Chapter 14: [Displaying the Fangs of a Predator II]

The slight layer of frost that covered his right side did little to deter his movements, the youngest Todoroki immediately sprinting from his position at the front of the corridor to put distance between himself and the competitors behind him. Shoto was determined to win the school festival only using his ice power, since he hated his dreaded left side. The flames were a curse and nothing else, which was why he was furious when Midoriya began spouting his spiel. The vampire knew nothing of his struggles, of the abuse his mother suffered, the pains that he went through as a kid.

The vampire had no right to talk as he did, of that Shoto was sure.

The dual-colored teen would be sure to win the events his way, nullifying any glory that could be associated to the use of Endeavor's odious fire. His mother's ice was enough to win this competition, considering all the time he had trained with it. He was precise with his ice, creating just enough to trap the surrounding competitors, freezing their ground and assuring himself a good head start. Or so he thought, but people from his class managed to read his move, much to his surprise.

Plenty of his classmates – and many from their sister class 1-B – evaded having their feet frozen, everyone using their unique ways to advance against his icy setback. The rules of the event stated that direct harmful intent was prohibited, but getting in the way of the competition was fair enough, as long as nobody got seriously hurt. You couldn't hope that hero-hopefuls did not get a bit physical, especially teens.

Shoto, however, did not let his surprise get in his way. He continued his sprint, his physical condition among the top of his class. He did find weird that Izuku was not close by, but that only did prove his point about beating the vampire at this. A good few meters after the starting line that bottled many into a mess, Shoto found his first true "obstacle". One of the teachers (Present Mic) was shouting excitedly to the crowd of spectators about the might of the Zero-pointers that were used in the entrance exams, only this time there were a bunch of them together instead of the one-per-zone deal. Nothing that would hinder him; after all, Shoto had a point to prove.

"Since the school went this far, I expected them to provide something more challenging." The teen murmured to himself, tapping into the cold power that housed in his right side. Frost and ice began to build up, a cold wind suddenly following the movement of his right hand as he lazily swiped at the 20-meter tall robots. "Since my shitty old man is here, this is the least they could do." He said, uncaring eyes glancing at his work.

The folk behind him began gawking at him, surprised voices and unbelieving shouts from both competitors and spectators as they marveled at such simple action. Shoto once more resumed his sprint, going under one of the metallic menaces. He heard some students talk about following behind him, so he gave out an alert.

"I would not do that if I were you, since they are so tilted." True to his words, the robots half-covered in ice were tilting, their inclination indicating that they could and would fall down at any moment. Like spell, his warning was soon a reality as gravity did its work and began dropping down the behemoths of metal. He paid one last glance backwards, wondering if anyone would be crazy enough to dive under the falling metal. Todoroki's eyes widened as Izuku and Tokoyami seemed to almost spawn at the location, making their way without hindrances as they used their quirks to batter aside the falling fragments of ice and metal as if they were inconveniences.

Gleaming rubies stared back at him, Izuku's declaration annoyingly ringing at the back of Shoto's mind. "Plus Ultra, am I right?" Todoroki pictured the vampire's serious face in his head, the image pissing him off. Endeavor will not have his wishes granted, I won't use his fire!

[XXX]

[XXX]

Izuku was aware that rushing to the front of the lines was useless, considering the narrowing corridor that the students were at, which also meant that the usual "run faster than your competition" tactic would render little results for this segment. That, however, did not apply to the more aerial means of locomotion; a path that few people seemed to be considering, as they were more worried about shoving each other in hopes of getting a little closer to the exit of the "bottle".

As Present Mic shouted an overly loud "Go!" in his microphone, the vampire grabbed his raven-headed friend's arm and made use of his [Blink] upwards, effectively skipping over the majority of the competition as they were launched mid-air thanks to the vampire's powerful legs. Tokoyami was quick to follow up, calling upon [Dark Shadow] and manipulating the mass of sentient darkness to assume a more aerodynamic form, the duo gliding over their competition and earning themselves many surprised yelps and one angry shout from a particular ash-blond.

Todoroki had taken the lead with his flash-freeze stunt, but class 1-A had not survived their encounter against villains merely by luck. One quick peek backwards and Izuku caught several of his classmates advancing the obstacle the [Half-cold, Half-hot] user had left behind; that was without mentioning the many students from other courses, including the neighbor class 1-B.

Izuku had a grin painted in his lips as he held Fumikage's arm, the duo finally descending from their improvised "flight" and meeting solid ground, immediately beginning their sprint to continue advancing.

"AND WE ALREADY HAVE A PECKING ORDER BEING ESTABLISHED THIS SOON INTO THE RACE, AS TODOROKI SHOTO LITERALLY FREEZES HIS OPONENTS IN PLACE! YET, MY DEAR LISTENERS, THE SURPRISES ARE ONLY BEGINNING! AS MIDORIYA IZUKU AND TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE TAKE TO THE SKIES TO AVOID GETTING COLD FEET, THE REST OF CLASS 1-A IS QUICK TO DISPLAY THEIR SKILL; WATCH OUT FOLKS, THESE KIDS ARE NOT PLAYING ABOUT!" One could not hear their own thoughts under the blasting voice of the hero, but the added voices of the excited spectators managed to convey their current feelings about the first moves of the race. There was a bit of a spotlight being cast over the Heroics Course students, but considering the still recent villain attack and subsequent repelling by the kids, it was only expected.

Izuku and his friend advanced a bit more before they having their way blocked by the behemoths Zero-pointers, their increased number proving to Izuku that the hero school had too much money and mechanical engineers in hand. The vampire sent a questioning glance to Tokoyami, the raven-headed teen returning the look as he wondered their next plan of action.

Luckily, it seemed that Todoroki was willing to fill in that part for them, making extensive use of his power to create another frozen scape, this time the surprise factor hitting that much harder as he froze the seven zero-pointers with one wave of his hand. The sheer power of the act had Izuku taken back for a few moments, enough time for the faster competitors to reach them, only to stop and marvel too at the frozen titans.

"You fucks better get the fuck out of my way!" Blasting sounds revealed a very angry Bakugou approaching at high speed, only for him to change directions and begin going upwards; using the same strategy Izuku had done earlier, and fuck you he had not copied that from the fucking bloodsucker!

The vampire glanced back at his friend, already grabbing at his arm. "Ready for another jump?" Izuku asked Tokoyami, wondering if the raven-head's stomach could handle another burst of high-speed. [Blink] was not even close to be compared to its power of origin, but small victories stacked. The bloodsucker also covered his hands in a thin layer of blood, only enough to make a "glove". He couldn't just jump to using Blood Gauntlets, as they would eat away too quickly at his reserves, but this was currently enough to reinforce his fingers and claws, enough to shear metal if need be.

Fumikage nodded to Izuku, taking a deep breath before they appeared to "teleport" from their current position to just under a zero-pointer, ice chunks falling off the machine as they began falling off due to their tilted position. Releasing the arm of his avian-headed friend, Izuku clawed at an ice chunk, Tokoyami commanding his quirk to do the same, even as his complexion looked a bit strained.

Izuku counted himself lucky to not be affected by the high speeds he could reach, his friend not having the same lucky draw. The vampire continued running, batting aside the odd chunk of ice that got in his way. He could see Todoroki a few meters ahead, running with a determined expression and never looking back to his competition. The blood sucker wondered why the other teen seemed so hell bent on winning the events without fully using his quirk, but Izuku opted to leave those thoughts aside. Distractions were not what he was looking for at the moment.

The following meters had the vampire stay a few meters behind Todoroki, saving energy for what would probably come. Soon, another obstacle presented itself to the teens, an enormous pitfall that was dotted with some platforms connected by ropes. Izuku did not stop his feet, rushing at full speed ahead almost as if he was willing to drop down the chasm. A few shouts were sent his way by the spectators, the people wondering what he was doing.

And then, the vampire used [Blink], appearing at another platform, still a few meters behind Shoto, who was simply running over the ropes by freezing them solid, giving himself a stable foothold to cross the pitfall, but that would crumble just as he cleared the run. It impressed the vampire, that kind of control and focus was something praise worthy; besides, Izuku didn't see any way for the young Todoroki to use the other half of his quirk.

The vampire glanced backwards as he "appeared" on one of the last platforms, seeing Fumikage doing a great job at using his quirk to haul himself over the chasm, the living darkness grabbing the ropes with ease. Tokoyami saw that Izuku was looking at him and gave the pale teen thumbs up. That the vampire had helped him clear the first and considerably most bothersome obstacle was enough help for the raven-headed teen.

Izuku nodded as thanks to his friend, returning his focus ahead of him just in time for his [Hunter Instincts] to blare a warning. Incoming from above! Not that Izuku would have missed the periodic explosions or the continuous growling, Bakugou blasting at the position Izuku was previously at.

"You fuck, don't dodge!" The ash-blonde shouted, stabilizing himself midair before running ahead of the vampire. Izuku felt his fangs itch as he looked at Bakugou's back, the wish to drink blood from the aggressive teen quelled by force as the vampire took a deep breath and [Blink]'ed the last platform, keeping the same running speed from before. Knowing Katsuki, he is probably going to be butting heads with Todoroki, who won't back down from the challenge. They will probably keep at it until either one pulls ahead or someone passes them. Let them tire each other out.

Present Mic hyped the crowd as the development occurred, the vampire happy with his current position. As he accurately predicted, as soon as the ash-blonde reached the young Todoroki, he dropped from his impromptu flight and began a battle of attrition with the other teen, each trying to get in the way of the other. The vampire slowed a bit his pace, letting the duo rush ahead and give him a better idea of what the next obstacle of the race would be, soon enough being rewarded as the duo immediately slowed down their rushed steps, yet still continued their harassment of each other.

Some of the faster competitors managed to catch up to Izuku, those that did wondering if the vampire had run out of steam as he seemed to slow down.

Which could not be farther from the truth; as things stood, Izuku had barely warmed up or used his abilities. The hemomancer wondered if the people passing him by had any notion of this. Not that he would lose on purpose, but until he could properly plan for what lay ahead it would be foolish to exhaust himself or show his aces. His patience paid off, a boosted Iida rushing ahead like a maniac, only for the teen to be literally blown off back to the start of the line by the force of a landmine, a remaining pink cloud putting apprehension on the hearts of the competitors.

Izuku almost grinned like a maniac at the sight. He did not have anything against Iida; if he was completely honest he could thank the taller teen for his splendid sacrifice of stamina and health so unveil the hidden obstacle.

"FINALLY, SOMEONE TRIGGERED THEM! WATCH OUT PARTICIPANTS, OUR LAST OBSTACLE HAS BEEN REVEALED! A MINEFIELD THAT WILL MAKE YOU CRAP YOUR PANTS! HOWEVER, WORRY NOT, AS THE MINES AREN'T LETHAL! THEY STILL WILL KILL YOUR DIGNITY IF YOU CRAPP YOUR PANTS, THOUGH!" Forever the hype beast, Present Mic's voice echoed all over the stadium, informing all the spectators of the final obstacle. A few more mines were triggered, those responsible for their activation being knocked all over the place as more pink mushroom-like clouds emerged on the field.

As the dust began to settle down and more students began reaching the minefield, Izuku began working on a plan. His eyes scanned the minefield ahead, mind hard at work in hopes of memorizing the placement of the mines. Such endeavor proved to be a waste of time, as the mines had no discernible placement pattern, seemingly randomly placed wherever they could, with the space between them just enough for the participants to place their feet without triggering them.

As he had paused at the beginning of the minefield, a few of his classmates passed by, wondering if Izuku had given up on the event.

The hemomancer, however, changed gears. If I can't traverse the normal way, why not make my own way? Izuku thought as he crouched down, mist beginning to exit his pores once more as he eyed the field ahead, many participants dotting the grounds in various parts of the obstacle. Since you all are providing such stable platforms, please let me thank you in advance for being such selfless people. The vampire joked in his head.

He was aiming for first place. Izuku wasn't the most competitive person out there, and most of the time he preferred to remain away from any sort of spotlight, but he was a red-blooded male. Such a challenge directed at his person would not be ignored or left without an answer. Tokoyami, Bakugou and many others in his class were trying their absolute best out here, and while Izuku did not like some, he could respect both their will and drive for self-improvement.

Thus, Izuku [Blink]'ed. Right atop the shoulders of a beast-like teen, whose face was colored in surprise to find the sudden extra weight of his unexpected passenger. Muttering "Sorry for the inconvenience!", Izuku used the teen as a springboard, eyes rapidly scanning the field for another able-bodied student to aid his movement. This time the vampire found Shoji, the mask-wearing teen fully focused on the ground, thus unaware of the high-speed vampiric projectile that flung itself at him.

Skipping the apology, Izuku used his classmate's back to advance further over the field, completely ignoring the yelps and exasperated voices of the competition as he effectively jumped from student to student. A few almost fell down due either to the bleeding momentum or the sudden weight, releasing undignified complaints to the vampire.

"WHAT IS THAT? USING THE COMPETITION LIKE STEPPING STONES, THE OVERLORD OF THE NIGHT OF 1-A, MIDORIYA IZUKU SKIPS AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION LIKE A RAVENOUS BEAST EAGER FOR THE VICTORY! WHO COULD PREDICT THIS SORT OF OUTCOME?!"

Izuku released an annoyed grunt at his teacher, focusing on the path ahead. He executed another jump, finding himself much closer to the leaders of the race, Bakugou and Todoroki glancing backwards, only to find Izuku just a few meters shy from them, high in the air.

The vampire smiled at his opponents, his hands being covered in crimson fluid as his blood seeped from the inside of his skin, becoming tendrils. Such tendrils lashed out to grab the duo of teens, immediately pulling Izuku towards them. Bakugou managed to blast the blood tentacle clinging to his right arm, scorching his shirt in the process. Todoroki froze the crimson tendril before it could slow him down, but they had already provided Izuku with the necessary boost.

The vampire flew above them, summersaulting as they tried to reach and stop the vampire. Frost and sparking hands were a few centimeters short of reaching the hemomancer, and thus, Izuku took the lead while in the air, the remaining blood that was around his hands spiking and ejecting like the burst of a shotgun shell. The needle-like fragments of hardened blood did not reach the teens, and instead was aimed at the ground beneath them.

Exactly where a couple of mines laid at.

Bakugou's eyes widened as he tried to take flight and avoid the impact of the mines. Fucking bloodsucker!

Time seemed to slow down for the ravenous ash-blonde, the mini-explosions sparking in his hands not enough for Bakugou to rise up in time. He was engulfed in a pink cloud, Izuku having cleared the minefield without having to set a single foot on the ground.

"FUCKING BLOODSU–.." the explosion of the mine cut short whatever curse the bomber tried to shout out.

Izuku barely touched the ground after his last move before he used [Blink] once more, immediately gaining a lead over his adversaries, who did not seem to be bothered much by the explosions that he set upon them. Bakugou emerged from the pink cloud with a furious expression, his arms behind him as explosions began propelling him ahead. Shoto, on the other hand, barely seemed fazed, parting the cloud and continuing his run. Only this time, the Todoroki was clearly frustrated, his expression becoming fierce as he pushed himself forward.

Their efforts were clear for all the spectators to see. However, in front of Izuku – who seemed to be extremely found of this sudden ability to rush ahead – they couldn't help but come short.

[XXX]

[XXX]

The cheering inside the stadium reached a peak climax as the noise of the rushing steps (or in Katsuki's case, propelling explosions) became louder and louder, people sitting at the very edge of their seats so as to witness who would cross the finish line first.

"DEAR LISTENERS, PAY ATTENTION! THE COMPETITION THAT SEEMED SO CERTAIN AT THE BEGINNING HAS NOW SHIFTED TO A FREE-FOR-ALL AS SURPRISES BEGAN PILLING UP. THE FAVORITES OF OUR RACE ARE NOW SCRAMBLING TO REACH THE SUDDEN FIRST PLACE. WHO COULD PREDICT THIS OUTCOME?! NOW, LET'S SEE! THE MAN WHO FIRST EXITS THAT TUNNEL AND SNAGS FIRST PLACE IS…" The announcement had brought about the loudest screams of the day so far as civilians, heroes and VIPs had their eyes glued to sear in their brain who would be the winner of this race.

The tunnel echoed the noises of the three lead students, when the concrete was suddenly grabbed by a multitude of crimson red tendrils, a smoke-like mist leaving a trail behind as a body rocketed away from the tunnel and past the finish line with blurring speed.

The large screens around the stadium displayed the captured video evidence, slowing the video so as to allow the spectators to comprehend what happened. The video slowed down and replayed, displaying a green mop of hair with red gleaming eyes crossing the finish line.

"OUR RESIDENT VAMPIRE CROSSES THE FINISHING LINE BEFORE HIS COMPETITION, BLOWING HIS OPPONENTS OUT OF THE WATER! IS HE A TENTACLE MONSTER OR WHAT? RUNNING AND JUMPING OVER HIS PROBLEMS LIKE A TRUE CREATURE OF THE NIGHT, 1-A'S MIDORIYA IZUKU IS THE WINNER!" The noise of the stadium was nothing short of deafening, their raw emotion pressing down like a physical force over the vampire, his classmates passing the finishing line as he took in the sight of all the people that had come over to the school to watch their performance.

He heard the growling of the ash-blonde behind him, as well as the short pants that the dual-color haired teen released before he got his breathing under control.

Izuku knew it was poor sportsmanship. He knew he should not be doing such childish provocations; they were not of his nature. Yet, he could not stop the smirk that painted his face as he turned around to face his "rivals". Bakugou's red eyes and Todoroki's dichromatic ones settled over the dull emeralds that glinted with red, eldritch power. As the three males sized each other, the vampire could not resist the words that left his mouth.

They barely made noise and one could argue that Izuku had mouthed them more than made said them, but the two other teens had heard them loud and clear, almost as if the vampire had shouted them close to their ears.

The second-placer, Todoroki Shoto, had such serious eyes that it was a wonder he had not frozen everything in his field of vision.

Bakugou began grinding his teeth so hard, one could wonder if he was about to break them. His hands began smoking profusely, the sharp and sweet smell of the nitroglycerin increasing two-fold as the ash-blonde stared at both Izuku and Todoroki.

"Plus Ultra, eh?"

[XXX]

[XXX]

After all the fanfare that proceed after his victory, Izuku found himself a shaded spot to rest for a while, waiting the remaining participants to finish crossing the line. He remembered Midnight mentioning that only 42 students would be allowed to continue, the vampire wondering what sort of events the school had prepared for them. Present Mic was still doing his hype man job, but Izuku was tuning out the "passionate" speech that he spoke, focusing on more important matters.

Those matters were reconnaissance and information gathering. The vampire began observing the students that crossed the finishing line, eyes capturing every detail: appearance, current breathing rate, heartbeat rate, and apparent quirk use. Such information was crucial for the hemomancer, as he began the methodical process of dissecting the classified students for intel.

It also gave him some time to calm down, the testosterone flowing in his veins enticing [Hunter Instincts] to whisper its call in his mind. The [Inner Beast] was silent for now, content with merely lying inside its cage. Reigning in his more wild side, the vampire kept at his task until the last student passed the finishing line, the vampire raising one brow in surprise as he found the diminutive shape of Mineta Minoru tiredly finishing his run and throwing himself on the grass of the stadium.

Izuku was having a hard time believing that the purple-headed teen was still enrolled in UA, but he let the fleeting curiosity die down as he found Mei among the people that passed the first event. A smile (many around him confusing it with a smirk due to how evil it looked painted across the vampire's lips) ghosted his lips, the vampire standing up from his spot close to the walls to approach the mechanic girl, her usual scent mixed in with a salty aftertaste of sweat serving as a trail that Izuku followed like a dog.

He got close to hear, but before the vampire could call her out, Midnight began explanations about the following event.

Izuku grumbled a bit to himself, but paid attention to the explanations of the heroine, already switching gears. The Cavalry Match was quite simple, something along the lines of a "protect the VIP/Capture the hostage" scenario, except they would be more mobile and there would be plenty of "VIPs", as they had to snatch the headbands and score high. Their time limit being fifteen minutes, it was plenty to display their skills with coordination and improvisation among the participants.

The R-rated heroine kept explaining the point system they would be working with, the details of it registering at the back of the vampire's mind as he ran through optimal candidates for his team. Mei was an absolute given, not due to their intimate relationship, but taking in consideration her skills and current equipment, Mei was a walking storehouse of support items. How did she manage to convince the school board to allow her to carry all of her current gadgets was beyond him. The important part was that she was essentially the perfect spotter/support role.

And then, the entireties of his plans were put to a screeching halt as he heard Midnight.

"…the exception will be the first placer, who shall be awarded with ONE BILLION POINTS!"

[Oh? What a predicament we find ourselves at, right?]

The [Inner Beast] joked in his head. The vampire, however, found the situation lacking any type of humor. He could not help the cold sweat that ran down his spine when faced with the multitude of hungering eyes that settled upon his frame, gazing at him as if finding a tasty meal.

Amused laughter ran in his head, the teen barely managing to suppress a snarling groan from leaving his throat. What a time for his quirk to begin growing its sentience.

[Does banter not uplift the spirits of the weary ones, master?]

How about you help me work out a plan? That would be much more appreciated now than poor commentary. Izuku answered back, wondering if he was growing crazy to be talking back to his own mind. Or a part of it, it was difficult to pin down what exactly [True Ancestor] was or could be.

[Dully noted, master. However, your original plan is enough to deal with them, is it not?]

Who knows? Izuku shot back. At this point, the target has been painted on my back, covered in neon lighting and fixed with a blaring air horn. The vampire sighed a bit, eyes beginning to return the stares back. The teens surrounding him backed off, especially when his eyes gained their infamous red gleam.

"Now, gather your teams, my cute kittens! You have ten minutes to choose; please, don't disappoint me now, dears!" The R-rated heroine did her spiel, allowing the participants to begin discussing their plans and teams.

As that happened, Izuku turned his head back to the direction of the scent he was tracking. Only to the person to jump on him, making the vampire brace to grab her body, the added weight of her equipment not bothering the hemomancer.

"Zuku! I finally found you! Since you shot ahead at the beginning I didn't manage to catch up and was worried, but then I thought it would be better this way since I could display my babies in their full glory. This competition will be in our hands right away; I've brought everything that could possibly be of use, and anything else is just a few screws away from that." Being her usual chatterbox self, Mei began barraging Izuku with words, frantically presenting support items and the like to the vampire, almost as if she was hosting a commercial.

Izuku smiled at the display, patting her head in hope that the action would calm the energetic girl. It managed to do so, earning him the mechanic's full attention.

"Yeah, there was no way I would put up a team and not include you. Don't worry about it." He spoke in a quiet tone, hands still running over the top of her head as he continued to headpat her. Hatsume had a dusting blush over her face for a few moments, before she frantically nodded in affirmation. "I just need to gather the rest of our team."

Mei's crosshair pupils focused on him, wondering if they even needed a team to beat the rest of the competition. It wasn't Mei being arrogant; she was merely acknowledging the facts. Using her support equipment, added upon the versatility of Izuku's quirk, Mei had guarantee that they could face down almost anything. In the end, she opted to trust the vampire, as his choices had yet to fail her.

The vampire was quick to approach his target, the lone raven-headed teen that seemed busy being by himself. The teen sensed the approach of the vampire and raised his head to meet the gaze of his fellow abyss walker, a knowing look settled upon his face.

"Has the time come already for the darkness to encompass the skies and display its might to the fools of the light world?" Even the dramatic speaker, Tokoyami closed his eyes as he nodded his head to Izuku in a knowing manner. The vampire scoffed with mirth in his tone, closing one eye to glance at his edgy friend with an eye-smile.

"Would you have it any other way?" Izuku answered, expending one hand already wrapped up in shadowy matter for a handshake.

Fumikage responded in kind, his quirk popping out giving a friendly greeting to the hemomancer before it settled one of its paws over its host's hand, imitating the manner which Izuku could wrap his limb in darkness. "You know me well, Midoriya." "Hey, Shadow Dweller!"

"Hello there!" Izuku kindly greeted the quirk, eyes already searching for the fourth member of his team. He also gave the quirk a few headpats, seeing the materialized shadow being ruffle its feathers. "Have either of you seen Kyouka-san or Yaoyorozu-san? They would be essential to the formation I have in mind."

The raven-headed teen shook his head, pointing in a general direction. As the vampire followed the finger, he found that both girls already had teams. Much to his disappointment, Kyouka was in together in a team, the same could be said for Yaoyorozu. He'd hoped that his vice-president wanted to partner up, so It stung Izuku a bit that the sheer versatility factor that Momo brought had been taken by Todoroki, who seemed to have chosen a team specifically made to counter Izuku in mind.

The vampire analyzed his adversaries: Iida being the super mobile factor to counter Izuku's speed and [Blink], Kaminari to counter any attempts at getting closer, Yaoyorozu for the before-mentioned versatility factor where she could make anything, and the leader himself with overwhelming power to counter any ranged attacks, while dishing out his own.

That was without mentioning Bakugou and his aerial maneuverability. Izuku could already see the bomber exploiting the hell out of the rule that so long as the rider did not touch the ground, they were good to go.

That was all troublesome enough, but the vampire wished to have four members in his team, else his firepower would fall and his strategies would shorten dramatically. Then, Izuku spotted the desperate short teen with purple balls for hair. It mattered not for the vampire why or how he still was here, so long as he could properly be a team player, Izuku would have him.

Mobility was good and all, but trapping was much more the vampire's alley. Escaping would only work so much, while a properly laid trap would spell doom for whoever got caught in it; meaning that Izuku had some working counters for the heavy powers of team Todoroki. His strategy worked out, Izuku approached the diminutive teen, who was frantic and desperate, as few to none seemed to be willing to give him a chance.

Just when Mineta felt like giving up, a shadow appeared behind him. Slowly turning around, the short teen found himself staring at dull emeralds, the resident vampire of 1-A had come to his aid; yet Mineta felt intimidated, like he was staring at a predator ready to end his life.

"Hello there, it seems that you find yourself without a proper team." Lackadaisical and soft-spoken, it seemed almost as if Izuku become a shady business man offering him a shady deal. Mineta gulped hard the sudden lump that was in his throat. His salvation seemed to be coming in the form of a deal with the devil. Yet, Mineta did not seem to mind. He was intimidated and worried, yes; the proposition of the Principal Nezu adding much to his predicament, but much more so, this was a chance for him to prove himself much more than a fool that had gotten lucky when he landed in 1-A at the first day.

He had passed the combat entrance exam and his grades were good, dammit! Sure, he knew he had to work on his attitude, but what was wrong with being true to his wishes? He'd partner up with this vampire and win his place back in 1-A, he knew he could do this!

"Mineta-san, would you wish to be a part of my team?" There it was again, the almost devilish way that Izuku could speak that seemed to strike both fear and respect in Mineta's heart.

"Y-yes, I want!" Mineta wanted to curse himself for flinching, but he kept that to himself as he followed the vampire back to where his team waited for them. He expected a few side glances, considering he had a bit of a reputation in the General Studies, but the team of the vampire did not push him about or was mean to him.

In fact, the short teen found himself a bit flattered when Izuku mentioned that the cornerstone of their plan depended on Mineta and his quirk. Damn, this Midoriya guy was quickly climbing the ladder of respect in Mineta's mind. That the chick in his team was quite busty too uplifted his mood, but to first try his luck with the ladies, Minoru first had to climb back to his glory.

[XXX]

[XXX]

"Time has passed, adorable kittens! I hope you won't disappoint me! Put up a beautiful show, alright?" Midnight announced with a crack of her whip, eyes glancing at all the teams ready to fight. She wasted no time giving them green lights with another air-splitting sound.

"GO!"

The very second the signal was given, many teams rushed to meet the supposed team Midoriya, except he was not the rider of his team. That was the very short Mineta Minoru, taking many of 1-A by surprise, as they were sure that the teen had been expelled.

Izuku's fangs itched as he saw his classmates in awe, licking his sharp canines to try and dispel some of the excitement that began building up. He was the base of the horse, with Tokoyami and Mei being the rear and Mineta the rider; the setup giving Izuku many advantages to work. Said advantages which he was immediately exploiting; as some teams were confused as to why the vampire was not at the lead, Izuku brought his team to rush at the nearest attacker, a group of students from class 1-B.

Blood began seeping from Izuku's neck and back, turning into a multitude of tentacles which shot at the headband of the enemy rider, relieving them of their points and startling the team.

Izuku's plan of attack made use of a few lopholes in the rules. It was never stated by Midnight that the horses couldn't attack or aid the attacker, as well as it also was never stated that the rider had to attack. As such, Mineta made for the perfect rider as his short status meant that to attack him, people would need to get much closer to him, opening their guards for an attack. The vampire could attack as a mixed attacker/defender, with the support from Tokoyami and [Dark Shadow] to cover any spots the vampire missed. Hatsume aided them with her equipment, providing boots that could boost them away in a rush and a few other gadgets that the vampire opted to hold back for now; that was without mentioning her eyes, as she could spot the machinations of any team before they could reach close to perform it.

Finally, Mineta could also aid them with the use of his quirk. His [Pop-off] balls were the perfect trap, considering that even if people dodged them, they would still remain effective on the field, denying roaming area to other teams and allowing Team Midoriya/Mineta to deal with enemies at their very leisure.

Izuku passed the headband to the rider, craning his neck to the side to pop the bone with a satisfying noise. As he did this, the crimson tentacles around his neck area wiggled and moved like snakes, ready to strike at whoever was willing to get too close. The addition of [Dark Shadow] covering the rear made the prospect of attacking the Billion-point team lose much of its charm.

The only team to be actively looking for a fight against the vampire was Team Todoroki, the cold and calculative eyes of Shoto told of a clear message. I'll beat you!

Izuku glanced back at the dichromatic teen, staring deep into his eyes. Good luck with that, I'd like to see you try! Then, Todoroki's mind was assaulted by crimson light, almost as if something was trying to forcefully open his mind and lay it bare. Shoto almost ripped his headband off, were it not for the sudden jolt he received from the staff that smacked against his face, courtesy of Yaoyorozu and her [Creation] quirk.

"What the hell was that, Todoroki-san?" The girl asked, clearly worried about her classmate almost throwing the game for them.

Shoto warned his team before he created ice all around them, pushing back those that tried to take advantage of his momentary lapse. "…I don't know. It just…Midoriya! He must have some trick that works with eyesight! As soon as I looked into his eyes, it felt weird!"

"Then, we must avoid him for now." The girl suggested, glancing to Iida in a questioning manner. "You speak with him in a regular basis, has he ever mentioned something like this?"

"Midoriya-san doesn't talk much about his quirk, so I'm sorry to inform I lack the information you seek!" Iida answered, pushing his team away from the attackers nearby, dodging a shot of glue and the circle of ice that suddenly began to soften under them.

While Team Todoroki dealt with that, Izuku and his group were busy with dodging the other team. Since they had the grand prize with them, various attacks also rained down over as the group did its best to either dodge or block the incoming attacks.

Izuku was the first to hear the sound of crackling explosions coming their way, thus he immediately acted. Expertly weaving his blood tendrils into a dome, Izuku hardened the shape solid enough for it to resemble an iron shield, the barrier protecting his diminutive rider from being blasted or having the prized head band taken away; Bakugou not being a happy boy for having his attack defended.

"FUCK YOU, you Dracula-looking ass bitch! Don't block my attacks!" His shouting pissed the vampire off, his shield construct wavering until it became fluid again. Bakugou tried for another attack, but had to stop at the last second to dodge something that came from underneath him.

As the ash-blond used his explosions to retreat, he saw a dark spike emerge from Izuku's shadow, the dark matter quickly retreating back to its master's shadow; which confused and stunned the bomber. Since when could Izuku control his shadow like that? The only one that had such power was Bird Head, but he was busy, so how?

The answer came as Bakugou saw the white gleam of the fangs inside Izuku's mouth. Shitty vampire can gain other quirks from the people he drinks blood?! Hah, what a fucking joke! A shitty power to compliment a shitty monster!

The hemomancer saw his childhood bully back off to attack other target, surely planning to come back once he got a better idea of what Izuku could do. The vampire made his blood return to the many tendrils from before, one touching Mineta to call the attention of the rider.

"Ready to be the spotlight of the battle?" The question was answered enthusiastically by Mineta, who had been mostly defensive for the last 8 minutes that group had been going around, only chucking a few of his hair balls at those that tried to get too close. Most of the time, people were impeded by Fumakage and his quirk, so he had been only holding on to their headbands and a few extras that Izuku had snatched up.

"I have been training this move since I got kicked out of Heroics, dammit! Let's go, Midoriya!" Prompted by the vampire, the group moved to allow Mineta to get the most out of his technique. That meant that the group moved right to the middle of the arena, surrounded by all the other teams. With about five minutes remaining for the Cavalry Battle, Mineta was allowed to use the move that threw everything into chaos.

"TAKE THIS! ORAHHH, GRAPE RUSH!" Furiously taking off the hair balls off his head and chucking them in random directions, Mineta began limiting the space that the other teams head, making many bump into each other as they desperately began to avoiding the sticky balls. The attack only stopped 25 seconds later, when Mineta's scald began bleeding off. Even when hurt, the diminutive teen would still have continued to attack, where it not for Izuku's call out.

"Mei, kick the air boots into maximum power! Tokoyami, have [Dark Shadow] be our platform! Mineta, get ready! We are taking flight!" The orders were called, surprising everyone with how loud Izuku had shouted it. Why was he simply giving away his strategy?

The answer couldn't be simpler.

It mattered not if they knew, they would be powerless to stop it.

Izuku smirked, his fangs into full display as he felt [Dark Shadow] extend and become the foothold of the team. As Mei's gear began to furiously work, giving them a decent trust, Izuku used his tendrils to firmly hold his team, the tentacles wrapping around the teens akin to living ropes. Mineta made some commentary that Izuku decided to ignore, as he focused.

And then, he [Blink]'ed, right atop Team Todoroki.

"!"

"Hello there!"