Chapter 26: The Second Event: Scramble Slam
- U.A. STADIUM -
The crowd's cheers were deafening as the final contestants crossed the finish line, signaling the end of the first event. While there were over two hundred competitors, only forty-two would make it to the next round. Izuku looked over the other forty-one students making it to round two. All of 1-A and 1-B had managed to make it in, with one Support Course student and one from the General Education Course joining them.
The outcome didn't really surprise him. He and 1-A had too much to prove today and he knew every single one of them worked hard for this day. He wouldn't discount 1-B either. Even with his limited interactions with them, and most of those being through Monoma, he knew they had trained just as hard.
What made his predictions difficult was the fact he didn't know all of their Quirks. Throw in the Support Course and Gen Ed student, and he was left with a lot of unknowns. He would just have to deal with them as they happened.
Midnight's voice broke him out of his musings. "The top forty-two have made it through to the next round. But don't get disheartened if you didn't make it this year. We still have plenty of smaller events for you to strut your stuff after this." The R-Rated Hero said with a saucy wink.
"But, the next big event starts now! Everyone, pay close attention and give it your all!" Midnight raised her whip and snapped it. The holographic screen behind her began its roulette, making the forty-two students grow tense as it spun. "Now then, here is the second event!"
Midnight played into the excited atmosphere as she spoke in a teasing manner. "What could it be? What could it be~?" Each repetition seemed to spur the wheel on to keep spinning faster and faster. Izuku watched as a small bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face.
The wheel stopped abruptly as two words flashed on the screen.
Scramble Slam.
"Scramble Slam? What do you think that is?" Kaminari asked openly.
"Never saw it happen in the past sports festivalskero. Maybe it's a team event?" Tsuyu remarked as she stared at the screen.
"Allow me to explain. All participants will form teams of two to four people. Each team will be competing to control various zones that will be set up on the field, signifying sections of a city." On the screen four cartoonish versions of Heroes appeared and formed a group, taking over a section on the map. "Your job is to control zones to gain points, with each zone giving you 100 points each minute. Each team will choose their starting zone, or Home Zone, and go from there. To capture a zone, you must enter the 'Hill' generated by the sensor. If you capture a zone that is not connected to your Home Zone, you will not receive points until a connection is made." The students watched as the Hero group moved from zone to zone, going to the sensors in the middle and taking each one, and then skipped over to a different zone showing off the disconnected capture. The example finished with the Hero group going back and capturing the zone in the middle to link it up with the Home Zone.
"Other teams can steal zones, but they won't gain your points unless they steal your Home Zone. To steal a zone, you must stay inside an undefended zone for ten seconds." On the screen, another Hero team appeared and captured the Home Zone of the first team. The total points displayed on the zone are then transferred over to the other team. "If you steal back your Home Zone, you will get your lost points back. If your team loses control of a captured Home Zone to another team, they will receive the points tied to it. If another team attempts to steal a zone you are stealing, or the team owning the zone enters it to defend, the countdown is stopped and reset. Unclaimed zones take up to ten seconds to claim but also can be stopped if another team interferes, resetting the timer. Home Zones require 30 seconds to steal."
Midnight stopped her explanation to make sure that the students were following her. When she saw no one question her, she held up a strip of cloth and held it up. "Each member of a team will be given a band to signify their status as 'in'. If an opponent manages to pull this off of your body, you must go to your Home Zone to be considered back in. If your Home Zone is captured while you still have control of other zones, you must enter the neutral zone in the middle of the arena and wait for 30 seconds to be counted back in. Be aware, while I may love it when you all are eager to show me what you got, there will be no cheating," Midnight licked her lips, causing several of the male student body, and most in the stands to squirm, "or you will be punished. We will be keeping track of all of you!"
She recomposed herself and finished up the rules. "But now onto the most important parts. If you lose all your zones, your team is out. Unless your team is fighting for control of another zone, that is. After all, there is still a chance to hold on. The match will have a 20-minute timer and will play out until the timer hits zero or sixteen students remain. If the clock runs out, the winners will be determined by how many points they earned during the match. And as I said, if you steal an enemy Home Zone, you steal their points. Each team will be given a point value based on your placement in the race." The R-Rated Hero suddenly stopped as she scanned the group of students, almost waiting for one of them to speak out of line during this part. She smiled internally as they all seemed to wait for her to finish. "Starting from the bottom of the list, each position will go up by five points. So 42nd place will have five, 41st place will have ten, and so on."
Izuku was running the calculations in his head, not paying attention to the board. 'That would make the match the most fair that way. And with everyone's points being as close as they can be, it makes the field a little more chaotic.' Sadly, for him, his initial thoughts were proven wrong.
"And of course, the one who placed first will have the starting point total of... one million!" Midnight declared. Izuku finally looked to his spot on the board and dread filled his heart.
'... Crap baskets.'
- CAFÉ WILDKAT, MUSUTAFU -
"Damn... Phones is gonna have his work cut out for him." Mr. H said grimly.
"Yeah. He's gonna have a hard time with the deck stacked up against him." Rhyme added.
There was a general confusion in the café with the rest of the guests, as groups looked around trying to understand why one student would have a point value that high.
"Is it really going to be that bad?" One guest asked.
"Damn straight." The café turned their attention to Beat, the blonde focusing on the TV past the counter. "The Hero biz ain't a joke, yo. The ratings are a thing because people like to put stock on that shit. All Might is at the top, but how many Heroes dream of takin' the big guy's place. The players out on that field, they either take the risk or do what they can to get by."
"Midoriya can't just rest on his laurels either." Rhyme said. She turned around to face the spectators to continue the explanation. "He and his team can't just sit and play defense. That will look bad on them. As Heroes, we have to make sure we don't stay still. We have to make the call to not only help out our turf but also answer the calls for help outside of it."
"But that's why he ain't alone, yo. Together, with the right people watchin' his back, they can win this." Beat said with a confident smirk on his face. The older blonde wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulder, the younger blonde letting out a few chuckles at his antics. "Like me and Rhyme. When we hit the streets, you can be damn sure we get the job done!"
- SHIELD RESIDENCE, I-ISLAND -
Melissa was jotting down notes in her notebook, a copy of Quirk rEvolution sitting next to her as she was entranced in her work. David watched and looked over his daughter's notes, humming a few times as he did.
The glasses-wearing blonde began to play with the ends of her ponytail as she went deeper into her thoughts, her mental ramblings becoming verbal. "... to be smart for this team game. Izuku's Quirk gives him variety, but Present Mic and Eraser Head haven't gone into the specifics of it. How can he have so many abilities? What is the activator?"
"It does seem odd," David said, causing Melissa to break away from her thoughts.
The younger Shield scratched her cheek as she gave her father a sheepish look. "Sorry Dad. Guess I got too focused."
The Shield patriarch just let out a chuckle and waved his hand, "No worries, Melissa. It's an interesting Quirk. I saw him use Telekinesis, Energy Shields, Pyrokinesis, Teleportation, and Energy Attacks. To be able to use his Quirk with that level of versatility means he had to work hard on it. And who knows what else he has up his sleeve."
Melissa nodded and focused on her notes, adding more observations based on her father's input. She flipped back a few pages to an earlier entry as she looked over her older notes on Izuku's Quirk he had told her about and some of her theories. All over the page were various sketches and rough designs for support equipment. David couldn't see the notes attached to the designs but he could guess who they were all for.
Melissa looked back at the TV, her eyes zeroing in on Izuku as the cameras switched to different angles to get a wide shot of the 42 students who placed in the race.
David watched as his daughter went quiet again. There was a longing in her eyes, matched by an equal amount of hesitancy. He took out his phone again and pulled up the email Toshinori sent him. He looked back at his daughter as he heard her speak again.
"Would he even want to talk anymore? Does he even remember me?" Melissa said softly. "Not like I tried to keep in touch after the last letter... I guess I sorta forgot about him too..."
David saw his daughter begin to spiral in her negative thoughts and decided to that the plunge. "Well, maybe you just need to ask him yourself." Melissa quickly turned to look at her father as he handed her his phone. "Your Uncle Might is his teacher and thought you two might hit it off. He sent me Midoriya's email in case you wanted to talk to him."
Melissa took the phone and stared at the address, unsure of what to do. The curvy blonde looked back at the TV, focusing on Izuku, her aqua-blue eyes glued to the screen. In that moment, she came to her decision. While she focused on him, the announcement of his point total was made, making her eyes widen.
"Oh, crap baskets... That doesn't seem good." The blonde remarked.
David looked at the screen and had to agree.
'Seems like your successor will have to deal with your problems before he even gets his license, Toshi.' The researcher thought to himself
- U.A. STADIUM, PRIVATE BOXES -
"Courage is grace under pressure. And now Midoriya is feeling it encompass him." Joshua quoted with a small smile on his face. He never took his eyes off of the verdette, his eyes watching his every move.
"So, Midoriya, will you crumble under it? Or will you rise to meet it? For you will have to do it again and again, each time will be harder than the last." The ashen-haired man's smile turned into a full smirk. "Life will always try to make you stumble, to make you falter. So don't you dare fall, Midoriya."
"Impress me..."
Izuku felt the many eyes of his peers all upon him. It felt as though the air was getting thinner the longer their eyes lingered on him. The verdette closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and releasing it. He repeated the process as he reached into his pouch, digging through it as he searched for his newest Psych. Ego hummed as his energy made the connection.
Izuku stared at the pin in his hand. On a deep-red background was his trademark green bunny, though this one had an intense air around it as its body was tense. Trails of smoke billowed around its form as the bunny stared back at Izuku, its eyes glowing with energy. Izuku took a deep breath and focused on his connection to the new Psych, tightening his fingers around the metal disc.
Suddenly, those who began to stare the verdette down felt the air shift. Their bodies began to feel weak, their legs nearly giving out as the pressure reversed and engulfed them. Izuku turned around as his eyes opened. The emerald orbs had begun to glow with an ethereal light as he stared them all down.
Izuku didn't say anything, he simply stared them all down with a challenging smirk on his face. They all began to back down, choosing to return their focus on Midnight as she waited patiently for the forty-two students. "Now then, the rules are set! There will be fifteen minutes to form your teams and come to me to choose your Home Zone while the field is set up. Get going darlings, time's wasting!"
Midnight's small stage began to move out of the way as several robots came onto the field to begin their work. Izuku focused on the map being displayed on the holographic screen near the dark-haired Hero, taking in every detail and noting where the zones would be. As he did, he heard Shoka speak up as she stood next to him.
"So, what's the game plan, Izzy?" The slender ravenette asked.
Izuku turned around, relief washing over him as he saw Shoka, Momo, and Shinso together. Shoka and Momo gave him a smile while Shinso simply nodded, each one letting him know that they weren't going to leave him on his own.
The verdette's returned their support with a wide smile as a plan began to form. He turned his attention back to the screen, the other three following his example. "We'll have to play defense for sure. Our points are too much of an incentive to ignore." Izuku stated.
"Right, but we can't just clam up. It won't make us look good if we make it to the next round." Shinso replied. "We will have to find a good balance between attacking and defending."
Momo took note of each zone on the map. "We should be fine at the start. Like us, every other team will focus on getting more zones under their control. Once they feel safe enough, they will start to go after others."
"We should end things fast, grab what we can, and help the other teams get theirs," Shoka said, drawing their attention. The gray-eyed ravenette turned to look at them. "Midnight said that the match ends when the timer hits zero, or sixteen students remain. That's four teams' worth of people. I say while we defend, we attack them in a different way."
"Right. Momo and I can work on defense once we all have grabbed a few zones while you and Shinso work on taking out the other teams." Izuku said, understanding Shoka's plan.
"It's going to get pretty chaotic out there. Wouldn't it be better to wait out the timer?" Shinso asked. He wasn't against the plan, but better to have one to fall back on.
Izuku nodded, understanding Shinso's point. He spoke up, wanting to make sure they were all on the same page. "If we have to, we can. We don't have to really go out and brawl with the other teams, we just need to remove the bands to get them out."
Shinso returned the nod. "Right. Just as long as we have something to fall back on." Shinso turned to Momo. "Yaoyorozu, do you still have plenty of reserves left?"
"I do. I take it you are also thinking about setting up traps in our Home Zone?" Momo said with a crafty smile, her eyes dancing with ideas.
The four huddled closely together as they began to plan out the strategy. Ideas and contingencies were brought up and amended as the quartet worked together. As they all came to an agreement, Izuku held a fist out.
"Wildkats?" He asked, looking at his three teammates.
Shoka did her best to stifle a laugh. "Pfft. Really, Dork?" Despite her words, she had already bumped her fist with his.
Momo was next to follow, her bright smile apparent as her bubbly personality came to the forefront. "Of course!"
The three turned to Shinso, the indigoette staring blankly at them. He slowly brought his fist in, joining the team fist bump, albeit rather unenthusiastically.
His response had some pep to it at least. "Go team!"
Across the field, Todoroki watched as Izuku and his team made their way over to Midnight to claim their Home Zone. His heterochromatic eyes focusing intently on the verdette he continued to plan out a strategy with the others.
"Todoroki, who should we consider for our team?" Iida asked the two-toned trainee.
Todoroki scanned the area, looking over the remaining group of students left to be picked. He saw Bakugo being dragged by Kirishima over to Mina. The pinkette seemed to have some reservations but agreed to join the two. He watched as the three moved to find another teammate to join them.
The bicolor-haired young man looked around the field. He noted that almost everyone had yet to form teams, seemingly still debating who they should all team up with. Todoroki was at an impasse. For once, he was annoyed that he had avoided interactions with the others in his class. He turned to Iida and gave him a questioning look, "Who would you suggest? You cover our ability to speed through the area and my Quirk will provide defense as well as offense."
The bluenette took in Todoroki's words, bringing a hand to his chin as we went into thought. "A wild card might work best. Someone who can catch our opponents by surprise." As he said this, Iida looked around, his eyes landing on a mop of mossy-green hair. Iida noticed no one had approached Setsuna yet and took a chance to add another member to his and Todoroki's team. "Tokage!"
Setsuna turned around to see Iida making his way over to her, the mossy-verdette's eyes blinking in confusion. "Uh, sup, Glasses. Whatcha need?"
"Tokage, I would like to ask if you would consider joining my and Todoroki's team," Iida replied as Todoroki joined him.
The mossy-verdette looked at the two. She tilted her head as she began to consider joining their team. After a moment, she gave them a sharp-toothed grin. "Sure! Why not? What's the plan so far?"
Todoroki spoke up, taking a step forward. "We need one more member." The heterochromatic young man looked back at Izuku's team, studying its formation and trying to learn from it. An idea came to him as he looked around the field, finding the person he wanted as his last member.
Todoroki began to move, leaving Iida and Setsuna behind. The two shared a look before quickly catching up with their other teammate as the Ice user neared who he was looking for. He put a hand on the shoulder of a raven-headed young man. Tokoyami turned his head and stared into the inexpressive eyes of Todoroki.
"Tokoyami, I would ask that you join my team for this event."
Midnight stood on her platform outside the boundaries of the makeshift field. Borders were painted along the turf, the white paint signifying the many zones the students would be battling for, with metal sensor displays set up and generating a 'hill' for them to claim. Across the field, she saw a variety of teams, from teams full of 1-A or 1-B students, or a fair mixture of the two classes.
Midoriya Izuku stood with Sakurane Shoka, Yaoyorozu Momo, and Shinso Hitoshi, the crown jewel of 1,000,540 points displayed on their zone's sensor.
Todoroki Shoto and his team of Iida Tenya, Togake Setsuna, and Tokoyami Fumikage were ready with 670 points to their name.
Bakugo Katsuki was chomping at the bit as Kirishima Eijiro, Ashido Mina, and Kaminari Denki stayed behind him, their Home Zone displaying their 615 points.
Monoma Neito was confident as Kendo Itsuka, Shiozaki Ibara, and Hatsume Mei readied themselves with 505 points on display.
Sato Rikido, Sero Hanta, and Shoji Mezo chose to start in the north-east. The trio of 1-A were ready with their 415 points.
A group of 1-B was next, led by Honenuki Juzo with his team of Tsuburaba Kosei, Shishida Jurota, and Kamakiri Togaru with their combined 365 points.
Uraraka Ochaco was with her friends from 1-A. Asui Tsuyu, Hagakure Toru, and Jiro Kyoka were next to their Home Zone sensor as their 355 points appeared.
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and his teammates Kuroiro Shihai, Rin Hiryu, and Bondo Kojiro followed next, taking their total of 300 points and setting up near the Neutral Zone.
A team led by Fukidashi Manga took up the zone right next to Tetsutetsu's team. Joining Fukidashi were Awase Yosetsu, Kaibara Sen, and Nirengeki Shoda with a combined 280 points.
Another all-female team led by 1-B's Yanagi Reiko chose to start near the Neutral Zone. Yanagi was joined by Tsunotori Pony, Komori Kinoko, and Kodai Yui, their points coming together to 215.
Aoyama Yuga formed the second trio, joined by Koda Koji and Matsuno Kenta, a student from the General Education Course. They had the lowest score of 85 points in total.
Midnight stood in front of the holographic display; the screen having switched into a map of the field with the team's Home Zones colored in. The R-Rated Hero raised her whip and held it in the air for a moment. "The Scramble Slam will begin in three..."
The eleven teams readied themselves as Midnight started the countdown. The air was tense as the arena would soon become a battlefield.
"Two."
Izuku began to pool his energy into Orbit, readying himself for the first step of their plan. Momo unzipped her jacket as she started to prep her creations, the myriad of colors emanating from her skin.
"One!"
Shoka generated her Quirk's armor as she turned to face the zone to their left, getting ready to pounce at the word go. Shinso went down into a runner's stance as his eyes narrowed on the zone to their left. He saw Juzo's team out of the corner of his eye, paying attention to where they planned to go.
"START!"
Shoka and Shinso took off like bullets, the two heading to the first zones they aimed to control. Momo created several smoke grenades, tossing them into the air for Izuku to catch with Orbit as he launched them further to the borders of their Home Zone. Smoke erupted from the canisters, covering Team Midoriya's Home Zone in a gray screen.
[Team Midoriya starts off with a surprise! Their Home Zone is covered in smoke, blocking it from everybody's view!]
Shoka rushed over to her target zone. She smirked at seeing it empty, Koda staying back in his Home Zone just past it. She stopped as she entered the hill, the holographic display turning green, indicating her taking it over. As she worked on capturing the zone, she scanned the area.
[It looks like everybody is rushing to grab up some land! Team Midoriya, Team Todoroki, Team Bakugo, and Team Monoma are all scrambling to increase their territory by grabbing two zones instead!]
[It's the most logical starting point. By increasing their zones, they allow themselves some breathing room. The issue comes from those who might stretch themselves too thin by reaching far beyond what they should.]
As Shoka listened, the sensor let out a chime, indicating its capture with the holographic hill turning her team's green color. She saw Shinso finishing up his capture soon after but her gray eyes narrowed on Juzo's team as they moved to encroach on her team's Home Zone. The slender ravenette sprinted to meet Juzo, Kamakiri, and Shishida, and engage them.
"Damn! Still can't see past the smoke!" Kamakiri yelled out in frustration.
Kamakiri Togaru was a tall, slender, and pale young man with his skin being a yellow-green shade. He had fluffy green hair styled into a mohawk. He had a pair of sharp mandibles on the sides of his face, giving him the look of a praying mantis.
"Calm down Kamakiri. The smoke will let up soon and we can work on getting Midoriya's points soon." His leader, Juzo said, trying to calm down his hot-headed teammate.
Honenuki Juzo was another pale young man with angular eyes and beige, mid-length hair that was slightly spiked. The young man had small eyebrows, no nose, and his most distinctive feature was his teeth sitting outside his skin.
"Gentlemen, we have a problem!" Shishida called out in alarm.
Shishida Jurota was the largest of the group, his size playing a role in his beastly appearance. His body was covered in brown fur, matching his shaggy, brown hair. He had sharp teeth, with his bottom two canines jutting out past his lips. Despite his beastly look, a pair of glasses sitting over his eyes gave him a very scholarly look to counter his other aspects.
Before the other two could react, Shoka slid in between them and into the hill. Her timely arrival prevented the countdown from reaching its end and caused the holographic hill to display green and magenta colors to show the conflict.
"Hey there neighbors. Mind getting off my lawn?" The ravenette said cheekily.
Kamakiri stepped up, his aggravation apparent as he spoke. "Step off! I don't take too kindly to strays on my turf."
Shoka narrowed her eyes before smirking. She rolled her head, popping her neck as she took her fighting stance. She spread her legs apart, lowering her body as she held her arms out with her Quirk's claws extended. Her tail began to swish back and forth slowly, almost hypnotically as she stared down the three invaders.
"And I don't care much for pests," Shoka replied.
Kamakiri's eyes twitched at her words. The mantis-like Hero student rushed the ravenette, forming a pair of dull blades on his arms as he slashed at her. Shoka easily dodged his attack, twirling on her forward leg, and extending her back leg as she swept him off his feet in one smooth motion. She reached to pull off his band from his arm when she felt a shift in the ground.
"Kamakiri, get out of the way!" Juzo yelled.
Kamakiri rolled his body away from Shoka. The gray-eyed ravenette noticed the surface of the ground change and jumped back, narrowly avoiding getting trapped by Juzo's Quirk. As her feet hit the dirt, she turned her head as Shishida rushed her, the gentleman beast's Quirk affecting his physicality.
The brunette slammed his fist down as Shoka weaved into his personal space. Shishida was unable to block the barrage of palm strikes the ravenette delivered unto him. Shishida grunted in discomfort as Shoka's attack began to wear down the large beast-man, the fur-covered young man lurching back after a rather heavy strike to his solar plexus. Before she could capitalize on her advantage, Juzo emerged from the ground in front of her.
Shoka leaped back, barely dodging a nasty uppercut from the beige-haired student. She saw him give what she assumed was a smirk as he stamped his foot down, the ground rippling out and softening. Her gray eyes widened slightly as she saw the ground near her landing soften as well. As the ravenette tried to figure out a plan for her situation, Shoka felt herself being enveloped in a firm embrace as green energy wrapped around her.
Shishida and Juzo watched in surprise as the ravenette was pulled back and saw Izuku holding out his left hand. Shoka landed next to him on all her limbs, skidding back slightly as she did.
"Thanks, Izzy," Shoka said as she stood up, taking her place next to the verdette.
"No problem, Shoka. Need some help?" Izuku asked his gray-eyed girlfriend.
"Hmm..." Shoka shrugged playfully. "Sure. I'm counting on you." The ravenette got back in her stance as she turned to face Shishida and Juzo.
"Well, I aim to please," Izuku replied, stepping forward into the fray.
As he did, Shishida and Juzo felt slightly weaker as their muscles grew heavy, their breathing becoming shallow. The two looked at the verdette, noticing the ethereal glow in his eyes. The verdette and ravenette then sprinted at the pair of 1-B students.
Juzo called out to his other teammate. "Kamakiri, go and take their Home Zone!" The beige color-haired young man had to quickly duck into the softened ground as Izuku Blinked over him and slashed away with Excalibur. Juzo hoped to catch the verdette, only to see Izuku Blink away from him.
Shishida didn't fare any better as Shoka was already upon him, her body dancing around him as she struck him with a variety of palm strikes and kicks. The constant barrage began to eat away at the beast-man's composure, his calm demeanor beginning to shift as his Quirk affected his nature. He lashed out faster than Shoka expected, forcing the ravenette to dodge. Her gray eyes widened in surprise as Shishida started to act more beast-like as he chased after her.
Kamakiri ground his teeth together as he watched his teammates battle against Izuku and Shoka. He shook his head, turning around to charge into the enemy's Home Zone. He carefully eyed the field as he saw Momo waiting for him next to the sensor. His already frustrated mood grew more so as the busty heiress simply just watched him, treating him as a non-threat. Kamakiri didn't take too kindly to such disrespect that he blindly charged forward.
And missed seeing the mines littered about in the zone.
The mantid young man heard a click from under his feet, breaking him out of his blind rage. "Shit..." With a loud blast, he was launched into the air and back into the conflicted zone with a trail of pink smoke and glitter trailing after him.
[HOLY CRAP! Yaoyorozu managed to replicate the mines we used for the first event! Got the glitter and everything too...]
[Not only that, no doubt she, with Midoriya's help, turned their Home Zone into a defensive area laced with more of them. This will allow their team to leave their zone alone while they go on the offensive.]
"It was rather easy," Momo said to herself as she watched Kamakiri land. The busty heiress looked around, making sure no one on the field was watching her as she made her way through the only part of the minefield Izuku made safe. She quickly made her way over to her lovers to aid them, sparing Shinso a glance, noting the indigoette was having a stare-down with Tsuburaba.
As the onyx-eyed student joined the fray, Shinso kept his eyes on Tsuburaba.
Tsuburaba Kosei was a spiky-haired brunette with oval-shaped eyes. The 1-B student didn't make a move on Shinso, instead waiting for the right time to strike. The indigoette simply stared impassively at his competition, his silence and disinterest beginning to grate on the brunette's nerves. He remained calm though, doing his best to keep his head in the game.
Shinso decided to start his game. "Damn, I blinked."
Tsuburaba tilted his head in confusion, not understanding what Shinso meant.
The indigoette simply continued. "Figures. That's what I get for trying to win a staring contest with a rather dry, drab, boring wall." Shinso noticed the brunette's eye twitch at the insult. The indigoette took a step forward, nearing the boundary between his and Tsuburaba's zones. He didn't know the brunette's Quirk, and with him maintaining his vigil, Shinso decided to put his recent training to work.
Shinso started to jog, building up his speed into a sprint. Tsuburaba readied himself, inhaling a large amount of air to defend himself. The indigoette maintained eye contact as he swerved right and smirked.
"On your left." The sleep-deprived Hero student said in a whisper.
The brunette's eyes widened as he turned to his left and breathed out, a wall of solid air forming as he expected an attack that would never come. Shinso capitalized on his advantage, closing the distance and landing several strikes on Tsuburaba before disengaging.
The 1-B student was quick to cover the band on his arm, surprised that Shinso didn't go for it. The indigoette stared lazily at his opponent, his demeanor not giving anything away. Shinso's body tensed up as he sprang into action again. He locked eyes with Tsuburaba once more and spoke in a hushed tone. "Up top."
Tsuburaba's body reacted once more, his head snapping up as he created another wall of air to prevent an aerial assault. The brunette's eyes widened as if a fog had been lifted from them. He looked back in front of him, seeing Shinso just standing in front of him.
Before he could attack, Shinso spoke up. "Huh. Guess you guys in 1-B are just full of hot air. At least Monoma's alright. So can you do more than just blow?"
"Shut u-" Tsuburaba's eyes glazed over, Shinso's control taking over immediately at his response.
Shinso relaxed his body, the tenseness in his muscles now gone. He held his arm out, pointing at the zones off in the distance. "Go and take a zone far away from here." The indigoette commanded.
Tsuburaba didn't respond, his body just began to move in the direction Shinso pointed. Straight into Bakugo's zones. Once he was far away enough, the indigoette moved to Team Honenuki's Home Zone to begin its capture.
As he did his work, Shoka hopped out of the way of another one of Shishida's attacks. It was getting harder to do so as Shishida's Quirk began to affect his mind, turning him more and more animalistic as the battle went on. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Tsuburaba making his way into Bakugo's territory. The ravenette began to smirk as she thought up a plan to sow some more chaos for the ash-blonde bomber.
"All right big guy, time to go for a walk!" Shoka sprinted away from her and Honenuki's teams and over to Bakugo's zone. Shishida chased after her, a guttural roar sounding out from him as he did so.
[It looks like Team Midoriya is going on the offensive and pushing back Team Honenuki! Shinso Hitoshi just captured their Home Zone!]
Present Mic's announcement seemed to catch Juzo and Kamakiri's attention as worry and frustration filled their cores. This momentary lapse was their downfall as Izuku Blinked and ripped the band from Juzo's body. Kamakiri fared no better as his band was pulled off, courtesy of Momo and her quick-claw creation.
"Dammit!" Kamakiri bellowed out in rage. He swiped his fallen band from Momo's hands as he rushed to the Neutral Zone.
Juzo was much calmer as Izuku returned his band. He gave the verdette a nod and followed after his teammate, hoping to maybe still have a shot.
[Don't count Team Honenuki out yet viewers! Seems they switched targets and are gunning after Team Bakugo!]
Bakugo growled at the announcement. He and his team of useful extras managed to capture two zones but ran into issues as he and Kaminari had to deal with two other teams preventing them from capturing more zones. And at hearing that a third team decided to attack him, he grew more and more frustrated by the second.
"STEP OFF YOU DAMN EXTRAS!" He released an explosive blast at Tetsutetsu, who used his Quirk by turning his whole body into steel and tanking the blast.
"That all you got, asshole!?" The steeled student roared out challengingly.
Before Bakugo could retort, he used his Quirk to quickly dodge a barrage of scales being shot at him. His rage-filled red eyes zoned in on the other member of Tetsutetsu's team who joined him on the assault.
Standing behind the steel-bodied student was Rin Hiryu, a Chinese native who made it into U.A. He was a lightly tanned young man with black hair that he wore in a low braid and reptile-like eyes. He held his arm out, reptilian scales sprouting from his skin as he took aim.
Bakugo blasted himself at Tetsutetsu. The gray-haired young man took a defensive stance, ready to body-block the ash-blonde bomber. In a display of quick thinking and maneuverability, Bakugo adjusted his trajectory and launched himself over the wall of steel and straight to Rin. The dark-haired 1-B student raised his arms, scales forming on the other arm as he braced himself. Bakugo generated another blast, causing him to spin and using that momentum to slam his heel down on Rin.
The ash-blonde thrust his arms forward and let loose a small blast that knocked back the dark-haired 1-B student, smoke and soot covering the scales that the young man hastily sprouted over his body. Bakugo grunted, more annoyed than anything that Rin managed to defend himself. His red eyes scanned the field and noticed Kaminari doing his best to dodge and defend himself from Sato, Shoji, and Sero.
"Step it up Thunder-Dunce!" He roared out. Bakugo moved his body, dodging a lunge from Tetsutetsu without looking at the steeled student.
Kaminari ducked under a stand of tape Sero shot out at him. Before he could respond to his team leader's aggressive order, the blonde dove out of Sato's way as the brunette sought to tackle him to the ground. "I'm trying, man!" Kaminari cried out in worry.
He was suddenly scooped up by Shoji, the multi-armed student locking him in his arms as Kaminari struggled to free himself. Electricity danced around their bodies as the blonde panicked. A golden light enveloped the two as Kaminari let loose his Quirk. Shoji held firm, letting out several grunts of discomfort before his arms tightened and then went slack. The blonde fell to the ground, the two students gasping for any air their lungs could get.
Shoji's body twitched and spasmed while Kaminari slowly got back up. The blonde willed himself to move as he reached out to grab the gray-haired young man's band around his neck. Before he could grip the cloth in his hand, Shoji was pulled back thanks to Sero. Kaminari clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Damn. So close too." He grunted out.
As the blonde was focused on the two members of Team Sato, he failed to notice the leader himself making his way over to him.
"Denki, heads up!"
Sato and Kaminari turned and saw a glob of acid being tossed their way as Mina made her way over to help her teammate. Sato hopped back as the ball of acid splashed onto the ground, the viscous liquid letting out a small hissing sound as it spread out from the impact.
"Thanks, Mina," Kaminari said graciously to the pinkette at her timely arrival.
"No problem!" Mina cheerily replied.
[It looks like Team Bakugo's territory is becoming a battlefield! Tsuburaba of Team Honenuki has left his standoff with Shinso of Team Midoriya and decided to attack Team Bakugo's other flank!]
Mina's mood took a dip at that announcement. "Man, why is everyone gunning for us!?" The pinkette lamented.
"Don't worry about Shitty-Hair. He's one of the least useless extras here." Bakugo yelled out as he continued to battle Tetsutetsu and Rin. The ash-blonde seemed to thrive in the struggle as he maintained control of the field as the pair of 1-B students tried to take him down.
Kaminari spared a deadpan look in Bakugo's direction. "That is the most Bakugo compliment I have ever heard."
Mina, Sato, Shoji, and Sero nodded together, all of them agreeing with the blonde's observation.
[And now we have an example of leaving your Home Zone all alone for too long. Team Sato's singular strip of land is now under attack!]
Team Sato looked back at their Home Zone in worry. Sero looked everywhere, seeing no one on the hill and only seeing a clash of pink and orange on the holographic ring. Shoji's eyes widened in a sudden realization. "It's Hagakure!"
"Go! I'll handle things here!" Sato barked out.
Shoji and Sero gave him a nod and made their way to their Home Zone to prevent its loss. Sato returned his attention to Mina and Kaminari and rushed them. Mina slid across the ground as a low-level acid poured out from the soles of her shoes. Sato lost his footing as he slipped from her discharge, the acid causing his skin to become irritated as the viscous liquid material splashed him.
"Got you now!" Kaminari called out as he leaped into the air.
Before he could latch onto the muscular brunette, Sato grabbed the blonde by his jacket and easily tossed him at Mina. Kaminari bowled into the pinkette, knocking them both to the ground as their bodies collided. The dark-eyed young woman let out a pained grunt as she crawled out from under Kaminari.
"Geez! Maybe don't toss us around like bags of flour, Sato." Mina said with a wince.
"Sorry 'bout that you two. But I want to win just as much as you do." Sato replied.
The tall brunette neared his two downed classmates, intent on removing their bands when another announcement was made by Present Mic.
[Looks like Kirishima of Team Bakugo is under a lot of pressure. Sakurane of Team Midoriya and Shishida of Team Honenuki are now attacking his zone… Wait, Sakurane is backing off. What is happening?]
[Team Midoriya is making sure that their problems become someone else's. They just claimed the last of Team Honenuki's zones, meaning that Honenuki must now take control of the zone they are currently attacking to still stay in the game.]
[I see! Great insight my caffeine-addicted friend!]
The sounds of explosions ringing out forced everyone to focus on Bakugo.
"GODDAMMIT!!!" As the ash-blonde raged, the force of his explosive roar knocked back both Tetsutetsu and Rin, forcing them away from the zone. Bakugo turned and rushed off in the direction of Kirishima. "That fucking nerd planned this!"
Mina, Kaminari, and Sato blinked owlishly as they watched Bakugo blast away from the area.
"Dude's got issues," Sato stated.
Mina and Kaminari nodded dumbly, not being able to disagree with the brunette.
On the other side of the field, Kirishima was having to play both offense and defense as he had to deal with Tsuburaba and Shishida. He was handling Tsuburaba well enough on his own, the brunette's walls of air not being able to withstand his hardened strikes.
However, he found it odd that Tsuburaba seemed to be out of it during the start of things.
Then, Shoka runs through with Shishida hot on her tail. The ravenette brought the beastman into the middle of the fight, making the glasses-wearing young man focus on Kirishima instead.
"Man, Shoka. Not very manly of you to leave me to deal with this." The redhead grumbled out.
Kirishima raised his arms, crossing them in an X pattern to block a punch from the wild Shishida. The power behind the strike had sent Kirishima sliding back along the ground. The rocky young man buried his heels into the turf as Shishida was already on him again. As the fur-covered young man let loose on Kirishima. Blow after blow, Kirishima held out when the sound of an explosion could be heard behind him.
Shishida was knocked back to Tsuburaba as Bakugo landed next to Kirishima. "Shitty-Hair, why the fuck are you taking so long?" The ash-blonde growled out.
"Sorry bro. Things started to get out of hand for a second here." Kirishima explained.
Bakugo bit back a retort. He had to give it to the redhead, he at least kept on fighting. He could appreciate that.
His thoughts were broken when the rest of Team Honenuki made their way to join their teammates. Bakugo and Kirishima shared a look between themselves. The redhead smirked as he slammed his stony fists together as a show of his resolve. The ash-blonde gave a rare smirk at the display and began to pop off explosions from the palms of his hands. In an instant, the pair of 1-A students leaped into battle.
[An amazing show of rising to meet the challenge, Team Bakugo does not falter in the face of adversity!]
[Sometimes a Hero will have to make a stand, whether to buy time for reinforcements or to outlast the Villains. It's now up to Bakugo and his team to show their resolve.]
[Good words my friend! Let's take a look at the rest of the field. It looks like the western half of the field is a five-way battle between Teams Midoriya, Yanagi, Todoroki, Manga, and Aoyama! But what's happened to- OH YEAH! It's a blink and you'll miss it moment folks! Team Monoma just took over Team Manga's Home Zone and is looking to seize control on the eastern half of the field!]
Monoma looked over the rest of the field, utilizing Hatsume Mei's Quirk, Zoom, as he took in every detail. He watched as Team Uraraka continued to fight for control over Team Sato's Home Zone while also having a stand-off with the other two members of Team Tetsutetsu.
"Think we should split up?" Itsuka asked.
"Yes. Two of us should start taking over Team Uraraka's zones, making their way up to their Home Zone to not draw their immediate attention." Monoma looked over to the ensuing battle between Uraraka, Kyoka, Kuroiro Shihai, and Bondo Kojiro. "The other two can go and keep those four occupied. With how our team is set up, You and I can handle the fighting while Shiozaki can handle capture and band removal with her vines while Hatsume can use her gear to do the same."
"My babies and I won't disappoint!" The goggled pinkette said cheerily, loading up her capture device.
"But what of Team Manga? Would they not choose to retaliate against us since we took over their Home Zone?" Asked Shiozaki Ibara.
Ibara was a modest and mature-looking young woman with long, green hair in the form of vines due to her Quirk. She let them grow out long, the tips stopping just above her waist, with one set of vines wrapping around her head a couple of times and a pair of intense-looking green eyes.
Monoma and Itsuka looked behind them at the West side of the field. The two saw Team Manga currently dealing with the combined front of Team Yanagi, Team Todoroki, and Shinso of Team Midoriya.
"I would like to say that we'll be fine, but it's not a guarantee. They could choose to attack this zone while we are gone. They're in the same position as Honenuki's team currently." The blonde said. He looked back at the battle between Team Tetsutetsu and Team Uraraka. "Present Mic will no doubt make an announcement about it, but the pair that goes over to them should be able to double back if necessary."
"You and Hatsume should probably go over there then. You two are more equipped to handle a situation like that. Ibara and I can handle capturing zones and dealing with any of Team Uraraka that comes to stop us." Recommended Itsuka.
Monoma hummed in agreement at the orangette's words. "Sounds like a plan." The blonde turned to face Itsuka and Shiozaki. "Good luck ladies." He turned around to face his partner. "Hatsume, ready to showcase your amazing babies?"
There was a mad glint in the pinkette's eyes as her smile widened with each second.
Across the field, Kyoka lowered her jacks after picking up the tail end of Team Monoma's conversation. "Hey, Ochaco! We're about to have some company!" The punkette called out to her teammate in alarm.
Ochaco leaped into the air, using her Quirk to negate gravity on her as she dodged a blast of Cemedine from Bondo Kojiro.
Bondo was a tall, muscular young man with wide, broad shoulders and rather large hands. His skin was a shade of straw-yellow and his head was the shape of a glue-dispenser, with the top resembling a lappet that had seven eye-holes on the front of his face.
Ochaco released her Quirk, diving at the large 1-B student in an attempt to grab him. Bondo easily dodged but kept his distance from the auburnette. "Any word from Tsu and Toru?" She asked her violet-haired teammate.
Kyoka raised one of her jacks in the direction of Team Sato's Home Zone, picking up the sounds of Tsu and Toru currently dealing with Sero and Shoji. "Still dealing with Sato's team." Kyoka picked up a sound behind her and turned around, lashing her jacks out at Kuroiro Shihai.
Kuroiro Shihai was a tall, thin young man with fluffy, white hair and long, thin eyes. The most distinctive feature he had was his skin being pitch-black and an irritated expression worn constantly on his face.
The shadow-walking young man grew irritated that Kyoka made it nearly impossible to sneak up on her. Kuroiro looked at his teammate. "Bondo, switch targets!" The white-haired student rushed past Kyoka and ran toward Ochaco.
The punkette turned her attention to the large Cemedine user, doing her best to dodge the glue he launched from his eye slots. When the 1-B student made an attempt to grab her or her band, Kyoka was quick to retaliate with her jacks.
Ochaco was having an easier time of things. Without many black objects or heavy shadows to use, Kuroiro was less than effective in trying to deal with the auburnette. Thanks to the spars she joined in with Izuku and the others, she was able to get a decent understanding of grapples and holds she could use with her Quirk. She still needed more practice, but it was a start.
Kuroiro moved out of the way as Ochaco lunged at him, her fingers barely grazing his body as she sailed past him. Before Kuroiro could counter her, an arrow shot in between the two of them with a metal wire attached to it. A mad laughter was heard, coming to them at high speeds.
"Behold the genius of my babies!" Came the voice of Hatsume Mei as she rocketed into the fray. The pinkette inventor weaved between the two Hero Course students, utilizing her Hover Soles alongside her Wire Arrow.
Ochaco, Kyoka, Bondo, and Kuroiro were put on the backpedal as she easily maneuvered around the four of them, dodging their attempts to capture her. "With my babies, I can easily outmaneuver anyone as if they were merely an obstacle." Mei cheerily announced. She smiled as she pulled out another support gadget, a gun with a small gas tank on the back of the barrel and a cone-shaped muzzle on the front end. "Not only that, but I also am equipped with offensive capabilities!"
She took aim at Kuroiro and fired. The white-haired young man soon found himself captured in a net as Mei continued to speak. "And now, to showcase more of my wonderful babies! Time to take control of the field!"
The eccentric young woman then pulled out a round, metal device from her pocket, pressed a button on the top, and tossed it in the middle of the group. The sphere erupted, splattering the ground in a slick, blue liquid. The three standing Hero students had difficulties trying to stay up as they slipped and stumbled into the viscous material. Mei had no issues as she continued to skate over the ground with her Hover Soles.
[Well folks, you gotta hand it to those Support Coursers. Hatsume Mei is showcasing just how far support gear can go in helping Heroes out in the field!]
[According to Power Loader, Hatsume is one of a kind. She has designed a multitude of support gear for the festival. What we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to her.]
Bondo grew annoyed at the Support Course student as she continued to zip around them. He took aim and shot out a large glob of Cemedine at the pinkette. Before it connected, trapping the young woman, it was stopped by a wall of air, courtesy of Monoma.
"Sorry, Bondo. Better luck next time." The blonde said with a smug grin on his face.
[And Monoma comes in with a save by utilizing Tsuburaba's Quirk! Just what else does he have up his sleeve?]
[We'll have plenty of chances to see. Team Sado has just been eliminated while Team Monoma has captured one of Team Uraraka's zones.]
"Shit!" Kyoka's eyes widened at the announcement. She turned to her teammate, worry apparent on her face, matching Ochaco's expression. "Ochaco, we better go defend our area!"
"Right!" The auburnette replied. The two stumbled as they cleared out of Mei's Slip Grenade and hurried to their Home Zone as Itsuka and Ibara crossed the border.
Monoma and Mei both turned their attention to the two members of Team Tetsutetsu. As Bondo tried to free his teammate, Mei fired off another net in order to capture the large 1-B student, only to have it torn up in mid-air by a barrage of scales cutting through the ropes.
Tetsutetsu and Rin had left Team Bakugo's zone to aid their teammates, while Mina and Kaminari dealt with the encroaching pair Tsuyu and Toru. Monoma and Mei soon found themselves engaged in a 2v4 with the whole of Team Tetsutetsu.
"Alright Monoma, you're outnumbered here. I'll be generous and let you go back to your zone as long as you leave us alone." Tetsutetsu tried to reason with the blonde.
"Sorry my friend. You may have us outnumbered..." Monoma retorted as his hand grew in size. "But not outmatched."
[Things are really starting to heat up! Bakugo and Kirishima are still battling Team Honenuki. Despite their numbers, Team Honenuki is unable to remove Bakugo's or Kirishima's bands to get some breathing room. Likewise, Team Honenuki is tenacious, no matter how many times the duo of Team Bakugo removes their bands, they still manage to keep in the fight.]
[It's a testament to their willingness to continue the fight. For Team Bakugo, it's to defend their turf. For Team Honenuki, it's to keep up the fight. Both sides are showcasing the drive and dedication that Heroes often show in different scenarios.]
[Well said Eraser Head! Wait! I don't believe it, but we have a double knockout in the west. Team Aoyama and Team Manga are both out of the running. It's now a three-way battle for the west between Team Midoriya, Team Yanagi, and Team Todoroki!]
Todoroki was growing tired of this game. Team Aoyama was more of a nuisance to deal with. But Iida was more than enough to deal with his coursemates and the Gen Ed student. Tokoyami and Setsuna were capable of dealing with Team Manga. That and the fact that a member of Team Yanagi had shown up had helped.
But he was focused on Team Midoriya. And they were focused on trying to take out Team Yanagi.
[Team Midoriya has taken one of Team Yanagi's zones! Those 1-B girls better be careful as they are now surrounded on both sides!]
Todoroki took his chance. He and his team might not be able to take out Midoriya's team, but he could steal their points. Before he could make his way to Midoriya's Home Zone, Iida ran up to him from their recent zone acquisition.
"Todoroki, it would be best to attack either Midoriya or Team Yanagi while they are focused on each other, wouldn't you agree?" Iida suggested, having a similar line of thought as the bicolor-haired young man.
"Yes. Tokoyami and Tokage can handle facing both teams. You and I will strike at their Home Zone. When we are there, head them off and buy me time." Todoroki said.
Iida gave the scarred student a nod as the two made their way across the field. They were careful not to trigger any captures or garner unwanted attention. As the two crossed the turf, Tokoyami and Setsuna worried about dealing with two teams, switching up who fought them every few seconds.
As it was now, they were having to deal with Shinso and Tsunotori Pony
Tsunotori Pony was a short, yet curvy young woman from America with equestrian features; a rounded face with a short muzzle-like nose, digitigrade calves and hooves, and a short tail poking out from her tailbone. She had thick, wavy blonde hair that framed her face with short bangs hanging over her Prussian blue eyes. One of her more unique features was a pair of long, lyre-shaped horns growing out of the top of her head.
The blonde American launched her horns from her head, the pair of projectiles flying around and forcing Tokoyami to dodge while Dark Shadow batted them away from the two.
"Dark Shadow, cover me while I go for her band!" Tokoyami called out to his Quirk.
The Sentient Quirk nodded. "Got it, Fumi!"
Pony focused her Quirk and launched another pair of horns at the avian pair. With four horns now targeting the two, it made it harder for Dark Shadow to cover Tokoyami. The raven-headed young man had managed to pull through and neared the blonde. He didn't account for her speed. The 1-B student had easily moved away from Tokoyami at high speeds, leaving him in the dust.
"It seems we face one who rides the winds with ease," Tokoyami stated.
Pony just stared at the 1-A student, blinking a few times when she suddenly spoke up. "Ya talk all weird."
The raven-headed young man faltered at the blunt statement as Dark Shadow couldn't help but chuckle.
While Tokoyami was dealing with Pony while Setsuna focused on Shinso. Much to her joy.
Shinso was currently surrounded by several split parts of the mossy-verdette's body. The indigoette's body tensed up as the floating body parts surrounded him. "This wouldn't be payback for what happened at the minefield, would it?" Shinso asked as his eyes darted around him.
Setsune gave him a cheeky grin and shrugged her shoulders. Shinso just deadpanned at her, not really mad that she kept herself from verbally responding. The indigoette was immediately assaulted by Setsuna. He was forced to keep on his toes as he dodged the flying body parts. In an awe-inspiring display of awareness and skill, Shinso even dodged ones that weren't in his field of vision.
'Note to self, be sure to treat Himiko to most, if not all, my blood later.' The indigoette thought to himself.
Across the way, Momo was dealing with the triple threat of Yanagi Reiko, Komori Kinoko, and Kodai Yui.
Yanagi Reiko was a slim young woman with pale skin, who held her hands up as high as her elbows, similar to that of a ghost. She had chin-length, pale-gray hair with long bangs that covered the left side of her face. She had blue eyes that stood out but also drew attention to the dark bags surrounding her lone, visible eye.
Komori Kinoko was a short, thin young woman who seemed to shy away from any attention put on her. She had honey-brown hair that was styled into a mushroom-shaped bob-cut that reached just past her shoulders. Her long fringe bangs covered the majority of her face, adding to her shy image with only her wide mouth being visible.
Kodai Yui was a slender, athletic young woman with dark, raven-like bob-cut hair that went down to her shoulders, with short bangs that swept to the right side of her face, just above her cerulean eyes. Her most notable feature was the impassive and neutral expression she wore constantly on her face.
The busty heiress had created a pair of off-road rollerblades, similar to the ones she made during the race, to have the speed advantage over the three 1-B students. It proved useful as while Kinoko provided a distraction, Yui and Reiko kept up the attack on Momo. Yui would take objects and increase their size with her Quirk, Size, providing ammo for Reiko to use her Quirk, Poltergeist, to levitate and telekinetically toss them at the onyx-eyed ravenette.
As Momo continued to dodge the various miscellaneous objects, she couldn't help but wonder at the physics currently being broken in front of her eyes. 'Just how do these items maintain their regular mass despite their size fluctuating !?' As she created a heavy riot shield to protect herself from another levitating object, her frustrations at the disregard for the laws of conservation were getting to her.
'Shoka is right. Quirks are bullshit… Then again, she does say mine is beyond broken. And that Zuzu's is no better.' She thought to herself.
Momo felt the band around her arm being tugged at, noticing a pink aura around it, similar to the objects Reiko used her Quirk on. Thinking quickly, she forced herself against the back of her shield and created several small hooks that caught and prevented the band from being removed from her at the moment. Once she felt secure, Momo moved from the shield and blitzed her way to the gray-haired young woman.
Reiko's lone eye widened at the sudden attack. In a stunning display of teamwork, she moved the objects under her control in the middle of Momo's path as Yui enlarged them, creating a multitude of objects for the heiress to avoid.
Momo was not deterred. A myriad of colors began to glow from the palm of her hand as she generated a flashbang and tossed it at the pair of 1-B students. Reiko and Yui shielded their eyes from the inevitable flash, giving the onyx-eyed ravenette to rush them. Momo smiled as she managed to grab both their bands from their arms. She waited patiently for the two young women to recover, and handed them back their bands so that they could return to their Home Zone and be counted back in.
[Time is beginning to wrap up dear viewers! All teams are doing their best to take control of the field but it seems some are finding it more difficult than others! Team Tetsutetsu struggles to maintain their Home Zone while Team Honenuki is finally eliminated. Give them a hand everyone, those four future Heroes just would not give up!]
[It seems something is going down on the west end of the field.]
At Aizawa's announcement, the sounds of explosions rang out as a large sheet of ice erupted from Team Midoriya's Home Zone, shocking everyone into a stupor.
"Damn, I keep forgetting Candy-Cane can do stuff like that," Setsuna said, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared dumbly.
Shinso couldn't help but agree, but his focus was elsewhere. He was looking to find a mop of green hair nearby, finding his friend already on the move.
As the teams scrambled to make a last attempt to grab more zones and points, Todoroki walked through the now-cleared zone and to the sensor in Midoriya's Home Zone. A voice called out, stopping him for a moment as Iida went to cover him.
"Hey, Iceman! Stay in your lane!" Shoka yelled at the scarred Hero student.
Iida moved to intercept her, forcing the slender ravenette to defend herself from the speedster. Todoroki ignored two and continued quickly on his way to the zone's sensor. The bluenette side-swiped Shoka, his kick sailing over her head as she crouched down. She kicked off the ground, attempting to hit Iida with an axe kick when he jumped back, the gray-eyed student's heel burying itself into the ground.
Iida wasted no time as he used his Quirk to lunge at Shoka in order to grab her band around her arm. "I won't let you interfere, Sakurane!" The speedster said as he reached for the cloth, his fingers missing as Shoka twirled her body out of his reach.
With the bluenette's attention fully on her, Shoka continued to dodge and weave through Iida's attempts at catching her, subtly leading him into the ongoing three-way battle with Team Yanagi. The ravenette glanced back at her team's Home Zone, catching a glimpse of Izuku's green hair appearing right above Todoroki.
The scarred 1-A student felt a shift in the air and jumped back before he could enter the hill to trigger the start of its capture. His eyes narrowed as they met the determined glare from Midoriya, the verdette slamming an energy blade from Excalibur into the ground as he Blinked in time to defend his Home Zone.
No words were spoken between the two.
They simply readied themselves for the final major confrontation of this event.
Todoroki stomped his foot into the ground, generating a wave of ice that shot out at Izuku. The verdette met ice with fire, his emerald flames colliding with the ice and cutting off Todoroki's attack. The scarred young man's heterochromatic eyes stared down the verdette as he generated another wave of ice, this one much larger than the last that nearly captured Izuku in its icy embrace.
Unable to find the verdette, Todoroki rushed to the hill, entering the holographic ring. The Ice user was confused when he noticed the ring showed a mix of blue and green. The scarred young man looked around, trying to locate Izuku. To his surprise, the Psych user used Resolute to slide down the glacier like a snowboard, struggling to maintain his balance as he did.
Todoroki placed his right hand on the ice and used his Quirk to generate flat spikes in an attempt to knock Izuku away. The verdette was not deterred, using Excalibur to slash clean through the spikes, sending the large chunks down to the ground. The bicolor-haired student felt uncertainty as Izuku neared him, heat building up on the left side of his body.
Before the two could collide, explosions rang out next to them. Bakugo forced himself in between the two students, releasing an explosive blast at each of them. Izuku lifted his legs to block the attack with Resolute and knocked him back as the Psych ran out of energy while Todoroki quickly put up a weak ice wall to defend himself.
"You better not forget about me, you damn nerd!" The ash-blonde growled out at the verdette. He turned his head, his red eyes locking on to Todoroki's mismatched ones. "And stay out of it, Frostbitch. The damn nerd is mine!"
The three 1-A students stood across from each other as time seemed to turn still. Emerald green eyes met ruby red ones before meeting turquoise and gray.
[FIVE MINUTE WARNING! BETTER GRAB THOSE ZONES AND POINTS COMPETITORS!]
At Present Mic's announcement, the three moved.
Izuku used Orbit, lifting up the chunks of ice he cut up, and launched them at Bakugo and Todoroki. The heterochromatic student created a much denser spike that caused the chunks to shatter against its frozen frame. Bakugo simply used his Quirk to dodge out of the way before bringing both hands together and blasting away the last one with a large explosion, the shockwave causing Todoroki to be knocked back and away from the hill.
Before Bakugo could catch his breath, Izuku Blinked in front of him and smirked. The verdette thrust his palm out, a green mote of energy forming at its center as Buster-Shot built up energy. The ash-blonde reacted quickly, sending out one of his own palms as explosions began to pop. The two Hero students of 1-A released their attacks, the combination of Spread Shot and Explosion creating an impressive blast that sent both Izuku and Bakugo hurtling back.
Izuku grunted as he hit the ground. He twisted his body, doing his best to steady himself and back onto his feet. The verdette shook away his disorientation as he rushed back to the hill to protect his zone when a wave of ice formed around him, encasing him in the crystalline structure. Bakugo's bombastic reentry caused the heterochromatic young man to miss a green light refract from within the ice.
The ash-blonde dogged Todoroki relentlessly, his explosions blasting away dirt and ice as he battled his fellow 1-A student. The bicolor-haired young man felt the chilling bite of his Quirk, wincing slightly as he kept himself in the fight. Bakugo felt his arms shake and tremble with each blast as his bones vibrated from the force. The ash-blonde rocketed into the air in order to dodge a wave of ice. Sheets and sheets of the crystal blue substance formed, blanketing most of the zone Todoroki stood on, making it difficult for Bakugo to land.
The sounds of ice shattering caught the attention of both students, several large bullets of energy erupting from the small glacier that had trapped Izuku. Chunks of ice fell to the ground when a large mote of green energy shot out through the top and into the air, the light dispelling and revealing Izuku.
The verdette generated two discs of energy and began to scratch them as he reached the crescendo of his Blink. As the freckled young man descended to the ground, he shot out his right arm, his hand and fingers forming a rock-on gesture.
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Izuku let out a howl, Scratch Rhapsody enhancing his voice. The sound waves crashed into the ground below, shattering the ice shelf Todoroki created, blasting away dirt and ice.
Todoroki braced himself with denser ice that still began to crack under the resonance created by Izuku. Bakugo was no better, doing his best to stabilize himself as he was blasted away.
Todoroki caught sight of another mote of green energy appearing in front of him. Izuku Blinked to the ground and was already mid-swing with Excalibur, his emerald eyes entirely on the heterochromatic young man. Todoroki felt pressured. His ice was failing him, his body shivering as it refused to generate any more.
It was then that fire emerged from his left hand as he unconsciously reacted to the threat in front of him.
Todoroki felt his heart clench at the turn of events, failing to see the shocked and questioning look in Izuku's eyes as he noticed the orange flames dancing around the Ice user's left side.
[AND THAT'S THE MATCH!!! TEAMS URARAKA, TETSUTETSU, AND YANAGI HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED!!!]
Izuku's energy blade dissipated immediately while Todoroki stopped cold in his tracks, his fire fading away. The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours, neither moving an inch as things settled down around them.
"Alright everyone, time to calm down as we present the four winning teams of the Scramble Slam!" Midnight's voice broke through the tension as the crowd roared excitedly. Izuku and Todoroki slowly began to relax, stepping back and giving each other room to breathe. They turned to the R-Rate Hero, waiting to hear how their teams did.
The dark-haired woman snapped her whip as the screen behind her showcased the map of the field, colored entirely in green, blue, red, and gold. "And the four teams progressing to the third event are Team Midoriya, Team Todoroki, Team Bakugo, and Team Monoma!"
The crowd's deafening cheers erupted from the stadium. The sixteen students who would be progressing to the third event basked in their well-earned victory. Midnight allowed the crowds to settle down before speaking, "With that, we will announce the third event soon! Congratulations to the victors of the Scramble Slam!"
[ALRIGHT EVERYBODY!!! We will be taking a thirty-minute lunch break, followed by an hour of events for the students who did not advance this year if they wish to participate! So go on and grab some refreshments and to the sixteen students going into the third event, be sure to rest up for the finale!]
Present Mic turned off his and Aizawa's microphones, taking in a deep breath as he turned to face his friend. "So, wanna grab something to eat?"
He deflated when he saw his friend already cocooned in his yellow sleeping bag in the corner of the room.
"I'll be sure to bring you back some coffee." The blonde DJ said as he left the room.
Up in the stands stood a large and imposing figure of the Flame Hero, Endeavor. He was a tall and very muscular man that towered over everyone. He had short, spiked crimson hair and sharp turquoise eyes. Around his eyes and along his chin was burning fire, with the fire around his eyes giving him a masked look, compounded with the small flames that he generated as a mustache, forming the kanji for fire.
He wore a tight, navy-colored body suit with red trimmings around his neck, shoulders, hips, and legs. Around his shoulders, waist, and upper thighs were small sections that appeared to be on fire, similar to his calf-length boots. On his shoulders and forearms were a pair of metal shoulder pads and bracers.
Endeavor stared down at the field, focusing on Shoto. His gaze was intense, never faltering as he looked at his youngest son. To say he was truly impressed with his showing was debatable. He was proud of the youngest Todoroki's performance, but at the same time, aggravated at his son's choice to limit himself.
He thought his son had finally let go of what Endeavor thought were childish sentiments when he saw Shoto use his fire half. But he saw the look of disappointment in the heterochromatic young man's eyes at what happened.
Endeavor let out a heavy sigh and turned his attention to the one who forced Shoto into a corner.
Midoriya Izuku.
Without a word, the Flame Hero left. He had someone he needed to speak to.
Breaker Force
Psych Type: Doomed
Inspired by Eraser Head and All Might.
Izuku creates a 5 meter zone around him that physically weakens those inside of it. While Psych is active, any Psych he uses is limited, their uses cut in halve. Izuku can differentiate between Friend or Foe in this zone, ensuring his allies aren't affected by accident.
Breaker Force has an active use of 1 minute and requires 5 minutes to recharge.