Bab 22: Larger Than Life

As soon as the counter hit one, Nagisa shouted, "go!" and the three horsemen charged straight into the crowd of student racing toward them. Dark Shadow prepared himself in the back—Nagisa had his eyes wide, searching for anyone to meet.

Movement caught Nagisa's eyes and he quickly spun his head, locking eyes with another student whose teeth were exposed outside of his mouth like a skull. He froze, eyes blowing up wide before his body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Wh- Hey! Honenuki?!" The silver head of their horse looked down at his teammate, startled and concerned.

"Wh-wha-what's—?" Honenuki stuttered. "I-I can't— m-m-move? I-I'm… suddenly so s-scared…"

The silver-haired teen glared at Nagisa. "What the hell'd you do to him?!"

They were gone before he could get an explanation, several teams on their tail.

"We need a game plan here, Nagisa!" Karma called, eyes darting everywhere. It seemed that the entire school had them on their kill-list, but there were a few others who were aiming elsewhere. At some point, there was a loud poof sound followed by an alarmed roar by a student. None of them could identify who it was, though.

Nagisa's eyes scanned the field, analyzing his options and studying the movements of his opponents. The best plan would be just to stay away from everyone. But that's going to be near impossible with how many people were chasing them. They'd have to just keep running then. Nagisa turned a bit to his teammate behind him. "Tokoyami, can Dark Shadow keep our blind spots shielded?"

The raven-headed teen gave a curt nod. "Yes, he'll keep us safe back here. He can also help us maneuver quicker."

"Perfect. Alright then." Nagisa kept his eyes alert. There was a team heading straight for them—Was that—Shouji?

Except… he was a tiger? Well. This was odd. He still looked more-or-less the same—but that would only mean that…

"AKABANE!" came a screech from inside the little dome that Shouji had created on his back.

"Ah," Karma hummed then smirked as their horse came to a stop. "I was wondering where you went."

"Is that… legal?" Izuku muttered.

"We're being cornered, Nagisa," Tokoyami spoke up.

"I see that." He was right—Hagakure's team was right behind them and closing in. He only needed a second to think—and an idea popped into his head. It was a stupid and risky idea but… it was all they've got for the moment. Nagisa opened his mouth to speak before his snakes hissed & he ducked just in time for a—a tongue? to come flying from Shouji's dome.

"Nice dodge, Nagisa," came the cool and croak-y voice of Tsuyu, her head along with Fuwafuwa's poking out from the darkness. She looked significantly… froggier than the last he saw her.

Karma gave a twitch of his eyebrow. "How many you got in there?"

Nagisa took his chance—"Dark Shadow, push us to the left!"

"Alright!" and with that, their horse side-stepped away from the two teams cornering them from the front and the back by Dark Shadow's large claws digging into the ground & catapulting them into the air. Karma, Izuku, and Tokoyami all and braced for the jump—Nagisa felt Karma & Izuku wrap their arms around his middle to secure him in the air. Glancing behind him, the boy saw Dark Shadow grow under them, preparing himself like a landing pad to cushion their fall.

Shouji & Hagakure's teams attention raised to the boys in the sky before they realized where they were heading & skidded to a halt before Shouji made a beastly sound, pouncing away from the other team, narrowly avoiding them. Nagisa heard Fuwafuwa's enraged huff as Hagakure's team nearly collapsed at the surprise, but they refocused on Nagisa's team quite quickly, regaining their balance.

"Jirou!"

"Got it!"

Earlobes extended & aimed, coming straight for Nagisa mid-air. His heart sped up—Dark Shadow was busy bracing for their landing, and no one else in the team had any quirks that could defend against—

Ko and Roka hissed in his ears, his head jutting back slightly with the tug of his snakes. The earjacks from Jirou retracted suddenly.

"Nice going, Ko! RR-Roka!" Izuku cheered with a sudden laugh.

A sigh from Nagisa. His snakes had his blind side. Finally, they landed—somewhat hard and sloppy, but fine anyway. The snake-haired boy called, "Time?"

"Seven minutes," Tokoyami answered.

A nod. "Alright, let's keep the distance going."

—

"Man, Hatsume, these gadgets are—something!" Rio chuckled as they weaved between teams. With the help of Hatsume's gadgets—enhanced boots quipped to Hatsume, Uraraka and Shinsou, while Rio held a jetpack-like gadget on her back—they were doing great running away from teams that targeted them. And snatching headbands with Rio's yarn too.

They were pretty stacked in points by the five minute mark. Third place wasn't too shabby in Shinsou's vocal opinion. They stayed elusive & only really had trouble with one team that just kept coming back—one girl from 1-B, but thankfully she and her team were currently having fun dealing with Bakugou's team. The girl who Shinsou said had come almost tied with him in the race, had some sort of plant-like quirk like vine-haired girl from 1-B. She seemed cheeky and snarky enough, and really playing into Bakugou's aggressiveness. Rio's team had watched in silence as Bakugou went into a frenzy, quirk blasting her vine clusters that burst from the ground every time she flicked a plant seed from her palm.

Getting class 1-B together the way they did, target just enough to get noticed, not doing anything risky like target Nagisa's team with that whopping 100 mil—Rio gave them credit, that was tight. She wished some of her class had worked together to get through the obstacle course too.

Hatsume huffed smugly at Rio's previous praise. "of course my babies are 'something'! They're more than just 'something'—they were specially designed by yours truly, after all!"

Rio rolled her eyes with an amused hum. "Of course, how could I forget? You almost destroyed the lab making your 'babies.'"

Uraraka made a confused noise.

"Peppermint at three o'clock, ladies," Shinsou's dull voice drew their attention. Rio scoffed, noticing Class 1-A's red-and-white star student targeting them. His team left a trail of burnt and twitching students behind them, a giant blanket discarded behind them.

"Of course. Alright ladies and Shinsou, evasive action!" Rio cracked her fingers. "Onward, noble steeds, let's blow this joint. We have our points, no need for more, you know? Uraraka, zero grav us!"

"Gotcha!"

"Hatsume, get ready! Ready y'all?"

"Hm!"

A tap-tap-tap-tap, and their feet lost their hold on the ground while Rio triggered the jetpack Hatsume loaned her, giving momentum to them as they went up and over Todoroki's group. Iida appeared baffled at the front and Rio merely winked at him cheekily, giving a small wave. This made Todoroki's team pause a bit, but the boy at the head didn't seem too bothered.

"Let them go, we're not after them."

Rio glanced behind her—oh, that made sense. Todoroki only had his eyes on Nagisa's team. Rio grimaced.

"Uraraka! Hatsume! Brace for impact!"

The ground came closer and she heard the whirring of the boots activating, an anti-gravity setting almost. Like a hoverboard attached to boots, Rio vaguely thought. Uraraka deactivated her quirk and they landed safely. The blanket Todoroki discarded laid at their feet. It looked like it was made with special material—and considering Kaminari was on their team, the blonde had one good guess what it was used for. She scrunched her face as an idea sprung, and she tapped Shinsou's shoulder, gesturing to turn the team around.

"Let's follow 'em."

"What? But you just said—"

"It's not for that—just chill, I've got this!"

"Whu—ugh, fine."

Rio shot a string out toward the blanket, tying the thread to it and beginning to dismantle its material, absorbing it into her yarn and feeling for the type of fabric it was. She'd never felt this kind before—not even in the lab, and there was a plethora of fabric to feel, sense, and learn about in there. She could feel the electricity still bouncing off from it, yet not being absorbed into it. So her hunch was correct—she continued to weave it to her yarn ball as they tailed Todoroki's team.

—

Being cornered by Todoroki was not part of the plan.

The timer was getting close, as was the red-and-white haired boy. Uncomfortably so. Nagisa's eyes were burning from how much he's used his quirk already—or tried to. Most of the other players got the jist of his quirk after using it on that one 1-B student, and no one would meet his eyes when he activated it. They were red, twitchy, and irritated now, watering over and making him look like he was two seconds away from crying, which wasn't too far off. He was just tired, and the giant veins behind his eyes were throbbing like nothing else, sending pain through his skull. He needed to lay down and rest his eyes after this, maybe even see Recovery Girl, probably.

Things were getting desperate now, he could feel his own anxiety melting in with Izuku's behind him, the way his fingers twitched as he helped hold him. Wanting to fidget his fingers off, probably. Sorry, Izukun, hold out just a little bit longer.

Dark Shadow was holding off Kaminari's quirk, but growing weaker. Karma was taunting the other's team, getting on Todoroki's nerves steadily, and Izuku was helpless, unable to offer his assistance except for holding Nagisa steady and helping them get places faster. Ko and Roka were doing their best to protect his bandannas that he wore around his neck. Nagisa was grasping at straws now.

Then Todoroki advanced, and the sudden cold that came from his right side startled his snakes badly, the two hissing and recoiling away from his touch—

No!

Panic surged in his chest, squeezing his heart and lungs. No, no, no, no—

He looked at Todoroki—the 1 million point bandanna, hanging helplessly from the half-and-half boy's grip. Nagisa's eyes widened and a frown pulled his lips down. no… guys, I'm sorry…

"Nagisa!" Izuku's voice pushed through his sudden grief. "We can ss-still do th-th's!"

"Snap out of it, Nagisa! It's not over till it's over."

"We're still in this, Tats—Nagisa."

Nagisa took a deep breath after meeting the eyes of his teammates, and determination lit through his eyes. Midnight started the countdown. "Let's go! Charge!"

They gained on Todoroki's team like nothing. Nagisa didn't have a plan—he wasn't good at combat, he was good at quick kills—

But—

This could…. don't forget, Nagisa! You know what to do! A plan formed in his head, quick and with only about a 50% chance of actually working, but it was something. Granted, only one of those things needed is present—it won't be as effective as it would be if i had two weapons.

Something threatening grew in him, poisonous and lethal, as they advanced on Todoroki. His Mark turned around, surprise lighting his usually unemotional eyes. He reacted reflexively when Nagisa lurched forward, Todoroki's left hand whipping out with a sudden burst of flames lighting his arm. There was an explosion of sudden fear that gripped the half-and-half boy, like ice and lightning coursing through both sides of his body.

The echo of a clap—

Nagisa's snake-eyes burned into his mind, his dainty hands clapped in front of his face—he felt one of his bandannas slip away from his neck, but those eyes—those eyes—

An icy white, soulless with something malicious hidden behind the veil the snake-haired boy placed before him. But Shouto could feel it, could taste it. The distinct feeling of bloodlust—and to think, he was that close to death—

The timer buzzed, Midnight calling the match finished.

The winners went to Todoroki's team, Nagisa's team, Rio's team and Bakugou's team.

Izuku cried in relief.