Todoroki was already moving when the buzzer went off.

  Iida didn’t wait. He surged forward, shoes grinding into the dirt with every stride. Robinn’s half-invisible form supported Todoroki easily, her grip steady on his right side. Her weight was negligible. He’d already accounted for that. Yaoyorozu on the left offset the balance, which made tight turns a problem, but not an unsolvable one. The four of them moved as a unit, light and fast and quiet.

  They weren’t the fastest team. But they were close.

  Midoriya’s team made the obvious move, cutting across the center field at a sprint. Most of the other teams followed, reckless. All eyes were on the ten-million-point headband. That was clearly the plan. Make himself the prize and draw everyone to him. But then the ground changed. The field around Midoriya’s team had turned to mud. Some other student’s quirk. The chasing teams slowed, stuck in it.

  Midoriya stumbled but didn’t stop.

  They started to rise, then lift, then fly. It wasn’t Uraraka’s gravity. Todoroki saw what was happening. A jetpack and some kind of stabilizing boots. It hissed to life, thrusters shaking, and launched the team upward in a rough arc. They coasted overhead like a fireworks display, poorly controlled but functional, then dropped back down near the far western side of the arena. Sloppy landing, but effective.

  The moment Midoriya had put on that headband, he became bait. Now he was a moving target. Smart, but risky. Not bad.

  “Jetpack. We shouldn’t charge. Wait until it breaks or something,” Robinn murmured, her voice low and precise from below. He didn’t turn.

  Other teams rushed the spot where Midoriya had landed. Todoroki’s team didn’t follow. They adjusted. Slid off to the side, avoiding the crowd. They’d wait and observe.

  From a distance, he watched as Midoriya’s team suddenly launched again, trying to recreate the escape. But this time, the jetpack jerked harder. One of the boots gave way.

  He squinted his eyes, there it was. A small purple ball had stuck to the outer sole of Uraraka’s broken boot. Mineta. It must have pulled something important off when they moved. The boot cracked on takeoff.

  “Looks like they don’t have the same mobility anymore,” Robinn added.

  Good. He didn’t want to waste energy chasing them yet.

  They stalked instead. Shadowed Midoriya’s team from a distance, waiting for them to burn through their options. Iida didn’t question the lack of action. He followed Todoroki’s lead, eyes forward, footsteps even. Momo kept scanning the edges of the crowd. Only Robinn moved as little as he did. Her head floated beside him, neck still, eyes constantly adjusting.

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  The field was breaking down fast. Class 1-B had come in organized. They were cutting through weaker teams and splitting up to target 1-A directly. One of their teams had already taken Bakugo’s headband.

  That ended exactly how Todoroki expected.

  The explosion rattled the stadium walls. A pulse of heat hit his face even from this far back.

  He didn’t look. He didn’t care.

  Then he felt Robinn’s grip on his leg tighten.

  “Six o’clock. A vine,” Robinn said, voice sharp.

  He turned.

  A long green whip curled from behind them, aiming for their side. Subtle and fast. But not fast enough. He extended his right arm and swept downward, releasing a burst of ice that snapped across the dirt and caught the vine. It froze in place.

  “Who’s that?” Iida asked, glancing back as they started moving again.

  “Ibara. My gardening club nemesis,” Robinn answered flatly.

  Momo didn’t say anything, but she smiled to herself. Then she re-centered, skates clicking beneath her. No time to lose balance now.

  They were getting closer.

  Midoriya tried the jetpack again. It barely cleared the ground. Todoroki could see the uneven lift, the shaking airflow. They landed again, unsteady. The boots sparked as they hit. That was it.

  “They’re grounded,” Robinn said, eyes on him. He nodded once.

  “So we engage?” Momo asked. “Yes,” Todoroki replied.

  They moved in. And so did everyone else.

  Three teams closed in from the surrounding angles. It was a feeding frenzy. Todoroki recognized Shoji’s team, and two Class 1-B teams he didn’t know. It didn’t matter.

  “You’ll need to split them. All of them,” Robinn said.

  He didn’t ask what she meant. He already knew.

  Momo looked to him. “I can make traps. Something heavy. Nets?”

  “Do it.”

  She created two on the spot. Weighted at the ends, fast to throw. She tossed one right, catching the lead runner of another team across the legs. He dropped. The second missed, but it slowed the next group. That was enough.

  Todoroki raised his right hand and brought it down hard. A sharp swing of expanding ice. It exploded from the point of impact as it hit the ground.

  The icy walls stretched left and right, rising tall enough to block anyone. Another line shot diagonally forward, slicing off the escape route. A three-sided triangle of solid ice. Their team at the point. Midoriya’s boxed in.

  Robinn didn’t speak. She simply leaned in, anchoring Todoroki with her single arm. Momo shifted her weight. Iida steadied.

  And then the push began.

  Midoriya’s team didn’t panic. They turned toward the walls, shields raised. Dark Shadow launched forward, claws extended, ready to strike.

  Todoroki raised another wave, reinforcing the ice. It slowed them, but he could tell they weren’t cracking yet.

  His hands burned cold. Each burst of power made the air around them heavier. They had the advantage. They had the trap. But it still wasn’t enough.

  Midoriya’s team kept fighting. Dark Shadow kept fighting.

  Every time Todoroki sent another attack, that stupid shadow bird tore through it. It hit harder than expected. Faster than expected. Too much.

  They were getting frantic. Somewhere above, Present Mic’s voice rang out, calling one minute left.

  Todoroki’s plan was falling apart.

  They had no way to counter Dark Shadow.

  Maybe Reibach wasn’t the right choice after all.

  Iida’s breath hitched.

  He planted his feet harder into the dirt.

  “Everyone... hold on tight,” he said, voice sharpened to a point. “And Todoroki? Get ready to grab the headband.”

  Robinn’s grip tightened around his leg.

  The wind shifted.

  And then his engines roared.

  Author’s Note: