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My Miraculous Academia: The Pinnacle of Human Achievement
🕑 Added 2024-03-31 23:34:01 +0000 UTCQuick Author's Note: I am so sorry, this isn't quite complete yet. It's pretty far along, but there's still a significant portion of the ending I still need to write, followed by editing. I figured I'd post what I have right now for you guys, and if I can, I'll update it next week.
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"Unlike everybody else, first place will be worth ten million points."
Izuku stood there blankly for a moment.
Ten million points? Like, one million, but ten times?!
Izuku was already feeling the strain from the previous round, along with the ever present emotions of the crowd. Becoming the focal point of dozens of contestants nearly brought him to his knees.
If it hadn't been for Momo's hand on his back, he probably would have fainted.
"That's right!" Midnight cheered, her whip cracking and bringing Izuku out of his daze. "It's an enticing score, isn't it? Round two is where those at the bottom unite to chase after the ones on top!"
Izuku gulped, the pressure from everybody's stares increasing slightly. Surprisingly, it wasn't all hostile - there were several considering looks as well.
"You'll have fifteen minutes to make a team!" Midnight instructed. "Remember, losing your headband is not a disqualification! You'll still be in the game till the time is up, so don't ever give up!"
Ok, Izuku breathed a little easier at that. It not being an instant loss was good.
Maybe he could barter his headband with somebody else? It wasn't like they needed to get first place, right?
Maybe Kacchan? He liked competition, so…
Izuku glanced over and shuddered at the feral look the blonde was giving him.
Uh, nope. Deep survival instincts were telling him that wouldn't work.
"Quirks are allowed," Midnight went on. "However, if I see anything malicious you'll be disqualified immediately! Only the top four teams will be moving on to the final round, so do your best!" She stood on the stage watching the students for a couple seconds. "Well? What are you waiting for?!" She looked at them disapprovingly. "You're all on the clock! Start forming teams!"
This time, the moment Midnight finished students began grouping together, heading for their classmates and friends.
Izuku was happy to see Tokoyami immediately snatched up - sure, it probably happened so he couldn't team up with Izuku again, but still. At least the other student (and maybe new friend?) was getting some appreciation.
Even if Dark Shadow kept looking at him longingly.
However, the majority of people were avoiding his gaze. And he couldn't truly blame them - for those that didn't know him, it was safer to trust their friends. For those that did know him, they'd want to prove themselves on their own terms.
The addition of being the biggest target was an extra deterrent.
Speaking of…
Izuku turned and looked at Momo, who was observing the other teams forming. "M-Momo, are you sure you still want to team up?"
Momo looked startled at the question. "Of course, we are partners, aren't we?" He felt a stab of uncertainty from her. "Unless you wish to separate? I admit, I just assumed after our hypothesis regarding the second round that we would work together, but - "
"No no no, I'm totally fine with it!" Izuku hastily assured her, overjoyed and relieved beyond belief.
The two of them had known the second round would be team-based in some way, but he hadn't dared to assume.
"Then we shall." Momo beamed at him. "I admit, becoming a target this early wasn't exactly expected. But if worse comes to worse we could toss it aside as a distraction while we steal some others."
Izuku found himself calming down.
That's it, he needed to do something nice for Momo. He had no idea what, but for putting up with him and everything she'd done for him, she deserved it.
"Hey guys!" The two turned to see Uraraka jogging over to them with a bright smile. "Got room for another?"
"Uraraka!" Izuku exclaimed, "A-are you sure? We're going to be the target of everybody here…"
Uraraka gave him a strange look. "Between you and Yoayorozu, I think I'll be fine." She assured him. "Besides, it's always better to team up with your friends, right?"
Izuku had to hold back a few tears. Who could have known that having friends was so nice?
"Team up with me first place!"
"Gah!"
The sudden declaration behind him, followed by the wave of sheer emotion, caused Izuku to leap backwards with a yelp.
A girl. Pink hair, goggles. Manic expression.
It also looked a tad familiar…
"Y-you were at the beach cleanup." Izuku realized, remembering a girl that Power-Loader Sensei had had to monitor almost the entire time.
"Yep! That's me! I was able to make so many babies from all of that!" The girl gushed.
Izuku's brain promptly blue-screened.
"My name is Mei Hatsume, from the support department!" She introduced herself enthusiastically. "Everybody's gonna be looking at first place, right?! I need you so people can see my babies!"
"I-I-I-what?" Izuku's brain attempted to reboot, and failed. "B-b-babies? W-what do you mean?!"
"My babies!" Mei repeated cheerfully. "I've been working on them for weeks! And all the material I got from your project was a huge boost! All the big support companies are gonna be watching, and now's the perfect time for me to show them off!"
Wait, taking away the words themselves, it sounded like she was talking about -
"Excuse me, Hatsume?" Momo interjected, pulling Izuku back from the girl, giving him a chance to breathe. "Are you talking about your inventions?"
"Exactly!" The girl beamed. "If everybody is looking at your team, then your team is where I want to be!"
Ok, good, good. The world made sense once more.
"Of course, in return for the publicity, you guys get to use my stuff! As a support student, I'm able to use any and all of my babies for the events - take a look!"
Hatsume began bringing out various pieces of equipment, with Momo and Uraraka asking a few questions regarding her inventions - they did look fascinating - but Izuku got caught looking at her emotions.
First off, was the love and affection she had for her inventions. The pride she felt as she described each one (oh my gosh, was that Air Jet's jetpack?!) was unmistakable.
Then there was excitement and desire, combined with an overwhelming determination that he was kinda in awe over, as well as joy.
He couldn't detect any fear or anxiety amongst the bright emotions. No darkness or shades indicating she was hiding anything.
Mei Hatsume… Was exactly how she presented herself. What you saw is what you got. Already, his butterflies were dancing around her in eager anticipation, luxuriating in the emotions being broadcasted.
"Excuse me, Hatsume?" Izuku asked hesitantly, interrupting the other's explanation, "are you aware of what my quirk does?"
Mei looked at him blankly. "Does it really matter?" She asked blandly.
That… Huh. That was probably the first time he had ever heard somebody say that in regards to quirks.
Hesitating briefly, Izuku glanced at Momo and Uraraka to make sure they were alright with this, before turning back to the pink haired engineer.
"Kind of," Izuku answered, reaching out and letting a butterfly land on his hand, and in a few moments he was presenting the butterfly to Hatsume.
"You want to show off your work." He murmured as Hatsume's eyes zoomed in and out on the butterfly, seemingly entranced by what she saw. "Hatsume, will you become my Champion?"
Her eyes zoomed in on his, burning curiosity clear on her face. "Yes."
The butterfly flew up to her goggles and melded with it, and Izuku breathed out slowly.
"Then let us show everybody the Pinnacle that technology can achieve."
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Several minutes later
Present Mic's POV
"Five minutes in, and we're already seeing some interesting matchups amongst the contestants out there! And it looks like Team Midoriya is taking advantage of that time already!" Present Mic boomed excitedly from the announcers booth.
Oh man, he really wanted to comment more on just what they were doing - but it required a special balance to commentate on events like this.
You had to hype things up for both audience and contestants, give insightful commentary for all kids - not just crowd favorites - all while not spoiling the strategies of the contestants.
Yet as he remarked on some of the other teams, he found his gaze continually drifting to Team Midoriya.
Observing the Hatsume girl as she emerged from the smoke, cackling like a villain, Present Mic hadn't been sure what to think.
Her entire outfit had changed, much like Tokoyami and his shadow had. Hatsume, however, had simply undergone a costume change.
Instead of the UA uniform, she sported an outfit that practically shouted 'Steampunk'. Well-worn leather jacket and vest, goggles that he vaguely remembered her having previously hung around her neck, and her hair was brought back into a ponytail. A variety of belts and buckles carrying tools wrapped across the ensemble. And was it just him or was her entire right arm robotic now?!
But most concerning was probably how she practically sparked with electricity.
After a moment of Midoriya talking with Yaoyorozu, the girl began to produce items. Items that, as soon as they formed, Hatsume's electricity would spark to, where it would then be dismantled, or reform somewhat. The pieces were flying around Hatsume in a chaotic swirl, connecting and forming by themselves.
And it wasn't just items from Yaoyorozu - Hatsume had brought quite a few support equipment with her, and then there was Yaoyorozu's shadow motorcycle monstrosity from the previous round. They, too, were disassembling and reassembling at rapid speeds.
A technomancer, his mind supplied.
It was a good system.
The boosted Hatsume, thanks to Midoriya, had a bountiful amount of equipment to draw upon. Yaoyorozu would then provide what they didn't have, and Hatsume made use of her own knowledge from the support class. This actually covered Yaoyorozu's weakness of having to know exactly what it was she was creating. With the inclusion of Uraraka, he felt he had a pretty good grasp of what their strategy would be.
"Can we get a comment on what you think your students are up to, Eraserhead?" Present Mic asked cheerfully before blinking and looking beside him.
At the empty seat.
"Eraserhead? Where... Eraserhead! What are you doing down there? You can't commentate like that!"
A grunt came out. "Shut up. If I can't see the BS that's about to happen, it might not actually be happening. I blame Powerloader's student."
Their radio crackled to life.
"Eraserhead! What the heck has your student done to my student?!"
A hand reached out and turned the radio off.
"As I was saying, it's Powerloader's fault."
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Todoroki's POV
Todoroki had frowned when Yaoyorozu had joined Midoriya's team.
Not that it was unexpected, what with them having become both friends and class president and vice-president, but he was disappointed all the same.
Both she and Midoriya had quirks that were extremely versatile. Yaoyorozu could create something for any situation, while Midoriya could change somebody to fit any situation.
Honestly, the fact that Midoriya hadn't chosen either Uraraka or Tokoyami was relieving and worrisome. During their first Battle class, Uraraka had shown she could lift entire buildings under Izuku's influence, while Tokoyami had become a terrifying… thing.
Either one would have been a powerful ally in this particular bout.
Yet Midoriya had chosen somebody unknown.
Why?
Todoroki sighed to himself. He wanted those 10 million points, but he was smart enough to know when to play it safe.
"We'll pick off the other teams while everybody is focused on first place." He informed his teammates. Iida and Aoyama both nodded, while Kaminari looked confused.
"We're not aiming for first?" The electricity user asked.
"The most important thing is to pass the round." Todoroki replied firmly. He was willing to lose the battle in order to win the war. "If we see an opportunity to take them, we'll address it then, but they are a lower priority."
Kaminari shrugged. "If you say so, but I think they messed it up this time." He snickered as he looked at the group.
Team Midoriya were currently standing in a boat.
It looked like a stereotypical, old-fashioned sailing boat, though Todoroki would admit he was hardly the most knowledgeable on that topic.
It wasn't large, but it still fit them comfortably. It looked to be made entirely out of metal, gears seen through certain areas along the hull, a single mast in the center.
The unknown student stood in the back with some kind of interface, still cackling every once in a while. The other three stood in various places on the boat
It was impressive that they managed to make it, but he couldn't see how it would help them this round.
"I mean, sure, they're gonna have some trick or other, that's obvious, but they can't expect to hold off everybody with that, can they?" Kaminari asked with a raised eyebrow. "I get that he's been impressive so far, but everybody makes mistakes."
Iida rubbed his chin, "Perhaps, but it is clear that they had some idea they were going for," he replied stiffly, but with a degree of hesitance.
"Oui, but perhaps they attempted to sparkle too much and burnt out, non?" Aoyama asked with a small pose.
Whether that was true or not…
"We can't get tunnel vision and lose out on getting other points. People will be after us as well." Todoroki shot down before looking at the other team once more.
"Looks like our time is up!" Present Mic shouted. "And man, I sure see some interesting teams, don't you Eraserhead?"
"Hmph."
Todoroki shook his head. "Alright, get ready." He warned them as he let himself be carried on their shoulders.
"Alright! With that affirmation, let's begin the countdown!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Start!" Midnight called out, cracking her whip.
Predictably, as one, every team turned and charged towards Midoriya's team in their land bound 'boat'.
At the same time, Midoriya's team made their move.
It started with a low humming sound, the bottom of the boat beginning to glow was the only warning.
A large burst of air exploded out from the ship, large thrusters lining the bottom lifted the boat into the air. Sails unfurled and sparkled in some kind of interface pattern in the sun, tendrils of electricity flowing down the pole into the ship proper. Meanwhile, multiple gears shifted and whirled, bringing several guns into view.
It was an intimidating sight, as well as impressive.
"You think you can stand up to my babies?" A voice called down as everybody stood in shock at the sight. The unknown pink haired girl stood up to the bow, hands on her hips as she smirked at them all. "You think you stand at the top? Then come! Test your mettle against the true Pinnacle!"
The other teams hesitated…
"DEKU!"
But not all of them.
Todoroki wasn't sure what beef Bakugou had against Midoriya. Didn't care, actually. But the blonde was usually content to keep it to glares and snarls.
Now though, Bakugou was being more proactive as he blasted his way skyward, his explosions carrying him up towards the ship in an impressive display of control and strength.
The blonde hurled himself towards the ship at breakneck speeds…
Only for Yoayorozu to man one of the guns and fire at him.
Right before the projectiles hit him, Bakugou threw a hand out, an explosion meeting whatever it was.
However, instead of rubber bullets, as Todoroki expected, the projectiles broke apart into foam, which rapidly expanded and hardened around Bakugou's arms.
Unable to create any explosions, he began to fall…
Until Sero's tape caught him and yanked him back.
"Gelifoam Lattice Organism Obstructor, or GLOO!" The pink haired girl shouted cheerfully. "Quick hardening flame retardant glue that expands as it hardens! Perfect for restraining suspects and putting out flame or electrical hazards!"
Todoroki watched as the girl began to describe the various features of the boat and its weaponry.
This… Would be interesting.
The air quickly filled with projectiles and explosions.
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Izuku's POV
You would think that showing a strong approach would manage to dissuade some people.
N-not everybody! But if there was a duel between two fighters, and the first guy absolutely destroyed their first opponent, it should make everybody else hesitate, right?
It was why Izuku had instructed Pinnacle to say what she did. He knew that somebody (Kacchan) would take the bait. Seeing somebody taken out that quickly should make others wary.
Izuku ducked down just in time to dodge one of Mineta's balls.
Wrong.
It made them more determined.
Plus Ultra?
"Two teams, Tsurburaba and Shishida, coming up on the back starboard side!" Izuku called out as he refilled his gun and fired haphazardly.
Tsurburaba, who was creating platforms with which to get to the airship, quickly made a barrier to catch the expanding foam.
The ship shuddered, and Uraraka turned slightly green. "Kendo's throwing rocks on this side!" She called out weakly.
"On it!" Pinnacle called back cheerfully as she spun a wheel. With a deep thrum, the ship shot over the groups to the other side of the arena and away from the pocket of Class 1-B teams.
Avoidance was the better part of valor at the moment. They didn't need more points - they just needed to defend what they had.
Which was getting considerably more difficult.
Quirks were flying left and right in an attempt to hit the airborne ship. Lasers, explosions, boulders, scrap, and even body parts flew across the arena.
In the midst of all of it, Pinnacle guided the ship with maniacal laughter, keeping them moving while dodging threats.
Uraraka was using her quirk to negate the ship's weight, giving them vital maneuverability while also doing her best to keep an eye out. But even with the anti-nausea pills Momo had given her, she was clearly flagging.
That left him and Momo on protection duty.
Momo grunted as she brought in a net. "Got another hand." She said wearily, quickly tying the disembodied limb down next to another hand and leg they'd caught, along with the flock of birds Koda had sent. "Whoever this is, I hope they're running out of body parts."
"Unless they have high speed regeneration, probably." Izuku agreed as he focused on the most determined emotions… There! He quickly shot several shots at Jirou's team, and she and her ear jacks quickly retreated.
Mental note: see if UA provides gun lessons. They had Snipe as a teacher, so it had to be offered in some capacity, right?
"Looks like Shouji's going after others now," Uraraka called from her side. "Buncha teams still -" She was cut off by Pinnacle.
"Hold on!" Pinnacle exclaimed, barely giving them a chance to grab anything as the ship lurched and dodged several screws that had increased in size, a move that caused Uraraka to turn green. "Hah!"
Izuku breathed a quick sigh of relief. "H-how's everybody holding up?"
Uraraka managed a shaky thumbs up. Pinnacle didn't say anything, but he heard her mental acknowledgment given with a cheerful tune. Momo gave a frown. "We're running low on ammo, and I can't make any more for a little bit. And I'm worried that Todoroki hasn't made his move yet."
"Y-yeah, and Kacchan hasn't come back since that first attempt." Izuku but his lip worriedly.
The two heavy hitters of their class not making their move was worrisome.
He had actually been expecting Todoroki to attack straight away. Instead, it seemed he was playing the long game. Which was, admittedly, smart. More nerve wracking for them though.
Uraraka groaned. "Maybe they're content with second and third place?" She suggested hopefully.
Izuku pursed his lips and didn't reply. Based on her emotions, not even Uraraka believed her words.
"We just need to hold out for a little while longer." Izuku said determinedly. "We're getting tired, but so is everybody else."
It was a battle of attrition.
An emotion suddenly tickled the edge of Izuku's senses. One directed at them. Anticipation.
Izuku's eyes widened. "Pull up! Hurry!"
There was a familiar rumble, and suddenly a mountain of ice erupted in the arena. It reached up and, to his shock, actually managed to encompass a portion of their ship, enough for both him and Momo to yelp and leap away from the sudden ice on the sides.
Todoroki really was amazing, wasn't he?
"We're stuck!" Pinnacle called out, brow furrowed. "We can't risk pulling free without damaging the hull!"
"Never mind that," Izuku quickly looked over the edge. "Where's Todoroki?"
To his surprise, Todoroki wasn't taking advantage of their sudden immobilization. Izuku looked all around the ship, but for the life of him Izuku couldn't spot him.
If that wasn't suspicious, he didn't know what was.
He could see the other teams though.
Every team that was at risk of not qualifying (and a few that weren't) charged up the iceberg (and it was really unfair that Todoroki didn't make it slippery or something).
"Prepare to repel boarders!" Pinnacle shouted, pulling on some gloves.
Izuku and Momo instantly began shooting, at both the teams and the slope itself, making it more difficult to traverse, but it was only a stopgap.
Shishida was the first. In full beast form, he towered over everybody else. Rin, his only other teammate, was on his back smirking at them. "Is this where I tell you to walk the plank?"
Shishida lunged forward at Izuku, only for Izuku to dodge and Momo to snap forward to grab his arm. Twisting her body, and with far more strength than the other team expected, the two went tumbling down the other side of the iceberg.
Even without being actively transformed, Momo's base strength had increased.
"Hiryu Rin has touched the ground! Team Rin is out!"
Next was Team Hagakure. "Sorry about this Momo!" Jiro called out, while Sato was shielding them with two large slabs of metal.
Up until Pinnacle dashed forward and slammed her gloved fists into Sato's shields. Electricity jolted through the metal and traveled through the entire group, making it easy for Izuku and Momo to push them down the slope.
"Sorry Jiro," Momo called back with a wince.
This went on for a while, up until they heard a loud crack of ice. Izuku looked over the edge into the ice below and blanched.
"Ibara's vines are digging through the ice!" He shouted in alarm. She had mentioned she could go through concrete, so it made sense she could go through ice... "We need to move, now!"
"Gah!" Pinnacle dashed over to her terminal and messed around with a few things, eventually pulling a lever. "Deploying depth charge!"
… Wait, deploying what?!
There was a loud kerchunk! And a cylindrical object fell through a portion of the ship that wasn't frozen. A few seconds later, and a loud concussive blast shook not only the iceberg and ship, but the entire arena. Izuku felt his entire body vibrate with the force.
More importantly, the ice cracked. Weakened by the incoming vines, the rest of the ice collapsed, setting them free once more.
The entire ship lurched from side to side as it stabilized, and everybody clutching whatever they could. The moment things smoothed out, Izuku was able to breathe easier.
For all of two seconds before a loud explosion caused him to freeze up.
"DEKU!" Bakugou screamed, already in the air and on a direct course to clash with them. "You and your dumb nerd team are dead!"
"Incoming!" Izuku shouted in alarm (and sure, it wasn't necessary as Bakugou was making enough noise, but he was in a bit of a crisis mode at the moment!) as he brought his gun to bear.
"On it!" Momo began firing at Bakugou, but the blonde was clearly expecting it and dodged.
"Same!" Pinnacle called as she twirled the wheel, thrusters blazing, but Izuku could already see that they weren't moving fast enough. Bakugou was smaller and lighter than their ship. Izuku could only watch as Bakugou swiftly closed the gap despite Pinnacle's efforts, about to grab the rail -
"Uraraka! Release!" Izuku shouted.
The ship dropped, and Bakugou's momentum sent him flying over them with a surprised look.
It wasn't a freefall - their thrusters were still working, and he could tell from his link to Pinnacle that this wouldn't crash them. But it was still an uncomfortable feeling, and without Uraraka removing their weight they were limited to about five feet off the ground.
Bakugou was caught by his team once more, but before he could charge at them again his own headband was yanked off telekinetically.
Monomo from Class 1-B casually caught the points, giving Bakugou a smug smirk. They were too far away for Izuku to hear him, but it was clearly a taunt of some sort. As they began to run away, Monoma gave Izuku a quick wink.
Whatever was said was clearly effective, as Bakugou erupted. Izuku wasn't sure he had seen the other boy so angry as he demanded he chase the other team instead of Izuku.
… Having friends was so nice.
He just hoped they'd be able to keep Bakugou at bay long enough. Depending on what quirks Monomo had gathered it was possible.
Still, that was one of the major obstacles out of their way. That just left -
"I'll be taking that headband now."
A surge of ice, smaller than before but no less effective, froze their airship once more.
Todoroki's team had arrived.
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Present Mic's POV
"And after waiting practically the entire game, Team Todoroki is making their move!" Present Mic declared excitedly.
"They waited till their opponent was worn down by everybody else, and even assisted said opponents to ensure it happened." Aizawa observed with approval. "Time is running out, and teams are starting to flag from exhaustion. Now is the opportune time to strike."
"But Team Todoroki isn't the only one still going strong! Team Midoriya's weathered the assault this long, will they be able to continue? I'm at the edge of my seat!"
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TBC
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Author’s Note:
Hopefully everybody likes Pinnacle so far! She's a Champion idea I had a while ago, and have only just now gotten to her. Her powerset is taken from the antagonist from "Sky High" - a technomancer that could wave her hand and cause pieces of technology to assemble together. It seemed pretty fitting for Mei.
Hopefully I've pulled off the battles alright thus far. Even for two miraculous users, having to fend off every single team filled with superpowered teens for 15-30 minutes has gotta be rough, right?
Comments
Adam Costello
Awesome start! Love empowered Mei, so steampunk and flying ship. Lol Todoroki worried about Ixuku's ability. And power loader worried about what Izuku did to Mei. He's only brought out her best. Crazy as it is. (Chef kiss) Great start.
