"After passing the first part of the circuit, which was infested by Hungry Carrots, both I-Kart 1 and I-Kart 8 are entering the second stage! Contrary to the twists and turns they have driven through, next up is a classic straight course!"
Could this get any worse? Arata chews on her bottom lip as her right foot steps on the gas pedal even deeper, wishing that it will pick up more velocity somehow. It is no use though, their I-Kart has already reached their top speed.
Straight course is a nightmare for us. We can't get our I-Kart to surpass its limit, but they can easily do so using Bakugou-kun's blast recoil. The only thing keeping them from getting past us is Shoto-san's ice barriers.
Threatening sounds of Bakugou's explosion against Shoto's ice walls boom behind her back. The impact sends pieces of frost flying around them, making a hole for Kirishima and Bakugou's I-Kart 1 to pass. Its wheels let out a wailing shriek as Kirishima avoids a big chunk of ice debris.
"Is that all you can do, Half-and-Half Bastard!? Emit an ice barrier each time we get close?" Bakugou scoffs, his hands detonating another explosion. "You won't last until the end! Stop half-assing this and give me some real fight, you idiot!"
"I can do this all day," Shoto replies, not wasting any time to raise another ice wall to halt them.
Lies, Arata creases her forehead, staring at the curve-free way ahead. Shoto-san might sound confident, but he can't take the chatter out of his voice. Repetitively building the ice barriers must have taken a lot from him. Is there really no other way?
"Shoto-san, can't you just make them slip on ice?"
"Can't." Shoto grinds his teeth together. "I've tried, but Kirishima recovered too quickly. It'll probably work on turns or corners, but on a straight course like this, there's no chance."
We can't keep relying on his quirk like this, Arata sighs dejectedly, back to brainstorming other ideas. There isn't anything that she can do except keeping an eye on the road.
Shoto-san's stamina is draining too fast. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need other variables in this race. Variables like... more obstacles.
Maybe today is her lucky day, because it doesn't even take ten seconds for her wish to be magically granted by the announcer. "Just going straight is a bit boring, isn't it? But, worry not! We'll spice things up in a jiffy! Let's welcome the Wrecking Balls!"
Several tall cranes appear before them, stationed at either side of the track. Each of them has a massive bowling ball hanging by a rope, swinging dangerously from side to side. Similar to a giant pendulum, it sways with such force that Arata is sure it will have no problem in sending their I-Kart out of the track on contact.
Gravity pulls the first Wrecking Ball to the middle of the track, and her first instinct is to slow down for a bit and wait for it to swing through its equilibrium position. Once the ball swings upward again, they will be in the clear and can pass safely. But, of course, more often than not, reality is very messy.
Taking advantage of Bakugou's explosion recoil, Kirishima slams I-Kart 1's front to I-Kart 8's rear. Knocked off balance without a grip, Shoto almost topples out of the kart.
The crash lurches Shoto and Arata's I-Kart forward, propelling it straight to the swaying bowling ball's trajectory. Arata scrambles to hit the brake and cut off their renewed acceleration in panic, but no avail.
"Good luck facing that, Todoroki, Arata-chan!" Kirishima smirks, his sharp teeth glinting under the sun, as his friends shout in horror.
By the time Shoto lifts his head, the massive bowling ball is nearing the center a few steps ahead of them. At this point, no matter how hard Arata brakes, they still won't be able to stop before the first Wrecking Ball. No thanks to Kirishima's intervention, it's already too late.
Clenching his jaw in irritation, Shoto struggles to regain his balance and shouts, "Keep your head down, Ara! I'll try to shield us!"
"No!" Arata interjects vehemently, her teeth gritted. There is zero possibility he will make it in time. "Leave this one to me! You hang on!"
If slowing down is not an option, then the only thing we can do is go as fast as we can.
She lifts her left foot from the brake completely and slams her other foot to the gas pedal. The sudden change jolts their I-Kart with a start, the wheels whirring with a loud noise.
Gripping the handles on each side tightly, Shoto retorts back, "That's too reckless! We won't make it. It's too close!"
"We will! My instinct says so!"
"If anything goes wrong, it'll be too hard to recover!"
"Trust me on this, okay?" Arata insists. "I'm 100% sure we will make it!"
She's nuts, Shoto grouses in his own head. But even if Arata changes her mind right now, it is nothing they can undo. Their I-Kart has accelerated too much, and it has only one purpose now: charge forward.
Not that he can do anything about it, he isn't the one in the cockpit. Arata is. The only thing he can do for now is brace for the impact.
Utilizing its full throttle, their I-Kart bolts forth. Shoto can see the giant bowling ball hurling towards their direction. Yet, when he is so certain that it will strike them, their I-Kart successfully zigzags of its way by a strand of hair. The ball only manages to graze their I-Kart a little, bumping it sideways with a small force, but it skids and returns back to the right track shortly after.
"See?" Arata laughs, drowning out Bakugou's string of curses behind them. "It works!"
White-knuckled and in disbelief, Shoto mutters breathlessly, "Impossible."
What kind of reaction time was that? Was it pure luck?
"Get ready for the next Wrecking Ball, Shoto-san!"
It looks like her previous successful feat elevates her confidence, and this time, Arata doesn't hesitate at all in deciding her next course of action. Without losing the least bit of speed, their I-Kart swerves right and left, dashing past the obstacles. Sometimes it barely dodges the Wrecking Balls, but most of the time Arata succeeds in putting a considerable distance.
However, Arata's keen driving skills aside, I-Kart 1 and its passengers are tailing them quite closely. With Kirishima's punches and Bakugou's blasts to propel the pendulums to swing in the opposite direction, catching up is not a big deal for them. Arata and Shoto have yet to savor their little escape when I-Kart 1 darts to them with an alarming rate.
"I'll kill you, you morons!" Bakugou's yell pierces the air, bellowing over the blasts he is using as an accelerator.
Ice quickly surges from Shoto's hand, freezing the pendulum separating their own I-Kart and I-Kart 1 on the spot. Instead of punching it away, Kirishima steers to the right to avoid it and gets back on their tail right away.
"Arata-chan isn't the only one who can do that, you know," Kirishima exclaims, then puts on more pressure on his gas pedal, verging closer to I-Kart 8 in front of him. "The first place is ours!"
"I won't let you pass."
Using his left hand for the first time, Shoto shoots his flame to the last Wrecking Ball he and Arata have just passed. The hanging rope burns, letting the giant bowling ball freefalls to the ground. It rolls towards Kirishima and Bakugou.
I-Kart 1 skids with a blaring screech as Kirishima slams his steering wheel. Screaming in exasperation, Bakugou exploits his blasts to help him make a sharp, serpentine-like curve to avoid the loose Wrecking Ball.
"Tch." Shoto hates to admit it, but Kirishima and Bakugou spend far less time than he would like in his attempt to hinder them. He tries to erect another ice barrier again, but I-Kart 1 dodges the unfinished frost structure to the left with an explosion, and finally manages to get past them.
"Oooohh! I-Kart 1 and I-Kart 8 are competing head-to-head! With them both in the first place now, which team is going to be the last one standing?"
"Any last words before I kill you, Bastard?" A devilish smirk splits Bakugou's face as he directs his left hand to Shoto's face.
"The race isn't over yet." Shoto scowls, readying himself to counter with his own quirk. "Don't get cocky, Bakugou."
But, before they are able to trade blows, the ground shakes as if there is a miniature earthquake. Fissures crack up and the track between them bursts open. The next second, another I-Kart with a large 5 on its chassis emerges, right in the middle of I-Kart 1 and I-Kart 8. A roaring drill made of the co-driver's hair is encapsulating its front, thundering rowdily in the stadium.
"Surprise, surprise!" the announcer's voice rings out. "After being eaten by a Hungry Carrot, it turns out that I-Kart 5 and its passengers haven't given up yet! They drilled their way with their Hair Drill quirk—all the way from stage 1—and caught up with our remaining competitors right here! For those who don't understand, here's a little clue: do you guys know that carrots actually grow underground?"
"No way." Arata's green eyes widen, almost not believing what she is seeing. "It still doesn't explain how they catch up so fast! It's impossible, because all I-Karts have the same maximum speed!"
"Finally, fresh air!" As the hair drill shrinks to normal hair, I-Kart 5's co-driver shakes her head and taps the driver's shoulder. "I can't manifest the drill any longer. The rest of this competition is riding on you, Son."
"Got it, Mom."
"Just die already, you shithead!"
Uncaring of the situation, Bakugou tries to strike I-Kart 5 with his explosion. Yet, before it connects, I-Kart 5 sprints forward, snatching the lead from both I-Kart 1 and I-Kart 8. Behind the glass of his helmet, the driver lets out a mocking snicker, his eyes glowing in an azure hue.
"What are you all fighting for? This is a race, not a fight, you morons. Get prepared to be left in the dust!"
"Son, language!" the co-driver, doubling as his mother, cries out. "Don't lump yourself with the likes of the uncultured!"
"What did you say!?" Bakugou snarls angrily.
Shoto is about to say something when the announcer opens her mouth again through the speakers.
"I'm sure we're all confused on how I-Kart 5 can pull off this feat, so I've done some digging! It turns out, I-Kart 5's driver is one of the most promising F1 Junior racers! I'm not naming names, but I'm sure you all know which one of them has Overclock as his quirk."
Overclock, Shoto narrows his eyes, trying to tune out "Dace Renault, Dace, Dace!" chant that is spreading like plague in the stadium. As time passes, I-Kart 5 is barreling forward faster and faster ahead of them. Does that mean he can push the I-Kart's performance to its real limits? No wonder I-Kart 5 is a lot faster than ours and I-Kart 1.
"Who cares!? Shitty Dace or whoever it is! The one who will win this is me!" Bakugou launches off I-Kart 1 with his explosions. It shoots forward like a bullet, chasing after I-Kart 5.
"Not so fast." Shoto tries to freeze I-Kart 1, but Bakugou only smirks and blasts his ice with another hand.
"Now, you're not in the lead anymore, you and your ice won't be a problem! I'm going to take this Shitty Dace down now. So long, Icy-Hot!"
"Now, the last stage is already in front of us! Between I-Kart 1 the violent, I-Kart 5 the speedy, and I-Kart 8 the dethroned king... Who do you think will win I-Speed this round? Are you brimming with excitement on the edge of your seats, like me?"