17

Chapter Text

"War… of the Flags?" Izuku muttered to himself. Along with his peers and the stadium, gossip began to emerge on what such a title meant.

"Oh! Must be like Capture the Flag! I played that game back in Junior High!" Mina waved her hand, jumping on her feet.

"Hey I remember playing that game, but only on some online games myself." Sero stated as he looked around his group of peers.

"Likewise." Tokoyami muttered, looking down at his stick. "And it seems that those ice creams we ate determined our positioning."

"Most of you are correct, yes!" Midnight exclaimed as she pointed up to the board. "But, this is no ordinary Capture the Flag. It is a war between you all. The Red Kingdom versus the Blue Kingdom!" Some of the students were hyped at the statement, but Peter could see how some weren't as eager.

"Isn't it just easier to say teams?" Kirishima asked to himself. "Still, she's so active in her movements…" The brawler blushed, looking uneasy.

"Oh no, let her keep going." Denki elbowed the redhead as he grinned up at the stage.

"Now then! We will now explain the rules, but first, our cameras have located all of the contestants who will be on their respective teams!" The board split into two, with the bright words RED and BLUE on the right and left sides respectively. Sixteen squares appeared under each one, and the pictures were quickly filled in.

Peter glanced at his stick before checking out his peers. It was a perfect split of fifty/fifty. Then he looked up at the board and felt a smile spread over his face.

For the RED Team.

Peter Parker, Pony Tsunotori, Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku, Honenuki Juzo, Tokoyami Fumikage, Ojiro Mashirao, Awase Yousei, Asui Tsuyu, Shoji Mezo, Sato Rikido, Jirou Kyoka, Shinso Hitoshi, Shishida Jurota, Sen Kaibara, and Kamakiri Togaru.

"Looks like I'm with you guys," He looked at Momo and Izuku, then towards the nearby Tokoyami, before gazing afar at the Class B crowd. Pony was staring right back at him.

"And I'm with everyone else." Ochako pointed at the screen, specifically at the BLUE side, and Peter began to bite his lower lip.

Iida Tenya, Bakugo Katsuki, Todoroki Shoto, Shiozaki Ibara, Sero Hanta, Tokage Setsuna, Kirishima Eijirou, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Uraraka Ochako, Ashido Mina, Hatsume Mei, Kuroiro Shihai, Kendo Itsuka, Monoma Neito, Kaminari Denki, and Hagakure Tooru.

"Holy crap, look at our team!" Mina exclaimed with wide eyes.

"I'm with him?!" Yelled Kirishima, and Peter heard a similar phrase from afar as he and the redhead turned towards the mass of Class B students, seeing Tetsutetsu look right back with widened eyes.

"So this is the makeup of our team... " Tenya mused, cupping his chin. Peter saw Izuku's head turn, and saw the reason why.

Bakugo was staring them down, having the biggest smirk on his face as his red eyes bore into them both. Todoroki was close by, eyes narrowed at them… or was it at Bakugo? They were close by and from their vantage point Todoroki was behind the blond bomber.

"Now then!" Midnight's voice cut through the gossip. "I must ask for all students, specifically in your assigned factions to gather and talk amongst each other! After that, proceed to the west and east tunnels please to leave the stadium floor!"

"Huh? Why's that?" Denki asked before Midnight cracked her whip.

"Silence and obey my commands!" She barked, and the blonde yelped out a "Yes Ma'am!" before going over to his team as they began to gather. Todoroki and Bakugo were walking with their hands in their pockets, the former expressionless, the latter with the devil's grin.

"Well, I suppose this is goodbye for now." Tenya stated as he looked over at Peter and Izuku. "Midoriya, Parker. I am honored to have you both as my peers but…" He paused, looking at them both with a determined expression. "I must live up to the expectations of my family and make my older brother proud. As the youngest of the Iida sons, it is my duty to do so. So I will aim to win, even if I must go through you both."

"Bring it on, Iida." Peter grinned, giving a fist. "May the best man win." Tenya blinked.

"What is this fist you're offering?"

"Man, you really are lacking in knowing about the bro-code." Kirishima rolled his eyes as he walked over, bumping Peter's fist. "I like ya tons Ace, but I ain't holding back!"

"Good luck to ya both!" Peter said before he turned his head, seeing Ochako stand before Izuku.

"Deku… I… I consider you to be a good friend, a great one even." The brunette girl paused, taking a deep breath as she stood before the nervous-looking green haired boy. She opened her eyes, now possessing a face similar to Iida's. She wasn't going to pull her punches. "But I have to win this for my family. I have to go beyond and ensure that they don't have to work another hard day in their lives. So I'm going for it with all I've got." She gulped, biting her lip. "So do the same, Deku!"

"U-Uh right!" Izuku coughed, regaining his composure. "I, I understand what you're going through and all." He noticed his fellow red teammates start to walk past him towards the tunnel. "But I won't give up either. We have dreams we need to fulfill after all." The girl gave him a determined smile, nodding as she walked off, Kirishima, Tenya, and Mina close behind.

"And then there was four…" Tokoyami uttered darkly.

"Enough dawdling, let's go to the other side and wait for Midnight-sensei's instructions." Momo patted Peter's shoulder, and the American nodded.

"Alrighty then, let's go." He began to walk across the stadium into the tunnel, Izuku, Momo and Tokoyami at his back as he joined his new teammates. Many familiar faces made him feel at ease as he got to the tunnel's entrance. Yet he felt many eyes on him as Pony walked up to him with a smile on her visage.

"Hey Peter." Peter returned her enthusiasm with a nod.

"Pony." He saw other students from Class B arrive. "And hello to you guys too!" There was Kamakiri in all his reptile glory, Shishida growling with his trademark beastial fury, and finally Honenuki Juzo with his lipless face and wide-slitted eyes.

Lots of heteromorphs here...

"Alright!" The R-Rated Hero's voice cut through the arena before they had a chance to say hi. "Before you all have a chance to confer with your fellow teammates, it's time that we change the field!" Midnight snapped her fingers.

Peter shivered, and over the roar of the crowd the stadium began to shake.

"What the hell is that?!" Shishida yelled.

"Is it an earthquake?!" Sato was looking around, panicking.

"No it's not. It's too… controlled!" Jirou had her earphone jacks in a wall as she listened in. "Shoji, you hear it too?"

The tall multi-armed boy shifted his arms into ears. "Yeah, it's only on here too. Which means…"

"Hey guys look!" Yelled Sen Kaibara, pointing into the field as everyone turned, gasping.

Way ahead of them, the grass field began to split in two, and then four before it began to sink deeper into the earth! It continued to rumble and shake, the platform Midnight was on slinking back towards the stadium wall and no longer being in the center. Then, from before the group a massive column of spires began to rise up in conjunction with giant boulders. The boulders and rocks were auburn and red, and far ahead, near the blue team's tunnel, were blue and steel gray buildings and warehouses!

"This is incredible! They even changed up the stadium!" Sato yelled.

"No kidding here!" Kamakiri added, in awe of the change of scenery.

"Now then!" A holographic projection appeared in front of the group as they stood by the tunnel's entrance, and a pair of robots rolled over while carrying a crate, one that was similar to the one that contained the ice cream from before. Midnight stood next to the projection. "I am addressing the Red and Blue Kingdoms now, and to the audience, I will now relay to you all the rules of this new event, The War of the Flags!

"As you may have surmised, the War of the Flags is essentially a far more complex version of Capture the Flag!" A map displaying the stadium appeared, with two halves on each side. One blue with the letter B in it, the other red with the letter R. "Two teams must collect points via one of two methods in order to attain victory!" Sixteen circles appeared within each half of the circle. "The first method is to obtain the 'Silver Flags'!" The robots in front of the group opened the crate, within were… five silver armbands with red highlights. And above them, a golden armband with a red highlight. "Each Silver Flag is worth twenty points!" A gauge appeared above the stadium circle, with the numbers going from Zero to 100 appearing, with increments of 20 rising. "You must capture the opposing team's Silver Flags and bring them back to the King's Ring!" Within each of the halves, a golden light popped up, with the various dots in the halves going back and forth. "Do so, and your team gets 20 points! The first team to 100 points," Some blue dots had blinking white lights after clashing in the red half, returning to the blue side and into the golden ring. "Wins the war!"

"So we have to wear an armband then?" Juzo mused. "And prevent the enemies from getting it, while protecting our own. Sounds simple enough!" The lipless boy grinned, then again, with no lips he looked like he was always grinning.

"There is a second method, keep listening." Tokoyami mused with crossed arms.

"The second method, involves the Gold Flag!" Several Red dots encroached into blue territory, assaulting the golden ring, and one dot was glowing gold as it retreated back to the red half of the field. "Players can choose to attack the King's Ring and take the King's Flag to return to their own King's Ring. Do so..." And the gauge, which had shrunk down, went from zero to 100 the moment the gold dot hit the red-gold circle. "And your team gets an automatic victory!"

"Wait, so what's stopping players from just ganging up on the golden ring? They could just rush us!" Yousei exclaimed.

"Not entirely." Momo mused, hand on her chin. "This is a war, meaning that we must employ battle tactics, whether they be for offense, or defense."

"Of course, no war last forever! And there will be a fifteen minute time limit for the contestants to muster as many points as possible! If the time limit expires and no team has reached 100, the team with the highest score wins!" Midnight explained some more, waving her whip-baton. "Of course, in case we have a tie…" She licked her lips, biting her lips in anticipation. "Then it is up to the Kings to stand proud, and fight for their kingdom's honor in a sudden deathmatch!"

"Can't you just say one-on-one and leave out the dramatics?" Juzo asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Of course, I mean more a match in tournament format." Midnight began to strut around, the two golden dots on each side coming forth as they met in the center of the split ring, duking it out. "It would follow tournament rules. The match will go on until a combatant is unable to continue or suffers a ringout, falls unconscious, or is disqualified. There, that explains the basic rules of this game. But wait, there's more!"

"Come on! Let's get on with it already! See blue flag, get flag, and protect our own! We get it!" Shishida complained, growling.

"Yeah, let us go at that ice punk for freezing my shoes!" Kamakiri hissed, his fingers elongating and sharpening into blades. "And that exploding asshole too who got me in the face back at the entry gate! I need to pay them back tenfold!"

"Now now little darlings~" Midnight cooed, finger to her lips, winking. "We're not even to the foreplay yet and you're all so eager. Patience please~"

"Graaaaaaaagh~!" Tokoyami roared in frustration.

"Now, as you can see, there are six total flags you must protect. Depending on placement in your races will determine who bears the silver flags and the King's Flags. Now then! Behold our rankings!" Midnight pointed upwards, as the two divided teams became one with the same ranking as before, but each member of the Top 32 had a red or blue outline. Peter perked up, seeing that he was at the top. The next closest Blue Team member was…

"The King of the Red Team will be Class 1-A's Peter Parker! While the King of the Blue Team is Class 1-A's Iida Tenya!" Both Peter and Tenya's icons became golden with either a red or a blue background.

"He gets to be king huh?" Kamakiri sneered, and Peter turned, seeing the lizard boy glower at him.

"He got first in the race, Togaru-san." Pony stepped in. "He deserves it." The taller bladed lizard didn't seem too pleased with his peer speaking up for Peter as he took a step forward, only for Izuku, Momo, Jirou and Tokoyami to stand at Peter's flanks. Shishida, Awase, and Sen backed up Togaru.

"Everyone calm down!" Juzo stepped up between the two groups. "I know we are in different classes, and Vlad-sensei wants us to be rivals with Class 1-A." The blonde rolled his eyes. "Lord knows how far Monoma has taken that mindset… But we can't afford to be at each other's throats. This is a team event!"

"You're siding with our foes, Honenuki?" Kamakiri hissed, before his slittered eyes settled on Momo. "Or is it that you Recommended's have some sort of boys' club I don't know about?"

"Quit it you guys, we're here to go onto the next event, not fight amongst ourselves." Asui stated as she walked up beside Juzo, the dark-greenette glancing between her peers. She didn't seem at all perturbed by the lizard boy's glare. "Besides, at the end of the day, we all want to be heroes, right?"

"That's correct, and even with all this, I have a feeling that our chemistry is probably better." Shoji said as he got the attention of everyone in the room.

"Why's that?" Sen asked, and one of Shoji's arms pointed across the stadium.

Where the group heard an explosive blast, and cursing galore. "They have a Bakugo."

"W-Well, Kacchan is really strong though… very strong." Izuku mused, biting his lower lip.

"Now then," Midnight's voice cut off the conversation. "I will go on to the assessment of the Silver Knights, bearers of these Flags! We determined those by ranking of Prime Numbers, so for those who aren't math-savvy, here are your silver knights on each team!" She waved her whip, and the icons representing the contestants began to glow. Peter immediately thought of the Prime Numbers in his head.

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23 and 29.

"That means!" Peter looked at his classmates, and then at the holographic screen.

Red Team Silver Knights:

Pony Tsunotaori, Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku, Asui Tsuyu, and Sato Rikido.

"I'm a Silver Knight?!" Izuku yelped.

"Whoa, me too!" Sato added, eyes wide as he looked at the screen, skin not as pale white as Izuku's.

"How come Class 1-A gets more Silver-bearers?" Shishida grumbled.

"It's because of our placement." Momo explained, looking back at the disgruntled and beastial-looking young man. "Pony got second, myself third. Midoriya fifth. Asui seventeenth, and Sato nineteenth."

"Hey, look at the Blue Silver Knights!" Asui said, and the group turned, seeing several of the blue team members' names glow with silver hues.

Blue Team Silver Knights:

Bakugo Katsuki, Todoroki Shoto, Sero Hanta, Kirishima Eijiro and Kaminari Denki.

"Hang on a second!" Ojiro raised his hand. "Bakugo got fourth, that's divisible by more than one!" Midnight, even hundreds of meters away seemed to have heard him as more muttering picked up amongst the crowd.

"Bakugo is a unique exception, as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th spots are all occupied by either Kings or Silver Knights. As Parker has the Number One spot and the golden flag, along with Jirou Kyoka and Kamikiri Togaru being on the red team courtesy of the ice cream sticks of fate, we opted that Bakugo be a fill-in for the number one slot needed to round out the Silver Knights." The R-Rated Hero explained as she went over the details. The holographic screen changed, with two halves shown. One in red, the other in blue. Peter and Tenya were the Kings, and their respective Silver Knights below them.

"So we gotta aim for the Silvers, get the armbands or risk going straight for the king," Momo went over to the crate, taking her armband and wrapping it around her arm. "While protecting ours."

"Which means it's better if the Silver Knights hang back in their respective zones." Jirou added in. "Leave the flag-taking to us."

"I noticed something." Spoke up a voice for the first time, and Shinso Hitoshi, the kid from General Ed walked forward, hands in his pockets. "Is it me, or are the Silver Knights and Kings… mainly the most destructive and mobile quirk users?" He drawled in a bored tone. Everyone perked up, and even Peter's head got to work.

Yeah… It was! Bakugo, Todoroki, himself, Izuku and Sato were very destructive, and Momo could be too depending on her creations. While Tsuyu, Pony, Sero, himself, Izuku, and even Bakugo were highly mobile!

"Say…" Izuku snapped his fingers, and Peter took a sharp intake of breath, feeling a chill run down his spine as he looked over at the green haired boy, biting his tongue. "You're right!"

"Indeed, our team makeups are so unique and diverse… oh the variety! So much to choose from~" Midnight swooned, hugging herself and pressing her arms against her breasts. Man… what a sight. Peter could hear Kaminari and Sero cheering far across the stadium. But the immediate sound of Tokoyami banging his head against the wall with an even angrier Dark Shadow was more prominent.

"Tch." Jirou scoffed. "Pervs."

"Now then! For the major rules!" Midnight waved her arm. "One last time. Anything goes in the arena, so long as you do not use lethal force or disobey a referee's commands! Joining me for this event and monitoring the War will be two of Class 1-A's faculty!" She waved her whip, and to either side of her rose platforms containing their two teachers. Cementoss stood to the right, while Ectoplasm was on her left. "Utilizing lethal force or disobedience of a command will result in immediate disqualification! And, one more thing." She smirked, licking her lips. "In the wars of fantasy and myth, they say the kings fight on the front lines in order to inspire the troops, well, this is no war of magic and wonder! This is a war for keeps! The Kings must stay behind their frontlines and place their faith in their soldiers!"

Peter felt a pit form in his gut. As Midnight had explained the event in detail, he felt confident that he could go around swinging and jumping while getting the armbands from the enemy team, or save any armbands for his own squad.

"For you see, the King of each team must remain within the King's Ring! If a King moves out of the ring via his own free will and not by an enemy, the entire team is disqualified!" Peter felt everyone's eyes on him as he bit his lip.

"Shit." He uttered, shaking his head.

"Well, there goes that option." Jirou rolled her eyes.

"We'll just have to do it ourselves." Sato's fist met his open palm.

"Don't be so hasty." Shoji corrected his muscular peer. "You're a Silver Knight, you have to remain here and hide from the enemy team."

"That's right, if Peter can't move beyond his ring, neither can Iida!" Pony spoke out. "That works for us too! You all saw how fast HE was!"

"Doesn't do anything about Todoroki and Bakugo though. They may be Silver Knights, but they're incredibly powerful, not to mention the fact that they may be out for blood." Asui pointed out. She turned towards the group of Izuku, Pony, Peter and Momo. Before Izuku could break out in a cold sweat, Pony stepped up.

"No matter, bring them on." The blonde girl said, her blue eyes alight with a fire. "I'll kick their butts again for sure."

"That's the spirit, Pony!" Shishida roared proudly. Tokoyami winced at the sudden outburst.

"However," Midnight's voice cut in again, and she smirked before the screen. "If a King's armband is taken by the enemy team, then the enemy foes hath awoken a sleeping giant, for a King in the War of the Flags is no slovenly idiot King, but a King of merit and power! The King will be able to reclaim their armband and, in addition, be able to fight with their troops in the battlefield to retrieve the enemy flags! Of course, to cover that problem, if a Silver Knight loses their armband but has it be recovered by an ally, that ally becomes the new Silver Knight and must protect their armband! But don't be fooled, it's not just the Knights that you have to worry about! Each of you will be graded according to your performance! Each act of heroism, cunning, and strategy will gain you favor in the eyes of the masses. Everyone has a chance to advance, win or lose. After all, heroes come from every corner of the world, but be warned, any act that could be considered villainous will only diminish your role. That means no backstabbing or excessive violence against your teammates! " The black haired woman sighed, wiping her brow. "Now that, was a mouthful. Quite... a mouthful." Midnight cooed, giggling seductively and biting her lip.

"Lalalalalalala!" Tokoyami had his ears covered and Dark Shadow was raving as his eye twitched.

"Oh, grow up and grow a pair already you wuss!" Kamakiri barked, glaring at him.

"Now, most hero situations call for sudden and random team-ups. Since the selection of field was decided at random," Midnight crossed her arms. "You will be allowed to enter your field of play and assess the battlefield. Points to defend. Ambush. Vital chokepoints and routes. Or even places to hide! You have ten minutes to form a plan of attack against the enemy team. The enemy has peers from your classes, as your allies have people you have never met or talked to in the hallways even!" She waved her baton as Peter looked back at his teammates, no, his comrades for his event as they looked to him. Momo, Izuku, Asui, and Sato had finished putting on their armbands. Peter walked over to the crate containing his golden armband. He took it, wrapping it around his arm and tightening the velcro.

"But now is the chance to forge camaraderie! The foes of yesterday become the allies of today! Your ten minutes," The robots containing the crates rolled away, and Cementoss and Ectoplasm stepped down into the divided field. "Start now! Prepare!" Above her, a timer began to count down from 10:00.

"Alright then everyone." Peter said, as he walked forth, his Silver Knights trailing behind him. Momo and Izuku to his right, Pony with Sato on his left, Tsuyu in their wake. "Let's do this!" The rest of his team, the ones who had the best chance to go into the opposing team's side and capture any flags, strode on forth.

The War of the Flags was about to begin.

(X)

For the first time in a while, Shouta wondered if the universe had it out for him. Because when he had proposed a change to the original strategy, he figured that Nezu would pull some strings and make it a more team-focused event than just a bunch of trainees slapping each other with their powers.

Leave it to the producers and the Board of Directors of this whole headache to turn it into a reality TV show.

Next to him, Present Mic was going over the events again for the radio listeners as well as spew hot air while the investors no doubt got their mandatory airtime shilling out whatever product chain supported the major heroes nowadays. He would get some flak later, but for now, the problem in front of him was far more interesting.

He could forgive the average viewer for thinking that the win would probably go to the Blue Team. Out of the two teams, they had the most raw firepower and straightforward fighters. Todoroki and Bakugo in particular were two of the most talented and highly destructive combatants in the entire school. Todoroki's ice quirk needed a few members of the Red Team on constant standby if they wanted to even move with the recommended student capable of simply freezing the entire enemy team's side with barely a touch of his hand, or coating the battlefield in ice. Anyone that wasn't caught was left vulnerable to Bakugo's blasts. For all the hot air that the boy was spouting, he was no pushover in terms of tactical flexibility. The boy had shown remarkable skill in close-quarters combat, and his range of destructive capability spoke for itself.

Then you wouldn't be mistaken for looking at the two brawlers next. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu, two boys with quirks so similar that many would be forgiven for thinking they were related in some way. Shouta didn't know the extent of their durability, but the two of them were the easy choices for a win as far as brawling was concerned.

And that wasn't even getting into the range of tactical options up their sleeves. Kaminari was a walking bomb, only needing to get close to an enemy group before taking out at least a few of the red team, though his position as a Knight limited him in that aspect. One max discharge and he'd be incapacitated. But in terms of stealth, the Blue Team had the overwhelming advantage. Kuroiro and Hagakure's quirks were practically made for situations like this. Plenty of dark corners and alleyways for them to use in surprising their opponents.

However, pretty much everything that he said, with the exception of the stealth category, could go to the Red Team as well. Midoriya finally got his head on straight and found a way to use his quirk that wasn't just shattering his limbs for single strikes. The mummified hero searched through the stands, but couldn't find one particularly irresponsible Symbol of Peace. Either way, Aizawa didn't know what Midoriya could do with his new powers, but given how the race turned out, he was at least as mobile and durable as his supposed-childhood friend.

The more he thought about it, every advantage that either team had over the other was simply negated. Bakugo and Todoroki were powerful and widely destructive, but plenty of students on the red team had shown the capability to break out of the ice or at least hold off Bakugo long enough to get a numbers advantage. If anyone wanted to talk about mobility, Shouta would simply point out that the two most mobile of the teams, Parker and Iida, were confined in their king rings. Tsunotori and Sero were the exceptions, but Tokoyami was no slouch in his ability to utilize his quirk for rapid movement as well. And as for stealth, both Shoji and Jirou had their ways to detect invisible targets, and that wasn't even getting started on Parker's seemingly precognitive reaction times. He and Sato could easily keep up with Kirishima and Tetsutetsu in a brawl as well. Hell, they would outright win with Parker's ability alone.

Even the support was countered, at least marginally. That Hatsume girl was getting quite the praise from Power Loader in his off time. The girl had a knack for creating a variety of support tools even with her seemingly simple quirk. She would at the very least have something to support the backlines just like Yaoyorozu would bolster hers.

To top it all off, anyone he hadn't thought about could simply turn the tables with a single good placement or a surprise use of their quirks. That General Ed boy… he would be a player in this, even if most would write him off and focus on the bigger threats like the two big guns of his class or the resident loudmouth of class 1-B. Monoma... that boy would thrive here with so many quirks to copy.

It would come down to how well they could plan within the time they got, and if they could keep certain personalities in check.

"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'RE ABOUT TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED! THE BIGGEST NAMES FOR THE FIRST YEAR CLASS ARE ABOUT TO GO HEAD TO HEAD IN THE BIGGEST SLOBBERKNOCKER THIS SIDE OF JAPAN!"

"Is slobberknocker even a word?" Shouta grumbled.

But of course, Hizashi ignored him, "BUT THE VIEWERS HAVE TO KNOW, MY MAN AIZAWA, WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO TAKE THIS? WHERE DOES THE NINJA MAN STAND?"

"Don't know, could go either way." Shouta said with a shrug.

"OH COME ON! YOU GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE WONDERFUL VIEWERS AT HOME!" Mic complained, "COME ON, WHAT DO YOU GOT!?!"

Aizawa glanced at the two sides of the arena, the rocky landscape and the sprawling city. Too many variables, too many limitations.

Even so…

"I'll just say that if you're thinking this is going to be easy for one team, you've got another thing coming. Any hero worth their salt can tell that many of the quirks used by the contestants here can cancel each other out."

"HOW OMINOUS! BUT THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS, WE'VE GOT AN EVEN SPLIT FROM THE ERASER HERO HIMSELF! PERSONALLY I'M MORE OF A RED GUY BUT DON'T FORGET TO POST YOUR GUESSES ON OUR PAGE AND WE'LL GET RIGHT BACK TO YOU…"

Present Mic kept going on about the news site that was hosting this entire thing, so he ignored him and focused back on the two teams. There was another factor that he didn't mention. Class 1-A had previously used their powers in a live-fire situation, and as such among other factors, the relationship with Class 1-B was strenuous at best. There were exceptions, but that just proved the rule.

The team's biggest obstacles, would be one another, he was sure of it. It was the perfect opportunity for them to get over it though.

Huh, wonder if Vlad had a hand in that one?

"AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!"

Shouta sighed, of course they had a subscription page. What other useless thing would they have next? T-shirts?

(X)

"So… how do you guys want to play this?" Peter asked his fellow armband-wearing peers. They made their way to the King Ring within their allotted space. Thankfully, it was marked with some pretty shiny gold paint. The space itself was limited, about fifteen square yards, around the size and circumference of a house, then again they were on the roof of one of the buildings that Mr. Cementoss had made. Beside him was a giant bath-sized bowl of sorts with lasers inside. They must be for holding the captured flags. Thankfully, he was on top of a building, one of many that dotted the arena along with boulders and cliff faces down below on ground level.

What he wouldn't give to trade spaces with Momo. She would lock down this place with so many traps that he probably couldn't think of all the ways. Bomb every door and bunker down there or something like that. Sato was checking his remaining cubes of sugar, counting them out and grimacing at the number he ended up with. Asui simply leaped between the makeshift light-poles, her frog eyes glancing around every once in a while. Momo was the same, the looking around portion at least, not the leaping part. Finally, Midoriya was muttering up a storm as per normal, only breaking out of it when Peter asked his question.

"I think we should form a defence around the building and below us," Midoriya muttered, "Parker's band is the most valuable, so protecting that is our best bet."

"Won't work, Ribbit," Asui said from her pole, "I've got money on Todoroki and Bakugo rushing this place the second that the buzzer sounds. We can build things up as best we can, but you saw what Todoroki did to that Zero Pointer in the race, chances are he's going to make his first battle test feat look like nothing in comparison. He'd just make a big glacier and wreck the building."

Midoryia blanched, and the fellow knights nodded their heads in understanding. Except for Peter.

"I uh, actually don't know what he did," Peter admitted.

The five around him blinked.

"Oh right, you were way ahead," Sato explained as he turned towards his shorter classmate, "Basically, he turned the Zero Pointer into a snow-cone faster you could blink. Then made it fall down on top of Kirishima and a Class B guy."

Peter blinked once, then twice, "... Okay. Midoriya, I liked your plan at first, but now I don't, no offense."

"N-none taken," Midoriya stuttered.

"But what do we do now?" Pony asked, her peers from Class B behind her. "If we're not defending Peter here, are we just running around like chickens with our heads cut off?"

"Not the analogy that I would use," Momo muttered under her breath before she spoke up. "Regardless, I think it would be best if we spread out our flags as much as possible."

"Wouldn't that just leave us as easy pickings for the other team when they come through?" Sato points out.

"If they come through," Momo stressed, "I doubt that our teammates will simply let them pass when the judges will be evaluating their progress. The event is more than simply taking the bands after all."

Peter nodded, crossing his arms, "Then are we cool with everyone splitting up?"

"Not splitting up," Midoriya jumped in, looking between his teammates. "Teams."

Everyone glanced at the green haired boy, who broke out in a nervous sweat as he glanced down at the floor.

"Just hear me out, Yaoyorozu, do you have a-"

He was cut off as she handed him a permanent marker and a piece of paper.

"Thanks, now, this is what I'm thinking. Right now, with the luck of the placements, we have a good balance of mobility and power," he said, drawing on the paper.

After a few seconds, he got a makeshift drawing of the two sides of the arena, as well as the marked king circles. "With our quirks, I say we set up in four groups. Parker-san and Yaoyorozu-san stay within the king's circle, making as much as she can with her quirk." Izuku

"We've been over this Midoriya, Todoroki is just going to freeze everything," Asui said.

"Not if she's prepared," Izuku countered, "You two fought Todoroki before, all you have to do is avoid the initial ice salvo and you can counterattack! Then Yaoyorozu can retreat into the building to stall for time if need be."

"I can also make communicators," Momo offers, her skin already bubbling, revealing a set of walkie-talkies, "That way if I'm ambushed I can call for help." She began to distribute them, even Class B's group taking them.

"As another group we can protect Pony." Kamakiri stated, looking back at Sen, Shishida, and Awase. "She's our ace right now, and we have experience working together as classmates." He looked over to Juzo. "You gonna join in too, Honenuki?"

"I'm better off going for the flags. My quirk lets me swim in the earth after all." He pointed at himself. "And I can hinder any and all who get in my way."

"So you're on offense then." Peter stated, grabbing a walkie-talkie and handing it to the ash-blonde. "It's better that we all communicate." The lipless boy had a ghost of a grin as he pocketed the device.

"Sounds like a plan."

"So we all can call for help," Asui said, grabbing one of the walkie-talkies with her tongue.

"That's good for the two reps, but what about the rest of us?" Sato asked.

"I was getting to that," Midoriya said, drawing two other circles, one on each side of the King's Circle, "We hide out in these areas around here, close enough to assist if needed, but far enough away that we can serve as distractions to anyone looking to take Parker-san's band. Right now, I think I should be with Asui while Pony-san and Sato-san team up. That way, if any of us are found or need assistance, there's someone there that can make a quick escape."

Peter blinked. That was… really good. It was like a big game of tag, but with human lifelines instead of a safe zone.

"That's right, Asui and Pony are both super mobile, and you two are bruisers!" Juzo stated, clapping his hands. "Gotta say, you're smarter than you look!"

"That doesn't sound bad at all, let's do it!" Sato grinned, offering a thumbs-up.

Upon hearing such praise, Izuku jerked back, a nervous line of sweat running down his face.

"I just uh, thought of it while I was a kid. I threw a lot of ideas into my hero journals and city combat came up a lot so I-I remembered an idea I had," Midoriya stammered, "You guys don't have to agree to it!" he shouted, flailing his arms, "If you don't like it just say so! I understand."

Pony hummed a bit before she glanced at Sato who stared right back.

"How heavy are you?" she asked, matter of fact and sternly.

"Around 90 kg," Sato admitted.

Both Peter and Pony stared blankly at him.

"About 200 pounds," Momo clarified.

The Americans shot her a thankful look but Pony looked hesitant.

"I can work with it, so long as he doesn't move around too much," Pony commented.

"We'll still protect ya! Besides, we can't leave ya alone with this lumux!" Kamakiri declared. Sato looked offended.

"What did I do?!"

"Hang on, while I understand your feelings in wanting to help defend a Knight." Momo interjected. "It may be best if you take part in the attack."

"Huh? I get to be on offense?" Kamakiri asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Obviously." Shinso drawled, walking up to them. "Honenuki there may be a Recommended Student, but I doubt he can do all the heavy lifting. He'll need backup." Midoriya looked over a the purple haired boy.

"Wow… impressive. So we have various teams protecting our flags," Izuku looked at Pony and Sato, then at Asui. "A team to help with defense of the King's Ring." He turned towards Yaoyorozu, Shoji and Jirou. "And our attack squad." A group of Kamakiri, Shishida, Awase, Sen, Ojiro, and Tokoyami stood proud, with Juzo in front.

"Going by our capabilities, I think Tokoyami and Honenuki have the best chances as flag returners." Ojiro stated as he looked over his team. "They are the fastest ones outside of our knights." The ash-blonde nodded.

"Good eye," he turned towards the raven haired boy. "Let's do our best out there." Tokoyami nodded.

"Indeed. Let us revel in the darkness." Juzo blinked, looking back at Kamakiri and the others.

"Tch… he's like Kuroiro ain't he…" Sen muttered under his breath.

"Speaking of, Shihai might be able to counter him too…" Shishida whispered, causing the shadow user to perk up.

"What is this Kuroiro Shihai's quirk and how can he counter my ability?"

Momo finished making the walkie-talkies and passed them out as the Attack Squad got to work, talking strategy. Peter walked over to his fellow Knights.

"Guess this is the part where we say good luck?" Peter offered.

"Luck? Who says we need it?" Sato said confidently, flexing with a grin.

"Yeah, we all know, let's move Midoriya," Asui began leaping away.

"Yeah, we better…" Izuku started, only for his voice to trail off as he noticed Asui's tongue wrap around his waist. The boy looked at his classmates in surprise before being yanked away by a tongue that probably could lift a car, Izuku yelping as Asui began to hop with Izuku off the building and into the rocks and warehouses below. Peter added that to another thing around here that didn't obey the laws of physics to see Pony get on all fours, gesturing at Sato to get on.

Sato worriedly looked back at him, and Peter shrugged. The sugar giant tentatively took a seat on her back. To her credit, she didn't even buckle, only staring back at Peter after Sato got himself situated. Kamakiri and Shishida glared holes into Sato's head, making the muscular boy gulp.

"Call the second you're in trouble." Pony stated, patting her pocket where her communicator was.

Peter held up his walkie-talkie, "You'll be the first to know." He replied in his native tongue.

The girl smiled tentatively before taking a few careful steps.

"So, do I just sit back?" Sato asked as they prepared to leave.

"Kick me and I drop you." She growled, not happy to be in such a position as they leapt off the building to a nearby warehouse, using her horns to levitate downward, one horn on her hand, the other on her knee to float downward.

Peter's shoulders slumped as his friend carried the big man away. He saw Momo pour something over the drawing, covering it up only to look at the building to her left.

"Call when you need me," Peter offered again, waiting only for her to smile back before she trotted down the stairwell, the Attack Squad behind her.

"Parker." Shinso's voice spoke out, and Peter turned, seeing that the only remaining resident on the rooftop was the purple haired General Ed student. The fact that he made it here was incredible. "I'll handle getting a flag or two myself. Green over there didn't seem to delegate a role to me so…" He shrugged. Peter blushed.

"Oh, well, sorry… I don't know your abilities and you weren't in the Hero Course and, not that that's a bad thing and all-"

"Relax." Shinso said, "I have my own methods for grabbing a flag. All I need is to sneak in the other side unnoticed, and I have a feeling that I'll have a good chance." His eyes turned and Peter followed his gaze, seeing small explosions flare up in the distance, presumably where the other team had gathered. Bakugo must be arguing with his teammates. "They have a lot of power, but seems like fate rewarded me with a team possessing some brains."

"You sure that you can handle getting a flag solo? If you wanna be on defense or attack you can." Peter assured him, but Shinso shook his head.

"It's alright, I need to stand out in my own way. Not that many guys of the team seemed to notice me, and that in of itself is an advantage." Shinso walked towards the stairwell leading downward. "Do me a favor and don't get taken out" He smirked, looking back. "I've got some plans for this event, so do your best Peter Parker." And the baggy-eyed kid left, Peter quirking an eye. He knew Shinso that wanted to be in the Hero Course, so that maybe what he was going for.

"Uh… Good luck then!" Peter called out.

He didn't get an answer back, so he walked towards the edge of the building, sitting down on it as he felt the wind pass by, hearing the ambiance of the crowd and the overhead sounds of the jumbotron's commercials.

He felt a tick on the back of his neck, and he looked up to see a hovering robot with a camera in the center focus in on him. The crowd roared their approval, and Peter checked out the jumbotron.

There, for everyone to see was him, perched at the edge of a building. He threw out a peace sign and smiled.

The crowd promptly went wild.

It made him laugh. Every single voice looking out and cheering just for him sitting and for lack of a better word, posing on the edge of a building. It was all a little silly.

But before Peter could dwell on it, a blast echoed throughout the stadium. He squinted his eyes, and he swore he could see a small pillar of smoke erupt from the enemy side.

Looked like the Blue Team was getting along as well as it could with Bakugo on their team. He prayed that such discord would continue.

(X)

Shoto stared down at the armband in his hand. A rather simple thing, but he guessed that was the point. Wouldn't be too hard to take it off anyone, again, probably the point. Wrapping the band around his upper arm on his right side, he saw that Bakugo was doing much the same. The blonde had been smiling ever since the teams were announced. His look was disturbing to say the least, but Shoto paid it no mind.

A single target in the center of an enclosed space that he couldn't leave unless his band was taken. Parker was practically sitting there, waiting for an attack, daring him. Considering that Yaoyorozu was nearby, they would probably hold out in one of the buildings like they did in the training exercise.

They'd beaten him back then, but things would be different this time. He wouldn't just flash-freeze the building… he would destroy it with one giant glacier.

With his old man watching, there was no point in holding back. If someone got caught… it didn't matter. Even with the judges, only the knights truly mattered. If anyone wanted to take his, they were welcome to try. Shoto pulled the armband tight, rotating his shoulder a few times to make sure he had ease of movement.

"Alright everyone, let's bring our heads together."

Shoto glanced up at the speaker. Kendo Itsuka, the class representative of 1-B if he remembered correctly.

"Indeed Kendo-san," Iida said, adjusting his glasses, "I suggest forming a defensive perimeter. When the Red Team comes to attack us, we can utilize superior terrain and catch them-"

"FUCK THAT!"

Uraraka eeped as Bakugo blasted the rock he was sitting under to smithereens. His eyes had a bloodshot madness to them that Shoto knew all too well. The eyes of someone so frustrated that all logic was thrown out the window for a single, obsessive goal.

"I'm not waiting! That fucking Redshirt has sat too pretty for too long! His ass is mine, and I'm not waiting for anyone to come to me before I blast that brat to kingdom come." He gritted his teeth, baring them.

Shoto rolled his eyes, of course he would have his reasons for going after Parker, petty as they were. Not that he was in any state to throw stones. At the very least, Bakugo would serve as a good distraction.

"So you're just going to throw yourself against a dozen of our classmates and what? Walk out of there with all the armbands?" Kendo asked incredulously, crossing her arms.

"And what if I do?" Bakugo asked, turning to the orange haired girl. "I betcha I can." He smirked darkly at her.

To her credit, the rep of class 1-B didn't even flinch.

"And what if you get your ass laid flat on the concrete because you couldn't see a punch coming?" Kendo countered, "They get an armband, and we lose one of our knights and are down 20 points."

"I'd pay good money to see that," The lizard-like girl grumbled on the side, sitting on a rock with her chin cupped in her hands.

"What did you say!?" Bakugo roared at the girl. She only seemed to grin widely, knowing that she had struck a nerve.

His hand popped with explosions, but Tetsutetsu immediately stepped in between them. He crossed his arms, and his skin turned to metal as he puffed up his chest and stared Bakugo down.

"She said exactly what she wanted to say, got that?" Tetsutetsu growled, looking down at the blonde.

Bakugo's hands twitched, letting out another, far louder pop.

"You got something to say, you metal freak?" The metallic boy snarled and was about to retort before a voice cut him to the punch.

"No, but I'm sure I can speak for him."

Every head turned to the source of the interruption. The other blond boy with well-kept hair, all but strutting to the center of their little group. Bakugo glared at him, leading to the two blonds to stare one another down, one with a sneer and the other with a cocky little smirk.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing much," the other blonde mentioned.

"Neito-kun," Kendo pressed, "This isn't the time. Planning. Now."

"Really?" the blonde named Neito asked, "I believe this is the perfect time. After all, we're trusting one of the most important things in this little tournament to him. And frankly, I don't trust him."

Bakugo gerked, "You think I'm gonna get taken out by a bunch of extras?" He growled, fists quivering.

"Yes, actually I do," Neito said, his smirk widening, "You intend to go straight for the King, Parker, right?"

The edges of Bakugo's mouth twitched, "Yes, did yah not hear what I said a few fucking seconds ago?"

Neito casually shrugged, a move that came as a surprise to Uraraka and the floating uniform that was Hagakure. He didn't show any fear or irritation at Bakugo's attitude and aggressiveness. He almost seemed to welcome it even.

"I understand, except that I heard through the grapevine that that particular king, Parker-san, he has you beaten in every category, hasn't he?"

Uraraka and Kirishima gasped at the declaration. Even Hatsume looked up from her project to give the conversation a once-over. Sero winced, and even Kendo looked at Neito like he was insane.

Bakugo… was deathly still, eyebrow twitching.

"Care to repeat that?"

"Easy now guys, we gotta plan here…" Kirishima tried to calm them down, feeling the temperature rise up in the clearing.

"Uhhh Monoma, I know you hate 1-A but… is this going a bit too far?" Setsuna asked. "We're supposed to be on a team here. You know, enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that?"

"That won't work here, Setsuna." Kurorio muttered, correcting her. "Not with him."

"What? It's a fact, isn't it?" Neito asked innocently. "I mean, you heard the people right? First Year Phenom? The Golden Boy?" His eyes flicked over to Kirishima. "Ace? And what of you? For someone who seems to be quite so angry at him, I bet you want to be the best. To aim for the top but the fact of the matter is..." His smirk broke out into a smug grin. "You couldn't even break into the top five!"

"Enough." Shoto hissed, standing up and conjuring an ice wall to come between the seething Bakugo and a surprised Monoma Neito. HE walked up, eyes glaring into them both. "Midnight said that this competition is more than just win or lose, and us yelling at each other won't do us any favors. I suggest you keep whatever superiority complexes you have to yourselves." He glowered before walking away.

"Todoroki-kun! Where are you going?" Uraraka called out, Shoto leaving with his hands in his pockets.

"I already have a plan. I'll end this game within a few minutes." He had his eyes on the target building, specifically at the top. There, where the Red Team's King was. Shoto looked back, seeing Tenya stand in his own Ring that was surrounded by a clearing of rocks and boulders with the laser bowl.

"You ain't gonna take his armband! I am, Icy-Hot!" Bakugo barked, departing after him despite the cries from Kendo and his other peers. Before long they were walking side by side, eyes forward.

"Unlike you I have fought him before, so if you don't want your flag to be taken like a fool..." Shoto turned his head, his grey eye boring a hole into Bakugo's head. "I suggest you help with finding and attacking the other Silver Knights, or at the very least help with defense."

"Go to hell, you two-faced bastard." Bakugo sneered. "I'll win my own way. Not yours, use that cute ice sculpting skill of yours and make a wall."

"That makes two of us." And with that said the two glowering teens continued to march through the hodgepodge mix of buildings and boulders, eyes set on the tower far ahead.

(X)

"Those two… I can't believe this!" Itsuka yelled, sighing before turning to Neito, her Deputy Representative and resident headache. "What is your problem!? Those are two of our Silver Knights and you made them go right into the frontlines when the bell starts!"

"Come on Kendo-chan, we both know that those two are better on offense than defense." Neito responded, smirking all the while. "They'll throw themselves against the enemy while our team collects the flags and and holds out." He turned towards Setsuna who waved. "I trust that you'll help with matters?"

"Oh yeah, leave it to me." She smirked. Kendo looked at the greenette who noticed her gaze and winked. True… Setsuna was very good at stealth, along with Hagakure they could infiltrate any part of the Blue Kingdom and find a Silver Knight. "Me and Hagakure-san can sneak around and find any flags. After that we can make a ruckus and those two hotheads will come running I bet."

"Are you sure that this is a good idea, leaving those two alone? They may get overwhelmed!" Hagakure waved her glove in concern. "Besides, if we get Parker-kun's flag, he gets involved in the battle!"

"As would I!" Iida declared. "Don't forget about me now!"

"I'm pretty sure that those two," Kuroiro muttered lightly. "Will be fine on their own. Monoma's right. Those two have a lot of power, but I doubt they can be reigned in."

"Still… I'm a bit concerned. They have Yaoyorozu on their team, and-" Uraraka was abruptly shoved to the side by Hatsume.

"HAVE NO FEAR MY TEAMMATES, BEHOLD!" She looked like she had just run a marathon, lugging a cart of sorts. "I MADE SOME EXTRA BABIES FOR JUST THIS OCCASION!" She opened the lid, revealing an assortment of devices and gadgets inside. "IN CASE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE NEXT ROUND, I SPENT AN ALL NIGHTER ON THESE THE OTHER DAY, NYEHEHE~!" Sero flinched while Ashido stepped forward, inspecting some of the gear. Gloves, boots, vests and goggles galore!

"Did you get any sleep at all?" He asked, unsure of what to make of the Support Course girl who had run into the locker room to get her gear. As a member of the Support Course, she was able to use any gadgets she made during the Sports Festival in order to catch up with the Hero Course students. And there wasn't anything in the rules against dispersion of said gear in case of a team exercise…

"Nope!" Hatsume declared, showing off an assortment of gear. "Now put them on! I'll explain their functions and then we can get to work!"

"I'll explain our plan here, since Bakugo and Todoroki clearly want no part of this." Itsuka rolled her eyes. "We need to assault Parker's stronghold, at least enough to act as a diversion. Parker-san cannot leave his King's Ring at the top of the tower. That means we need a strike team in order to have his attention and their team's other defenders."

"Leave it to me! I wanna have a go at Ace myself." Kirishima raised his hand, as did Tetsutetsu. "Huh, why are you coming with?!"

"What, you think I'd let you hog that guy to yourself? Parker's an okay guy but I gotta beat him. He's in Class A!"

"I should go with him." Ashido patted Itsuka on the back, and the orangette was glad that the pinkette had a semblance of a brain. "I've known Kirishima-kun for a long time. Chemistry may go a long way for us!"

"I agree." Shihai uttered, standing up from his perch. "Kendo-san, let me stick to defense. The sun is getting higher in the sky." He looked up, eyes narrowed. "It'll be hard for me to use my shadows on offense. Plus we've worked together on those obstacle courses Vlad-sensei made for us."

"A smart ploy Shihai-kun." Neito drawled. "Then I'll assist with the offense as well. With any luck, Bakugo and Todoroki should be close enough for me to use my quirk."

"Is it just me though, or do we have little room for defense? We have a stealth team, a small group for attackers and defenders, and then we have Todoroki and Bakugo. We're gonna be stretched a little thin here." Sero said aloud in concern before Itsuka turned, her green eyes twinkling. She looked over at Uraraka, Ibara, and Kaminari.

"Our numbers are few, but I have a feeling that our defense is pretty stout. Uraraka, if you can use your Gravity quirk on the boulders to help block the various chokepoints or flank areas that would be helpful. Ibara-san." The vine haired girl who had remained silent and stoic perked up, ignorant of the way Kaminari was blushing near her. "Can I have you patrol the perimeter of the boulders around the King's Ring?"

"I am appalled at the idea of inflicting harm to another in the name of sport, but if I am to become a hero, I must do what is needed and not what I want," Ibara declared, hands interlocked. "I only hope that this game is not as combative as a war. War is truly a heinous and sad thing to witness, as our Lord must be grieving for us high in heaven. But if I must aid in the defense of our ring, then I will."

Kaminari and Sero sighed. "Wow… her voice is so…"

"Angelic…" The tape user finished, and Itsuka chuckled.

"Sero-kun, Kaminari-kun, you two are our remaining knights, what with Kirishima-kun leading the attack on Red Team's fortress." Itsuka put on a pair of hover soles that Hatsume provided. "We need you to hang back here in our zone, most importantly near the King's Ring so that myself, Ibara-san, Uraraka and Hatsume-san can come rescue you. Can you do that?"

"Wait, hang on." Kaminari looked at his black haired friend, grinning. "Are we in the care of three girls?"

"Two cute ones at that." Sero nodded, arms crossed and grinning. Kendo quirked an eyebrow, smirking in amusement. Setsuna seemed to share her enthusiasm.

"And who is the other? Chopped liver?" Uraraka didn't seem to care, and Kendo was glad that she didn't lose her temper like most girls in the various rom-com manga that she read from time to time.

Speaking of which, this week she was gonna binge-read that new manga by Hyu Araki! But first, gotta focus on the Festival...

"Heck no!" Kaminari roared, before waving his hands and bowing. "For it is she… and her divine grace and baritones blessed by the gods on high… Long may she reign~" He spoke in a lower, fragile and subdued tone. Kendi could just about see the light of heaven shining upon him.

Ibara could only tilt her head in confusion. "Hmm? There is only one God, I do not know what you speak of, Kaminari-san."

"I am not worthy~!" The blond electric user covered his eyes, being overly dramatic with an arm draped over his sight. Sero didn't seem all too affected.

"I like her too dude, but you miiiight be pushing it too hard." The long-armed tape user laughed.

"Nah, let the guy dream." Setsuna added. "Anyways, Hagakure-chan, let's get ready. Wanna go as a team?"

"Ah! Sure thing!" Hagakure waved, and the invisible girl began to walk away with Setsuna.

"We'll be back with some flags, we're going to hide somewhere close to the half-line." Setsuna waved. Itsuka turned towards her defense team as Tenya stood calmly in his Ring.

Uraraka, Ibara, Sero, Kaminari, Hatsume and Kuroiro.

She could work with this.

"Alright then." She turned, looking out towards the building that Peter Parker was sitting on. She thought that Parker was a decent guy, one she kinda wished was in her class. She could use a cooler head as a Deputy Representative. Neito-kun could be charismatic… whenever he wasn't making a fool of himself.

"Let's go show the pros what we've got! Iida-kun, leave the defense to us and have a seat!" Itsuka grinned.

"Very well, I am in your care!"

"One minute until the War begins!" And the Timer began to count down from 59 seconds as the orange haired martial artist licked her lips.

(X)

Why was there always a countdown? There weren't countdowns in real life. If heroes didn't show up in time, everything would go to hell, and Lord knows how many lives would be ruined. On second thought, considering the members of the Hero Course, it wasn't too far out there to expect that of them.

Shinso Hitoshi had a lot of thoughts on the current resident members of the hero course; and all of them boiled down to one word.

Special.

Every single one of them was seemingly born with a quirk perfectly suited to some kind of facet of mainline hero work. Big flashy powers that packed a punch, fast powers that would let them run straight into danger, even silent quirks that were perfect for getting in and out with every secret an enemy would want to hold on to.

He had to prove to the world that he was special too. How else could he make his dream of being a hero come true? If it meant ousting one of Parker's classmates to do so, so be it.

Or maybe a spot in Class B. He'd be fine with that too.

Not that he could complain about his current team. For all of the ego rumored to pour out of the Hero Course, the current team was workable. He was honestly expecting Parker to stick him on defense, or just tell him to hide. Instead, he let him go to the frontlines without even knowing his quirk. Pretty stupid when Hitoshi thought about it, way too trusting. But again, he could work with that. If he had enough faith in a General Ed kid like him to have come this far, what else could he do but to prove himself worthy? "Only fair I repay that faith in kind." He muttered under his breath as he exited the building. He made his way to the far edge of the arena, hugging whatever cover he could find until he could see the rocky edge of the blue team's field.

Except, he didn't stop there. There were plenty of boulders to serve as cover on the other side, options that he exploited instantly. After all, the ref never said anything about going over into enemy territory before the countdown started, it was just implied. Cunning and Strategy earned people recognition, right?

So who cares if someone got a little head start? Heroes were supposed to get everything they had on a villain before circumstances went from bad to worse. The crowd roared their approval, and Hitoshi glanced up to see Parker posing on the edge of his ring. The bigshot of the Hero Course gave a peace sign before the display turned back to its timer. He kept going, walking a bit further till he heard the faint sounds of voices. He peeked out of his corner as much as he dared, and saw a head of blonde and black hair nervously looking at the countdown.

Hitoshi couldn't help but grin. This was going to be way too easy.

(X)

As the final ten seconds counted down, the entire stadium seemed to hold its breath. No one moved, everyone stood ready. Kirishima clenched his fist, preemptively hardening himself as the final seconds ticked down. Next to him, Tetsutetsu of Class 1-B bared his teeth and entered his metal form. On his other side, Bakugo's eyes had a focus that most men would dream of having. His finger twitched, an explosion popping off. Behind him, Todoroki said nothing, his eyes twitching towards the stands for one reason or another.

Then the timer hit zero, Midnight's voice booming out. The alarm blared, with the crowd roaring as it did so.

"Let the War begin!"

And before she was even finished, Eijiro, Tetsutetsu, Todoroki and Bakugo were already moving. Bakugo took point, sprinting forward, but why was he holding back on the explosions?

"Why are you not blasting off there, Bakugo?" Eijiro asked.

"You think I'm an idiot?!" Bakugo screamed back as the team passed into the enemy field, "I'm only here to teach Redshirt a lesson, I'm not wasting any time fighting extras, that's what you're here for!"

Eijiro swore he heard Todoroki huff, and next to him, he noticed Tetsutetsu grit his teeth, "You know, if we weren't on the same team I'd kick your ass!"

"You'd try," Bakugo called back, his gaze firmly focused on the road ahead.

"How about we give it a try first!"

All four of them looked up just as two members of the Red Team leapt down from the buildings above. The green haired heteromorphic kid grinned as he came down right on top of Eijiro, his hand extending out into a sword. Eijiro threw his hands up, and saw sparks erupt on his hardened skin. Kamakiri Togaru snarled as he pushed Kirishima away and the redhead was on the defensive. Bursting through the wall of a building like some parody of the Kool-Aid Man, Sen thrust his drill hands straight at Tetsutetsu, forcing the boy to dodge or get pummeled.

"Sen! What the hell are-!"

"Dark Shadow!"

Bakugo stopped mid-motion, his eyes darting to the corner as the shadowy bird of Tokoyami's quirk reared out. He rushed forward to strike, but Todoroki threw an ice wall in front of him, forcing the bird construct to slam into it.

He screamed something else to Todoroki, but Kirishima couldn't tell what it was. Kamakiri's sword swept at his hair, probably trying to get him to dodge to the left. But Kirishima's quirk was made for situations like this!

He willed the hardening over his fingers and grasped the swords in each hand.

"Sorry bud, but you're not cutting this guy," Eijiro grinned, but it still used almost everything he had to keep the swords in place.

"Yeah, you're not half bad!" Kamakiri screamed, grinning back, a blade forming out of his forehead as he went in for a headbutt.

One that Kirishima met with his own. The two boys grappled in a deadlock, neither of them willing to give ground. The two never looked away, the battles of those around them irrelevant to their struggle. Only, Kamakiri wasn't as strong as he hoped. With the surprise over, Kirishima slowly bent the swords back, pushing against the reptilian blade user. He grinned when Kamakiri grit his teeth, trying and failing to hold his opponent back. Reeling back, Kirishima threw an enhanced headbutt, shattering the sword on the boy's head and sending him stumbling back, giving Kirishima plenty of space to throw a clean right hook at the boy's face.

"Grrraaaaaaaoooor!" Shishida Jurota charged forth, bursting through Todoroki's ice and jumping into the melee as Tetsutetsu parried blows from his classmate.

"Now this is real low!" Tetsutetsu yelled before backing off. Shishida pounded the ground he was on a moment ago before charging on all fours. A spray of acid onto the ground coated his hands, making him bark in pain and lose his footing, rolling to the ground in a heap.

"Take this!" Mina swung her hands, acid splashing out as she aimed. Eijiro and Kamakiri's deadlock was broken as the lizard boy had to fall back. Kirishima saw some acid leak and burn the ground!

"Mina, be careful!" He yelled, the pinkette blushing in mortification.

"Sorry! I'll aim b-"

"You're open!" Tokoyami came in, Dark Shadow striking Mina and sending her sprawling to the ground. Kirishima grit his teeth and charged against the raven headed boy, yelling as he leapt up. Tokoyami looked back, nonplussed.

"Look out copycat!" Yelled Tetsutetsu before Kirishima felt a punch impact his arm. The boy grunted as he was sent flying, Shishida recovering as he decked the redhead. Kirishima recovered, landing near Mina and helping her up.

"Shaaaaaaa~!" Kamakiri charged, swinging his blade hands until Tetsutetsu got in the way, parrying them with his steel arms and ducking a strike before the silverette punched his lizard peer in the face, launching him off his feet.

"You okay copycat?!" Tetsutetsu yelled, hands raised in a boxer's stance. Kirishima sharpened his skin as he saw Sen and Shishida approach. Mina was at his back.

"I'm fine! Hey, where's Bakugo and Todo-whoa!" Eijiro felt himself sinking! The ground felt like thick mud, yet it was consuming him like quicksand! Mina gasped beside him.

"WHAT A START! THE RED AND BLUE TEAMS HAVE BEGUN THEIR CLASH NEAR THE HALFWAY POINT! AND BLUE TEAM'S ADVANCE PARTY SEEMED TO HAVE SPLIT UP!" Present Mic yelled. Kirishima perked up.

"Bakugo, you jeeeeerk!" Eijiro yelled. Of course he would dump them and go off on his own. So where in the hell was Todoroki?! He saw a shadow loom overhead, and he looked up to see that Dark Shadow was gunning for his arm! Where his armband was! Kirishima swatted at the dark construct, but the monster simply held onto his arms and extended its neck, grabbing his armband by its beak!

"Return!" Tokoyami commanded as Dark Shadow reeled in its target and Kirishima felt his blood chill.

"Shit!"

"Oh no!" Mina exclaimed.

"Damnit… that's a dirty play Honenunki!" Tetsutetsu cursed.

"Get up to the ring now!" Kamakiri yelled as Tokoyami retreated, taking the armband into his hands as Dark Shadow helped him scale the building quickly.

"WHAT A MOVE BY THE REDS! THE ATTACKERS HAD A SILVER KNIGHT WITH THEM, AND THEY'RE PAYING THE PRICE! TOKOYAMI IS HEADING TOWARDS HIS RING WITH A FLAG!"

(X)

Juzo swam under the arena, holding his breath as he kept going forward. Using his Softening Quirk, he was able to neutralize the Blue assault group long enough for his Red teammates to get an opening. Kendo was foolish to have a Silver Knight not named Todoroki or Bakugo be a part of the strike force.

He came up for air, looking around to get a clue on his position. The ash-blonde saw some buildings and boulders around him. Juzo quickly glanced back, seeing his teammate Tokoyami climb up the building towards the King's Ring where Parker was.

He saw an exploding dart chasing after him, or more specifically where Parker was on the building!

He grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Guys, Bakugo's converging on Parker! He's ignoring Tokoyami! No sign of Todoroki anywhere either!" He whispered.

"Leave him to me!" It was Yaoyorozu's voice. "The counter measure is ready. Peter-san, I'll toss one up, you need to get to the center of the circle!"

"Right." Parker replied, sounding calm despite the rampaging Silver Knight gunning for him. Juzo smirked.

"Damn, wish I had ya in my class." He muttered before taking a deep breath, going back under. He has a job to do, and that was to win.

(X)

Shoto departed from the main group, wanting to get in position to assault Parker without getting caught up in the melee. They had the Red Team's attention, now he could commence his assault. He bent down, ice gathering below as it ruptured the earth.

He looked up, seeing Parker looking down from the ledge.

A shadow being cast over him made the Silver Knight pause, and charging down with a dive kick was Midoriya Izuku, covering in green lightning. Shoto jumped out of the way, seeing Midoriya strike the earth. His arm went to his band as he covered it in ice.

Right on time too, Asui's tongue smacked it and sent Shoto flying back a couple of meters. He landed on his feet, seeing Asui atop a lamppost. He narrowed his eyes, bending down and conjuring an ice pillar to push him away from a charging Midoriya. The poor boy jumped away, green lightning arcing out and licking against the wall of ice. He skidded to a stop on the ground, wincing from the impact. Shoto readied another blast, only to jump back as Asui flung a rock the size of his entire body straight at him. It cracked the ground in the space that he had been standing in just a moment ago. When he finally got his bearings, both of the enemy Silver Knights were rushing towards him. He glanced towards the tower, Shoto's gray and green eyes were alight with cold fury. He was fortunate that Midoriya was in his line of fire as he saw Parker looking down at the melee and the incoming Bakugo.

"Sorry…" Shoto hissed as ice surged all around him, and he could see the fear in Midoriya's eyes mid-charge. Asui's tongue lashed out, wrapping around him.

He let loose the torrent, and everything froze.

(X)

"There you are!" Bakugo roared as Peter looked up from the center of the King ring. He jumped back, avoiding the exploding berserker's flying kick and landing near the edge of the ring.

"Dumb move not going for Tokoyami." Peter stated, his hands shooting to his pockets as Bakugo landed while grinning darkly at the target of his ire.

"Who cares if your team gets some points?" Bakugo snarled. "We all know why I'm here for you Redshirt." He approached, hands outstretched as he took a step closer to the golden ring's center. "All alone, you and me." He grinned, aiming his hands at Peter. "I will be the one at the top!"

He stepped forward and blasted off, readying an explosion with one free hand!

"YOU GOT THAT!?"

Bakugo closed the distance faster than he'd ever flown before. But somehow, Peter bent back like he was in a limbo game, letting Bakugo sail over him. Fine for him, Bakugo just threw his palm in Peter's face, another explosion already erupting. Then Peter twisted, his hand a blur coming out of his pockets. Bakugo heard a click some something in the american's hand, then a white mass of powder covered him as he had his arms out to defend. Bakugo kept going, throwing out a hand to blast Parker.

But nothing happened.

"What the fuUUUUUUU-!" he screamed, the floor under him exploding. Peter blinked, smiling. Looks like it worked.

"I'm sorry, what was that you were saying?" Peter asked to no one in particular. Tokoyami finally emerged over the building's ledge, landing on his feet as he handed the silver armband to Dark Shadow. The beast flew in, and deposited the band into the bowl.

"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! BAKUGO MADE IT TO THE KING'S RING OF THE RED TEAM BUT FELL INTO A TRAP!! TOKOYAMI HAS DEPOSITED A SILVER FLAG! THAT'S NOW 20 LOVE RED TEAAAM!" Present Mic yelled, and on the jumbotron the Red Team's bar went up by 20 points. Peter smirked as he looked over at Tokoyami.

"Mind getting Bakugo's flag? Can't really move from my circle here." He pointed into the hole below. "Momo can use some backup."

"With pleasure." Tokoyami nodded. "Dark Shadow, let's go."

"Aye aye!"

(X)

Wind rushed in Bakugo's ears. Goddamnit! He let his guard down and let that cocky bastard land a sneak attack on him.

Bakugo twisted in mid-air, tucking into a defensive roll in a... sandbox? White filled his vision as he coughed, standing up. It stung like a bitch, but he could still move. Bakugo felt gravity take him before he landed hard on his ass.

"Godfuckingdamnit!" Katsuki roared as he got up. He had landed in some white powdery sand in a sandbox for some dumb reason. It was the same stuff that Parker had thrown at him! He looked around, seeing a vacant space before him with only the stairwells and supports surrounding him. No windows or light were pouring in. Standing twenty feet away was Richgirl, paintball rifle in her arms.

That's right… she did that same trick to Icy-Hot during the Battle Trials! Fuck, he should have just stayed airborne!

"You'll pay for that!" Katsuki roared, glaring down the defiant girl as she aimed. He could close the distance but he-

Wasn't exploding. His red eyes widened as he looked down at his hands that were covered in white powder as he aimed behind him again. "What the?! That smell!"

Baby powder!

He felt a shot from Richgirl's weapon hit his shoulder and Katsuki yelped in pain, gritting his teeth as he ran for it, trying to get the white substance off of him. He dragged his palm against the wall jumping behind a pillar for some semblance of cover.

"There you are!" Dark Shadow's voice became deeper and more violent as Tokoyami landed in his previous position. This floor was partially cut off from the sunlight outside, and Katsuki felt fear grip his heart. He jumped, avoiding the shadow beast's claw strike. The Dark Shadow from before was the size of a large dog. Now it was as big as a horse, one with golden eyes that were even more demonic and features just as frightening. Katsuki raised his hands up in defense.

Only to get a projectile to his hand, making Katsuki yell in pain as he broke out in a run. He could hear the shadow beast give chase as he panted.

He had to get this white stuff off of him and get a better angle on these assholes! He kept running behind pillars, sprinting as much as possible while Dark Shadow gave chase and Richgirl fired when the opportunity presented itself. Katsuki could hear the whizzing of her pellets and he looked down, seeing a welt on his hand under the white powder that stopped him from utilizing his quirk.

Katuski gritted his teeth and kicked himself. Parker had fooled him! He'd lured him into a trap and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

How could he have been so-

The entire building shook as both occupants in the room looked up.

"What was that!?" Bird yelled, his larger and more aggressive Dark Shadow growling beside him. The windows off to the side burst as ice spears surged forth, the force of the wind making all three jump away from the sudden danger. The entire side of the building was now covered in ice!

"It's Todoroki!" Richgirl yelled as Katsuki rolled across the ground, eyeing the stairwell. He scoffed and broke out into a sprint. If he could get there, he'd be able to rub this shit off, get to Parker, get his gold flag and fly back to Four-Eyes!

He had to win this!

(X)

Peter jumped back from the ledge as he looked back at the side of the building. The entire north side of the building was in the process of being consumed by a mountain-sized glacier. The entire arena and especially the audience was slack-jawed at the incredible display of power. There was no commentary even from Present Mic or Aizawa!

"Holy shit." He uttered as he saw Todoroki appear on top of the glacier.

Peter checked his web shooters and leapt back to the center of his ring, carefully avoiding the hole that Bakugo had fallen through. Midoriya and Asui were on that side of their field, with Pony and Sato on the south side. He took a deep breath.

He had to stay on the roof that was the extent of the King's Ring. If he moved out of bounds by accident, his team lost. If Todoroki pushed him out or took his golden armband, it was fine. But Bakugo was still below him, and them giving up the Gold Flag was something Peter didn't want to deal with, even if it meant he could join the battle.

He needed to attain victory as he heard the crunching and cracking of ice.

Todoroki began to slide down, pushing himself forth in a charge.