Chapter 21: Every Step Counts
I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.
Attaching himself to Bakugou was indeed a good idea, albeit borderline suicidal. The robots of the first leg stood no chance as the human grenade blew through or evaded them all together. There were a few moments where he tried to get a robot to swat at the pest that was humping his back…
But Mineta knew how to handle it, moving just enough for the attack to whiff him.
Eventually, Bakugou stopped doing that, seeing that it had zero effect, and went back to getting through the robots. And finally, the two were through the first obstacle.
"Alright, got through that. Now what's the next thing they've prepared for us?" Mineta asked as he tried to observe what's ahead.
"Why should you care? You're getting a free ride while I do all the fucking work!" Bakugou shouted as he continued to blast forward.
"I might as well make myself useful by being your lookout or something."
"I can be my own lookout jack wad. Now shut up and quit distracting me." Bakugou snarled as he continued to shoot ahead. It was here that he and Mineta saw their next obstacle, even if it generally had no effect on them.
This one was a wide and deep chasm with many stone pillars scattered around, each connected by a rather taut rope. Mineta guessed that the normal way to do this was to carefully crawl across and not fall down. But again, this had no bearing on either him or Bakugou.
"Make me fall and I'll drag you down to Hell myself." The human grenade growled as he and the shorter boy easily flew over the chasm. Mineta nodded as though Bakugou had an eye on him and not focusing on not falling. From here, Mineta noted the various others students that was traversing the course. His friends in 1A were there too, all progressing through in their own ways.
And when he finally laid eyes on Midoriya, he noticed that his partner was doing this course in a strange manner. First of all, he was lugging around a metal plate, must have looted it from the robots. Second, the pillars with a short enough gap between them, he tossed the plate across before jumping to it himself. And third, when the distances were too great, Midoriya would simply but slowly crawl across the rope with the plate on his back.
"At least he's making progress… But what's with that plate?" Mineta thought as he continued to observe his friend.
"Eyes forward rat bitch, we've got half and half in sight." Bakugou said as the shorter boy turned ahead. And sure enough, Todoroki was ahead and both of them were slowly gaining on him. But why exactly should Mineta be concerned with that? It was Bakugou would be facing him head on, not him.
"You want to be useful? Slow that fucker with your Quirk. He'll freeze them and get out, but every second counts in a race. Do that, and I'll forget this shit ever happened." Bakugou said as the distance slowly closed. Taking a quick look over to Todoroki, the shorter boy noticed how he had one eye on them. That alone would make things difficult as he would be expecting them soon, making his throws less effective.
And his usual, speedy pitches cannot be done while riding on someone's back. It was a tall order to make…
However, if it could prevent Mineta from dying an agonizing, humiliating death by human explosive… He'll take that chance.
"Alright, just get me a little closer. I'll trip him up with a right hand slider. But the guy's watching us, so it might not work." Mineta replied as he began loosening his right shoulder. Bakugou only gave a stern nod as he continued to blast forward. Mineta began waiting as they reached the third obstacle of the race. And according to the sign, anyone who isn't flying will have a rather tedious time.
"A minefield, perfect." Bakugou said, a smirk spreading across his face. As Todoroki continued to briskly walk, taking care not to step on the mines marked by a small amount of dirt, Mineta raised his arm and plucked a ball from his head. He then pitched it just to the right of his target. As the sticky hair ball went through the air, it began to the left and downward. At the rate it was going, it would land where Todoroki's right foot would–
A small chunk of ice sprouted up just to their dual colored classmate's right, blocking the incoming attack. Mineta stared at the chunk before quickly going to Todoroki, finding him looking back as he continued to step around mines. The shorter boy swallowed the lump in his throat as the icy glare of his classmate chilled his very being.
"Thanks for nothing rat bitch. Now I've got to take care of it myself." Bakugou said as his explosions propelled them even faster. Mineta felt his eye twitch. He said there was no guarantee that his tactic would work and Bakugou had acknowledged that. And yet when it didn't work, the asshole had the audacity to dismiss him like he didn't even try.
If he wasn't so afraid of dying right then and there, he would be force feeding Bakugou dirt and mines.
"Half and Half! You're so fucking slow! If you don't want first, then I'll gladly take it!" The human grenade as he took the lead from Todoroki. Mineta looked over and found Todoroki looking back at the two, eyes focused and ready.
"And another thing! You challenged the wrong person!" Bakugou shouted as he aimed one palm at Todoroki. And explosion rang out, enveloping their classmate in a flash of light and smoke. Bakugou stopped flying and began running along the dirt, side stepping mine after mine. The shorter boy knew that he was trying to preserve his strength for whenever someone else was going to over take him.
"Sorry, but I'm not giving up so easily."
From behind, Bakugou moved away a step as Todoroki tried to grab them. Looking behind, the shorter boy saw that their classmate was hot on their heels. Now, more than ever, Mineta had to be alert. Otherwise, a single grab and he would go straight to Hell from the resulting detonation of Bakugou Katsuki.
And as expected, Todoroki began to reach for Mineta, seeing that he was the easier target. However, it was this moment that time slowed as another idea became conscious. It was an idea so stupid that it equates to covering oneself with meat and running through a carnivore enclosure. And no matter what he would say or do, Mineta knew Bakugou would comprehensively erase him from existence should he do this…
"This is beyond stupid… But I'll at least die in a blaze of glory…" Mineta thought as he began saying his final prayers. God, whoever you are, please have mercy on this poor Sinner. For his display of valor was both inspiring and whole heartedly foolish.
At the last moment, Mineta moved out of the way of Todoroki's grab and reached over to grab his sleeve. Once having a good grip on it, the shorter boy pulled his dual colored classmate's arm right into one of the balls stuck onto Bakugou's back. Todoroki's eyes widened as Mineta angled himself before yanking on Bakugou's collar, causing the human grenade to slow down.
The shorter boy jumped away as the much faster moving Todoroki crashed into Bakugou, somehow landing on a patch of dirt free of mines. And observing the two he left behind, Todoroki was now stuck to the balls he left behind on Bakugou. The two, now stumbling awkwardly due to differing movements, wandered into a mine and was promptly blown away.
"Now's my time to go…" Mineta said, doing the one thing he hasn't done in a long time… And that was running away like a coward. He didn't bother to look back as he knew the two of them weren't having a good time. Bakugou was yelling while Todoroki was no doubt trying to remove the balls off of them one by one. There were about six or seven balls that connected them, so it would take at least a minute or two to freeze off.
Just enough time to get away from the scene.
"If I make it to the end, I'll be golden… For now…" Mineta thought as he finally got past the last of the mines. Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard behind him, one that was different from Bakugou's usual outbursts. And only a few seconds later, Midoriya rolled onto the ground next to Mineta.
"Hey Mineta-kun…" Midoriya greeted as he began running again. The shorter boy said nothing as he quickly caught up to his partner. And while he wanted to overtake Midoriya, seeing that it was a race… He decided that Midoriya could use the ego boost seeing that this would be the first race he'll be placed first in. And Mineta smiled, that Quirkless boy he meet three years back had grown so much. Although, there was something a little off right now.
"Hey Midoriya! You're not going to keep showing off your power!?" Mineta asked as finally realized that his friend was running like normal.
"I only use it when I need to! Seeing that this is the last leg of the race, I'll save that energy for later!" Midoriya shouted back.
"Isn't that a bit presumptuous?"
"It is! But I'm ready to activate it should I need to! I'm not that–!"
"You fucking rat bitch! You'll be less ash when I'm through with you!" A shout roared over them as the sound of explosions began getting closer. Midoriya and Mineta warily turned around and their minds shared the same overwhelming thought. Oh shit.
Behind them were the rapidly approaching Bakugou and Todoroki. The two was still stuck together, but they were using their Quirks to easily compensate. The latter was freezing the ground in front of them, providing a smooth surface to glide across, while the former was using his explosives to propel them. They effectively became a human rocket sled!
"Well I'm dead. It was good knowing you Mido–"
"Mineta-kun! Get on!" Midoriya shouted. The green haired boy then positioned himself in front of Mineta and slowed down just enough so that they were but a step apart. The shorter boy quickly removed two balls off his head and jumped, latching himself to his friend. And without missing a beat, Midoriya began to enter a state of intense focus.
"One for All, Full Cowl…" He muttered as his body began to emit green sparks and a soft light. And that was when Mineta experienced it first hand, the strength of his partner's new skill. While he wasn't moving as fast as Bakugou, Mineta could still feel as though he could go flying if he wasn't hanging on properly. And it was a good thing too, seeing that Todoroki and Bakugou would've caught him by now.
"Deku! You drop that fucker down or I'll give you Hell too!" Bakugou screamed. Mineta turned around again, despite not wanting to, and paled to see how close death was to them. Todoroki and Bakugou were but a few meters away and any slow down would allow them to catch up instantly.
"Fuck me! I need to slow them down before they catch up!" Mineta thought as he began chucking balls towards their pursuers. But the moment the first set landed, the shorter boy began to see the problem with his strategy. The balls that landed away from stuck duo were frozen by Todoroki's ice. But the balls that were closer to them were evaded all together when Bakugou changed their course with a precise explosion.
A second volley from Mineta only confirmed that Todoroki and Bakugou was more than able to evade them. The shorter boy could only gape as he turned back to Midoriya. "Hey man… I know you've got a lot on your plate already… But do you think you can go a little faster?" He asked.
"I'm already at my current limit. Anymore and Full Cowl will start damaging my body. Is Todoroki-kun and Kacchan that close to us?" Midoriya asked, concentrating on maintaining speed.
"Yeah, and I can't slow them down either."
"… I'll see what I can do." Midoriya said before the light around his body intensified slightly. Mineta, through instinct, tightened his cling on Midoriya. And sure enough, the jump in speed was tremendous. But before he could fully grasp the speed, they stopped… Right in the middle of the UA Stadium field. The shorter boy could only look around in confusion as the crowd roared around them. While he knew that they were on the last leg of the race…
They traveled the remaining distance in less than a few seconds.
"OW! OW! OW! Cramps! Cramps!"
Mineta immediately turned to Midoriya as his partner was scrunched up in pain. Despite that however, the green haired boy remained standing as it wouldn't look good to suddenly collapse after one event.
"I'm really sorry dude; I'll make it up to you somehow." Mineta said as he clapped his hands together and bowed.
"It's… Fine… What are… Friends… For…" Midoriya said as he continued to recoil in pain. But before Mineta could say something to try and ease his friend, he heard the next person cross the finish line announced.
"Third and Fourth place belong to Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki!" Present Mic shouted as the crowd applauded with a roar. But despite the noise surrounding him, Mineta could hear nothing but the sound of his palpitating heart. And while a part of him hoped that his heart would give out right then and there to spare him of the approaching war… The shorter boy knew, this confrontation would be inevitable.
"Rat Bitch… Deku…" A demonic voice said with a horrifically thunderous rumble. Neither Mineta or Midoriya could turn around, not that they had any choice in the matter. With a strong grab, both of them were spun around and their collars were grabbed. And sure enough, it was Bakugou that was currently man handling them. But all the malice that he was emitting was slightly undermined by the fact that Todoroki was still attached to him.
"Hey Bakugou... Uh… Nice weather we're having?" Mineta asked, fully aware that there was nothing he could say to stop this bomb from going off.
"P-Perfect for today… Right?" Midoriya added nervously, instantly forgetting the bodily pain he was experiencing.
"Yeah, absolutely picturesque. Better remember what that feels like CAUSE I'M SENDING YOU BOTH STRAIGHT TO HELL!"
"Could you at least wait until we've separated before going on your warpath?" Todoroki commented as he broke three frozen hairballs.
"You got fucked too Half and Half. So feel free to join me as I rip them a new one." Bakugou said, looking over his shoulder.
"No, I'm good." Todoroki replied before breaking free from Bakugou. The human grenade just scoffed before turning back to his hapless victims, anger returning full force. The two looked to their dual colored classmate for help but he simply walked off without another word. And so, with all that said, both Mineta and Midoriya finally resigned themselves to their agonizing fate…
Or they would have, had it not been for several voices proclaiming their objections.
"Bakugou! Let's not do anything stupid!"
"You're understandably upset. But you shouldn't be acting this violent."
"So please unhand those two and let's discuss what happened in a civil manner, Bakugou-kun!"
Looking towards the source of the voices, Mineta and Midoriya could only sigh in relief as their classmates began to show up. One by one, amidst the other students, 1A began to arrive in the stadium and immediately went to the conflict Bakugou was stirring up. The human grenade stared at the clearly disproving looks of his classmates, brows furrowed and eyes twitching.
He then proceeded to aim and shake Mineta at the group, as though Bakugou was trying to prove something. "You all realize what this piece of Imp Shit did to me, right!?"
"Who doesn't? We all saw what happened at the last leg of the race. It's a pretty shitty thing to do, but you have to admit it's a good strategy." Kaminari said.
"If this bolt dolt could see that, then you should too. And it's a race where anything goes, so you should've expected something like this to happen." Jirou added with a nod.
"Oh, so it's MY fault I got tricked by this slimy rat!"
"But isn't it though? I mean, people who get conned are just as much to blame as the con man. If gullibility wasn't a thing, then we wouldn't have scam artists and pranksters." Uraraka argued. It was surprising to hear something like that out of a normally peppy girl. And what's more is that Mineta senses a sort of tension between her and the subject.
"It's a tale as old as Human history, Bakugou-san. I mean, didn't Aizawa-sensei trick at least half of us with expulsion on day one?" Yaoyorozu asked. Mineta groaned to that, not wanting to remember the day where it almost ended for him and his partner. But then, a terrifying realization dawned on the short boy.
"Oh no… I've become him…" Mineta muttered to himself.
As for Bakugou, he continued to glare at the others before tossing Mineta and Midoriya aside. He did, however, growl one last thing at his classmates. "Fine, take his side. See if I care when he pulls this shit on you."
And with that, he wandered off to somehow isolate himself from the crowd. Kirishima proceeded to break himself from the group and went after the human grenade. He said something along the lines of 'not wanting to leave a friend alone and behind'. Weird flex but sure, Mineta could see Kirishima being that one guy capable of bringing Bakugou back.
They were all still classmates, after all.
"Alright! We have our 42 qualifiers! Don't worry about your place; our next event will give you an extra chance to show your stuff! So be ready give our guests a show! For this will be our main selection course!" Midnight announced, drawing in stadium's attention once more. A holographic screen appeared and numerous events began to cycle through at an incredible pace. Mineta gulped as the tension continued to rise with every tick of the even roulette.
And it then stopped.
"Looks like we'll be doing a Sports Festival Classic! Let's prepare for a Cavalry Battle!" Midnight shouted, causing the crowd to roar in excitement. Mineta could hear his classmates asking various questions amongst themselves about how to approach this event. And the shorter boy began wondering about that too… At least, until Midnight cracked her whip to get everyone's attention again.
"Settle down! I was getting to the details! Now, each of you kids will be forming a team of your own with whoever else is here. Once you have a team of two to four people, you will get into the horse and rider formation. Now fundamentally, our cavalry battle follows mostly same rules except for a few exceptions. The first is that, even if the rider falls off or loses their headband, the team can continue to compete until time runs out." Midnight explained as the graphic on screen changed to a rather amusing image of the teachers in cavalry formation.
"Ah, so the action will stay constant for the audience. And keep the teams on their toes." Mineta whispered to Midoriya.
"It's definitely the minimum to be a Hero, overcoming challenges and appealing to the crowd." Midoriya whispered back.
"The second exception is the headband itself! Instead of just a regular headband, it will have point value assigned to it based on how well you did in the obstacle race! So each team will have a different total than everyone else! Now from 42nd to 2nd place, your value goes up by five points each place. 42nd is five and 41st is ten, and so forth. The value of first place, however, doesn't follow this rule; it has a set value. A value of ten million points!" Midnight continued, snapping her whip to emphasize that last point.
Mineta froze as the air surrounding him chilled to the point of a deep Winter. He began turning slowly to look at his partner and immediately did he catch Midoriya's spooked face… Then there was also the fact that every other student participating in this event was staring at Midoriya. Even their classmates in 1A were looking at the green haired boy rather ominously.
What pressure… But looking at Midoriya again, Mineta saw the unyielding fire burning in his eyes and his ever reliable back straighten. This wasn't like it was in Middle School, Midoriya was going to challenge this head on.
"This event will last fifteen minutes and you can use your Quirks! However, remember that this is still a Cavalry Battle. Any attacks with malicious intent will get your team red cards and you'll be forced out of the game. Now, start preparing your teams! You've only got fifteen minutes!" Midnight concluded, snapping her whip to start the timer.
Immediately did people begin breaking apart to find teammates, crowding around people like Bakugou and Todoroki. On the other hand though, nobody wanted to be part of Midoriya's team, being the golden goose of the event. But no matter, Mineta knew his partner was going to have a team in the end. This was mainly because Midoriya had the greatest wingman ever by his side.
So with that, the shorter boy began to approach his friend… Only to stop himself when he saw Midoriya interacting with Uraraka, looking all sorts of happy and relieved. This brought back an old memo from the corner of his brain, one made when he and his partner first acquainted themselves with the girl. The shorter boy began to flash an impish smile as he began walking in the other direction.
"Let's have those two interact a bit more…"
"Mineta-kun! Wait!" Midoriya shouted over the noise of the crowd.
Mineta froze and immediately did he begin to rack his brain for an excuse. He didn't really like going around Midoriya's back like this, but the shorter boy knew this would only benefit his partner. So when Mineta turned to face his friend, the face of apology he put on was completely honest… Despite having dishonest reasoning behind his intentions.
"Hey man, I see you got one to your team."
"It could be two if you're willing to join." Midoriya said, holding out his hand. Mineta wanted to take it, he really did. But the agenda must be fulfilled and it cannot happen when he is with them.
"Sorry dude, but I think I'd like to try my luck with my own team…" Mineta said, clapping his together hands in apology.
"Aren't you two partners in crime though?" Uraraka asked before Midoriya could speak.
"I did say that… But because me and Midoriya have been friends for a long while, I don't remember the last time we competed against each other. And given what's going right now, I want to take this time to test myself against the person I trust most." Mineta answered, the weight of his words coursing through them.
"… Yeah, it's been a while since we honestly fought. And thinking about it now… During the Hero vs. Villain practice battle at the start of the year, I had this feeling that I wanted to fight you. I think I wanted to show you, my very first friend, how much I've grown since we first met. But Kacchan happened and Uraraka-san and I lost… So this time…" Midoriya began. His tone started out rather soft. But on his last three words, Mineta was caught off guard by the sudden spike in determination.
"I want to challenge you with everything I've got. To show that I'm worthy to be called your partner." Midoriya said as he turned his still outstretched hand to an outstretched fist. Mineta boy had to use all of his will to withstand the roar of his partner's words. It was something he should be saying to Midoriya, but here they were.
So without having to think about anything else, Mineta held out his own fist and bumped his partner's
"Same. Don't let me down, partner." The shorter boy said before walking off. He could hear Uraraka gushing about how cool the two of them were, with Midoriya immediately reverting back to his nervous state. Mineta could only smirk as his agenda was now underway. For a whole five seconds before someone else, a girl with pink dreadlocks abruptly approached his partner and asked to join his team.
Oh… Right… This was a TEAM event…
"Next time… But for now, I need a team of my own. Let's see now…" Mineta thought as he began scanning around for any interesting candidates. And that's when he saw Shouji Mezo and Asui Tsuyu standing together, seemingly looking around for another teammate. The shorter boy stared at the two, sorting through the various ideas in his head before landing on one that was particularly mischievous.
Mineta's mouth was pulled into a sly smile as one word escaped his lips.
"Perfect."
Chapter 22: Cheat Mode Engaged
"Mineta-chan… I have to say, that is quite devious. Between this and your suicidal use of Bakugou-chan, my opinion of you has changed." Tsuyu said as she began untying the knot in her hair.
"Indeed, it seems like this Festival is making your rat-like qualities more apparent. I had my suspicions during the Heroes Vs. Villains exercise, but I didn't think you were this crafty." Shouji replied with a nod.
Mineta stared at the two, his shoulders slumping so much that it could be mistaken for dislocation. "I mean… If you guys think this plan is too... Slimy, I can think of another."
Here was the hurdle that he forgot about. Mineta didn't want to think about it when he first came up with this plan, seeing that it was perfect in every way. Except from the sportsmanship angle. As what they were about to do would practically be cheating in any other game or sport. And he doubt that Tsuyu and Shouji would stoop down to his level for this.
His two classmates stared at him, eyebrows raised by his choice of words. Upon noticing this odd look, Mineta could only say one word to accurately describe his confusion.
"What?"
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with your plan Mineta-chan. So of course we're doing it." Tsuyu answered as she began pulling back all of her hair. The amphibious girl then proceeded to tie it all into a neat clump at the back of her head. The entirety of her forehead was now exposed.
"Y-You want to?" Mineta asked, his jaw colliding with the dirt.
"Of course, it's practically unstoppable. And as unfair as it is to our friends… This is a battle. And all is fair in love and war." Shouji answered, his deep voice steady and firm.
The shorter boy could only stare at his teammates as they continued to ready themselves. While one part of him was cheering over this development, finally having other people listen to him. The other, more doubtful, part of Mineta was conflicted. Were they really going to go along with this backstabbing of a strategy?
But as Mineta watched Shouji and Tsuyu continue their preparations, a confidence began to surge from within him. Perhaps, this wasn't going to be as bad as he made it out to be. So with that, the shorter boy began to stretch out his shoulders, wrists, and elbows. He can't be slacking off while the rest of his team is putting their bodies on the line.
And that is not hyperbole. Those two were really going to bear the brunt of the battle.
…
…
…
"Time's up! I hope you're satisfied with your teams, because we're leaving the frying pan and straight into the fire!" Midnight announced, the audience letting out a thunderous roar. Mineta swallowed the lump on his throat as both he and Tsuyu climbed onto Shouji's back. And looking over to his amphibious classmate, the boy could see their team's headband proudly displayed upon her forehead.
And as he anticipated, they were getting strange looks from just about everyone except Midoriya. But while the negative attention was pretty intense, Mineta knew it didn't matter in the end. Team Tsuyu was going to win this and there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Even if this strategy does make them look a lot crooked in the head.
"Remember, only the top four teams make it to the next event! So do your best to stake your claim! Let the Cavalry Battle begin!" Midnight shouted. And with the snap of her whip, the teams began to make their moves. Not that Mineta or Tsuyu could see any of it. Not when Shouji had closed a shell of skin and flesh around them.
"Quickly Mineta-chan, do the thing."
Tsuyu then removed the headband from her head, keeping a firm grasp on it, and leaned closer to Mineta. Without missing a beat, the shorter boy removed a ball from his head and placed it on his classmate's forehead. The amphibious girl then carefully placed the headband back around her head, making sure some part of it touched the hair ball. Everything was in place.
"No stray hairs… Far enough from the eyes..." Mineta muttered as he examined the ball on Tsuyu's forehead. There was some part of him that was cheering, seeing that he somehow got within touching distance of a girl. But most of his brain was too busy making sure this plan goes wrong. Because if Tsuyu gets caught on something and her skin peels off or worse, it'll be Mineta that'll be paying for it.
And he already owes Tsuyu for what she did at USJ.
"Okay, that should do it. Cheat mode engaged." Mineta said, carefully backing away from the girl. Not that he could move very far, but at least it would make him look less creepy. Tsuyu nodded as she slowly moved her head around, feeling how the ball moved with her. And, despite the slightly gelatinous nature of Mineta's Quirk, it was staying quite still. Though that might just be the headband's doing.
"This feels strange, like slathering a part of your skin in paste." She said, carefully moving towards the opening at the front of Shouji's shell. However, before Mineta could reassure her that this arrangement was only temporary… Both of them felt a jolt in movement from their giant classmate below. He was supposed to stand and observe the other teams, relaying all he saw to his two riders. But for him to move meant that Shouji encountered a problem.
Three guesses to what that is…
"Bakugou-chan's on our tail isn't he?" Tsuyu asked, tapping their ride's back. A mouth formed along Shouji's skin shell and began responding back. And despite knowing what his Quirk was, Mineta still found it a bit unsettling.
"He is. And he's most likely trying to exact vengeance upon Mineta for that stunt he pulled last event."
"Makes sense, but this could prove dangerous. You should probably try to slow them down Mineta-chan." Tsuyu said before looking to the shorter boy. While a part of him didn't want to stick his head out of their little pill box, he knew he had to. He said he was going to pull his weight and this was the chance to do so.
"Shouji, open the shell, but only enough for me to squeeze through." Mineta sighed, steeling his nerves for the hell team Bakugou was going to give them. Over head, the skin shell began opening. It started out as just a crack, but slowly did it widen until Mineta knew he could squeeze through. He tapped Shouji's back to signal him to stop before going to stand.
But before he poked his upper body through, Mineta heard one last bit of wisdom from Tsuyu.
"If it gets too crazy out there, feel free to come back in."
And with a thumbs up, the shorter boy left the safety of his teammate's shelter for the cruelty of the outside. It was quite a dramatic statement, since it wasn't all that chaotic. But Mineta could tell that everyone was giving it their all and then some. Team Midoriya had to fend off multiple attackers after their incredibly valuable headband. The teams comprised of 1B members were actually going after anyone in 1A. And then there was Team Bakugou.
"Finally taking the front lines Rat Bitch!? Then let me teach you the kind of shit you're in!"
Mineta shuttered as Team Bakugou charged at them. And despite having three 'horses' compared to Shouji's one, they were easily keeping up through simple coordination. However, the shorter boy knew that there were several tactics Bakugou can use if his team was even a step behind. This could not stand. He needed to make sure Shouji can get away.
"Alright, time to put the rest of my training into practice." Mineta thought as he removed a ball from his head. He solely focused on lead horse Kirishima and his footsteps. The shorter boy took note of his speed, the length of his stride, the pace between each step. He needed to be absolutely certain of his run cycle.
Time slowed around him as Kirishima's rhythm became clearer and clearer. Mineta pulled his right arm back as he leveled the ball closer to his gut. He then found it, the opportunity, and slapped the ball towards his target. It sailed through the air without any deviation and arrived safely to its destination. Right underneath Kirishima's next step.
Bakugou's eyes widened before quickly grabbing his lead horse's hair and pulled. Kirishima, as well as the other two horses Mina and Sero, slowed and stumbled as their feet evaded the sticky ball. Mineta knew he needed to follow up before they could recover. So quickly, he focused in on the now stumbling Team Bakugou's footsteps and hit another ball towards them.
This time, the human grenade used an explosion to throw the trajectory off, making the ball go wide. Mineta, on instinct, hit another two towards the group, using the smoke as cover. And this time, one of them finally succeeded in fulfilling the boy's original intentions.
"I got caught! Stop moving!" Mina shouted as she tried to slow the others down. And given how they were already in an awkward position, their formation would easily fall apart if they kept going. Mineta found himself smiling that he managed to get one over Bakugou after all this time. That elated feeling however, didn't last as he heard a shout and an explosion.
"Bakugou!"
"Focus on regrouping! I got this!"
Time slowed again, but this time it was out of a sense of impending doom. He looked at Team Bakugou and saw only Mina, Sero, and Kirishima. Mineta then turned his gaze upward, where a shadow began to loom over him. And there he was.
Like an artillery shell falling back to Earth.
Bakugou was above, his lips pulled into a mad smile. Nothing but fury burning in his eyes.
"DIE!" He screamed as he aimed pulled an arm back. Bakugou was already too close for Mineta to duck back inside Shouji. So instead of trying and risking him breaching the shelter, the shorter boy decided it was time. He defiantly stared at Bakugou as the grenade continued his descent. It wasn't going to be much, but if Bakugou only focused on pummeling him, Tsuyu and Shouji can get away unscathed.
But before he could fully resign himself to his fate, Mineta quickly found himself in warm darkness.
"That was close… Are you alright, Mineta-chan?"
The shorter boy senses finally came back to him and he looked around. He was back inside Shouji's shell and Tsuyu was hovering over him. Mineta immediately disconnected his brain to stop any stray thoughts from forming. He couldn't say something stupid about this situation, not after what she and Shouji have done for him. Though it did leave him wondering why they chose to protect him.
It was a Calvary Battle; some sort of injury was inevitable. So why try to keep one person unharmed?
"Yeah, but you didn't need to do that." Mineta said as Tsuyu moved out of the way.
"Perhaps… Or maybe I just didn't want you to fight alone out there. We're a team right? It's only natural to pull each other out of danger."
Mineta looked at the girl, eyes halfway between wonder and astonishment. But before he could give a hearted response, something began pounding against the top of the skin shell. And not long after, a mouth grew along the inside and began to relay some words to Tsuyu and Mineta.
"Bakugou's on top. He demanded that we surrender either our headband or Mineta. If not, he'd smoke us all. How should we proceed?" Shouji asked. The shorter boy paled at the thought that they had a boarding party. With how much room they had, there would be no escaping the bomb blasts. However, before he could lose his resolve, Mineta steeled himself.
The shorter boy had to repay his team somehow. And panicking would get him no closer to doing that.
"Shouji, open up a bit. Tsuyu, use that tongue of yours." He said as he made a flicking gesture. Tsuyu stared at him before carefully laying down on Shouji's back, face up. From there, the skin shell began to open slowly and Bakugou's face began to show through the crack. And he was fuming.
But that face soon changed once it opened up enough for him to see Tsuyu, looking back at him. The amphibious girl's tongue darted out and nailed the human grenade right between the eyes. Bakugou clutched at his face, clearly affected by the surprise that was waiting for him. He still hung on though. Just not as well as before.
It was here that Mineta felt Shouji make a very sharp right turn, nearly throwing him into Tsuyu.
"Was that to throw him off? Please tell me he's off?" The shorter boy asked as he corrected his position.
"He is."
Mineta let out a heavy exhale, muscles relaxing now that the danger has passed. This was not how he wanted to start this battle. "Good work everyone, we survived getting smoked… Let's get back to hunting in a moment."
"Hmmm... Then perhaps I should've gone for Bakugou-chan's headband instead. Get his points and stun him for Shouji-chan." Tsuyu commented as she had a finger on her chin.
"It's fine. If he saw you looking at it, he'd definitely do everything to block you. Bakugou hates me, but he definitely hates losing more." Mineta replied, shaking his head.
"I'm curious as to why he has such a visceral reaction to both you and Midoriya. What wrong did you commit by him?" Shouji asked. The shorter boy could only huff to that question, seeing that the truth was the other way around. But discussing about Bakugou did remind him that they should still have him on their tail.
"Speaking of which, Shouji, are they still following us?" Mineta asked as he tapped the roof of the shell.
"They are. And more than ever does Bakugou want to…?" Shouji began before stopping.
"Shouji-chan? What happened?" Tsuyu asked.
"Someone from 1B just stole Bakugou's headband."
"Oh… Well that guy's done for. Let's use this chance to get away and continue as planned." Mineta said. Shouji didn't answer, but the brisk movement of his body told him everything he needed to know. Mineta slumped against the wall of the shell as he began thinking about the different teams. With so many strengths and weaknesses, his team needs to figure out how to overcome and exploit each and every one of them. Though that was easier said than done.
"Hey Tsuyu, what do you think about 1B?" Mineta asked, turning to his amphibious classmate.
"Hmmm… Can't say, haven't seen enough of them to make that call. There is one thing though. It seems they're determined to knock us down from whatever pedestal we're on." Tsuyu answered, one finger resting on her chin.
"Like that one guy from General Studies?"
Before Tsuyu could answer, the two felt Shouji stop abruptly. Mineta looked at Tsuyu, who looked back at him, what just happened? And as though the Heavens heard their plight, an answer was heard. Though given the distant chilling tone of the voice that they heard, it was more likely a devil was at their doorstep.
"Open your shell."
"Shouji, what's going on!?" Mineta shouted as he pushed against his classmate's back. The only response the shorter boy got was the slow opening of the skin shell. But not too long after that did Mineta heard the voice again. And this time it took on an air of smugness that rivals Bakugou's.
"I've heard that the bigger you are, the dumber you get. Any truth to that with this guy?"
"The Hell you–!?"
Mineta's body and mouth seized, all held in place by some invisible force. Only his conscious mind was still running though and it was going a mile a minute. Why can't he move or talk? Is this some sort of hypnosis? How was it triggered? How does he break free of it? If only he had some clue as to what just happened, and maybe he could counter this.
Worse still was the fact that Tsuyu now has to deal with their assailant alone.
"Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu said as she waved a hand in front of his face.
"They're not moving anytime soon, so don't bother." The voice said as the Shouji's shell fully opened. From the corner of Mineta's eye, he saw a mess of purple hair and tired eyes. It was the General Studies student, Shinso according to the board, sitting casually upon his horses. More disturbingly, they were not even a meter away from Team Tsuyu.
"What did you do–?" Was all she could say before she seized up like the rest of her team. Mineta cried internally as the Shinso's lips was pulled into a smirk. He then pointed at him and more words began to escape his mouth.
"Shorty, give me that girl's headbands."
Mineta felt his body begin to move without him. The sensation was like he was but a marionette to some unseen master. Though given how that General Studies guy gave him the command, Mineta knew that he was the one controlling him. But how they all came under his influence was still a mystery to him. Still, the shorter boy had to figure something out before they gift their headbands to him.
That was when he saw that his hand wasn't reaching for the ball stuck to Tsuyu's forehead, but the bands themselves. And that was when Mineta realized that Shinso had no idea why that ball was there in the first place. He used every bit of will he could muster in an attempt to resist, but to no avail. Mineta's hand firmly grasped the bands and began to pull.
"No, no, no! You're going to hurt Tsuyu like this!" He thought as his body continued to pull. The bands remained firmly glued to the amphibious girl's head, so Mineta's body gave it some slack before yanking it hard. Tsuyu yelped in pain before she quickly reacted to her teammate's pulling. And by react, I meant a well placed slap across the shorter boy's face.
"OWWW!" Mineta cried as he clutched at his cheek. His eyes then snapped open, the pain fading from his cheek as he noticed what just occurred. His movements and words were his own once more. And looking towards Tsuyu, he could see that she was moving like normal again. The girl nodded to him before the shorter boy turned to Shinso, who was already a fair distance away.
He was, however, looking their way with a challenging smirk.
Without a word, Mineta pointed at him. His brows were deeply angled just as the rest of his face was hard with anger. It was an expression that could easily convey a single message. Watch your back.
"Shouji-chan, wake up." Tsuyu said as she hit the top of Shouji's head. Their giant classmate twitched and he started to move on his own like they did.
"Was that some sort of Hypnosis quirk?" He asked as shook the odd fatigue away.
"I think so. But let's just get our head back in the game. Close up Shouji." Mineta replied as he and Tsuyu repositioned themselves. The giant nodded and began closing the skin shell again. He, however, stopped when a scream from his left drew in his attention. And looking over with him, Mineta and Tsuyu saw Hagakure and her team gapping at them.
The invisible girl was also pointing at them in frantic manner. How Mineta could guess that when her upper half was exposed and see-through? The answer, from what she was yelling at them.
"AH! THAT'S JUST CHEATING!"
"Oh what's this!? It seems Team Tsuyu is using one heck of an underhanded move! Their headband appears to be glued to their rider's face!" Present Mic commented with the audience sounding out two different reactions. One half was shaming them for not being unsporting. The other half was applauding them for such a unique strategy. Whatever the case, the jig was up.
"We've been exposed. Should we still close up?" Shouji asked.
"I'm thinking we should. It'll provide more time for us to stick headbands to my face." Tsuyu said. Mineta simply nodded to that before their ride began closing the skin shell again. But as they were once more sheltered from the light, they heard some commentary from Aizawa befitting the situation.
"Underhanded? I don't think so. Every day, Heroes have to fight against Villains who refuse to fight fair. And it is those who fail to stack the odds that fall first. Sure, honor and valor are great traits… But can it save 30 hostages without a single casualty? So to you students who are running around down there, fighting with all you got… Did you even look at your cards?"
Mineta felt the sheer weight of that question hang over him. And he had the sneaking suspicion that the rest of 1A also felt the pressure. It was almost as though Aizawa was berating them all for not being more pragmatic about this battle. But why did the shorter boy feel critique as well? Despite him stacking the odds in his teams favor?
Perhaps it was a message saying that his strategy could be even better. Or perhaps it was just the residual fear that Mineta felt towards his old master.
Still, regardless of the answer, Team Tsuyu knew they needed to move. With the secret out, all the teams with headbands left will fiercely defend them. And thinking about it, Mineta began to sense that they won't be able to do anything if they remain closed up. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So with a deep breath, he looked at Tsuyu with a strong glint in his eyes. The amphibious girl noticed and stared back for a moment before nodding to him.
"Shouji, how long do we have left?" Mineta asked.
"Five minutes. It's strange how time passes both quickly and slowly."
"Then let's make these last five minutes a real horror show for everyone. Let's go full assault." Mineta said as he tapped the roof of the shell.
"But didn't you agree with what Tsuyu just said?"
"I believe Mineta-chan's thought process was, if everyone's on the defensive and avoiding us… We won't be able to get anymore headbands if we keep playing defensively. Therefore, it is better to rush and pressure them with Mineta-chan's trick." The amphibious girl replied. A hum escaped their ride's throat before the shell began to open up once more. Mineta rotated his shoulders as he felt one of Shouji's extra appendages wrapped itself around his waist. Tsuyu got down to all fours, clinging to Shouji like the animal she takes after.
"Alright, an all out attack it is. I'll keep you standing Mineta, so just focus on trapping people. And once we're in range, Tsuyu, you will grab the headbands."
"That's the idea… Now…" Mineta said as he pointed at the team ahead of them, Team Kendo.
"CHARGE!" The shorter boy shouted with all of his soul. Shouji broke out into a sprint and he began to generate extra arms, perfect for grappling against defenders. Team Kendo, made aware of their presence by Mineta, visibly paled at the charging hulk of limbs. They began to run and Mineta began to concentrate on the pace and rhythm of the all female team's footsteps.
In all honesty, it was quite frantic. But as Mineta began to ignore all other visual points of interests and solely focused on their feet. And as much as he wanted to 'study' the anatomy of girls from another class, he knew this was not the time to be thinking with his pants. The footsteps became clearer and clearer, slowing down within the mind's eye of Mineta Minoru. Because Shouji was chasing them from behind, he needed the ball to come in at an angle.
But while he could not enter his proper pitching stance, Mineta could at least change his grip to give the ball that spin. So without taking his eyes off the feet of his target, he slung the ball forward with as much strength as his posture would allow. The little hairball sailed through the air, just to the right of his target. To anyone else, they would say he missed. But to any pitcher, they could see how the ball began to curve downward and to the left. A slider.
It landed without any real sound, mostly since it was a hairball surrounded by the noise of battle and roaring crowds. And not a moment later, the girl with a mushroom shaped bob, stepped on it. Mineta, however, didn't let that the end all be all of the sticky situation those girls were in. As the other horses on Team Kendo got caught up in their teammate's plight, they slowed down by keeping their next step in the air.
Leaving their soles exposed for more of Mineta's nonsense. The short boy smacked a ball beneath the other girls' feet before they could plant it back down. And, as expected, they got stuck as well. Now completely stuck, Shouji caught up to them and stopped before the immobile Team Kendo. Tsuyu quickly took the front and shot her tongue at the rider's headband.
That was when Team Tsuyu witnessed the power of Itsuka Kendo, now cornered and desperate to hang on to her points. Her hand grew to giant size, completely blocking Tsuyu's tongue from its target.
"Circle–!"
"On it." Shouji interrupted as he began to run circles around the still immobile team. But even then, the 1B girl was shielding herself at all angles with her big hands. Mineta began scratching at his head, eyes continually searching for an opening that Tsuyu can reliably shoot for. That was when he noticed how the girls who were stuck began removing their shoes. It left them on socks, but it was certainly better than staying there and watching their rider stay on the ropes.
It was at this moment, in his infinite and somewhat dubious wisdom, that Mineta had an idea. One that would self destruct the image he has built for himself. It would also affect how the others will view Midoriya in some way. But if it succeeds, his team would be one step closer to the next event. So with that, he began to execute his worst plan yet.
"Shouji, throw me at her." Mineta said, tapping his foot against his classmate.
"You're going for the Bakugou cling?"
"If that's what you're calling it, then yeah."
"Alright, hold on." Shouji said. The appendage around Mineta's waist began moving, lifting him off his feet. And without any sort of delay, the shorter boy was pulled back and hurled forward at Team Kendo. He removed two balls from his head and stuck himself to their rider, who saw him fly in too late. And only a second later did Kendo's horses began running again. Mineta was on his own.
"What the–!? Get off!" Kendo shouted as she tried to shake her space invader off. However, having dealt with Bakugou's efforts from before, Mineta was able to easily hold on despite the girl's best attempts.
"Sorry, but I– OW! What was that!?" He asked, looking for the source of the pain that suddenly appeared on his back. But upon seeing the dismembered arm clawing at his back, Mineta soon began to feel his blood turn a degree colder. The shorter boy proceeded to look for the source of this mysterious limb, eventually arriving at one of the girls on Kendo's team.
She was missing a hand.
"No free rides! Get off or get your eyes clawed out!" She shouted. Mineta wanted to say that the girl was bluffing… But he was a little too busy with the hand that was currently mauling his face to do so. His grip remained true however, holding on like a crab with everything left to lose. Though with that said, his right side was starting to feel both heavy and numb. Like there was something on it that was weighing him down.
"Wait…" Mineta thought before looking over to his right side. There were all sorts of mushrooms growing all over his arm, leg, side of his body. He then found the girl with the mushroom bob giggling a little. And while it sounded cute, the air around her felt dangerously poisonous. It was like looking at a witch brewing something nasty in her cauldron.
"If you're going to stay, you might as well make yourself useful. As my little garden."
Only now, in Mineta's mind, that he realized that this situation was more than he could chew. Not that he could, seeing that the dismembered hand was now clawing at the insides of his mouth. But now was not the time for that, for Kendo's body began shifting again. The short boy pushed his numbed right side away, keeping his grip steady on the left ball. His body pivoted away from the giant hand that tried to swat him.
And, as if his luck ran dry, the hand did not get stuck on the ball that was left there. Kendo's body shifted again and Mineta quickly switched sides and avoided the next swat. Considering that there was a hand down his throat and his right side was a fungal nightmare, Mineta was doing quite well at staying on.
"Are you some sort of insect!?" Kendo asked as she tried to swat Mineta again.
"Based on what everyone else calls me, I guess I am!" He thought as he moved again. But Mineta knew he could not keep this up forever. So he had to make his move now. Mineta dodged the next swat from Kendo and, as quickly as his right side could allow, planted a ball on the girl's wrist. And as she pulled back, Mineta allowed himself to be dragged along. He then quickly wrapped his arms and legs against Kendo's limb, doing his best to keep it from bending.
It wasn't much, but as long as he can keep one limb occupied, it should provide a big enough opening. Mineta winced as the hand in his mouth began jabbing fingers into his tongue as he felt more mushrooms growing on his body. Then there was the sudden pressure on the sides of his torso, slowly pressing in on him. As it turns out, Kendo was pinching him with her other giant hand.
But even as the pain grew, Mineta defiantly glared at the girl. He was not letting go. Not after making it this far.
Then the sound of something wet and squishy was heard. Mineta looked slightly to the left of Kendo and saw the long, pink tongue of Asui Tsuyu connected to her head. Or more specifically, her headband. And all the short boy could do was smile at the sight.
"No!" Kendo shouted as she turned to swat at the appendage, taking her hand off Mineta. But it was already too late, Tsuyu was reeling back her tongue with the strip of cloth in tow. And it wasn't long before the short boy left as well. He unlocked himself from Kendo's arm and hurled himself off her body towards the unforgiving earth.
Or he would have, had it not been for Shouji catching him and making a break for it.
"For a self proclaimed coward, you sure are taking many risks today." Tsuyu said as Shouji plopped Mineta onto his back. The shorter boy didn't respond as he still had someone's limb invading his oral cavity. By first prying the thumb under his chin, he loosened the grip of the girl's hand and pulled the thing out. The thing was still trying to claw at him though, causing the shorter boy to chuck the thing in the direction of Team Kendo.
"A lot has happened since USJ… But if I didn't need to do this, I wouldn't." Mineta said as he began gather more saliva to wash out the taste of that girl's hand. He always thought that having a lady's fingers play around with his tongue would be quite enjoyable. But this was just traumatic.
"Then why didn't you grab the headband and get out before they did a number on you?" Shouji asked.
"You think they'd let me leave?"
Their giant classmate simply hummed to that before they heard the ever shouting voice of Present Mic.
"One minute left! With Team Todoroki at first place, do we have our top four teams!? Or will we witness some sudden turnabout!? So don't look away folks, because this is where miracles happen!"
What? Mineta looked over at the scoreboard and saw the current rankings. Team Todoroki was first, Team Monoma was second, Team Shinso was third, and finally, Team Tsuyu was fourth. But while these four teams had points, no one else, not even Team Bakugou and Team Midoriya, had any. They were to only one's with any headbands.
"Shit. How's Midoriya supposed to announce 'I am here' if he can't make it through this?" Mineta thought as he began to search for his partner's team. However, the short boy could not spot even a single member of Team Midoriya. He did notice the giant wall of ice that divided one portion of the field from the rest. And as he thought about it, he couldn't spot Team Todoroki as well.
"That guy must've cornered Midoriya behind that wall and took his headband. If he's going to pass this round, he has to take his headband or whatever else back from Todoroki." Mineta mumbled. The chances of this happening were slim, but the short boy knew Midoriya had overcome greater odds before. He did, make it this far after all.
"Should we continue the hunt? We're already in fourth place." Tsuyu asked as she watched Team Shinso and Team Monoma.
"Better make it third, who knows what could happen."
"Then who shall we target? We don't know much about Team Monoma's abilities. And we only know a few things about the hypnosis ability of Team Shinso." Shouji asked. Before Mineta could contemplate, he saw Bakugou and his team begin their assault on Monoma. Oh right, that guy must've been the one to steal their headband. And seeing how fiercely he and his team were pressing them, it's probably a good idea avoid them.
He wasn't looking to add another 'suicidal plan' tally to his total today.
"We go for Shinso. A little easier to handle than Bakugou."
"Agreed, but we should still be wary around him." Tsuyu said, eyes locking onto the General Studies student. Shouji simply nodded his head and began to run towards their target. As they made their approach, Shinso noticed them and had an uneasy smile spread across his face. Mineta then saw him say something to the team that was next to him. An unusual sight seeing that they were not trying to steal even a single headband from the guy.
"Don't tell me he's got them?" Mineta asked as he tapped Shouji. The giant nodded and slowed down slightly, ready to intercept any form of retaliation. And soon enough, it came in the form of the other team running straight for them. Shouji picked up speed once more, retreating from the group that was chasing them with empty eyes.
Mineta threw some balls out to tangle their pursuers. But instead of aiming for their feet, he placed them in an area at least two meters ahead. Call it inopportune or whatever, but Mineta had to know more about what this guy's hypnosis can do. How complex could these commands be? How much could the affected think on their own once the command was given? Would the affected continue to carry out the command even when they cannot?
It's these questions that would no doubt reveal something about that guy's Quirk.
As the influenced group continued to chase Mineta and his team, they completely ignored the hazard before them. The result was their team getting completely stuck. But what was interesting was that they still had this glazed look in their eye as they continued to try their pursuit. The short boy hummed to that as he made some notes in his head. And combined with his team's personal experience with it, Mineta can make a few educated guesses…
Shinso's hypnosis makes the affected follow simple commands. They will solely focus on completing the command, regardless of any hazards that would impede them from doing so. But even if they are restricted, they will continue to execute the command so long as they are still under his control. And finally, to break his control, the affected must experience a moderate physical shock. Like a slap or a bump to the head.
"How that guy triggers it… I still have no idea…" Mineta said as he focused ahead again. Only to see that there were at least three other teams charging them. All of those teams also had that empty look in their eye. Oh you got to be kidding. Worse still, as Shouji began to evade their pursuers, was the next announcement that roared through the stadium.
"Ten seconds left!" Present Mic shouted as the crowd began a countdown. Looking at the scoreboard, Mineta's eyes widened as now Todoroki, Bakugou, Shinso, Midoriya, were in the top four. If they don't get even one headband, their team would be knocked out. But getting one also proved to be a problem.
One headband and Team Midoriya wouldn't be able to move forward.
What should he do? Sacrifice his team's chance for Midoriya's team? Or leave his partner behind and take the glory for himself? Does Mineta ask Shouji and Tsuyu to take the shot? Or should they relent? Was there somehow a way to create a tie in points? It honestly made his brain hurt, to decide who should take this once a year opportunity.
But that was when a heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder. His thoughts stopped as he looked over. It was Tsuyu with a rather noticeable dip in her shoulders. But even when her face looked the same as ever, there was frustration dwelling within her eyes.
"If we only had a few more seconds..." She said. What?
"Time's up! Hold it right there!"
Ah… That's what she meant…
Chapter 23: Catching Your Breath
After the end of the Cavalry Battle, the Sports Festival proceeded to the one hour lunch break. And after all the excitement of the first half, it was a much needed respite for both the audience and the participants. However, there was still a commotion occurring on the stadium grounds. But one look at the scene and anyone could understand why it was happening.
"M-Mineta-kun?" Midoriya asked, sweat rolling down the side of his face.
"Yeah?"
"Are… Are you okay?"
"Fine, why do you ask?"
"Umm… Not to put this too bluntly… But…" Midoriya began, unable to vocalize his concerns as he gestured towards his friend's right half. And to anyone's abject horror, it was completely infested with all sorts of fungi of many shapes and colors. From the bottom of his sneakers to the top of his head, Mineta's right half was almost entirely mushrooms.
Since the end of the Cavalry Battle, the mushrooms have grown just a little more before finally stopping. And while Mineta was glad that he won't become fungi food anytime soon… His current appearance is something that's left to be desired. But it wasn't all bad. Maybe if this sight gets retold enough, he'll become an urban legend that'll live on for several decades.
He always wanted to be a cryptid, mostly since its one step up from pest.
"Are these even edible?" Kaminari asked, picking a mushroom from Mineta's jersey. Their class sweet tooth, Satou, began to taking a closer examination at the infestation that had overtaken the shorter boy. And after a few seconds, he simply nodded but his expression was very skeptical.
"All of them are. But I wouldn't eat them, it's unnaturally grown." He said. Kaminari looked at the mushroom in his hand before proceeding to toss the thing over his shoulder.
"If that's the case, then let's get these off of Mineta-san right away. Take a bottle of fungicides everyone." Yaoyorozu said as she began generating little bottles from her skin.
"I'm fine guys! Really! If I wasn't, I'd probably be drugged out of my mind right now." Mineta replied, holding his arms out. That was when a small mushroom grew on each of his fingers. He stared at the little nightmares before hearing a little giggle to his right. And turning in that direction, he saw the girl with the mushroom bob that gave him his condition.
"Stop! He's been through enough already!" Iida shouted, making his usual arm gestures towards her.
"Oops, sorry." She said with a laugh before walking off. But despite that, Mineta felt like she wasn't apologizing at all. It was as though she was messing with them. Note to future self, avoid anyone from 1B. They're a little crazy.
"Alright, let's just get this stuff off him and move on." Jirou said as she took a bottle from Yaoyorozu.
"Wait, is this even safe to apply directly onto a person?" Iida asked, examining the bottle. His fellow class representative simply nodded as she continued to hand the bottles out.
"You don't have to worry Iida-san. This compound is of my own design and it is both safe on humans and environmentally friendly."
A hum of awe resounded through the air as the present 1A members received a bottle of fungicide. For Mineta, he couldn't imagine the amount of studying and experimentation that went into making that. He had always known that Yayorozu was smart, just from academic performance on her own. But when it comes to using her Quirk, only now did he realize the amount of knowledge required to use it.
I mean, Mineta had only seen her making basic constructs like cannons or steel rods. How could he have known Yaoyorozu could make things like this?
"Thinking about it, all the steel stuff Yaomomo creates doesn't buckle easily. That kind of quality could only be gotten with knowledge on metallurgy… I wonder what other bits of knowledge she has stored away in that pretty head of hers." Mineta thought as he felt something get sprayed onto his right side. The fungal nightmare that had overtaken him began shrivel and fall off his body. And in just several moments, Mineta was free of the mushroom infestation.
He still felt a little numb in the affected area though.
"Now that's over with, could you please get this off me Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu asked, pointing at the hairball still stuck to her forehead. The shorter boy immediately went over to his amphibious classmate and began the removal process. Stroking the area between Tsuyu's skin and the ball itself, the two surfaces began to separate little by little. It was time consuming, but at least it wouldn't leave any sort of mark.
Or so he hoped since he did pull at it while under Shinso's hypnosis.
It was here that he began to notice that Tsuyu's skin was slick. And looking closer, there was a strange sheen to it. Almost as though there was some sort of slime being secreted from her pores.
"Tsuyu? What's with the slime?" Mineta asked, trying his hardest to not seem unsettled.
"It's mucus. I thought it might help, so I began secreting it."
"Okay, it's just a bit sudden." Mineta replied as he continued to work. He couldn't help but feel the thing again and formulate comments in his head. Now that the boy knew what it was, he focused on the qualities of the substance. The mucus wasn't sticky at all and was actually slippery in a really nice way. What it was useful for, Mineta couldn't say. But at the very least, he knew that Tsuyu came pre-lubed.
…
Wait, what?
"This is not the time!" Mineta thought. He immediately emptied his thoughts to prevent his face from flushing and his pants from partying. And while succeeded in those two tasks, his entire posture made him look more rigid than Iida. But the worst of it has to come.
Since, to his utter dismay, Tsuyu noticed the change in his demeanor.
"Mineta-chan? You okay?"
"Uhh, yeah, I just a shower thought. You know, one of those random ideas that are just crazy and out of nowhere. That's what happened. Heh, heh, heh…" Mineta said with an awkward chuckle. That was real convincing there Minoru… Real convincing…
"Oh… I see." Tsuyu replied. The pauses between her words were far too long for Mineta to ignore, even if he physically reacted. It really made all their previous interactions a hotbed of paranoia. Like how much was his classmate able to deduce his true nature? Or what she would do with that knowledge once she confirms it.
It really made his soul uneasy.
"Maybe I'm over thinking it. Tsuyu's a good person; she won't expose something this insignificant. In fact, I'd probably shoot myself in the foot before she utters a single word about me." Mineta thought, purging the feeling from his body. And with that, he finally got his hairball off of Tsuyu's head. Now that was out of the way, maybe they all can–
"Midoriya! How could not call that cheating!? I thought you were supposed to be the good guy!"
Oh God, what's going on now? Looking over to the next source of commotion, he could see Midoriya cornered by an irate looking Tooru and Mina. Some of the others were also not stepping in, most likely trying to see where this goes. So with one look to Tsuyu, the two began to make their approach. And it didn't take much for the two, exasperated girls to jump at them.
"I mean look at that! How can you call that fair!?" Mina shouted, pointing at the headband/hairball bundle in Mineta's hand. Don't tell me they are arguing about the validity of his strategy? Well, Mineta supposed this was coming to head one way or another. He just didn't think it would be Midoriya who ended up with the short end of the stick.
"Well, Midnight-sensei didn't say anything…" Midoriya said, nervousness clearly going up. He needed someone to tag him out before he gets overwhelmed by this mess. And as great as it was that his partner was managing to talk to girls, this was not what Mineta had in mind.
"Yeah guys, if the referee didn't say anything about it, then it's fair." Mineta agreed, stepping in to assist his partner. It was then that the Tooru and Mina pointed at him, eyes burning with the sort of frustration you see in professional gamers. AKA salt.
"You're the one on trial here! So you don't get a say in this!"
"Excus– TRIAL!?" Mineta asked, jaw completely leaving the confines of his head. Tsuyu stepped forward to his defense. Though before she could even get a single word out, the two girls were now pointing at her as well. Wow, they must be really upset to not even let their friend say anything.
"You and Shouji were accomplices! So you don't get any say either!"
"Guys, really? I know it was underhanded, but you don't have to ostracize them like that. Not only that, don't you remember what Aizawa-sensei said during the battle?" Uraraka said, finally taking the defense with Midoriya. Both Tooru and Mina went quiet. But it was clear that neither of them were too fond of what their teacher had said. Mostly since one could clearly see the pouts on their faces, especially Tooru despite her invisibility.
"I know what he said… But that doesn't mean we have to like it…" She grumbled.
"But you get where it's coming from yeah? Aizawa-sensei only wants us to succeed where others have failed. So that means using every card in the deck. Though I shouldn't be the one talking since I haven't gone with the first strategy I came up with…" Midoriya said, regaining some of his resolve. Mineta raised an eyebrow to that, his partner had another plan? And luckily for him, someone decided to vocalize his curiosity for him.
"You had another strategy? Was it as cheap as Mineta's?" Jirou asked.
"Uhhh… Well… Yes." Midoriya said as his presence shrunk once more under all the scrutiny.
"Eh? It's that bad? But Mineta-kun wasn't on our team. What cheat could we have pulled with just me, Tokoyami-kun, and that Mei girl?" Uraraka asked, looking over at him.
"I would only need your Quirk to make it work. If I was more confident in pushing the rules, I would've asked you to make me float and send me as high as I'm allowed to go. That way, I can safely sit above the battlefield and no one can reach me." Midoriya explained. 1A stared silently at their classmate. And as the seconds passed, the awkward tension that the green haired boy created was about to explode.
That was until Mineta said something, although it was not what the others wanted to hear.
"There's a problem with that plan Midoriya. What if Bakugou chased you up there? Even if you could defend yourself, you'd be in trouble the moment he takes the headband off you. If I was on your team, I would say we go for my plan."
And before someone else could interject, Midoriya shook his head and looked at his friend head on. There was a fire burning in his eyes. It was a determination that matched the roar hidden within his gentle voice.
"But would your plan really dissuade Todoroki-kun? He did freeze your hairballs earlier, with precision too. So even if he was fighting me, he'd only needed to touch it every so often until it freezes and breaks off. I'm confident in my new ability, but I can't even hope to hold him back for the entire event. So I'll hold my stance on my plan, Mineta-kun."
His logic was sound; the shorter boy could admit that much. Todoroki was, in fact, capable of freezing his hairballs and only the hairballs. If he wasn't able to, Bakugou wouldn't be able to continue in the Sports Festival due to frostbite. But that is where his acknowledgements ended, because Mineta knew his friend's plan had a flaw.
"But you feel like you can go against Bakugou the whole way? On your own?" He argued.
"I know Kacchan better than Todoroki-kun, so yes. I know it sounds unlikely, but he's also on his own with only his Quirk to keep him up. And I'm not on my own; I have Uraraka-san's power with me. Failing that, I also had a jet pack that Hatsumei-san gave me."
"This is Bakugou we're talking about. You're going to need a little more than two things to win against him. If my ball was stuck to your face, he wouldn't be… Able… To do…" Mineta began before slowing down. Hang on, that's an idea they hadn't considered. The shorter boy looked to his partner and the same realization came over him. The two made eye contact once more and it went from a discord to a resonance.
"What if we combined our plans?" Mineta asked quickly.
"Kacchan can't do anything without deliberately injuring me… And Todoroki-kun wouldn't be able to reach me at all… It's literally unbeatable…" Midoriya mumbled loudly.
"You're a genius!" Both of then shouted with a cheer.
"No! Not genius! That's by far the most evil thing I've ever heard!" Mina shouted. Oh right, they were in the middle of their classmates. That's the thing with them, if he and Midoriya get into a deep discussion, then they tune everything and everyone out. It wasn't a good habit at all, especially among friends. But Mineta couldn't help it. For so long, it was just them and no one else.
Now that they had classmates that gave a damn, Mineta and Midoriya had to take care not to exclude them.
"I wouldn't say that idea's pure evil… But I would suggest refraining from using that sort of trickery on friends and allies." Yaoyorozu replied, warily eyeing them. Ah shit, it was happening wasn't it? The downfall of whatever reputation they built up. Mineta began to shudder as he pictured how he and his partner would once more be out casted from 1A. But while he couldn't imagine everyone completely abandoning them, they wouldn't be overtly fond of them.
He could be wrong though. Mineta was hoping he was wrong about how they thought about them.
"Then it's settled! No cheap tricks on friends ever again! Go it?" Tooru said as she loomed over Mineta. And while he couldn't tell how her face looked exactly, the shorter boy knew not to push his luck. He already made a lot of risks today, no need to add a tally to the count.
"Perfectly."
"Then all is right in the world. Now let's go eat." She said, shifting back to her usual bubbly state. The invisible girl proceeded to march off. The others of 1A gave a small wave before they all went off as well. Only Iida, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Kaminari stayed behind to continue conversing with Mineta and Midoriya.
"Let's get going shall we? After all the excitement, I'm sure you're all feeling quite peckish." Iida said, directing the group with his gestures.
"You bet class pres, I need good recharge after everything." Kaminari said with a nod.
"But it's a shame; I didn't get to see the hot blooded duel between fate bound men." Uraraka sighed, absolute disappointment riding her breath. Everyone looked at her, eyebrows raised due to the wording of that statement. As for Mineta, he realized where this was coming from. But it didn't stop him from expressing his confused distaste.
"Excuse me?"
"What are you going about Ochako-chan? And who are these two men you're referring to?" Tsuyu asked as she began retying her hair back into its usual style. Uraraka then began pointing at Mineta and Midoriya, causing the others to stare between them. It took all of one second to become awkward as the latter began act all sorts of sheepish. As for Mineta, he didn't try to show any reaction.
Because one, it would make things even more awkward for everyone. And two, it would cause others to take their friendship the wrong way. Midoriya was his best friend and partner. But not THEE best friend and partner.
"I'm talking about Deku-kun and Mineta-kun silly. When we were making our teams, those two went into this whole spiel about competing against each other and stuff. And I was like 'oh my God, brotherhood'. But none of that actually happened and I feel very let down. Like when you thought there was a big sale going on across town and you go there, but it turns out they're only giving away misshapen cantaloupes." Uraraka explained.
"Uh… That first part I got, classic literary trope. That second part… I don't even know what's going on." Kaminari said, his mind clearly sparking trying to figure out what she meant. Mineta, however, swallowed the lump in his throat. All of this was just a round-a-bout way for Uraraka to reveal her rather downtrodden financial status. Was this okay? Will the others judge her?
And looking to Iida and Midoriya, the two of them had a similar expression to his own. What's with today and revealing one's own secrets? If this massive coincidence somehow ends with Midoriya revealing his and All Might's relationship, then they'd all be in neck deep liquid shit.
"Did you at least get some? The malformed fruit?" Tsuyu asked, blunt as ever. But just from the light in her blank eyes, the amphibious girl was not saying that out of mockery. In fact, it was almost like she experienced the same issue. Though whether it was a financial thing or the experience of a great disappointment, Mineta couldn't say.
"Uh… Just as much as I could carry…" Uraraka said, scratching at the back of her head at an uncomfortable speed.
"Well at least have cantaloupe juice for the next few days. Though misshapen, a cantaloupe is still a cantaloupe. And I'll have you know that it has all sorts of nutritional benefits." Iida commented, drawing warped shapes in the air as though to prove a point. But there was a glint on his glasses that neither Mineta nor Midoriya missed. Follow my lead.
"M-Maybe we can drop by a while after today and split a few open. Compare how they taste with each other." Midoriya said quickly.
"Or bring some other fruit and make a fruit salad." Mineta added, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. It wasn't anything, but it would make this whole experience more fun.
"Oh! My Dad accidentally bought crates of oranges and lemons. Maybe we can make a fruit punch." Kaminari suggested. How this conversation went from duels of friendship to drink mixing was beyond Mineta. But he supposed that was the thing about being around a group of goofballs. You never know what will happen next around them. And the shorter boy supposed he should be glad that this could still happen after all the crazy that has happened.
It was the perfect time to catch his breath.