Chapter 46: Scavenger Hunt

“Text” – Normal speech

‘Text’ – Thought

“Text” – Quirk Spirit speaking in the human world

“Text” - Attack

“Text” – Radio/Communication lines

“Text” – None Japanese speech

(text) – Subtext/meaning behind a spoken word

Chapter 46: Scavenger Hunt

Once he could move, Bakugo didn’t waste a second, letting loose a double explosion, sending his body flying. He was getting sick of this stupid tournament, as U.A. just had to go and change it for what? To give extras time to shine? Because people felt bad about not getting far because they were trash? Tough shit.

As he fired off another explosion, keeping himself off the ground and moving faster than all but four-eyes could hope to manage, he aimed for the top, as he'd always done. Because that was the entire point of this. U.A. created the best heroes, who were just better than everyone else and recognized for it. True strength placed you well above the weaklings and extras; your name and strength were remembered, respected, adored, and feared.

No one remembered those All Might beat when it claimed gold at the festival three times in a row, and no one could name who took second to Endeavour when he went through the Sports Festivals; Edgeshot and Best Jeanist were classmates, but no one remembered their classmates.

Why? Because they didn't have what it took, because they didn't have what he had. The power, and most importantly, the drive to claim the top of the mountain. And to stand at the top was to stand alone. The sooner people remembered, the sooner maybe this festival wouldn't be a waste of his time, as he couldn't prove himself the strongest if the rest were pussyfooting around!

Clearing the relay, he looked back and saw the rest, including half-and-half and Deku, the former ahead of the latter, but both were still pretty much at the start of their leg of the relay, figures. They relied on trash; this was the result. Turning his attention back towards the race, he had little less than a kilometer left, but he could easily clear that as with no obstacles or bullshit, he could hit his top speed and just keep straight.

Setting out an even larger blast, he increased his speed even further, ignoring the rest as he was too far ahead for anything but an asspull to threaten him. He watched as the distance markers, placed at 20m intervals, blurred together, not even 2 seconds passing from when he saw one to the other.

820-700-780-760.

They kept going, gown as kept on moving, keeping his eyes on the price. There was some commotion further back, but he didn't bother with it as he kept going, trying to put as much distance between himself and the rest as possible.

600-580-560.

He was reaching the halfway point, and when he did, he put even more force into his blast, his sweat building up from the exertion and the fact that it was a warm spring day, both things he could use to only add to his explosive power. Bakugo smirked as he felt victory close as he continued, the distance closing as he got that much closer to claiming first place, as he always was destined to.

“U.A.'s Sports festival, the first-year stage, has been a real roller coaster of a ride, but it's ending after some amazing twists and surprises!” Present Mic went as Bakugo entered the final stretch, the tunnel that led back into the stadium.

“And the first team to make it to the finish is…” Present Mic paused to build suspense, but really, there was only one answer, which was proven when that person came out, crossing the finish line. “The Stylish Sapphires, represented by Bakugo Katsuki of the hero course!”

“Yeah!” Bakugo came to a stop, but when he moved to bask in his victory, he realized he was missing something. The cheering of the crowd and adoration of the spectators. “What the hell, they aren’t cheering…” He asked, looking around, and saw that they weren't even focused on him; instead, they kept their attention on the tunnel from the darkness. Bakugo saw a light forming, growing brighter as it got closer. Like a firework, Deku came rushing out, coated in flames as he crossed the finish line.

“And our second place goes to the Mighty Golds, presented by Midoriya Izuku of the hero course!”

That was when the audience cheered. Bakugo watched as Deku didn't immediately stop, skidding across the pitch as his flames died out. The man took a deep breath, sweaty and winded but still able to stand, as he smiled towards the spectators, who roared in excitement. Bakugo's brow twitched when he saw their faces glowing with passion, chapping and shouting…for second place. For Deku, and not for him.

What…the…fuck?!

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Watching the events from his dark room, Shigaraki sat at his desk. He would have preferred to play a game. Still, he couldn't pass up the chance to see what U.A.'s students could do to better plan his next attack. To his annoyance and confusion, one of the two most annoying of them had just taken second place, having displayed what he was sure to be 3 different quirks. That matched up to the USJ as that kid used an item that seemed to have several effect spells bonded to it, but this time weapon, it wasn't something that only a tool could do.

“Master.” Shigaraki spoke up.”

Off to the side was a TV that gave no picture, instead displaying an 'audio only' message. Through it, Shigaraki heard his master chuckling as wherever he happened to be, he also viewed things. "I didn’t doubt you or Kurogiri in your assessment, but seeing it for myself was quite the experience. I wonder…what is his quirk?”

“I’ve confirmed that he is the child of Professor Inko, though it seems his quirk registry was updated around 8 years ago.” The doctor who gave him that defective Nomu noted Shigaraki scratching at his neck in annoyance.

His master thought of it differently. “10 years is quite late, even for a late bloomer.”

“It's incredibly rare and, more than not, down to a false negative. However, I also discovered that Aoyama, the second student Shigaraki mentioned, was also quirkless until age 10.” The doctor added, which only made his master chuckle. About what? Shigaraki didn't know.

“How interesting, I can't lie. That intrigues me as I didn't give out quirks like those two in years. Still, perhaps another was born with comparable abilities. Look into things doctor, I want to know everything.” Well, that was good news for him as when his master looked into something, he learned all there was about it. That meant no more surprises from those two.

“I’ve already started.” The doctor was at least proactive, but that was maybe because he insisted that the Nomu wasn't defective and perhaps was trying to prove that it was because of Midoriya and Aoyama and their strangeness.

Having finished his conversation with the doctor, his master turned his attention back to Shigaraki. “Tomura, keep watching them. I'll continue to aid you in your efforts to see this world crumble, but it would be wise to figure out what your enemies and obstacles think. It will bring you one step closer to seeing them fall.”

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Midoriya was taking his breather on the field, as his run might have been shorter than the rest of the course. Still, it felt like he had run forever, having to get past Todoroki's ice and keep him off his back despite being faster. The ice user wasn't content to just chase him, so he had to improvise.

Did it secure them the win? Sadly not. Uraraka's team just proved too well suited for things from the tug-of-war onwards, but he had given it all he had, and…that felt like enough, at least for this. That feeling of accomplishment, pride, and joy only grew as he looked throughout the crowd to the tens of thousands of cheering people. Looking through them, he sadly couldn’t see where Saiko would be, but he could see his mother’s sky box.

The woman was hard to see, as she had fallen out of her seat out of relief. Still, he could feel that motherly love and pride for her only child, which only made him feel a similar relief, knowing that he had done her well.

The teachers, too, were happy with their performance, with All Might, in his weakened form, clapping along with them as he couldn't help but find the situation funny. For the longest time, even before his time as a student, the sports festival had been a competition where students aimed for the top, showing off to their peers and the entire world what they could do. It was designed to be overly individualistic, as friends and classmates would compete to claim victory.

Such a mindset was seen as necessary, a means to create not just capable heroes whose popularity depended on it but capable adults who support engineers, consultants, marketers, doctors, lawyers, and a myriad of other things. That desire to be above others can push you to achieve things you might not have thought possible, but not now. They had been placed into teams, and he and the rest saw how so many had pulled together and achieved some amazing things through everyone giving it their all.

His time was ending; Toshinori knew that he might need to retire before the year was out, but seeing young Uraraka lead her team so well, seeing the sort of competition she would have, would only push her to get better.

‘It really helps this old man sleep easy.’ All Might smiled, even if young Bakugo needed some work.

Below, All Might could hear members of Uraraka's team, the business course, talking about his successor. They had arrived with the rest who hadn't done the last leg, the man rolling his eyes but still smiling as he heard them talking about how she had plenty of advantages that could be levied in her favor if they had been in charge of her management, from her friendly and upbeat tune, her appearance and lastly, her versatile quirk. According to the first years, she was spoiled for choice, but one of them advised caution until they learned more to better market her.

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“And now, the rest of our relay runners are making it in." Todoroki took a breath as he heated himself, melting the frost that started to develop along his right side. However, his gaze landed on Midoriya, who had managed to land not one but 2 blows that saw him come in 3rd.

His frown became a scowl, and he could still feel the heat and taste embers on his tongue. He had worked hard to get this far, and he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way, not even someone with what seemed to be the perfect lab-produced quirk.

Some of him felt a deeper anger towards Midoriya, but he turned away and refused to entertain it. His time will come; he'll just have to be patient.

“I know that Bakugo has it out for you, but it seems like Todoroki was also eying you up," Hinata stated, standing at her holder's side. She had caught how the two boys had glared at Midoriya, but not here, which tracked as most probably didn’t wear the contacts daily like the rest of the people under Professor Midoriya’s employ.

Seijū Genrin laughed at Midoriya's side, not concerned about how the rest felt. “Can you blame him? We got him good there. He tried to slow us down and ate dust and Izuku's boot.”

Midoriya didn’t share her zeal for competition. “It’s a competition, so we gotta do what we must, but still, it wasn't like I enjoyed using him as a stepping stone."

“If he’s mature, he’ll understand that, but it’ll probably be best to give him space.” Shigeru shrugged.

“Midoriya,” Midoriya and his quirks turned as Tokoyami approached; Dark Shadow out, as with the two were Tsunotori and Sero. “Are you having a conversation?” Tokoyami might have looked him in the eye as he asked, but Dark Shadow focused on the 3 quirks gathered around Midoriya.

“It’s just about that last leg," Midoriya explained as his powers faded, returning to his inner world and giving his teammates a little bow. "Sorry about not taking first.”

Tokoyami shook his head. “No, if any are to hold blame, that would be me. If I had done a better job slowing down the competition, it would have put you into a better position.”

"No, Iida and Tokage were just too suited for that. Uraraka cheesed that tug-of-war, turning our lead into a chase for second place." Midoriya counted, as Uraraka really was the king-maker at that 2nd event. Still, she could have easily cleared the jungle if she had controlled her gravity's effects on people who floated across it; it may be if Bakugo had been a bigger team player.

Before Tokoyami could dispute that, Tsunotori jumped into things. “Nope, no way! We all did great out there!” She glared at both, daring them to contradict her. At the same time, both noted how sharp her horns looked and decided it wasn't worth the pain.

"I was a little worried about Asui, but she seems to be improving after that impromptu winter." Sero, happy that the two wouldn't go through a list of their faults, turned the conversation towards the other teams.

Agoyamato approached along with the rest of their team. The general studies students had heard some of what they had discussed. “Well, besides how crazy things got out there, I'll say that we came out looking pretty good. Besides, second place isn't bad; it puts us in better standing than the other two."

“Still,” Furasu started, but Kirishima stopped her before she could let anxiety win.

"Trust me, if we are at fault, it's certainly not you. Your support items are a big reason we got this far. Who knows, we could have a chance to use them again…well, the ones we didn't break." He joked, apologizing for that last part as she just hadn't figured the thing would be modded on the fly and used as the world's weirdest bus for them. However, she must have gotten some great data should she try to build an upsized model.

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With the students having gathered in the field, Midnight took to the stage to continue presenting things. “With that, the first event of the first-year sports festival, the obstacle race, has concluded. Now let's look at the results." With that, she directed attention to the screens, which didn't just show the placement but also who the one who ran over the finish line was, with it being all those who were the last relay runners.

First place: Stylish Sapphires

Second place: Mighty Golds

Third place: Swift Blacks

Fourth place: Burning Sunsets

Some people found Bakugo's image funny, as he looked both furious and constipated despite taking first, but Midnight moved things along. “In the next event, each team will send out 8 people to participate. However, before we get to that, we would like to thank everyone for competing now, but as much as thanks from me is a reward enough,” she joked, which is more than people getting rosy cheeks or pulling on their collars. “We have something else.”

With that, another frame appeared. This time, it looked like another animation of their principal sitting on a giant money bag marked with a golden yen sign, only for it to explode, sending him flying as one of the gold coins landed on the screen with a message written on it.

Bonus points

It wasn't just the audience but the students who were confused by this, as there had been no mention of points before or during the last event. They had just been told that it was a race and thrown in. What would possibly be scored in that? How long did it take? How did they handle it? Were they going to be penalised for style or lack thereof or destruction to the course, as that felt unfair when they had been told that at some parts they could go ham?

Midnight's smile made it clear that she knew what sort of questions they had, but she didn't offer them an explanation. “You don't see things, but we'll explain that little nugget in a moment as we have another event lined up. I know what it is, but you don't, but what could it be? What could it be?” The mountain of gold coins was cleaned off the screen by the animated Nezu, revealing something buried by the coins.

Scavenger Hunt

That was a familiar activity for them, something most had done at some point or another, either at summer camp or in a school activity. Some had only heard of the term, like Todoroki, while Yaoyorozu had seen it in fiction. However, the schools she attended did not have such an activity growing up.

“I can already taste the confusion but also excitement in the air,” Midnight snapped her whip. “But as you should know, this won’t be a simple little game with items hidden around the field, but below it. Cementoss?”

At the signal, the hero in question nodded and placed his hands onto the ground, the part that was exposed concreate. With but a thought, he shifted them around to reveal four openings before shaping them into proper entrances into the earth, with concrete markers for each time and a sigh that read 'mall' over each.

That done, Midnight took things back to explain. “There are the entrances to an underground complex built to mimic a shopping mall. It was the epicenter of a massive villain capture mission, and it's still a big mess, so expect the structure to be unstable, debris, and some paths and storefronts to be caved in."

As she spoke, animated Nezu appeared again, waving at the audience as he pulled out a little scroll and unfurled it to reveal a crude, near childish drawing of the labyrinth that awaited them, one of which was several treasure shapes. “Scattered around will be scavenger items; each will be assigned to one of the four teams, but you can steal those from others if you like.” Along with her explanation, the team of blanks found an item, while another had theirs stolen by another team who rushed off.

"I get it. If you can't build points, you might as well stop others from doing the same." Honenuki noted, though, that it seemed like a strategy of last resort. If this place was bugged, you'd be better served if everyone was searching, but that depended on the rules, as he could be wrong about that.

“You'll get just a single clue, and with each item you find, you'll get another, leading you to the next.” Midnight’s explanation helped decide which he was as she continued. “Depending on the item and its condition, when you return, you'll be rewarded points. Remember that you'll only have 20 minutes to enter, find as many items as possible, and return to the surface. If any team member does not return when the time runs out, the entire team will be penalized.”

The animation of a team leaving someone to keep looking while the rest returned to the service as time ran out was cute. Still, with that animated Nezu immediately hitting them with a penalty hammer, they could see it would be a bad idea. Another showed a team giving up after what looked to be a cave-in-stranded one as the rest left them, which got the same result.

“Now that items will come with a set value ranked from S, the best to the least wanted, D. Starting from D, items are worth just 10 points and double with each ranking. A ranked are worth 80 points, but S-ranked are worth 200 points!” Midnight's explanation was followed by animated Nezu showing off each crate marked with the label denoted which, the least valuable one being a little more the standard crate. At the same time, the S was made from gold and shining.

"That's a lot from just a single item," Komori noted.

"No kidding, grab a couple of those, and you'll set," Kaminari added.

To which Jiro shook her head. “Which only implies that they’re the hardest to find and secure, as they’ll mean nothing if we return with the items damaged or destroyed.”

“But now we get to the bonus part! As before, this is a team-centric task, but one that will be boasted of by your previous collective performance!” Midnight returned to that bonus comment, which had the audience leaning in, curious about this hidden mode coming out.

“We watched you during that obstacle race, and we'll be rewarding bonus points to teams who performed the best together and those who gave the most for the collective, not just points but also items and benefits that will aid you in your search.” With Midnight's explanation, many students groaned, asking how they could be judged on that when some didn't even like each other.

But for many who took the hero course entrance exam, the general one at least, they compared this hidden system to the hidden rescue points. Midoriya, especially as the entire point of keeping them hidden was to judge them without the promise of reward for good deeds. It was the same here; they had been told to work together, so why wouldn't they judge on more than just overall performance but how well their teams functioned?

“Let's watch a replay to see what we meant.” What came was a highlight reel of moments from the obstacle race, one that didn't feature Bakugo in the slightest, but to his ire, featured moments of Midoriya buffing his teammates, Hatsume's support gear being utilized to its best capacity, Yaoyorozu creating tools for her teammates, Kuroiro zipping around, Kaminari powering his team’s gear, Todoroki and Monoma working in tandem with fire and ice.

It went in for another couple of minutes, and when it ended, many of those featured were a little embarrassed by it, especially Furasu, whom Tsunotori was hugging and calling a real MVP.

“As you all know, plenty were ideal team players and ensured their skills and strengths helped those in their teams flourish, and because of that, this is the board as it stands!” With that information out there, the screen changed to show the current scoreboard, one that flipped things on what had been the leaderboard.

Swift Blacks: 240 points. Star Players – Yanagi, Monoma and Todoroki

Mighty Golds: 100 points. Star Players – Midoriya and Furasu

Burning Sunsets: 80 points. Star Players – Kuroiro and Yaoyorozu

Stylish Sapphires: 80 points. Star Players Uraraka and Hatsume

“What the hell? How they’d get that high up?” Bakugo yelled as his team was now tied for last.

Kamakiri snorted, glaring at their short-tempered and ill-tempered teammate. "Maybe we could have gotten more bonus points if you didn't keep bailing on us." Bakugo turned back to him, a nasty look at him, but he restrained himself, though Kamakiri matched his glare.

"Well, that makes sense; if not for any of them, our entire strategy would have fallen apart," Shishida noted.

“Told you were a star player, Furasu!” Kaminari pat the support engineer’s back a little too hard, but Tsunotori kept her on her feet.

“For the team who got the most, you'll receive a larger cart, with internal cushioning and shock-absorbing wheels, as you don't need to worry too much about stuff breaking.” Midnight explained as the animated Nezu pulled out a cart that represented that, looking like it was designed to move through some bad terrain, with durable, large wheels.

“For the Golds, you can choose between a larger cart with either internal cushioning or shock-absorbing wheels.” With the second, animated Nezu wheeled out a second one, which, side to side with the first, was clearly inferior.

“And for everyone else, you’ll get a regular cart with either of those options.” With the last one, Nezu just brought out the one, which looked to be the most basic of the group, the sort that seemingly had no features and was to be pulled by a string at the front. Even if its size was smaller, as when Midnight said it was regular, she meant it as it was maybe 2 thirds the size of the other two.

Ojiro sighed, happy that his team would get one of the better ones, but that still left him with a difficult challenge. "Of course, that's how it'll be; we shouldn't have expected anything worse."

"Hold on, they're sending us into an abandoned structure with a cart and task to retrieve valuables with different values that can break; why does that sound familiar?" Ashido was sure she had heard of a game with a similar theme; you even got gadgets.

“Focus on the task and daydream later, Ashido.” Monoma reminded her as she blew a little raspberry his way.

After explaining the event and its rules, Midnight started the clock. “You’ll have 5 minutes to pick those 8 that will venture into the depths!”

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Another Sunday evening, another chapter started, and the official start of the writing week for me. Still, it's really cold here. It's not enough that I miss the heat, but it's close. Also, I've been debating it for a while now, but I'll put this and More Than You Think on pause for a few weeks. I have another WIP, well-several actually, but I'm focusing on just the 2 that I would like to put more work into and get chapters uploaded for them sometime this month if I'm lucky.