Chapter Text
It was just halfway through the competition, and while most of the teams had lost their headbands due to Goto's actions, Teams Midoriya, Todoroki, Shinso, and Tokoyami still had theirs. However, this left a lot of people scrambling to make up the loss in points. Monoma was off to the side grimacing.
"Damn it... This wouldn't be happening if they had just gone along with my plan. So what if I misjudged how many people would get disqualified in the first round?"
He didn't know that Vlad King, his own homeroom teacher, was up in the stands and sighing in exasperation.
"I can't believe he managed to pass the entrance exam. We should consider altering it for next year to filter out anyone who would look down on others or hold a longtime grudge for perceived insults."
"Recommended students do have to go through an interview," Serpenshia noted, "Perhaps we should make that mandatory for the normal entrance exam as well."
Todoroki was having a tough time getting close to Midoriya. The plan had seemed simple. It didn't matter to him how few or how many points his teammates were worth. All he had to do was grab Midoriya's headband and all that was moot. So he made his team choices based on their skills and how they could compliment his own. Hatsume was more than eager to join up to show off her "super cute babies". Especially since Midoriya had already picked his team, leaving her out in a lurch. But teaming up with the son of the Number Two hero was just as good, especially since Todoroki wanted her as the lead horse, meaning she'd be front and center.
Yaoyorozu would be using Creation to protect the right flank, creating armor and shields to block any attacks from that side. Meanwhile Kaminari would be defending the left flank was his taser-like body, unleashing his special move when they got close. Todoroki would act as the rider, warding off other teams and aiming for their targets using his ice. The others had suggested his fire as well, but he still had that stigma about his left side. Things seemed to be straightforward, even with that one girl using her team to target everyone else. And then Midoriya sprouted tentacles from his arms.
As if suddenly being able to conjure a smoke screen was weird enough for someone who's only power was supposed to be advanced healing, now Midoriya's team had an effective means of defense and offense.
"What's the plan here, Todoroki?," Kaminari said, "I can use my special move here and now and still hit them. But if we're not close enough, we'll never snatch that headband before Midoriya's team recovers."
Todoroki looked at the score board, then spotted Goto's team not far away. Their team had wracked up some points and could easily make it through if they kept what they had.
'I can always settle things with Midoriya during the final tournament. Right now it's more important that I stay in this.'
"We're switching targets," Todoroki said, "Goto's team is closer, so we'll aim for them. The plan itself is unchanged."
"Got it," Yaoyorozu said.
She quickly created another insulted blanket as Kaminari charged to full.
"One Million Volt Firing!"
Most of the other teams were hit immediately, since they were closing in while trying to attack Midoriya's team.
"Get us in the air!," Midoriya called out, "Max speed!"
Bakugo blasted the team airborne, Uraraka reducing their gravity. Ida then charged his Engine to full.
"Recipro Burst!"
Taking off like a rocket engine, the team sailed over the electrical current. Midoriya then noticed Todoroki icing over the field.
"He's adapting to what happened at the obstacle race," he noted, "Good effort, but it's still not foolproof."
He then sensed something coming and threw up Blackwhip, creating a web barrier just as Dark Shadow slammed into it.
"Ow! That barrier's hard as concrete, Boss!"
"You never cease to impress, Midoriya," Tokoyami admitted, "A brand new facet to your Quirk and you're already showing skill. Dark Shadow is at its strongest in darkness, but that makes it harder to control. With this much light out, my offensive options are limited."
Kirishima then noticed Goto's team racing in. The horse members were skating on the ice using modified Gyrfalcons.
"Damn it, we're vulnerable right now."
"Never fear," Tokoyami said, "Ice is potent, but has weaknesses. It doesn't take heat to melt. Ashido?"
Ashido smirked.
"Leave it to me!"
She started building up an acid stream along their feet, weak enough to not melt their shoes off, but strong enough to glide along the ice.
"Time to play icebreaker, Kacchan," Midoriya said.
"Hell yeah!," Bakugo called out, "Let's ace this battle!"
"Right now it's turning into a free-for-all!," Present Mic called out, "So far Team Midoriya is still sitting pretty with ten million and change in points! And it looks like Team Todoroki has switched targets to Team Goto!"
"That was a smart judgement call on Todoroki's part," Aizawa noted, "He saw how versatile Midoriya's new Quirk mutation was and decided he was better off going after more viable targets. Problem is, Goto's Object of Power is just as versatile, and the copies can be altered for any situation."
"Doesn't Gyrfalcon have any weaknesses?," Kaminari asked, "Hatsume, she's in your class, right? Do you know anything about it?"
"The prime Gyrfalcon used by Goto is pretty much perfect," Hatsume admitted, "Even my super cute babies can't hold a candle to it, at least not yet. But the copies do have one weakness. See, Goto lost her limbs, her hearing, and her sight in a villain attack. Downsides of being Quirkless, right? Luckily her father works for Anderson Robotics, and they had recently finished the prime Gyrfalcon Object of Power. It's perfectly bonded to her, but only because they're essentially replacing what she lost."
"So what you're saying is," Yaoyorozu surmised, "The copy Gyrfalcons can't properly bond with those that still have intact bodies."
"Yep," Hatsume said, "If they go too long while using the copies..."
Goto's team cried out in shock as the copy Gyrfalcons popped off.
"They eventually get rejected."
This would be their chance, but there was a problem. Team Goto was on Todoroki's left side. He couldn't launch a proper ice attack without hitting Hatsume by accident. In fact, Goto had been keeping her team to Todoroki's left whenever possible. Right now Team Midoriya, Team Tokoyami, Team Goto, and Team Shinso seemed to be in the lead.
"We've only got one minute left," Todoroki said, "Kaminari, I'm going to rely on you. Hatsume, that Gyrfalcon is like any other machine, right? Vulnerable to electricity?"
"Yeah, but it would take an overwhelming electrical force," Hatsume said.
"I can pull it off!," Kaminari decided, "Though it'll probably leave me out of it until the tournament!"
Yaoyorozu quickly threw the insulating blanket over the team while Goto got her team back up. Todoroki directed Hatsume into a tight swerve to create and ice barrier to prevent anyone else from getting hit.
"Do it now!," he called out to Kaminari.
"Ten Million Volt Firing!"
Kaminari practically lit up the arena. Goto freaked out as the Gyrfalcon temporarily shut down, leaving her blind, deaf, and nearly falling off her own team. Just as Todoroki reached out for Goto's headband, he saw Midoriya's team leap over the ice wall, Midoriya's hand lit up with energy. Without even thinking, Todoroki instinctively put up a fire barrier from his left side, just as Midoriya grabbed his headband with one of the whips.
'And Team Midoriya snatches a last minute headband!,' Present Mic called out, 'But is it enough to take out Team Todoroki?'
Todoroki was out of it as the final buzzer hit.
"Did... Did we lose?"
"No," Yaoyorozu said.
She held up a grapple gun she had made, with Team Goto's headbands in the claw. She smiled.
"I saw what had happened, so instead of going for defense I decided to make up the difference by finishing our original plan."
Todoroki sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Momo. I couldn't have done this without you."
He ignored everything else, including teasing from Kaminari and Hatsume. Right now he was just thinking how cute Yaoyorozu looked when she blushed.
'Let's take a look at the final scores!,' Present Mic called out, 'In first place, Team Midoriya!'
The four friends cheered in excitement.
"That was some killer move you did, Ida," Bakugo said.
"I'd been hoping to save it for the tournament," Ida said, "It overclocks my RPM, but leaves my Engine worn down for a while afterward. I prefer to save it for emergencies."
'In second place,' Present Mic continued, 'Team Todoroki!'
"Now that's how you climb the pack!," Hatsume said, "Yaoyorozu, you need to give me some pointers. I need to learn how to improve my super cute babies."
Kaminari was just babbling like a goofball while his brain reset as Present Mic announced the next winner.
'Third place is Team Shinso!'
Shinso smiled, but his teammates were stunned as to how they managed to win.
"Thanks for all your help," Shinso said.
'And in fourth place is Team Tokoyami!,' Present Mic finished
"We did it, Boss," Dark Shadow mumbled, several headbands still in his mouth, which had been snatched last second so there were no rules broken.
Tokoyami nodded.
"I thank you all for your support. With my offensive options limited I needed the extra aid."
"Hey, I'm just psyched we're moving on," Sero said, "Now we get to show off our skills in the final tournament."
Meanwhile, Todoroki was looking over at Midoriya, then at his left hand.
'I said I'd never use it to attack, but Midoriya overwhelmed me and forced me to break my own promise.'
He clenched his fist.
"At this rate... I'll end up exactly who he wants me to be..."
Endeavor watched from the stadium. It was only for a moment, but Midoriya had managed to push his son into using his flames.
'I wish I could make Shoto understand that I don't want him to be like me. But perhaps that's the problem. I pushed too hard, too fast, to make up for my mistakes raising Toya.'
He had come forward after the incident that caused Todoroki's facial scarring, citing the reason being his own abusive behavior towards his children in light of his eldest son's apparent death when he couldn't handle his own Quirk, and that his own wife Rei had simply snapped under pressure and needed psychiatric help to recover. He had been slowly rebuilding his reputation since, but some scars ran deeper than others.
"What that boy needs is a reality check from someone other than me," he decided as he got up for lunch, "And perhaps All Might's new protege is exactly the sort of hammer needed to drive in this nail."
Shiozaki sulked at the sudden loss of their points during the match.
"Perhaps this is divine punishment for stealing the tiny one's points in such an underhanded way..."
Shinso smirked, having used his Quirk on their team shortly after said incident. It had been hard controlling three people at once for so long, not to mention he had to carefully choose those with physical Quirks, but it was worth it.
"I can't believe you were holding out on us," Uraraka said to Ida, the group heading for lunch during the break.
"I needed to find some way to prove I could hold my own without Midoriya," Ida said, "Even when I'm on the same team as him."
The trio then stopped.
"Hey," Bakugo said, "Shouldn't Deku be responding with some sort of remark on how he didn't plan that to happen?"
The looked around, and realized that Midoriya was nowhere to be found.
In fact, he had been taken aside by Todoroki to speak in the halls outside the bathroom.
"So," Midoriya said, "Did you want to talk or something?"
"Endeavor," All Might said as he caught up to the Flame Hero, "It's been a while. I don't think we've spoken since we both left Gran Torino's agency."
"We certainly haven't," Endeavor said, "I see no harm in catching up after so long. Especially since your new student impressed even me. In fact... He may be able to help my son understand how much he's been holding himself back."
He was suddenly drenched by a crying Inko, still tearing up over Midoriya making it the finals.
"Sorry about that," Mitsuki said, "We're just heading off for lunch."
"It's fine," All Might said, "Enjoy yourselves. And make sure to pick up a towel. Or ten..."