole in our capabilities. Jiro, if you're willing, welcome to the team!"
"Heck to the yes!" Jiro said. "Nothing beats not being picked last. I'm guessing you have a plan."
Izuku nodded. "We're going to win this thing!"
After depositing the list of his teammates and doing a little scouting to see what his opposition would look like, he returned to his team carrying a bag of targets as Kayama-sensei announced the end of the recruitment period.
"All teams will now retire while we prepare your castles. You'll have about fifteen minutes to strategize, so use them wisely!"
Back inside the building in the locker room they had been assigned, Izuku looked over his team. He was more than satisfied with it.
Monoma sat down on the ground and leaned his back against a locker. "You said we're gonna win, so what's the plan?"
Izuku sat down on one of the benches in the middle of the room, and the rest of the team filled in the circle around him. "First, since not all of us know each other, introductions. Keep it brief. Just your name and quirk for now. While we're doing that, Yaomomo, can you make enough in-ear communicators for all of us? I'll go first: Midoriya Izuku, I have mobility gear to help me get around."
Once the introductions were over, it was time for an overview of the game. "So, what do you think is the best way to win the game?" he asked.
Monoma frowned. "Obviously, it's to secure two crowns," he said.
That was the obvious answer, but there was a better one. "There are two things that have to be done to win the game," he explained. "Protect your own crown, and make other teams lose."
"Isn't that what getting two crowns means?" Kuroiro asked.
"Not necessarily. One team could hoard the other three crowns, and our team would still make it through if we kept our crown. If there was a tie, we could pass through eliminations. There are a lot of ways to win. Most people will focus on acquiring crowns, which we're going to take advantage of.
"For the first half of the exercise, we won't be moving from our castle at all. We'll make it into a death trap instead. That way, we'll be sure to outnumber any teams who invade, as they'll be forced to split their teams between offense and defense. Honenuki can use his quirk to reshape the castle as we want it. Jiro can locate any invaders. Yaomomo, I'm going to need a lot of smoke bombs. Kuroiro and Tokoyami, you'll be patrolling the entrances. Use the smoke bombs liberally, and you'll have the advantage in every fight. Tsuburaba will be on defense. Monoma, you're going to be a floater. You can copy three quirks now, so I want you to copy Yaomomo's, Kuroiro's, and Tsuburaba's. It would be nice to have an extra of Jiro's, too, but that will have to do. Honenuki will also stay on defense by the crown. Any questions?"
There were none.
"All right. Monoma, start eating right now. If you have any snacks, now's the time to eat them. You're gonna need everything you can get. And Yaomomo, coach him through some basic structures." Next up was a rundown of the other teams. "Todoroki has put together a versatile team that uses a lot of area of effect attacks. Tsuburaba and Monoma, if Komori uses her quirk, seal the area. Yaomomo and Monoma, be prepared to create insulation if Kaminari uses his quirk. Jiro will need to keep an ear out for Hagakure, but she should show up in the smoke. Tokoyami and Kuroiro, your priority will be to take out Aoyama, since you're both weak to his quirk. If Todoroki himself shows up, it'll be difficult, but I imagine he'd stay on defense until the last minutes of the exercise. He won't take chances.
"Iida's team are all proficient in close combat, and with Tsunotori, they'll have some ranged support as well, which is why it will be important to split them up and take them by surprise. Monoma and Tsuburaba, you two will be in charge of separating them.
"I'm not entirely sure what Hatsume's strategy is, but given that she recruited Uraraka, we may be looking at an aerial assault. She also has Yanagi, so watch out for any floating surprises. If you see something, run. It will explode. We also need to watch out for Kaibara and Ashido making their way through our walls. Honenuki will be in charge of stopping that. The rest can be deal with by the shadow guard."
"I like that name," Kuroiro said with a grin.
"As do I," Tokoyami agreed.
"Bakugo's team is the one to look out for. It's entirely offensive. His explosions could weaken our shadow users and the walls. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu are defensive tanks. Sero and Awase will be making traps most likely. Shishida and Kamikiri will also be a threat in close combat. However, if you see Shinso, the kid with the purple hair, leave him alone."
"Why?" Tsuburaba asked. "Isn't the whole point of turning our castle into a trap to rack up eliminations and weaken the other teams."
"Trust me. He's more help to us if he's still in play. So, don't eliminate him. Once the time is almost out, we can reverse. The shadow guard can use the smoke bombs to take over other castles, and Honenuki can get us through defenses. If we all stay in the game, it's a guaranteed victory. And that's everything."
"What about you?" Monoma asked. "What will you be doing?"
Tokoyami sat up straighter. "If you are suggesting that Midoriya is not contributing, he's already provided us with a plan."
"That's not what I meant," Monoma huffed. "I'm just wondering what you're doing."
"I'll be a floater like you, Monoma, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. We're almost out of time, so let's suit up."
After securing their targets and communicators, they were ready. Izuku hadn't told his team everything, of course. He had a few good ideas about how the exercise would play out, and he didn't want to spoil it for any of them or give them any ideas.
They walked out onto the field together. Five concrete castles now dominated the stadium. The stage was set, the pieces in place. All that was left was to see it played out.
*
"Oi, Troll Doll!" Bakugo snapped. Hitoshi turned lazy eyes on him. If he was picking a team captain in earnest, Bakugo would have been his dead last pick. But, for the purposes of what he was going to do, Bakugo worked just fine. "You're staying here. Hide with the crown and don't come out!"
Hitoshi nodded.
Bakugo turned to the rest of his team. "Remember the plan. We're going after the IcyHot bastard first. We're gonna blow his fucking popsicle stand!"
The band of thugs around him cheered. Hitoshi couldn't deny that Bakugo had a kind of charisma, but it only worked on certain people. It certainly didn't work on Hitoshi. No, Hitoshi was much more susceptible to Midoriya's brand of charisma, where he gave people the things they wanted to unite them under his cause instead of making them want what he wanted like Bakugo.
"When should I expect you back?" he asked.
Bakugo looked at him, face twisted in a sneer. "As soon as the rest of the extras are eliminated."
Hitoshi rolled his eyes and suppressed a smile. Bakugo relaxed as Hitoshi's control slipped into place. "Just make sure to bring everyone back by the hallway mark. Actually, forget all about it." He dropped his control.
Bakugo blinked at him, eyes narrowed. He didn't say anything, though, just stalked away. "Let's get ready to go!" he called to the rest of the team.
Once he was alone, Hitoshi let himself smirk. Midoriya had been absolutely right about his quirk's capabilities, and the best part about it was that Bakugo thought he was absolutely useless. The blond was really clueless.
He couldn't wait for the end of the round.
In the meantime, however, he had to stay in the game, which meant finding a good hiding space.
*
Izuku's team spent their ten minutes of prep time altering the castle using Honenuki's quirk. The structures themselves were simple to begin with. There was a main hall where the crown was sat. Leading up to that area were several anterooms. The team got to work changing these rooms. They sealed off doorways, knocked down walls, and erected new ones. All the windows were closed off to maximize the darkness and the impact of the smoke bombs.
At Izuku's direction, they also lowered the ceiling and created a crawl space above the hallways. There were a few well concealed exits. Since it would be dark in them, Kuroiro and Monoma could travel stealthily through the shadows to get the drop on their opponents. Izuku himself also planned to use the crawl spaces.
As far as positioning went, the castles were arranged in a star shape, with one castle at each of the five points. Izuku's castle was next door to Kacchan and Todoroki's. Hatsume's was opposite Izuku's on the other side of Kacchan's, and Iida's was on the other side of Todoroki's, next to Hatsume's.
Everyone had been fitted out with smoke bombs, a communicator, and goggles for the smoke if they needed them. Monoma had a bit of Yaomomo's hair so he would always have access to her quirk. That was a loophole Izuku had discovered while in training with him the week before. Kuroiro and Tsuburaba likewise gave him a bit of hair.
While Monoma wouldn't be nearly as good with creation as Yaomomo herself was, he was nothing if not a fast learner. Yaomomo made him a cheat sheet for her insulator of choice, and he was good to go.
As Kayama-sensei counted down the final seconds until the second round began, Izuku nodded to his teammates. He was confident in his plan, confident that he had read the rules correctly. Nedzu-sensei operated on the principle that if he didn't want something done, he'd put it in the rules, and if he didn't specify it wasn't allowed, it was fair game. That was how the entrance exam worked. People tended to assume lot of things about rulesets. Nedzu-sensei had taught Izuku not to take anything for granted, especially not rules. Spirit of the rules? Izuku only respected what was put down in letters.
Tokoyami and Kurioiro disappeared into the maze. Jiro climbed into a special room they'd made for her that would let her listen in to the whole building, She could give them reports through the comms. Once everyone was done moving, Honenuki softened the ground of the main hall around the crown, leaving them standing on an island of solid ground in the center. In a pinch, Izuku could use his grappling hook to get out, and Tsuburaba and Monoma had their own methods of escape. Honenuki could just harden the ground again for himself.
Izuku had a good idea of how the game would start. Todoroki's team was likely to target Izuku's, but that was only if they got past Kacchan. It was a toss-up whether Kacchan would go for Izuku or Todoroki first. Izuku suspected that Kacchan had been irked that Todoroki challenged him instead of Kacchan. He'd want to fight Todoroki in retaliation, that or fight Izuku to eliminate the competition. Knowing what Hatsume had in her arsenal, Izuku had a good guess what her strategy would be for this event. He hoped having Honenuki would offset any damage she would manage to do. Hopefully, Iida would keep her attention on him for the first few minutes while Izuku sorted out the Kacchan and Todoroki situation. His castle was one of the closest to Hatsume's after all.
Izuku didn't know if he preferred his current neighbors.
Right on cue, an explosion sounded outside the castle.
"Not us," Jiro confirmed over the comms.
It was a little eerie, waiting in the dim shadows of the castle, unable to see what was happening outside since they had closed off the windows. Only muffled explosions and shouts clued them in.
Was the explosion Kacchan or Hatsume? Both?
After a tense few minutes of inaction, Izuku couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going up to the crow's nest," he announced.
"Be careful," Yaomomo warned. "If you get spotted, you'll be a target for ranged attacks."
"I'll be fine. Besides, we need to be able to see what's going on outside and I'm not doing anything else."
Each of the castles had a spire above the main hall. It was inaccessible, built purely for aesthetic purposes. Well, it was inaccessible to most people.
Izuku slipped out one of the small openings they'd left to let in the minimum amount of light they needed to see and set about climbing e rough concrete exterior of the castle. Having some kind of hooks in his gauntlets besides the anchors he used for grappling would have made it easier. He was able to use his grappling hook once he gained the roof to pull himself up the tower portion of the climb.
Dozens of meters above the ground, Izuku had a bird's eye view of the chaos that was unfolding inside the stadium. The initial explosion they had heard was from the castle's next to Hatsume's, Kacchan's and Iida's. Todoroki's castle had been encased in ice, and Kacchan's team was breaking in.
Iida's team was outside Hatsume's castle, but they seemed to have run into an obstacle and weren't able to get in. He was wishing he could have brought his costume's goggles for their binocular feature when a cloud of smoke went up from the entrance to the castle.
"Shoji has been eliminated!" Kayama-sensei announced over the loudspeakers. "39 contestants remain."
Something about the way the announcement was worded clued Izuku in to the way the event was expected to go. While it was presented as a sort of capture the flag, it was closer to a battle royale. The game would stop once they had the sixteen participants needed. It was less about getting crowns and eliminations, and more about not getting eliminated. This only made his strategy sounder. Eliminate while not being eliminated themselves.
"Who was that?" Jiro asked over the comms. "Who eliminated Shoji?"
"Hatsume's team," he replied. "They seem to have trapped the place pretty thoroughly. I'm not sure who the elimination will go to. We're safe for now."
"Roger that."
A large section of Todoroki's ice wall crumbled, signaling that Kacchan's team had made it in. Not a minute later, another announcement was made.
"Shishida has been eliminated. 38 contestants remain."
A few seconds and an explosion later.
"Shiozaki has been eliminated. 37 contestants remain."
"Damn, they're dropping like flies," Jiro murmured.
"Just wait," Monoma snapped back. "Class A will be out before us."
"Jeez, we're on the same team," Jiro grumbled, the smile somehow making it into her tone.
"Fine, everyone but the Class A members of this team. Happy now?"
"How kind of you. I'm flattered you made an exception for me."
"Shut up!" Monoma hissed.
"Please excuse Monoma," Kuroiro said. "We found him on the streets and are still working on socializing him."
"Agh!"
Izuku chuckled listening to the banter. He was glad his team was getting along, and also that the announcements apparently wouldn't report who made the elimination. That was good for him.
He scanned the field again, looking for any movement outside of the castles. He had to take a second, closer look at Hatsume's castle. "Hold on everyone," he reported. "Iida's team is pulling out of Hatsume's castle. They seem to have given up."
"Are they coming our way?" Tsuburaba asked.
Izuku watched the very blue figure of Iida leading his team across the field and over to Kacchan's castle. "Nope. They're taking Bakugo's castle, since he's out."
"Excellent!" Monoma cheered.
Izuku hummed in agreement. It certainly was excellent. "I'm gonna check out his castle," he announced.
"I thought we were playing defense," Yaomomo protested. "What if we're attacked? What if you get eliminated?"
"If I get eliminated, you're in charge. But, don't worry, I'm just gonna go scout it out while the main group is busy. I won't do anything reckless."
"It could be a good way to get a crown," Honenuki said. "Just remember to call for backup if you need it."
"Will do." Izuku rappelled down the side of the castle. He kept his eyes on Kacchan's castle, ready to turn back the moment Iida's team exited. Thankfully, they didn't, and he made it to the enemy castle without incident.
On his tiptoes, Izuku crept inside. The entrance to the main hall had been blocked by several large pieces of rubble, likely Kodai's work. Izuku could try moving it, but that would draw a lot of attention if there was someone standing guard inside. He circled around instead. The windows hadn't been blocked, so he scaled the side of the building to get to them.
Hanging from the windowsill, Izuku noticed a metal bundle flying toward him. Or rather, toward the window. He flattened himself against the wall as the package soared through the window, glowing ominously. It seemed like Hatsume was determined to make his life easier in this game.
The castle shook ever so subtly a few seconds later. Izuku hung on tightly and waited for the smoke that drifted out of the window to clear out of his face, before peeking his head over the sill.
"Kodai has been eliminated! 36 contestants remain."
The eliminated girl picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off. She made eye contact with Izuku and nodded before walking out to wherever they directed the eliminated contestants to wait.
Izuku waited half a minute to see if someone else was on guard. When no one came, he dropped down into the hall. His boots absorbed the shock perfectly. There, in the middle of the room, sitting on a pedestal, was the blue crown belonging to Iida's team. Izuku snatched it up quickly, using one of the straps on his boots to secure it to his person.
"Midoriya has secured the blue crown."
Good to know they would be broadcasting events like that. Izuku had to get out of there, before Iida's team returned.
"Midoriya, what the fuck?" Honenuki exclaimed over the comms.
Izuku shot his grappling hook into the wall to pull himself up and through the window again, chuckling to himself a little.
"Wait, was the Kodai elimination you?" Jiro asked.
Izuku swung one leg over the sill and anchored his grappling hook again, preparing to descend. "Nope. Hatsume did that, I think."
"Do you need backup?" Monoma asked. "Is anyone else there?"
"All clear," Izuku assured them. "I'm on my way back now."
"Asui, Kendo, Ojiro, and Tsunotori have been eliminated. 32 contestants remain."
A pause. "Please tell me that wasn't you?" Monoma asked.
Izuku's lips curved in a smile. "No, but I think I know who it was."
"Dang, don't tell us I guess," Jiro said. "I'd hurry back if I were you. Safety in numbers and all."
"Already on my way," Izuku said. His feet touched down on the ground, and he retracted his grappling hook. He sprinted the distance between their castles, pulling himself up the wall with his grappling hook and squeezing back in the window.
Honenuki caught him with his softening quirk then hardened a path back to the center for him. "Nice going," he told Izuku, as Izuku unfasted the crown and set it with their green crown.
"Now we just have to hold onto it," Izuku said with a wry smile. "I have a feeling we just put a target on our backs."
"How much time do we have left anyways?" Monoma asked, eyes shifting nervously from the crowns to the entrance.
"I think it's been about ten minutes, so twenty minutes until they stop the game," Izuku said, "but, we only need sixteen more eliminations. I'm guessing the eliminations will happen first."
"Sato has been eliminated. 31 contestants remain."
"There's your answer," Kuroiro said over the comms. "It's making me nervous."
Jiro shushed everyone through the comms. "Someone's coming," she reported.
"Brace for impact," Izuku said softly, slipping into a casual fighting stance.
It was eerily quiet as they waited. They were all tense, with only their own heavy breathing to listen to and the pounding of their heartbeats. Izuku's certainly felt like it would pound out of his chest.
If he had to guess, it would be Kacchan's team that was coming. Kacchan must have retreated from Todoroki's castle when he heard the announcement that Izuku had secured two crowns. He would be coming for him now that he was in the lead.
"I see someone," Kuroiro reported. "Wait, there's three of them. It's Kamikiri, Tetsutetsu, and the one from Class A that's like his long-lost twin."
"Kirishima," Izuku supplied. "Deploy the smoke bombs. Tokoyami, hold them back with Dark Shadow. Monoma," he nodded to the boy beside him. "Get a copy of Honenuki's quirk. We need to trap them before they get too far."
"On it," Monoma said and high-fived Honenuki. His fingers brushed the ground, and it hardened to allow him a passage to the entrance maze. He disappeared into the smoke.
"Engaging," Tokoyami reported.
Izuku held his breath as shouts and grunts of exertion came over the comms. Something wasn't quite right, and he couldn't put his finger on it.
"No!" Kirishima shouted, his cry resonating through the walls.
"So manly," the comms picked up from Tetsutetsu.
"Kirishima has been eliminated. 30 contestants remain."
"They're retreating," Kurioro panted. He sounded winded.
"I only managed to get one of them," Monoma said.
"Good work." Despite the victory, Izuku was still on edge. Where was Kacchan? He should have been leading the charge.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!" The roof of the castle shook, sending down sprinkles of sand and grit.
"What was that?" Honenuki asked, looking around them.
Izuku's mouth was set in a grim line. "That's Bakugo. He came in from above." Kacchan had honed in one their one weak spot, their limited visibility, to take them by surprise.
"I need backup!" Jiro called. "Bakugo has breached the roof!" A loud explosion made Izuku recoil. Honenuki winced and put a hand over his ear.
"Jiro has been eliminated. 29 contestants remain."
"We need everyone on Bakugo!" Izuku called. He hoped the explosion hadn't wrecked their comms. "Honenuki, Yaomomo, stay with the crown. Tsuburaba with me!"
Izuku broke into a run toward the entrance. He pulled himself up into the crawl space immediately, headed for Jiro's listening space.
"I've got eyes," Monoma announced. "He's almost to the hall. Down on the ground, left side."
Almost immediately, an explosion went off right beneath Izuku. He crawled to the nearest exit. Just below him, Kacchan was standing in the rubble of the wall he had just blown apart, massaging his wrist. His attention was entirely focused on the crowns in the center of the hall. He could easily propel himself across the softened ground and take out the two guards.
In the hallway behind him, Monoma was lurking, one hand on the ground, ready to trap Kacchan in the ground. Izuku caught his eye and nodded.
Then, he dropped from the ceiling, directly onto Kacchan's shoulders.
Aizawa-sensei had told him he would rarely have to use takedowns like this. Kayama-sensei had practiced them more with him and said they were the best and that he should use them at every opportunity he got. He was thankful for the extra practice he'd put in with her.
His legs locked around Kacchan's neck. While Kacchan reached for him with sparking palms, the floor beneath him softened. He didn't even notice as he began to sink.
Kacchan let off an explosion in his face, more like a flashbang than anything meant to seriously hurt. Izuku kept his hold, even though he was going blind. He twisted with his knees, swinging himself toward the ground and using the momentum to bring Kacchan with him. His back hit the softened ground, and Kacchan went with him, cursing as he fell.
Kacchan created another explosion. This one was more powerful. The heat made Izuku's skin burn, and he scrambled backward continuing to sink in the ground.
"Finally ready to fight me?" Kacchan asked.
"You say that like I've been avoiding it," Izuku snapped back, struggling to his feet.
Kacchan grinned ferally. "I hope you know that I'm gonna be the one to fuckin' beat you, not fucking Icyhot!" He fired an explosion at Izuku
"I don't plan on either of those happening," Izuku called, dodging behind the remnants of a wall.
"Contestants! Fifteen minutes remain!"
Kacchan paused when he heard the announcement, turning his head to the side like he was listening to something. He, before Izuku could collect himself enough to charge him, he ran from the room, down one of the hallways and away from the hall, leaving Izuku staring at an open-mouthed Monoma.
He shook himself out of the spell and chased after Kacchan, calling into his comms as he ran, "Bakugo is back in the maze. In pursuit."
"I've got eyes," Kuroiro reported. "He's…leaving. He and Kamikiri and Tetsutetsu are headed back to their castle."
"Confirmed, he called Tetsutetsu away from our fight," Tokoyami said.
Izuku slowed to a halt. That was…weird. There was no time to sit around in confusion. "We need to fix the walls," he told Monoma. "Rebuild whatever we can."
Monoma nodded and they returned to the hole Kacchan had made, using Softening to patch it up to the best of their abilities. They couldn't fully get rid of the gaping hole in the roof that let in more light than they would have liked the same way, so Monoma made a tarp that they stretched over the space.
"Tokage has been eliminated. 28 contestants remain."
"Only 12 more to go," Honenuki said tersely. "And we're down a player."
"If it makes you feel better, every other team but Hatsume's is doing worse," Izuku said. "I do wish we still had Jiro."
"I agree," Yaomomo said. "She was a big help."
"She was one of the better ones in class A," Monoma conceded.
"He's gone soft," Honenuki chuckled. "Just last week, it was on sight with all of you guys. He's now okay with like four of you."
"Guys," Kuroiro cut in. "I think there's someone in the hallways. I can't explain it, but I can feel it in the shadows. I can't see them, but there's someone there."
"Hagakure," Izuku said grimly. "That means Todoroki is coming. Places everyone."
Monoma melted into the shadows, and Izuku pulled himself into the crawlspace. As he settled into his place, he sneezed heavily, then again. His eyes itched and he was starting to feel out of energy. The round was dragging on. He just wanted to lie down and take a nap.
Oh fuck.
*
"Dude! Bakugo!" Tapeface grabbed at his sleeve. "Why are we retreating? We had them!"
Katsuki shook him off. "We didn't fucking have them. They got Shitty Hair."
"Yeah, and you got Jiro! We were going even!"
"Look, we can't afford to lose anymore fucking people," Katsuki snapped at him. "We need to go back to the castle. Or did you forget that if the crown gets stolen all of us are eliminated?"
"I mean, he kind of has a point, though. You were almost at the crowns, weren't you?" Scyther said. "If you had gotten them, it wouldn't matter if we lost our own crown."
"Whatever, let's just fucking go!" Katsuki said. He sped up to pull ahead of his team, burning off the frustration he felt with himself.
He didn't particularly know why he'd been so suddenly reminded that the castle was practically empty after the half-time announcement. He'd just known he had to get back there. Even though he was finally getting to fight with Izuku—and what a fight that had been!—he'd had to leave.
He was so going to regret this.
He stormed into his castle, careful not to get stuck in the tape that Tapeface had strung all over the entrance. He'd just check to make sure the crown was fine, then they'd go back to kicking Icyhot's ass for his stupid as fuck little declaration. Who did he think he was? Trying to butt his way into his and Izuku's competition. Katsuki had accepted that Izuku didn't see them as friends, but at least he was willing to compete.
There was a time when Katsuki had found Izuku's particular brand of competition, the way he pitted himself against Katsuki and told him to "Stop, Kacchan, you're being mean!" to be annoying. In hindsight, he'd realized doing that took more guts than any of the extras following him around had. Even when Izuku had stopped doing that and turned passive, he'd had a stubborn streak to him that Katsuki, much to his frustration, had never been able to match. He'd cry but get back up from every new insult. He replaced every ripped and burnt notebook, never giving up on them, no matter how many times Katsuki or someone else destroyed them.
That was the thing about Izuku. You could never really beat him, not when he never learned and got back up again every time. He was still like that.
He'd almost gotten Katsuki with the move he'd used back at the castle. Katsuki hadn't even heard him coming, and then he'd been slammed into the ground before he could properly react.
Katsuki had arrived in the hall, but the crown was nowhere to be seen, which was to be expected, since Eyebags was supposed to be hiding with it. Some of the traps had been disturbed on the way in, so Katsuki kept his guard up. Shinso hadn't been eliminated, and the crown hadn't been taken, but it was possible someone was waiting to ambush them.
"Oi! Eyebags!" he shouted. "You can come out now!"
"Where are you?" Eyebags called back, his voice echoing around the hall.
"Right here, dumbass!"
Katsuki couldn't move. He felt like he'd been dumped in a vat of clue that had dried at super speed. Not a muscle would twitch.
Eyebags lowered himself from the ceiling on a strand of tape. "So glad you could join me," he said in a bored voice. "Don't worry, I kept the crown safe."
This. Absolute. Bastard. As soon as he got out of whatever this stupid trap was, Katsuki was going to kill him.
Katsuki could hear the other extras in the entryway. Eyebags seemed unphased. Fuck, this was his actual quirk, wasn't it. Some kind of freezing skill maybe? A paralysis quirk? Fuck, he couldn't tell.
"Who's there?" Eyebags called.
Fuck, what was he doing in General Education, when he was facing down a group of hero students so calmly? When he'd so easily stopped Katsuki dead in his tracks? Katsuki had never felt so helpless since Izuku had gone missing.
"Yo, Shinso, it's just us!" Tapeface called back.
"Is Bakugo there with you?" Headband asked.
Eyebags smirked as the four came into the room. Katsuki could just see them out of the corner of his eye. "Did anyone get injured?" he asked.
"We lost Kirishima," Scyther said, "but we're all good. Couple close calls, but good. So, what are we doing, Bakugo? Um, Bakugo?"
"What's up with Bakugo?" Tapeface asked.
Eyebags sighed. "This'll have to do, I guess." Tapeface, Scyther, and Headband went slack.
"Dude, what's going on?" Eyelashes asked, sounding a little panicked. Why hadn't he been caught like the rest of them?
"Eliminate yourselves," Eyebags said.
If he had been able to move his body, Katsuki would have scoffed. What, did he think he was some kind of edgelord. But, to his horror, his body moved. He raised a hand and pressed it to the target on his sternum. He could feel his quirk heating up his palm, preparing for an explosion.
"Dude! What the hell! Stop!" Eyelashes yelled. He ran at Katsuki and ripped his hand away from his target.
That snapped Katsuki out of whatever trance he had been in. It was too late for the others, though.
"Awase, Kamikiri, and Sero have been eliminated. 25 contestants remain."
"That was so unmanly, dude!" Eyelashes said, quirk activated as he faced Eyebags.
Eyebags shrugged. "What else did you expect? You were looking down on me, weren't you?"
Katsuki clapped his hand over Eyelashes mouth. "Don't say anything to him," he warned the other boy. Something about the quirk didn't quite add up. Eyelashes was the only one not affected, and the only one who hadn't spoken to Eyebags.
Eyelashes looked surprised but nodded. Katsuki removed his hand and approached Eyebags, palms sparking.
Eyebags raised a eyebrow and held up the crown. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We're all eliminated if this crown gets lost. I wonder if destroying it counts. One step closer and we'll find out."
The bastard was willing to take himself out with the rest of them. Katsuki stopped, breathing harshly with the effort it took not to blow the stupid purple fucker's head off.
"Here's how it's going to go," Eyebags said, backing a healthy distance away from Katsuki. "I'll keep the crown safe like I've been doing, and you two stay away from the castle. One step inside and I'm smashing it to bits."
Katsuki bit his tongue and nodded. That absolute bastard.
"Good. Now get out!"
Katsuki turned on his heel and stalked out, flanked by Eyelashes. He hoped Eyebags survived till the finals, because he was going to beat the shit out of him for this.
*
"Komori has been eliminated. 24 contestants remain."
"Nice work, Tsuburaba!" Izuku called over the comms. "Shadow Guard how are we holding up?"
"Dark Shadow is still recovering," Tokoyami reported.
Izuku cursed internally. Aoyama had gotten the drop on them with Hagakure while they were confused from Komori's spores. He and Todoroki both had the potential to devastate the Shadow Guard.
"I'm on my way," Monoma said. "Hold on!"
"Royal Guard, what's the situation?"
"No signs of Todoroki from the outside yet," Yaomomo said. "We're keeping an eye out for Hagakure, too."
"He may have stayed back at his castle," Izuku suggested. He hoped that was the case, because their defenses were buckling as it was.
"Found Hagakure," Kuroiro announced. There was a grunt of exertion from his end and a high-pitched shout.
"Hagakure has been eliminated. 23 contestants remain."
"Aoyama has been eliminated. 22 contestants remain."
"Yeah!" Monoma shouted in triumph. "Who's the superior class now?"
"Team, Monoma. Superior team," Izuku reminded him. That was everyone who had been invading. He didn't think it was the end, though. Far from it. They wouldn't be safe until six more contestants were eliminated. "I'm taking a look outside," he told his team. "Let's not be taken by surprise again."
"Roger that," Honenuki replied. "Almost gave me a heart attack."
Izuku slipped out a window and climbed to the roof again, perched atop it like a gargoyle. The field was uncomfortably quiet. He didn't like it.
"Attention contestants. Five minutes remain."
Izuku could have sworn they had more time. Komori's spores really were disorienting. He was surprised more of them hadn't been eliminated. It was only Momo's quick thinking in sending Tsuburaba to seal off the exterior and distribute masks to breathe through that stopped them from being completely wiped out of the game. Izuku had been anticipating an attack of that kind, but without Jiro to listen and warn them ahead of time, it was easy to be snuck up on. They hadn't realized the air was compromised until they had already been breathing the spores.
A dark shape left Todoroki's castle and sped toward them, leaving a sparkling trail behind it.
"Guys, Todoroki incoming!" he warned.
"Give us a break!" Tsuburaba complained. "I'm gonna get asthma."
It seemed Todoroki was headed directly for the entrance, so Izuku anchored himself at the edge of the roof and prepared to intercept him. When Todoroki was almost to the doors, he dropped down, his cable slowly his descent to a barely safe speed. If he could buy enough time, they'd make it through the round.
"Midoriya," Todoroki greeted him.
Izuku would have returned the greeting, but Todoroki wasted no time in sending a stream of ice his way. He had to disengage his gauntlet and dive to the side to avoid being turned into a popsicle.
The ice cascaded past him, freezing over the entrance to his castle.
"It would be nice to fight in the finals, but here is fine, too," Todoroki said, sending out several spikes of ice in quick succession.
Izuku kicked the last one before it could reach him, shattering it into fragments. Good to know his boots could handle that kind of impact.
Todoroki wasn't fazed by the move. "Sorry, but I have no intention of losing." He iced over the floor.
Izuku's feet slid out from under him. Reminder, better traction once he got back in the labs. It would probably come in handy for climbing, too.
Todoroki took the opportunity to freeze his right arm to the ground, effectively pinning him. before Izuku could kick at the restraints to break them, he rushed in with another stream of ice. Izuku scrambled out of the way. The ice spikes grazed him ever so slightly and tore open the leg of his uniform.
Todoroki made a jab at him, clearly aiming for Izuku's target. Izuku kicked the blow aside. Todoroki used his foot to freeze Izuku's right foot to the floor, leaving him with only two limbs to defend himself with.
"Midoriya!" Monoma called over the comms. "Report!"
He didn't have time. He was too busy awkwardly protecting his target. Todoroki grabbed his free arm and twisted it behind him, only to find that left Izuku between him and the target still. He solved that quickly, freezing Izuku's hand to his back.
Crouched on the ground, Izuku was panting. His heartbeat throbbed in his temples. He'd lost.
"You're holding back," Todoroki told him. "There's no way you could have beaten me holding back."
"You're holding back, too," Izuku accused him. He couldn't be sure of course, without some kind of genetic testing, but the way Todoroki could only use his ice from his right side, the way his features were split down the middle, his father's quirk. Izuku could guess. "All that power and you won't use it! You have no right to accuse me of holding back!"
Todoroki's eyes hardened. "I will win without that bastard's power," he said. "I don't need it."
Izuku's stomach dropped as Todoroki circled around him. He tried to kick out at him again, but Todoroki caught his foot easily. He pulled his arm back to strike. Izuku had lost.
"DIE!"
Todoroki was thrown against his own ice wall. Izuku's limbs wrenched in their restraints. He was pretty sure he dislocated something. The good news? The residual heat from the explosion loosened the arm frozen to his back enough to free it. Without the distraction of defending against Todoroki, he smashed the edge of his gauntlet against the ice holding down his other hand and his foot.
Todoroki recovered quickly, but instead of going after Izuku again, he turned to the new threat.
"I'll fucking kill you, you icyhot bastard!" Kacchan yelled, as he landed.
"That would be illegal," Todoroki noted coolly.
Kacchan looked like he didn't care.
Izuku was not looking forward to this. Ideally, they would both take each other out. That would be nice.
On the other side of the arena, an enormous explosion went off.
"Iida and Koda have been eliminated. The blue team is eliminated. Ashido, Bondo, Fukidashi, and Kaibara have been eliminated. 16 contestants remain. The second round is over. Congratulations to the remaining contestants. You have advanced to the finals."