"Alright, you've made your teams!" Present Mic announced. "Now it's time to begin!"
The twelve teams were formed up outside the great square.
"Tetsutetsu, no hard feelings, right?" Monoma asked.
"Of course not!" the steel user replied, holding up a fist.
"Good. Let's show that Class A what we're made of."
"Ready, Tokoyami?"
"Yes."
"Aye aye, Captain!" Dark Shadow echoed, holding up a thumb.
"Hatsume?"
"Hehehehehehe."
"Uraraka?"
"Let's do this, Deku-kun!"
"Is everyone ready?" Hitoshi asked his team members, three people from Class A.
"Yes."
"Of course, monsieur."
"Ready as I'll ever be… durrrrr." Kaminari made a blunt noise as Hitoshi triggered his Quirk, and then all three of them were his, their eyes going blank.
Hitoshi smiled.
"If you guys don't carry me to Deku straightaway, you're all dead after this," Bakugou warned from above.
Kirishima laughed. "Of course dude. We all want the ten million as much as you do."
Mina rolled her eyes, and looked across to Sero, peering under Bakugou's legs. "Did you see?" Sero whispered to her. "Namikaze joined Todoroki's team. That's so unexpected!"
"… Yeah." Mina swallowed. He's finally going off and trying to win, I think. Maybe he doesn't even realise it yet. Somehow, she had upset him, or maybe they all had. It's so stupid. The exact reason he wasn't competitive was because he thought it would make people mad at each other. But the only one who's mad is him. Oh, and Bakugou of course. He doesn't count.
But… was she really being fair? Did she just want to blame Haru? If he's finally decided he wants to win, then… good for him. Fine. I don't care. Heat rose to her cheeks, however. She knew deep down how unhappy she was that he might be upset with her. No time to think about that, Mina! The game's about to start!
"Bakugou," she said calmly, looking up at their rider. "I probably don't need to tell you this, but watch out for Haru's team."
"Who? Oh… well, no shit watch out for them! That's Icy Hot's team!"
"No, see… it's not just Todoroki. If Haru gets close enough…" she and Sero shared another nervous glance. "He can warp your headband off."
"Tsk. I'd like to see the crackhead try."
"Now, let's go!" Present Mic announced. Haru felt thousands of eyes on him. He knew that him being the rider was a surprise to all. They all probably expected Todoroki to take the main position. But this was his idea. Somehow, Haru had been forced out of a supporting role and into center stage. The scoreboard even read "Team Namikaze" instead of "Team Todoroki," since he was the one wearing the band. And their point value was 670.
"You did your math wrong, Iida," Haru said down to the engine user. "Bakugou's team is worth 690, twenty more than us. And one of the Class B teams has more points as well."
"Oh, is it?" he glanced up at the scoreboard. "That's good. We'll be targeted even less, then."
"Yaoyorozu, I'm not hurting you, am I?" He looked down at the girl on his left, holding up the weight of his thigh.
"N-no, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." She turned away from his gaze and blushed.
"Let the countdown begin!" Present Mic boomed. "Three!"
"We're aiming for one thing," Todoroki reminded them, glaring towards Midoriya's team.
"Two!"
Haru cracked his knuckles. "Energy within, don't fail me now."
"One!"
"STAAAAART!" Midnight shouted, twirling her feathery device.
All at once, the teams raced forward, converging onto Team Midoriya. Iida put a burst into his engines, Yaoyorozu rolled on skates that she created, and Todoroki laid down an ice slide, causing them to accelerate. Haru felt his body sway back, grimacing. He saw Midoriya's eyes widen.
"It's basically a battle for the ten million points!" someone shouted.
"I'll be taking that, Midoriya-kun!" Hagakure's voice.
"Namikaze!" Todoroki's voice cut through him sharply. "Ready!"
Haru raised his hand toward the bandana on Midoriya's head. He'll be wanting to keep that with all his might. For the first time in a while, he flexed his arm, using the object side of his Quirk. He felt the energy race up through his muscles, as if excited to do this again. His hand began to glow yellow.
As they got in closer, the other teams all around them, Haru heard Tokoyami's cool, dark voice. "An attack without delay, huh? The fate of the pursued."
One of the Class B teams, the one with more points than them, sent out some kind of attack on the dirt, causing it to shimmer and waver. Iida skidded up short, wary. "They softened the ground!"
Haru whipped his head round. It was the front horse of the team, a boy with exposed teeth like a skull. His Quirk was now causing Team Midoriya to sink… and there were other teams closing in.
"Back up for a moment!" Todoroki said, and they moved away from the quicksand-like substance. Then, an exhaust of fire burst from Midoriya's back.
Yaoyorozu looked up. "Huh? A jet pack?"
Team Midoriya had gone flying into the air. "It's the support girl's invention," Haru relayed to them. Jiro from Hagakure's team whipped her ear plugs into the air, but Dark Shadow deflected them.
"How is the jet pack holding all of them up?" Haru wondered aloud.
"It's Uraraka's Quirk," said Iida. "They lessened their weight."
"Tsk," Todoroki growled. "Come on, they're landing over there!"
The girls on Midoriya's team were slowing their descent via some sort of boots that vented out air. Those inventions are crazy! Haru thought, his eyes narrowing in on the pink-haired girl. "I could maybe remove some of that gear," he told his teammates as they closed the distance once again. "It might be easier than the headband, and they won't be able to escape after that!"
"Good!" Todoroki shouted back. "Come on!"
"Fights over the headbands are breaking out all over!" Present Mic's voice. "It's turned into something of a free for all!"
Looking around wildly, Haru saw a Class B team escaping with Hagakure's headband, led by a blonde boy with a smug face. Hagakure had given chase. The other Class B team that had softened the ground was staying in pursuit of Midoriya, just like they were.
"Bakugou coming in from the left!" Yaoyorozu warned.
"And Shoji to the right!" said Iida.
"Huh?" Haru looked. Shoji had grown his arms into a sort of shell behind his back. "Is he… by himself?"
A tongue whipped out of the gap above Shoji's head, slapping Midoriya and the steel user from Class B as they closed in. Haru's eyes widened, and as Asui's tongue swung towards him, he ducked, accidentally bucking some of his weight onto Yaoyorozu.
"Argh! Sorry!"
"It's okay!" she returned. "Is that… Tsu?"
"Ribbit." The frog girl peered out from within Shoji's arms, along with another short person, a boy with blue hair from Class B.
"Oh ho! Team Asui has made use of their difference in sizes! They're like a tank!"
Shoji dashed past them towards Midoriya, as the Class B team closed in as well. Midoriya frantically pulled out the button to activate his jet pack.
"Namikaze, now!" Todoroki ordered.
Haru clashed his teeth together and held out both hands, as they closed the distance to about eight meters. Shoji was coming in, as was Tetsutetsu. Haru sent the energy out, and his hands glowed yellow.
Just as Midoriya pressed the button to lift off, Haru warped the activation device to his left hand. Shoji swiped through open air, and the Class B guy sent out another quicksand attack, forcing all three teams to back up as Midoriya and them went flying into the sky.
"Damn, a second too late!" Haru said, holding the button that had just allowed their escape before he'd flashed it out. With his right hand, he had messily pulled off part of Uraraka's air boots. "They're gonna have a rough landing, at least."