32 Chapter 31

Though he still intended to get his hands on the 10,000,425-point headband, Bakugo temporarily had to retreat since his forearms were beginning to cramp due to overusing his Quirk.

With the pressure off of them, at least for a moment, Tsuyu and Ochaco helped Toru right herself. In the process, two very soft objects touched the back of his head as Toru exhaled a sigh of relief and said, "That was terrifying..." in a slightly shaken tone.

Maintaining his focus, Izuku said, "It's not over yet. Even Mineta's Quirk can be troublesome if utilized properly, so let's stay on our toes!"

As if in response to Izuku's words, the ground beneath them began to soften like thick mud, the result of a somewhat scary-looking youth with teeth on the outside of his mouth utilizing his Quirk. However, instead of attacking, it was a completely different group, comprised entirely of girls from Class 1-B, that made a push for the 10,000,425-point headband.

Supported by a gloomy-looking girl with grey hair, a green-haired girl with pointed teeth, and a diminutive girl with mushroom-like brown hair, a very sporty-looking girl with teal eyes and orange hair tied in a side ponytail on the left side of her head, shouted, "Sorry about colluding, but we can't let Class 1-A hog all the limelight...!" while growing her right hand to the size of a car door.

Though he only remembered that the orange-haired girl was named Kendo, Izuku had a vague impression of the other three girls' Quirks, shouting, "Secure the headband...!" as he kicked some of the mud-like goop around his feet at the approaching girls. Others might have trouble moving in the swamp-like environment, but it gave Izuku a much-needed way to repel attacking enemies.

Using her oversized hand, Kendo managed to block most of Izuku's 'surprise' attack by leaning forward and covering her horse's, Yanagi's, face and upper body. The lower halves of the three girls supporting her got 'muddy,' but as aspiring Pro Heroes, it would take more than a bit of dirt and grime to deter them.

What Kendo hadn't anticipated was that while she was busy protecting her team, a whip-like tongue would come out of nowhere, snatching her headband and inadvertently unfastening her ponytail.

Amidst the confusion, Izuku said, "Sorry, but I'm not the only capable person on our team. You'll need to do much better than that if you want to steal our headband."

Punctuating his statement, Izuku leaped into the air, aided by Ochaco using her Quirk to make herself, Tsuyu, and Toru functionally weightless. He had no intentions of staying in the air, but the liquefied terrain would become an extreme detriment if someone like Sero, Mineta, or the glue-spewing member of Class 1-B showed up.

As if reading Izuku's mind, the team comprised of Mina, Sero, Kirishima, and Tokoyami came charging at them the moment they landed. Mina was the group's rider, Kirishima was the horse, and Tokoyami and Sero were in the somewhat enviable position of providing support. With the former being able to harden his body and the latter two's Quirks allowing them to manipulate a powerful shadow beast and exceptionally durable tape, they were an exceptionally powerful combination.

Unleashing a veritable torrent of viscous, pH-neutral acid, Mina, smiling like an imp, exclaimed, "Sorry, Izuku, Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Toru-chan, but this is a competition, after all! No hard feelings, okay~!?"

"I hope you feel the same way...!" shouted Izuku, kicking his foot out to repel Mina's acid with a blast of wind pressure. As a result, the acid goop intended for his team ended up covering Mina's. Seeing the latter covered in a viscous liquid was a fairly captivating sight, but the same couldn't be said for the boys. In fact, Izuku felt genuinely apologetic toward Sero and Tokoyami when he saw the two of them with deadpan, slightly accusatory looks on their faces. As for Kirishima, Izuku felt like he had done the boy a favor since he currently had an excited grin on his face...

"Dekuuuuuu...!"

Conveniently announcing his presence, Bakugo came charging at Izuku and his group for the second, or was it the third time? Either way, Izuku was starting to get annoyed as the Cavalry Event was far more limiting to his abilities than he expected. If he had selected just a single teammate to give a piggyback ride, specifically Tsuyu, they would have been able to dart around the battlefield, potentially snatching every other headband...

("I 'really' need to awaken Blackwhip...") thought Izuku, turning to meet Bakugo with a fierce resolution on his face. However, what awaited him the moment he turned around was a desolate landscape enveloped by a storm-like swirl of purple energy...

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Looking down at his body, enveloped by a dark-green haze veiling what appeared to be glowing green pathways reminiscent of a circuit board, Izuku thought, ("I really must have inherited the fate of the Protagonist. This timing is way too convenient...")

"Hey, you! The Ninth Wielder...!"

Turning his head, Izuku found a large muscular man with a bald head, square jaw, and beady blue eyes walking toward him. He looked like a generic street thug or a biker at first glance, especially with his leather jacket, pants, boots, and a bandolier around his chest, but he gave off a strangely 'friendly' aura despite shouting, "Even if that Quirk of yours is super amazing, you can't become complacent! The easier things are for you, the harder you need to work! The moment you let your guard down, that's it! You're done...!"

Opening his mouth, Izuku attempted to speak but found himself unable to. The bald man, seemingly noticing this, adopted an uncanny yet gentle smile as he said, "You won't be able to act freely in this place just yet. The power inside of you, the Singularity serving as the core of One-for-All, has only just begun to stir. I'd like to explain more, but I don't have much time. For now, let's focus on my Quirk."

Raising his right hand, palm up, the thug-like man generated several tendrils of black, teal-tinged energy as he explained, "This is Blackwhip, an Emission-type Quirk that allows you to produce and manipulate energy tendrils from any part of your body. Like most Emission Quirks, the power of Blackwhip is heavily influenced by your mental and emotional state. To master this power, you'll need to be calm and collected in even the direst circumstances. Do not lose yourself to anger or hatred, as, no matter how effective they are as a fuel source; they consume your body and mind just as much as they empower your Quirk..."

Following his words, the thug-like man placed his fingers against Izuku's chest, sinking into the dark-green swirl of energy comprising his form as he said, "Listen, kid. Alongside mine, you'll have six more Quirks manifest within you. The power they grant you will be tremendous, but don't worry. If you ever find yourself straying or backed into a corner, we'll be here to pull you back from the brink and guide you back to the light. You are not alone..."

Accompanying the man's words, several silhouettes appeared in the hazy purple storm at his back. Izuku couldn't make out their features, but the moment they appeared, a surge of positive emotions flowed through him, the most powerful among them being trust...

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"Izuku-kun, what are you doing!? Snap out of it!" shouted Toru, breaking Izuku from his apparent daze just in time to see Bakugo snatch away the 10,000,425-point headband.

Grinning like a demon, Bakugo bellowed, "Way to space out in the middle of a fight, dweeb! Good luck getting enough points to pass now!" while using his free hand to propel himself away.

Feeling what he could best describe as a cold fury swelling from within him, Izuku forced himself to remain calm, inhaling a deep breath before adopting a smile and saying, "Sorry, but I'm not the 'extra' here..." as a series of black tendrils 'erupted' from his chest.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Bakugo before hastily placing the 10,000,425-point headband in his mouth to increase his mobility.

Using several additional tendrils to grasp each of the girls, Izuku leaped into the air, shouting, "That's against the rules! Stolen headbands need to be placed around the head or neck! Cough it up, explosion boy...!"

With Izuku closing the distance between them in an instant, Bakugo exclaimed ("Shit...!") in his mind. However, as there was some truth to Izuku's words, he also spat out the headband, screaming, "Just try and take it from me...!" as he flipped to avoid Izuku's charge, using the brief window to place the headband around his neck.

Unfortunately, while Bakugo's aerial maneuverability and athleticism were a sight to behold, he was effectively Quirkless while placing the headband around his neck. As a result, he could only clench his teeth as Blackwhip's energy tendrils enveloped him, forming a spherical cocoon. Izuku couldn't permanently entrap him, as it would likely constitute deliberately knocking his opponent down, but all he needed was a moment to create two extra-thin energy tendrils, looping them around the 10,000,425-point headband and the 265-point headband around Bakugo's head. Then he just needed to trust that Mr. Boomboom would do something stupid.

"You think you can capture me!?" shouted Bakugo, unleashing his Quirk to disperse the tendrils surrounding him before retreating with a vicious yet victorious grin. Unfortunately, what awaited him when he looked over to see the despair on Izuku's face was a playful smile.

"Thanks for the extra 265 points," said Izuku, raising his hand to reveal the headbands he had snatched. With Ochaco using her power to keep their team in the air, Izuku momentarily felt like a god looking down at a very angry insect.

"Dekuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...!"

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"First Place in the second round goes to Izuku Midoriya and his beautiful team members, Toru Hagakure, Ochaco Uraraka, and Tsuyu Asui! Let's all give them a round of applause~!" exclaimed Midnight, waving her whip in the air with enthusiasm.

While the crowd cheered loudly in response to Midnight's words, only a few of the second round's participants joined in. The rest had somewhat gloomy looks on their faces as, after awakening Blackwhip, Izuku went on an absolute tear, securing nearly every other headband. As a result, only three other teams had points, chiefly those helmed by Todoroki, Bakugo, and Mina. Izuku had spared the team that Mei was a part of, but Bakugo blitzed them at the last moment, securing their headband as a last-ditch effort to ensure his participation in the Finals.

Following the announcement of First Place, Midnight went on to declare Todoroki's team as Second, Mina's team as Third, and Bakugo's as Fourth. Then, to prepare for the Finals, an hour-long intermission was announced, during which the qualifying students were advised to recuperate while those who had been eliminated were given another opportunity to prove themselves in a special half-time event.

As the audience and the bulk of the students began to depart, Toru, still topless, exhaled a sigh of relief before perking up and exclaiming, "That was so tense!" Then, while striking a pose and pointing her invisible finger at Izuku, she added, "And you! Warn a girl before you suddenly whip out a bunch of tentacles! They didn't feel slimy or gross, but I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest!"

Agreeing wholeheartedly with Toru's remark, Tsuyu nodded her head, appending, "I'm not really one to talk, but you could have told us before you suddenly wrapped us up. Some of your tentacles...never mind. Just forget about it, ribbit..."

Though it was purely semantics, Izuku felt compelled to point out, "They were tendrils, not tentacles..." with a wry smile. At the same time, he cast his gaze to Ochaco, who, since the end of the event, hadn't said so much as a word.

Seeing Izuku look at her, Ochaco's face became progressively ruddy until she abruptly exclaimed, "W-We should probably join our classmates and get something to eat! Also, since the final event is a tournament, we'll be rivals from this point onward! I wish you the best of luck...!" before turning around and taking off at a speed that could rival Ida without his engines...

While Izuku, Tsuyu, and Toru observed Ochaco's departure in silence, the former couldn't help thinking, ("What's with the girls in this world running away after they say something...?")

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(A/N: They're tenacles, Izuku. Just accept it...)