A/N: I ended up changing the chapter title at the last minute. Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the update!
4000+ Words
Ren watched the field from his position while Toru floated above his shoulders as the rider. Ochako and Momo completed the cavalry base, hands firm on Ren's shoulders, ready to move the second the battle began.
"Remember the plan," Ren said without looking up. "Ochako activates Zero Gravity on all of us when Midnight gives the signal. I handle propulsion and maneuvers, and Toru goes for the headbands."
"Got it!" Toru's voice came from above, invisible except for her floating uniform.
On the other side of the field, Bakugo rode at the top of his formation with Kirishima, Sero, and Satou as the base. His headband glowed with 195 points while his expression burned with fury.
"Listen up, extras!" Bakugo roared at his team. "We're going straight for that damn ten million bitch and we're ripping her headband off in the first five minutes! Anyone who gets in our way, we blow 'em to pieces!"
"Hey, Bakugo, that doesn't sound manly at all!" Kirishima protested from below, struggling to keep the formation steady. "A hero should have more style!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF IT'S MANLY OR NOT! SHUT UP AND MOVE LIKE I TELL YOU IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO BLOW YOUR FACE OFF!"
Todoroki's team was cold precision. Iida stood at the front in engine position, with Kaminari and Shoji flanking him. Todoroki rode at the top, his heterochromatic eyes already locked on the ten million headband.
"Iida," Todoroki said without emotion. "Maximum speed at my signal. We're closing the distance before they can react."
"Understood!" Iida's engines revved with mechanical anticipation.
In the center of it all, Tsuyu rode atop Inko, Mina, and Jiro. The ten million headband shone on her forehead, impossible to ignore. Green sparks crackled around Inko's body as she activated One For All from her position at the base of the formation.
I can do this, Inko thought, clenching her fists. All Might gave me One For All because he trusted me, and I'm not gonna let him down.
"Ribbit. Inko chan, take a deep breath," Tsuyu said from above. "If you panic, we'll lose balance and the plan goes straight down the drain since we're everyone's target right now."
"I know," Inko answered with a shaky voice. "It's just... everyone's looking at me."
"But that's the best part!" Mina exclaimed, doing a little hop in her position. "Look on the bright side, Inko chan! Right now you're the most popular girl in U.A.! You've got ten million points on your head and we're gonna make 'em look amazing!"
Present Mic leaned into his microphone in the announcer's booth, an enormous grin plastered across his face.
"HEEEEEEY, EVERYBODY! MAKE SOME NOOOOOOOOISE! IT'S TIME FOR THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, YEAAAAH! FORTY TWO STUDENTS READY FOR ACTION! ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK! IT'S A SURVIVAL GAME THAT'S GONNA BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT WITH EXCITEMENT! ARE YOU READY? SAY HEEEEEEY!"
Midnight raised her whip with a suggestive pose, sweeping her gaze across the field with a playful look and a mischievous smile.
"Are you ready, my little, passionate warriors?" Her voice came out as a velvety purr that vibrated through the speakers. "Let's make my blood boil with that youthful vigor I love so much! Let the real... stimulation begin!"
CRACK!
"START!"
The field erupted into chaotic motion. Several teams charged simultaneously toward the same target: the ten million headband and the formation carrying it. The formations surged in a wave of bodies and Quirks that converged on a single point.
BOOM!
Bakugo's explosions detonated from his palms while his team shot forward. Kirishima absorbed the recoil with hardened legs, tearing across the field and aiming straight for the headband.
"OUT OF THE WAY!"
Ice spread across the ground as Todoroki activated his right side. His team slid over the frozen path with Iida's engines providing extra thrust. Two teams skidded on the ice and crashed into each other in a tangle of limbs.
"My apologies!" Iida shouted, though he didn't slow down for a second.
A team with a mutation Quirk user tried to block Bakugo's path by extending giant arms to intercept him. Bakugo redirected his formation's trajectory with a lateral explosion that sent them leaping over the opponent, the heat of the detonation forcing the others to fall back on instinct.
"OUT OF MY WAY, YOU DAMN EXTRAS!"
"Inko chan!" Tsuyu shouted from above. "They're coming from all sides, ribbit!"
Mina spun immediately and launched a stream of acid that created a barrier between them and the closest team. The acid hissed against the ground and forced the attackers to swerve sideways. Jiro extended her earphone jacks toward another approaching team.
BZZZZT!
A sound pulse hit the rival formation and made the rider clamp his hands over his ears in pain. They stumbled and lost cohesion just long enough for Tsuyu's formation to shift position.
Meanwhile, Ren's team waited for the exact moment.
"Ren," Momo said with urgency, watching the chaos unfold. "Shouldn't we move already?"
"Not yet," Ren answered, his eyes tracking every movement. "Ochako, activate your Quirk on all of us."
"On it!"
Ochako pressed her fingertips against Ren's shoulder, then stretched to touch Momo and Toru. Her Quirk activated and they suddenly began to float.
Same move as the race, just with four of us this time instead of two, Ren thought, focusing on his telekinesis.
He focused his power on their weightless bodies and pushed upward.
WHOOSH!
The team shot into the air, rising five meters above the battlefield in less than two seconds.
"AND THERE IT IS! TEAM REN PULLS OUT THEIR AERIAL STRATEGY ONCE AGAIN! It's the combo that earned them that spectacular fourth place in the race, but this time with an UPGRADE! NOW THERE ARE FOUR, I REPEAT, FOUR PEOPLE FLYING THROUGH THE SKY! SO CRAZY!"
"Mmm, what a bold way to push their Quirks to the limit... They really know how to put on a show. Makes me wonder what other tricks they've got up their sleeves," Midnight murmured with an elegant pose and a suggestive smile.
In the stands, Makoto leaned forward in her seat.
"Holding that formation with two people was already a challenge, but with four... the energy cost and required coordination grow exponentially. The real question is: how long can they sustain the pressure before the balance breaks?"
"Nah, they'll hold out long enough," Kazuho replied, adjusting his eyepatch with a casual motion. "These kids know exactly what they're doing."
Down on the field, Bakugo's head whipped around at Present Mic's commentary. His eyes locked onto Ren's team floating above the battlefield.
"Those damn extras are flying again!" Bakugo growled, sparks already crackling from his palms. "Shitty Hair, give me the angle now!"
"Huh?! Hey, Bakugo, wait! If you twist that hard we're gonna lose stability!" Kirishima exclaimed, fighting to hold the base steady.
"I SAID GIVE ME THE DAMN ANGLE, GODDAMMIT!"
Without waiting for an answer, Bakugo leaned violently backward in the saddle while Kirishima hardened his shoulders and neck to support the shifted weight. He aimed both palms at the sky with a manic look.
"DIE! DIE!"
BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of explosions blasted toward Ren's position like compact projectiles, each detonation tearing through the air with a roar of concentrated fire. The team was already moving before the first ones hit. Ren redirected the trajectory with a mental command and sent them gliding sideways while the explosions detonated in empty space.
"He's marked us as his target," Momo observed with total composure. "Given his stance, the most logical course is to anticipate his strategy will shift toward long range attacks from this point on. We need to be ready."
"Right," Ren said, watching the chaos below. "Toru, are you ready?"
"Yep!" Toru's voice buzzed with excitement from the air. "But I just had a super cool idea!"
"Talk while we move."
Ren propelled them in a wide circle around the perimeter of the battlefield.
"So, my uniform makes my body totally visible, right? Everyone knows where I am because of the clothes I'm wearing."
"Indeed," Momo confirmed, analyzing the trajectory.
"But what if I just rolled up my sleeves?" Toru exclaimed, and you could practically feel her smile. "My arms and hands would be completely invisible! Nobody would see my hands coming for their headbands! It'd be like a ghost attack!"
"That's a truly brilliant idea, Hagakure san," Momo said, processing the tactical implications. "According to U.A. regulations, covering the torso is mandatory, but there are no restrictive specifications regarding sleeve length, so your limbs would technically transform into a weapon imperceptible to the enemy."
"Do it," Ren ordered immediately. "Roll them up now."
The sound of fabric adjusting came from above as Toru pushed her sleeves above her elbows. Her forearms and hands disappeared completely, leaving only the short sleeves visible.
"Done! Look, look!" she announced. "How do I look?"
"Perfect," Ren said with satisfaction. "Momo, I need you to make something. A thin rope, about three meters long, light but strong."
Momo's arm glowed as she activated her Creation. In seconds, a roll of synthetic fiber appeared in her hand and she passed it to Ren, who immediately tied one end around Toru's waist.
"I'm gonna launch you at the enemy teams," Ren explained. "You grab their headband and I pull you back before they can react. Like a hit and run."
"That's awesome," Toru said with enthusiasm.
"It's also dangerous," Momo added. "If the timing fails by even a second, Hagakure san could end up trapped."
"Then we don't fail," Ren said simply.
Below them, the battle for the ten million had become chaos. Five teams converged on Tsuyu's position simultaneously, creating a tumble that looked like a rugby scrum. Todoroki's ice spread across the ground while Bakugo's explosions detonated overhead. A student with a stretching Quirk wrapped his arms around another team's rider, only to get sprayed with acid by Mina.
"FALL BACK!" Tsuyu shouted.
Her tongue extended a full six meters and hooked onto a pillar at the edge of the arena. She pulled hard and the entire formation flew backward, out of the immediate fray. But Bakugo's team was already turning to follow.
"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!"
Kirishima's hardened legs slammed into the ground as they charged after them. Sero shot tape from his elbows, trying to hook Tsuyu's headband from a distance.
CRACKLE!
Green lightning burst around Inko's legs as she pushed One For All harder. The momentum transferred through the entire formation and the team gained speed in a flash, dodging Sero's tape by inches.
"Damn it, that chick is fast as hell!" Sero exclaimed, struggling to keep up.
"AND WHY THE HELL SHOULD I CARE?!" Bakugo roared, the veins on his forehead about to burst. "QUIT WHINING AND CATCH HER ALREADY, YOU DAMN EXTRA!"
In the air, Ren watched and identified his first target: a team positioned at the edge of the main battle with 140 points. The rider was completely focused on the ten million headband, leaving his own formation exposed.
Perfect target, Ren thought.
"Toru," he said. "See that team?"
"I see 'em!"
"I'm gonna throw you. Grab the headband and hold on tight."
Ren gripped the rope with both hands and focused his telekinesis on Toru's weightless body. He pulled back like drawing a bow, building tension.
Then he let go.
WHOOSH!
Toru shot forward with the rope trailing behind her as she descended toward the unsuspecting team.
"SOMETHING'S COMING!" the rider shouted, noticing the floating uniform descending.
But he was looking at the uniform. He couldn't see Toru's hands stretching out from where her arms should've been.
Her fingers closed around the headband.
"Got it!" Toru shouted.
Ren yanked the rope hard. Toru came flying back with the stolen headband clenched in her fist, leaving the enemy team stunned.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" the rider yelled. "WHERE'S OUR HEADBAND?!"
"YEAAAAAAAH! DID YOU SEE THAT, EVERYBODY?! AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AERIAL ROBBERY BY TEAM REN! SO COOL! Hagakure shojo just snatched that headband without anyone seeing it coming! JUST LIKE A GHOST! INCREDIBLEEEEE!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as Toru returned to the formation.
"WAAAH! That was... SUPER AMAZING!" Toru exclaimed, waving her arms with excitement. "Can we do it again?! Can we, can we?!"
"We will," Ren confirmed, scanning for the next target. "Momo, what do you think?"
"Our current score stands at exactly 660 points," Momo reported, never breaking composure. "We've consolidated our initial 520 with the 140 we just secured. According to my calculations, we're sitting in fourth place, right behind Todoroki san's team, Bakugo san's team, and of course Midoriya kun's ten million."
"Wow! Pulling off all that in barely two minutes is insane!" Ochako added with a smile. "If we keep up this pace, we'll be at the top in no time!"
Below, Todoroki's eyes followed Ren's team. He had ignored them until now, focused on the ten million, but their aerial advantage was becoming a problem.
"Iida," Shoto said quietly. "Change of plans. We're intercepting the flying team first."
"Huh?! What about the ten million points?!" Kaminari exclaimed while holding the formation. "We can't just let them get away!"
"Their defense is too solid for a direct attack right now," Todoroki answered, watching Tsuyu's tongue deflect another projectile. "If we eliminate Team Ren first, we lock in our points and clear the field to corner that team."
Suddenly, a wave of cold air radiated from his right side. A massive, jagged ice pillar erupted from the ground, branching upward at blinding speed, reaching to ensnare Ren's position.
"INCOMING!" Ochako shouted, eyes wide. "TODOROKI KUN'S GOT US IN HIS SIGHTS!"
Ren swerved sharply to the left, propelling the team away from the ice. The frozen branches missed by meters, but Todoroki was already creating more.
CRACK! CRACK!
Three more pillars exploded in rapid succession, each one trying to box in their aerial position.
"He's limiting our movement!" Momo analyzed. "If he creates enough ice, we won't have room to maneuver."
"Then we go higher," Ren said, lifting them another three meters.
But Todoroki anticipated the move. A sheet of ice spread horizontally above them, creating a ceiling that blocked their ascent.
"Damn it," Ren muttered. "He's smarter than I thought."
Beneath the ice ceiling, Bakugo saw his opening.
"HEY, SPIKY HAIR! GIVE ME A LAUNCH RIGHT NOW!" Bakugo roared, sweat already crackling on his palms.
"Huh?! What're you saying?!" Kirishima yelled, hardening his body to resist the ice pressure. "Bakugo, that's way too risky!"
"SHUT UP AND DO IT, GODDAMMIT!"
Kirishima, trusting his partner's instincts, planted his feet firmly on the ground and bent his knees, activating Hardening to the max. Bakugo leaped onto his shoulders, using them as a launch platform, and aimed both palms at the ground with a manic grin.
BOOOOM!
Bakugo shot up into the sky like a human projectile, launched by a massive detonation that rattled the air. He flew over three teams and dodged Todoroki's ice branches with terrifying agility. As he closed in on Ren at blinding speed, his pupils contracted with killing intent.
"DIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions detonated around Ren's team. Ren twisted his formation desperately, dodging by inches. The shockwaves rattled them in the air.
"AAAH! HE'S OUT OF HIS MIND!" Ochako screamed, holding on tight as she felt the heat of the blasts. "BAKUGO KUN HAS NO LIMITS!"
Momo's hands moved, creating a circular shield just as another explosion detonated in front of them. The shield absorbed the impact, though the force sent them spinning.
"Nice save, Momo!" Ren shouted, fighting to regain control.
But Bakugo wasn't done. He grabbed onto one of Todoroki's ice pillars and used it to redirect his trajectory, charging in from a different angle.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP RUNNING FROM ME?!" Bakugo roared, eyes bloodshot. "DON'T BE STUPID! NOBODY ESCAPES MY EXPLOSIONS, YOU DAMN EXTRAS!"
Another barrage of explosions forced Ren to descend, putting them back within reach of the ground teams. A student with a whip Quirk lashed out, trying to hook Toru's headband.
The whip wrapped around the empty air where Toru's arms should've been, but her hand had already moved. The whip user pulled back with nothing while Toru's fingers ripped a headband off a passing team.
"Two for two!" she cheered.
Tsuyu's team was surrounded by six formations attacking from every direction. Inko, Mina, and Jiro held what they could at the base, but there were too many simultaneous attacks. A capture Quirk user launched glowing ropes toward the ten million headband.
We can't keep dodging every attack, Inko thought, watching the ropes close in. But we can't just defend for fifteen whole minutes either.
The green lightning around her legs intensified.
All Might told me One For All isn't just for fighting.
CRACKLE!
One For All exploded through her legs. Green lightning enveloped the base of the formation and the ground beneath their feet started to crack from the pressure of the Quirk.
"Hold on tight!" Tsuyu shouted from above.
Inko channeled the momentum in a single direction: forward.
BOOOOM!
The acceleration force shot the entire formation forward at a speed no ground team could match. The capture ropes passed through where they'd been a second earlier. The six attacking teams were left behind, unable to keep up.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" one of the enemy riders shouted.
Inko kept One For All active as her formation tore across the field. The ground beneath Inko, Mina, and Jiro's feet started to crack from the transmitted force.
"Ribbit! Inko chan, this is...!"
"I know!" Inko answered. "But we need to make distance!"
They braked near the opposite edge of the arena. Inko deactivated One For All from the five percent, breathing heavily. Her legs trembled slightly from the strain.
This is my limit right now, she thought. Anything more and I start damaging my body. But it was enough to get away.
"YEAAAAAAAH! ARE YOU WATCHING THIS, EVERYBODY?! UNBELIEVABLE! Midoriya kun's formation just hit the turbo and left everyone in the dust at insane speed! SO FAST! That burst of green sparks is exactly the show we were waiting for! THAT'S THE SPIRIT OF THE NUMBER ONE! SO CRAZYYYYYYY!"
Todoroki watched the movement with a neutral expression.
That enhancement Quirk has time limits, he thought. She can't maintain that level of power indefinitely. The key is to pressure that team until they burn out.
He created another ice pillar, but this time he didn't aim at Ren. The ice extended toward Tsuyu's position, creating a frozen wall that blocked their escape route.
Inko saw the wall coming and reacted without hesitation. She channeled One For All into her legs and discharged it into the ground with the entire formation loaded on top.
CRACK!
The base coiled like a spring and the entire team launched upward. The arc of the trajectory carried them just over the crest of the frozen wall. They landed on the other side with green sparks crackling and the impact split between the three pairs of feet at the base.
But Todoroki was already creating more ice. Frozen walls began rising across the field, dividing the space into smaller sections and forcing teams into limited areas.
"He's reshaping the terrain!" Momo observed from the air. "He clearly intends to reconfigure the environment to turn it into a maze. We need to be careful; his goal must be to restrict our mobility and force us into a chokepoint."
The ice kept spreading. Some teams got trapped between frozen walls, forced to retreat or change routes. Others used the ice as cover, hiding behind the barriers while planning their next moves.
"TIME IS TICKING, EVERYBODY! ONLY SEVEN MINUTES LEFT ON THE CLOCK! TIME IS FLYING! AND TAKE A LOOK BECAUSE THE BATTLEFIELD IS COMPLETELY TRANSFORMING BEFORE OUR EYES! IT'S A TOTAL MAKEOVER! THIS IS GETTING SO CRAZY!"
Suddenly, from one side of the field, green vines began growing at unnatural speed. They sprouted from the ground and wove through Todoroki's ice, creating hybrid structures of frost and plant that stretched upward like twisted towers.
Ibara Shiozaki rode at the top of her formation, hands clasped in prayer while her vine hair extended in every direction.
"I beg you to find in your hearts the mercy to forgive me, my fellow students," she said with an almost celestial serenity, palms pressed together. "However, even though my soul mourns this conflict, I must faithfully fulfill the sacred duty entrusted to me from above."
The vines lashed out at multiple teams simultaneously. Some wrapped around the legs of ground teams, holding them in place. Others stretched upward, trying to reach Ren's team in the air.
"VINES!" Ochako shouted.
Ren moved them sideways, dodging the first vines by inches. But Ibara was persistent. More vines sprouted, creating a green net that spread through the air.
Bakugo saw the vines closing in on his team and detonated a massive explosion.
BOOM!
The fire burned the vines to ash. But where one vine died, two more grew in its place.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU DAMN WEED!" Bakugo roared. "QUIT GETTING IN THE WAY OR I'LL TURN YOU TO ASHES RIGHT NOW!"
The field had become three dimensional chaos. Todoroki's ice created walls and pillars. Ibara's vines wove through the ice, forming structures that shifted constantly. Bakugo's explosions left smoking craters in the ground, destroying the ice and plant constructions.
And in the middle of it all, Tsuyu's formation refused to give up ground.
CRACKLE!
Green lightning enveloped Inko as the team leaped from one ice structure to another, using the vines as trampolines and the frozen pillars as platforms. Tsuyu directed from above with her tongue hooking onto the most solid anchor points, Mina dissolved obstacles with acid, and Jiro detected incoming attacks with her earphone jacks.
"TO THE LEFT!" Jiro shouted.
The formation pivoted in unison just as one of Bakugo's explosions grazed past them.
This is it, Inko thought, feeling One For All surge through her body. This is what it means to be All Might's successor. The will to never give up.
She activated One For All at fifteen percent again, discharging the impulse into the ground through the entire base. The ice structure beneath their feet cracked and the formation coiled like a spring. The base launched the team upward in a wide arc, carrying them over three teams trying to intercept them.
KRAKOOM!
They landed near the center of the field. The energy of One For All transferred into the ground at the moment of impact, sending out a shockwave that cracked it within a two meter radius.
"HOLY COW!" Present Mic was screaming. "DID YOU SEE THAT, EVERYBODY?! INCREDIBLEEEEE! Midoriya kun's formation just pulverized the ground with that landing! LOOK AT THAT CRATER! That green flash is absolutely insane, it's TOTALLY MONSTROUS!"
Todoroki watched the impact and made a decision.
"Change of plans," he said. "Iida, head straight for that team."
Iida's engines roared at maximum power.
Todoroki's team shot forward at a speed that rivaled Inko's One For All. Todoroki created ice beneath their feet as they moved, giving them traction and extra speed.
Bakugo saw the move and growled.
"DON'T EVEN DREAM OF TAKING FIRST PLACE, YOU SHITTY HALF AND HALF BASTARD!" Bakugo roared. "GET OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL BLOW YOU TO PIECES! THE ONLY ONE STANDING AT THE TOP IS GONNA BE ME, GODDAMMIT!"
His team also charged, with massive explosions propelling them forward. The ground exploded beneath them as they launched directly toward the ten million headband.
Three teams converged on the center of the field: Tsuyu with the ten million headband and Inko powering the base, Todoroki with his ice, and Bakugo with his explosions.
BOOM!
********
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