While the trio battled elsewhere, the chaos of the Shipwreck Zone boiled over into its own brutal confrontation.
Inside, Midoriya and Tsuyu stood on the half-sunken vessel, surrounded on all sides by murky waters and shadowy figures darting beneath the surface. The tension was suffocating—thick with salt, sweat, and the echo of distant explosions from other zones.
Midoriya's green eyes darted across the horizon, scanning for patterns in enemy movement. Sweat beaded down his forehead, not from the heat, but from the pressure.
"Midoriya, you alright?" Tsuyu's voice was calm, but carried concern. She crouched beside him, her stance ready, tongue twitching in anticipation.
"I'm fine, Asuyi," he muttered, blinking the sting of sweat out of his eyes.
"I told you to call me Tsu," she reminded him with her usual bluntness, glancing sideways.
Her tone wasn't harsh, but firm—comforting in the middle of the madness. He gave a small, apologetic smile. "Right. Tsu."
"This is turning out to be a weird day of class," she added, eyes narrowing on the movement beneath the waves.
Midoriya nodded silently. His thoughts flashed to Kurogiri—the chilling words about All Might… about why he wasn't there. Doubt crept into his heart, but he pushed it down. Heroes couldn't afford to freeze up. Not now.
"Due to the villains being of the water variety," Midoriya murmured, voice low and thoughtful, "I think they somehow knew the zones. They planned for this."
Tsu's eyes widened slightly as the realization sank in. She began thinking faster—calculating paths, distances, escape angles.
Suddenly, the boat rocked violently. A massive CRACK echoed through the air as a watery blade slashed along the hull, sending shards of wood flying. Villains had started to act, surrounding the boat, sending waves to crash against it and attempting to knock them off.
"Tsu, can you jump into the air and grab me with your tongue after I use my Quirk?" Midoriya asked quickly, urgency building in his voice.
"Yeah, of course."
A watery hand erupted from the ocean, made entirely of pressurized liquid—shimmering, translucent, but powerful enough to crush steel. It gripped the edge of the boat, yanking it further into the drink.
"ASU—Tsu! I have an idea!"
Tsu shot him a deadpan stare at the half-corrected name but listened. Midoriya outlined a quick hit-and-run tactic: create chaos with One For All, and then escape midair with Tsu's help.
They nodded, syncing their timing silently.
Midoriya launched into the air. He twisted, placing his right hand against his left index finger—flicking forward with a blast of One For All.
BOOOOM!
A shockwave tore through the air, striking the water's surface and ripping a massive crater into it. The blast created a whirlpool, sucking in enemies with alarming speed. Screams echoed as villains were dragged down into the vortex, too fast to react, too late to escape.
"DAMNNN ITTTTTT!!!!!!!!"
It wasn't Midoriya yelling. That was Bakugo.
From the left, an explosive blur shot into view. Bakugo was flying—half-soaring, half-raging—clenching a thick vine between his teeth like reins. At the end of the vine was Sho, attached to both ends like a living harness.
Sho pounded his wooden plates like a man possessed, hands a blur. From his chest, shoulders, and arms, blue-veined plants burst outward—an eerie species of Iceberg Lettuce that shimmered with cold energy.
During training, these plants had been used against Bakugo. Now, they were working together.
The lettuces dropped into the whirlpool, glowing brighter by the second before erupting into a burst of cryo-energy. The water solidified mid-spin, crystallizing the whirlpool into a jagged ice sculpture, its frozen spikes locking the villains in place.
"All right, let's go!" Sho barked.
"I'M NOT YOUR DAMN HORSE!!" he immediately screamed at Sho, who was still banging his plates like a battle drummer.
As Bakugo flew over Midoriya and Tsu, Sho leaned forward, stretching out a hand. He grabbed Tsu's wrist as she extended hers, yanking her midair with Midoriya still wrapped in her tongue.
Midoriya flailed for a second, wind roaring past them.
"Thank you, Kacchan!" he shouted.
"Shut up!!" Bakugo snapped, though his trajectory didn't change—still flying them all to safety, fury trailing behind him like smoke.
Below, the ice statue groaned under its weight, then shattered outward with a crackling sound—sending shards of frozen water and unconscious villains bobbing to the surface.
The Shipwreck Zone had fallen silent for now.