"Poor Midoriya…" Akiko half-whispered as she looked at the boy in question.

Jomei nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if we're being honest here, this is kind of the worst-case scenario for him. First place may let you steal everyone else's thunder by default, but it also paints a target on your head that no one's going to want to get near in terms of teaming up with you. I'm surprised I didn't realize it sooner…"

"Makes fifth place seem a lot less terrible, huh?"

"Yeah," Jomei conceded.

"First-years! These are the rules you'll abide by!" Midnight's voice rang out and interrupted their conversation. The hologram behind her flickered to display the heroes' point values. "The game itself will last fifteen minutes! Individual point values will be added together to reach your team totals! Everyone will know how much you're worth at a glance to the headbands each team's rider will be given. Swipe as many as you can to raise your team's score! And don't worry, they're made of velcro, and taken off easily!" Once more, the screen shifted to show All Might as he became increasingly encumbered by headbands. "Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. Thus, the more you steal the harder it will be for you to manage them. And another thing – even if yours gets stolen or your team falls down, you can keep playing until time's up!"

"It's anyone's game, then," Yaoyorozu observed thoughtfully.

"And since there are 42 contestants that means there'll be ten to twelve teams all fighting on the field the entire time," Kyoka added.

Denki groaned. "Ugh, that sounds hard."

"But, wait, if you lose your headband at the beginning, that means you have more time to come up with a plan, right?" Ashido asked.

"I don't know, Mina," Tsu said uncertainly. "We should probably wait to see how the teams turn out before we start strategizing."

"This is going to be rough," Midnight continued. "Just like the first event, you may use your Quirks as much as you like, but there are still rules. Make a team fall on purpose and I'll slap you with a red card! You'll be disqualified! You've got fifteen minutes to build your teams. I recommend you get started!"

A timer replaced the image that came before it, and the fifteen minutes began.

'Welp, I know who I'm starting with…' Jomei thought.

He turned to Akiko.

She smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. I'm in."

"You sure your Quirk doesn't have telepathy mixed in there?" he joked.

Her smile expanded into a grin.

"Well, that settles that," Jomei said. "But now… which one of us should be the rider?"

"I don't think it matters too much, for now," Akiko said. "We're both good options for riders because of our Quirks."

"You're right. Now we have to decide who our other teammates are going to be…"

He and Akiko looked out into the murmuring crowd. Everyone that had made it past the first stage seemed to be embroiled in some form of conversation or another, which right off the bat lowered their chances of having their as-of-yet undecided first pick for a teammate. Jomei caught a glimpse of the signature lightning bolt-shaped highlight within Denki's hair and for a moment, he felt hope that he'd have another friend on his side for the upcoming event. It was quickly obvious that Denki was in the middle of collaborating with Todoroki though, who in turn appeared to be displaying some actual interest in having the Electrification user on his team.

"Okay, so Denki's a no-go," Jomei mentioned. "See Kyoka anywhere?"

"Right behind you."

Akiko was the first to turn around. "Does this mean you want to be part of our team? I'm sure that your Quirk could be really useful! Maybe as a mid-range stun or a way for us to hear what the other teams are planning during the battle thanks to your-"

Kyoka raised a finger, silencing her. "Listen, guys, I appreciate you hyping me up and all, but I came here to tell you I'm not going to join your team."

"What? Why?" Jomei asked. "It's important to team up with people you know you'll be able to get along and work well with. We fit the bill, don't we?"

"You do. I know you guys are good, but I already have a few ideas of my own about the team I want to rock with, for now. Just wanted to let you guys know – whatever comes next, you're safe from my team." She gave a lazy thumbs up and turned around. "Good luck anyway, though."

And just like that, she was off, headed towards her presumably already-assembled team of Sato, Koda, and Hagakure.

The lattermost of which was currently stripping off every bit of her clothing from the waist up in a clear attempt at preparing to use her Quirk to her advantage. Somehow, watching one of his peers casually ending up naked whenever they needed to make the most of their Quirk was just something Jomei knew he'd never get used to.

Especially when his girlfriend was standing right next to him.

Jomei sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So much for that plan… but we still need more teammates."

"Mhm," Akiko agreed. "I know you're probably strong enough to carry me if you have to-"

"Flattering," Jomei interjected.

"But," she continued, "More people means a bigger point total to start with, which in of itself makes you more likely to end up in a good spot at the end of the cavalry battle. Not only that, but you get a greater variety of Quirks to work with. The more Quirks a team has on their side, the more kinds of strategies they can come up with and use without needing to worry about if their team can do what they need them to do."

"Which makes your team all the more likely to make it into the next round when everything's said and done," another voice offered. "There's still an open spot on your team, I take it?"

The pair whirled around once again. With the newcomer was Aoyama, who stood unusually silent and still aside from the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. His eyes were strangely vacant and empty, but Jomei wasn't sure if that was merely his imagination playing tricks on him. In all honesty, though, he didn't have to spare for Aoyama, and neither he nor Akiko could blurt out their reaction faster than the other at the sight of the other boy's familiar tired eyes and indigo hair.

"Shinso!?"

Snipe took another long drink of his water before lowering his gas mask again. Plenty of Pro Heroes had been called in to keep the peace during the largest annual sporting event in Japan, but that didn't mean they didn't get downtime at some point. Being a pro may have been an unusual career, but it was still a job. Patrolling the perimeter of the Sports Festival Stadium for the entirety of its three days of activity counted as just one of the more mundane things a pro could wind up doing during their careers.

Which was why he found himself in the festival's well-stocked break room where a wide variety of Pro Heroes with a just-as-wide variety of levels of experience lounged at tables scattered throughout the room. Some were seasoned veterans of their chosen professions, some had only recently found their footing, and still some others had only just made their debuts as true pros.

Snipe grabbed a chair at random, his gun holster smacking against the furniture's plastic back as he lowered himself into the seat. Around the table he had chosen, the hero split was more or less fifty-fifty between the old veterans and relatively new additions to the hero scene.

Of course, at 38 years old, Snipe counted himself as seasoned, but Death Arms – who sat opposite him – certainly fit the bill, too. Well over two meters tall and built like an absolute tank, Death Arms had weathered well over a dozen times the number of incidents either of the two newbies nearby had dealt with.

"You know, the Sports Festival isn't really about seeing how prepared these kids are to be heroes," Death Arms was saying to Mt. Lady, his large yellow and black-striped wrist guards knocking loudly against the table-top. "It's more about simulating the competition they'll face if they ever go pro."

Snipe eyed his long-time comrade. His costume hadn't changed much in all the years Snipe had known him. He still wore the same belt with that yellow and black caution pattern, still had that same cyan cardigan that wasn't large enough to cover his lower torso, and though Snipe couldn't see them below the table at the moment, he knew without needing to check that Death Arms still wore those same dark blue baggy pants and plain black shoes.

Really, the only non-original part of the costume was that now-iconic caution-patterned metal headband. One overconfident run-in with a knife-based Quirk-wielding villain and one large scar across his forehead later, and Death Arms had modified his costume to protect what he saw as a weak spot. His wrist-guards might have held a similar story in their origins, but Snipe wasn't inclined to pry as to the details.

But Death Arms' costume – and to some extent, his own – reflected their respective years of experience. Just as that headband spoke of a brush with death, Snipe's well-worn red cloak hinted at the hundreds of high-octane battles he'd been involved in.

"What are you talking about?" Mt. Lady asked. As per usual, she was busy brushing her hair, and Snipe wondered how much of that habit was vanity as opposed to practicality, considering how much of her career consisted of brand deals brought about by her looks. Not even the skin-tight purple and tan bodysuit she wore nor the bright purple and orange gloves that extended down to her elbows could hope to distract much from those blonde locks.

"Think about it – we all know Japan's overrun with hero agencies right now, right?" Death Arms explained, waving his cigarette around before taking a drag. "If you wanna put food on the table you need to be willing to step on other heroes. That was the whole point of the first round."

As he exhaled, a cloud of smoke billowed in his and Mt. Lady's direction, and Snipe considered himself lucky to have included a gas mask in his costume.

"That's such a sad way of looking at our jobs…" Mt. Lady protested, holding a hand over her mouth and nose as the smoke drew close.

Kamui Woods, the other newbie who shared their table, half-scoffed. "Seriously? You've never had a problem stealing the spotlight. During my hero debut, when I was facing that giant villain – I had the situation completely under control, and then you flew in and swept the floor out from under me. Thank goodness it wasn't literally…"

Snipe's attention wandered. Kamui Woods' costume could be described with one word – wood. Wood mask, wood belt, wood boots, wood knee-pads, and wood skin belonging to the wood-wielding Quirk user. The only things that weren't made of wood were his dark blue bodysuit, the golden-colored plates and bolts that held his helmet together, and the small rose veil that hung off the left side of his belt. If nothing else, the man had a long career ahead of him as an ecological rights activist when he wasn't busy with hero work.

Their costumes weren't anything to sneeze at, sure, but Snipe was a firm believer in the idea that costumes told tales – even if he didn't know who Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady were, his sharp eyes would've told him how new they were to the whole hero gig. In the very real present, though, his eyes also told him that the pair possessed a great deal of potential, while his years of experience reminded him that not all costumes needed some elaborate updates to tell their wearers' stories. To this end, the likes of Eraserhead, Thirteen, and his own close companion came to mind.

For a moment, Snipe wondered what she was up to right about now. Probably watching the Sports Festival and either admiring or admonishing the up-and-coming first-years as the festivities went on. Unprepared or unwilling to become a teacher as she was at present, Snipe didn't need his keen talents in observation to know she'd take a liking to at least one or two of the students who had made it through to the third stage.

"What do you think, Snipe?"

Death Arms' question pulled Snipe's attention back to the table. Thinking back to the last thing he'd heard, he shrugged. "Well, that's just the world we live in nowadays. On the other hand, even if you are battlin' for popularity, there are plenty of times you have to work together."

"Huh… just like the cavalry battle. Every point you score isn't just for yourself, but for your teammates as well," Mt. Lady said.

"Plus you have to consider how your Quirks work together, and who you're compatible with. It's just like any mission you take on in the streets and wind up running into other heroes already at the scene," Snipe added.

"Exactly. I'd even argue that it's just like choosing a sidekick, or training your Quirk with other agencies." Kamui Woods went to take a sip of his water, but it bounced off his mask with a wooden thunk. He sighed and undid the front portion of it to gain access to his drink.

Snipe chuckled. "I feel ya there, partner…"

"Woods is right, though," Death Arms said with another smoky exhale. "Anyways, I'm sure some of these kids must be thinking about this. If they go pro it'll be their way of life."

"They still have a long road ahead of them…" Mt. Lady said.

"Yep, these first-years are just getting started when it comes to figuring out what it means to be a pro, even if they don't realize it yet." Death Arms turned his attention to Snipe. "But hey, Snipe – you work at U.A., right? Got any favorites out in the crowd back there?"

Beneath his mask, Snipe raised a brow. "Why do ya ask?"

Death Arms shrugged. "I'm lookin' for an intern. It's been too long since I've had one and I want to get my reputation back up in case I want to take more on some time. My agency's still got room to grow, and all that."

"Come to think of it, I should probably do some scouting too… an intern could help out with some chores and desk-duty back at my agency…" Mt. Lady pondered aloud. "So I'm in the same boat as Death Arms, then. Got any recommendations?"

He lifted his gas mask to take a strategically stalling sip of his water and took a moment to ponder the question before he arrived at his honest answer. "Not a one."

"What?" Kamui Woods confusedly asked. "U.A. is the top hero program in the country, so you must have seen some students of note in between the two hero course classes, right?"

"I'm not sayin' that I haven't seen talent in 1-A or 1-B – quite the opposite, actually," Snipe answered. "Every one of those kids have potential by the bucketload, so going ahead and choosing which one of them should get to intern under any one of you someday just ain't my place. I'm more of a staff member than an all-out teacher at U.A. anyway, so you'd probably be better off picking one of the kids down there yourselves."

"So what you're saying is that we should keep our eyes out and make a choice for ourselves," Death Arms said.

"I suppose you can't go wrong with any U.A. student you pick," Woods added. "I guess we'll just have to try and scout someone out whenever we have a chance to peek at what's going on. So many to choose from though…"

"Consider it a training exercise in multitasking, then," Snipe suggested.

Mt. Lady sighed and ended up draping herself lazily against the table. "And here I thought we were done with school…"

"Give it a few more years," Death Arms comforted. His expression relaxed into a grin as he continued. "Maybe then you'll learn how to sell yourself based off your skills and not just shampoo brand-deals."

"Hey!"

Out of all the people Akiko could have imagined sneaking up on her in the middle of the planning stage, Shinso was probably at the bottom of the list. He hadn't spoken to her since just after Aizawa revealed the Sports Festival was on its way, and now here he was, appearing out of nowhere at the drop of a hat. She guessed that he'd sought her out to join her team, since they knew one another, but the way he seemed to be able to get around the arena without anyone noticing was just downright unsettling.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

"Same time you did," Shinso shrugged. "I guess I should say hello – it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Y-yeah…" Akiko managed. "I saw that you made it through to the second stage of the festival… I mean, that was obvious, but… congratulations. I didn't expect to see you up there – not that I was surprised that you did manage to get up there, but-"

"Takara, we're just wasting time here," Shinso said wearily. "I want to join your team. You guys still have room or not?"

Akiko blinked and refocused herself. She then nodded. "We do. But what makes you want to join up with us, anyway?"

"I figured that was kind of obvious. I think you're a good bet for a teammate in the cavalry battle because I know what your Quirk can do, if only in a few ways. Not only that, but you made it in a decent enough spot too," Shinso explained. "And you aren't an irredeemable asshole like most of the students in the hero course, so there's that."

"Uh… I'm right here," Jomei stressed.

Shinso only glanced at him for a moment. "Except him, I guess. Who is he, again? I've seen him in the halls with you, but I don't think we ever really met."

Akiko straightened suddenly as it occurred to her that this was the first time she would be the one to introduce her other half to someone else, and not the other way around. "Oh, this is Nishimura Jomei! He's my… boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend," Jomei confirmed.

"Yeah, that," Akiko sheepishly said as she touched her fingers together.

"Oh, so you two are dating?" Shinso's eyes didn't betray even a hint of a reaction. "That's cool, I guess. I assume you already know who I am, though, seeing as you blurted out my name a few seconds ago."

Jomei nodded. "Yeah. Shinso Hitoshi. Still doesn't explain why you think you should join our team, though."

"Because I know that I'd be a good choice," Shinso said matter-of-factly, though his body language remained utterly detached. "Takara knows me, you know me now, and I'm not exactly the weakest person in the general department. I got through the obstacle race, after all."

"It's true, you did get this far, but…" Akiko trailed off. Over Shinso's shoulder, she finally registered Aoyama's presence, and more importantly, she noticed his empty expression. For someone as eccentric as Aoyama to have remained quiet this whole time as he must've followed Shinso around… it felt highly suspect. She looked back at Shinso. "Hey, I don't want to be rude, but how'd you get Aoyama to follow you? He has the biggest opinion of himself aside from Bakugo in Class 1-A."

Shinso's head pivoted towards Aoyama for a moment before returning his focus to Akiko. He paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly before he responded. "You're my friend, right?"

'His friend? Why's he bringing that up…?'

She nodded. "Yes, of course. I mean, we don't talk all that much but I'd still consider us friends… as long as you do too, anyway."

"Good," Shinso intoned. "Can we talk in private, then?"

Akiko blinked in mild surprise. 'Talk in private?'

"Why?" she asked, knowing her tone betrayed her suspicion.

An unamused smile twitched the corners of his lips. "If you're worried about this being potential sabotage, don't be. It's so that I can tell you how I got this loudmouth to shut up without anyone listening in on our conversation."

Akiko glanced at Jomei before she turned back. "Well, anything you tell me, you'll have to reveal right here. If you want to work with us, you have to trust us. Both of us."

For a moment, Akiko was certain from his brief change of expression that Shinso was about to walk away. He turned his examining gaze onto Jomei, and she could almost feel her partner squirm in discomfort. Shinso's expression finally fell to resignation as he looked back at her.

"Fine. I suppose I have no choice." He fell silent then, and a few long moments passed before he finally spoke again. "It's because of my Quirk – Brainwashing."

Jomei's eyes widened. "Wait, whoa, what? So you just literally brainwashed Aoyama to make him shut up? How'd you do that?"

"If you would've given me a moment, I was going to explain," Shinso said, a hint of annoyance temporarily breaking his composure. "My Quirk isn't as cut-and-dry as you'd think, but it isn't too hard to understand the basics either. If I focus on a target and ask them a question and they respond, I can use my Quirk on them. They remain conscious, albeit only barely, but their body is mine to command so long as the orders aren't too complex. I can't activate my Quirk on multiple people at once, since that's beyond its capabilities, but I can control multiple people if I brainwash them one at a time. Artificial changes to my voice will make it lose the effect to trigger my Quirk, so megaphones or other gadgets that could help me mimic other peoples' voices are essentially useless to me."

Akiko's expression fell a little. Even without seeing his Quirk in action, this explained a lot about what she knew about Shinso. His Quirk was by and large less flashy than anyone else's in the hero course, sure, but more importantly, it sounded like it wouldn't be something that'd work on anything that wasn't sentient, or rather, alive. It perfectly explained why he completely failed the practical portion of the entrance exams, too – it wasn't that he wasn't trying to take down the faux villains back then... it was that he couldn't.

The cards had been stacked against him since the start.

"...that's what you meant when you said it wasn't flashy, wasn't it?" Akiko asked. "After the end of the practical exam, when I found you."

Shinso shifted his eyes away. "Yeah."

"Guess it explains how you made it through the obstacle race…" Jomei mentioned. "You could've just brainwashed anyone you wanted to give you an advantage, and no one would even notice."

"Basically summed up my strategy there, Nishimura," Shinso said. "I've only used it on a handful of people so that they could carry me through to the next round, and none of them are here to blab and talk about what my Quirk is to everyone. I only used my Quirk on this guy here to get him to stop bothering me and that one monkey in your class… but that was only to get him off my back when he thought I was up to something during the first stage."

"Credit where credit's due, Ojiro isn't stupid…"

"Never said the hero course was. Just that most of you have egos the size of the sun," Shinso responded flatly. "But Takara? I told you two about my Quirk because I trust you not to go out and tell everyone about it. Am I wrong?"

Akiko quickly shook her head. "No! I promise that Jomei and I will keep it a secret. Right?"

Jomei nodded. "Yeah. My lips are sealed, but uh… could you un-brainwash Aoyama? I get why you had to use it during the obstacle race but the whole 'dead eyes' look your Quirk is giving him right now is just creeping me out."

Shinso's only response was to turn in Aoyama's direction and snap his fingers.

Aoyama jolted out of his stupor instantly. Color and expression returned to his face, and he quickly looked around in a daze, clearly confused as to where he was or how he got there in the first place. He'd be back to his normal self in no time though – general egotist and attention-hog though he may be, he was more than capable of improvising to save face.

For better or for worse.

"Aoyama? Are you okay…?" Akiko asked.

Aoyama blinked twice. "Moi? Why but of course! I suppose that someone as dazzling as I being so thoroughly entranced by a stranger could be a cause for concern, but there is no time to dwell on such things!" He finished with dramatic flair and focused an almost flirtatious look in Shinso's direction. "Rest assured, mes amies, I'll be sure to keep this one's étonnant charm a secret, so long as I can ask of the three of you something in return, of course…"

"My name's Shinso, and I'm not your-"

"You want to join our team," Jomei deadpanned.

Aoyama faked a gasp. "Why what a marvelous idea! I always knew you were smart enough to compare to the likes of me, don't you know-"

As Aoyama vigorously shook Jomei's hand and continued his earnest and intense praise, Shinso and Akiko were left as mere onlookers. Poor Jomei could only try to hold on for dear life as Aoyama practically shook his entire body, but Akiko wasn't about to interfere. It may have been kind of selfish, but she wasn't about to run the risk of becoming the next recipient of Aoyama's attention anytime soon.

Shinso sighed. "Please tell me that not everyone in the hero course is as much of a maniac as this guy is…"

"Don't worry, a lot of my classmates are good people. Aoyama's just…"

"Insane?"

Akiko suppressed a smile. "I was going to say unique."

"Sure." Shinso looked more clearly at her now. "I know it goes without saying, but I'm on your team now, right Takara?"

"You are," she confirmed. She hesitated for a moment, and her lip twitched upward. "But call me Akiko moving forward."

For the first time, Shinso looked genuinely surprised. "Why?"

"Well, we're supposed to be friends, right? I just thought that I'd let you call me by my name to make sure you knew that."

Shinso blew air out of his nose, not smiling, but clearly not unhappy either. "Sure. Akiko." He said it slowly, as if trying it out. "But I guess it'd be foolish of me not to return the favor, so you can call me Hitoshi from now on."

"Sounds good… Hitoshi." Akiko smiled.

And with that, for the first time, Akiko felt like she'd finally made a friend all on her own.

"Uh, a little help here!?" Jomei unsteadily croaked from beside her.

"Right!" Akiko quickly said through her laughter. "Aoyama? We should probably get to planning for the cavalry battle before we run out of time."

Aoyama practically sent Jomei flying when he released his grip. "Another stunningly apt suggestion! I'm beginning to suspect there really is chemistry between you two…"

Jomei held his head dizzily and began to straighten his hair. "It's not like we're keeping our relationship a secret, Aoyama… is your head seriously that far up your-"

"Mon amie, we really should begin strategizing," Aoyama winked. "Or shall we whittle away what precious time we have left?"

"Do you want to stay on this team?"

Aoyama fell silent.

The group of four then came closer, not quite huddling, but still close enough that no one without an explicit goal to eavesdrop and a Quirk capable of doing so would be able to listen in on them. Shinso hummed and put a hand on his chin for a moment before he opened up the conversation.

"Alright. Together, the four of us have 430 points in total. That'll probably put us in the middle of the standings right from the start," he stated. "It'll make us targets, but there's going to be far higher-priority teams for everyone else to be gunning for."

"That's both a good and a bad thing," Jomei mentioned. "It buys us a chance to take the initiative before someone else seeks us out, sure, but it also means that we're fighting an uphill battle. The top cavalry teams just need to make sure they stay on top, while we have to try to either dethrone them or get enough of the other teams' headbands to take their place."

"Still, this équipe of ours needs a rider before we decide on a concrete strategy, non?" Aoyama proposed. "I suggest myself! I'll take on that burden willingly, for all our sakes."

"I say we'd be better off choosing me or Akiko, though," Jomei said. "Our Quirks are good for a lot of things in any situation. No offense, but you get a stomach ache whenever you use yours for more than a second, and you'd probably send yourself flying before you got any good hits in on the other teams."

"Agreed. Didn't know about that one-second limit though – it explains why he got last place, if nothing else." Shinso ignored the comedically childish pout Aoyama sent his way. "But what about your mobility? That'll probably decide who our rider is, since a cavalry team is only as good as how quickly it can get in and out of range of the other teams."

"Jomei and I both have some ways to boost our speed when it comes to our Quirks," Akiko explained. "You've probably seen some of mine between the practical exams and the obstacle race, but Jomei can maintain his Light Speed technique pretty easily. My mobility usually comes in bursts, and isn't really meant for people other than myself to be carried along with it, which means that I'd probably be more effective where I can focus more on offense with my Quirk than boosting our speed and maneuverability."

"Then it's decided. Akiko will be our rider," Shinso affirmed. "Unless you want to tell me any reason why you shouldn't be."

"No, I agree!" Akiko said. "I'll be able to focus on using my Quirk more tactically without hurting myself in the process."

"Which makes me wonder what the details of your Quirk are – I get the feeling that I'm the only one who doesn't know, and I think I should if you're going to be our rider."

"My Quirk is Crystal Core. It's, well, the crystal core in my chest." She tapped on the stone for emphasis. "Long story short, it lets me control fire, earth, water, and air, but if I go too far with it my core can break, and using my Quirk becomes extremely risky."

"Is that all? Four modes, and the risk of recoil?" Shinso asked.

Jomei and Akiko shared a look. Jomei shrugged noncommittally, and Akiko looked thoughtful for a moment before her gaze turned more firmly towards Shinso, who awaited her response. Whether he was confused at their gesture or not was hidden beneath his stoic exterior, but Aoyama's face showed that he was thoroughly confused.

"Yeah," Akiko finally answered. "That's all there is to it."

Shinso nodded. "Fair enough. Now we need to decide how our three horses are going to be arranged."

"That's easy enough," Jomei said. "Aoyama and I should be the back horses while you take the front – if we ever get into a pinch then we can kick our Quirks into gear and get us out of danger in a hurry. It'd only be in a burst of speed because of Aoyama's time limit using his Quirk, but it'd be enough."

"Or we could use the boost as a quick way of getting into a fight. Take the other teams by surprise…" Shinso murmured.

"Bingo. What about you Akiko? Feeling okay about being the rider?" Jomei asked. "A lot of eyes are going to be on you, you know?"

Akiko nodded firmly. "I think I'll be okay. I was fine during the obstacle course because there were so many other students for people to be watching other than me, and there was so much going on that I didn't have time to worry about people noticing me. For your guys' sakes, even if there'll be more of a chance that I'll be noticed and mentioned more by Present Mic, I can't afford to slip up now. Besides, I'm sure that not all eyes are going to be just on us, since there's Midoriya and his ten million points to pay attention to."

"Sounds like the same reasoning you had at our battle trial."

"Is it bad that it still applies here?"

"Not at all. If it works, it works."

"But speaking of that dashing Midoriya…" Aoyama said. "What should be our approach in this battle for his headband? Full-frontal assault, or something more subtle?"

"That's just it, though," Akiko thought aloud. "Sure, attacking one of the higher-ranked teams or Midoriya's would be a good way to get us into the top scores, but it also puts the biggest risk on our headband since we'll be in the middle of all those other teams. Not only that, but everyone's going to be after the ten million points."

"So what's your suggestion?" Shinso asked. "Even if we don't get the ten million, we can still get to the next stage, but we need points to do that."

"I do have a plan, but… it's risky."

"Well we're all ears," Jomei encouraged.

"Hitoshi's right. We need a lot of points if we want to end up getting into the next round, but targeting our classmates or Midoriya isn't what I think we should do. Everyone will be going for him, like I said, but everyone in Class 1-A knows what our Quirks are aside from Hitoshi's," she tilted her head in his direction for a moment. "That's why I say that we gun for Class 1-B's teams. They won't know the ins and outs of our Quirks, so they probably won't be able to figure out how to counter us before we steal their headbands."

"But wouldn't the inverse also be true?" Shinso countered. "I was towards the back of the people who passed the first stage, and even I don't know what those hero course students' Quirks are capable of doing. They were careful not to show off too much."

"It's like I said – my plan's double-edged, but it's the best one I could come up with on such short notice."

"Well I think it could work," Jomei said thoughtfully. "Slow and steady wins the race, after all. Besides, even if something goes wrong, we can still count on me and Aoyama to blast us out of trouble before our headband can be taken."

"Oui! You can count on it!"

Shinso nodded at them. "We still have a trump card if we need it though… my Quirk. All I'd need to do is use it on the other teams at the last minute and we'd be able to get into the top four if our first plan fails. There wouldn't be enough time for the other teams to even notice how many points we'd racked up, and we'd get to the next stage without anyone being the wiser as to what my Quirk even is."

"Other than Ojiro," Jomei reminded.

"That's just a risk I had to take to get him off my case. If he's figured out what my Quirk can do… I'll deal with that problem if and when I get to it."

Akiko hummed. "I'll keep your Quirk in mind, Hitoshi, but I want to keep that plan of yours as our team's last resort. The less we use your Quirk, the less of a chance there'll be for anyone in the other teams that make it to the third stage as well to see what your power does, right?"

"Right. I'll hold you to it, Akiko. If things get down to the wire, though, I won't hesitate to make sure we rank high enough get into the third round," he warned.

"I understand."

"Guys?" Jomei cut in. "Looks like we're just about out of time."

Over where Midnight still stood, the timer was just about finished. One minute remained, and Shinso, Akiko, and Aoyama all took note. They looked around the dirt portion of the arena, where all of the now-formed teams were preparing for the cavalry battle in earnest. Three teams stood out above the rest, led by the trio of students that had finished before anyone else.

Midoriya stood collaborating between Tokoyami, Uraraka, and Hatsume, the lattermost of which appeared to be preparing a wide variety of gadgets for her teammates to take advantage of during the event to come.

Todoroki's team consisted of Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Denki. Even though Denki was the odd-ball out amongst the three in terms of intellect, the pedigree, range of abilities, and sheer power their team possessed between the four of them was undeniable.

Bakugo, meanwhile, looked like he was more than ready to get started. Between Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero, the sentiment was shared, with all of them grinning confidently at the fact they had perhaps the greatest one-on-one fighter in Class 1-A on their side.

Every other team, composed from either of the two hero course classes, appeared to be just as fired up. If the spirit of competition was a metaphorical flame, then the intense determination everyone in the field gave off now would've long since turned into an inferno. Class 1-B in particular appeared ready to take on the world if it meant they'd be able to beat their 1-A counterparts. Ever the unknown underdogs.

'Taking on Class 1-B… that's over twenty unknown Quirks and almost just as many people I don't even know that we're going to have to fight…' Akiko thought. Somehow, though, she knew her team would succeed.

She refused to believe in any other outcome.

The horn roared through the stadium, and the time for strategizing came to an end.

"Oh, goodie, looks like it's time to get this party started!" Midnight declared as she stretched her arms. "Take it away, Present Mic!"

"You got it Midnight! After fifteen minutes to pick teammates and talk strategy, our teams are ready to go head-to-head in the cavalry battle! With almost two whole hero courses and two odd-balls from the support and general departments thrown into the fray, what madness can we expect to ensue?! Looks like you won't have to wait much longer, sports fans, because right now all we have to do is get our teams their headbands and we can get this party started!"

The loudspeaker cut off as Present Mic took a dramatic pause, his voice exploding across the arena when he finally continued. "Riders! Take your positions! It's time for the second event!"

After all the riders received their headbands through Midnight and rejoined their teammates, each of the groups took their places around the perimeter of the outlined dirt section in the arena. Not too long after that, the teams had evenly dispersed, and the crowd's cheers grew by dozens of decibels thanks to Present Mic's hype.

It was at this point that Akiko was hoisted up between her three teammates. Jomei and Aoyama took to her left and right legs respectively, and their arms both supported her feet and served as her saddle when put together. Their hands not occupied underneath her shoes secured themselves upon Shinso's shoulders, whose own hands held onto Akiko's feet as well to secure their team's formation.

"Yeaahhhhhh, looks like we're ready to go! Now come on everyone, get your hands in the air, because it's time for another U.A. battle royale!" Present Mic said. "Let me hear you scream!"

The excited cries of the spectators grew louder, and Akiko secured her team's headband around her forehead as Shinso idly rolled his neck before the event began. 430 points was printed upon the white fabric in bold red font, and as she put it on, Team Takara was officially formed.

"Okay!" Akiko shouted. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes," Shinso returned.

"Jomei?"

"Born ready!"

"Aoyama?"

"Do you really need to ask, cherie?"

"Ok, then let's do this!"

'Come on Akiko, no room for nerves, just focus and win this! Keep this up and you'll be even closer to becoming the hero you've always wanted to be, no matter what Mom and Dad or anyone else says!'

"Okay, first-years! I hope you're happy with your chosen teams!" Present Mic called. "Let's get this party started! One final countdown before the game starts! Three…!"

Shinso's grip tightened.

"Two…!"

Jomei smiled, and gases gathered around him.

"One…!"

Aoyama winked at a distant camera.

"Begin!" Midnight ordered, and with a crack of her whip, dozens of feet sprung into action all at once.

As expected, nearly every team ran straight for Team Midoriya and his ten million points. For a handful of seconds, Midoriya seemed to freeze with the conjoined force of so many people charging straight at him, but then a small trigger appeared in his hand. As the first teams closed the gap into dangerously close proximity to him, his thumb came down on the button. The metallic device connected to the trigger roared as it revealed itself to be a jetpack, and his team rocketed well beyond anyone's reach.

Kyoka reached out with her Quirk to snag the headband, but Dark Shadow sprung to life and knocked her thin appendages aside as though they were flies.

Hatsume's inventions had bought them an out. They were slowly descending back down to the ground as the hover boots Uraraka wore sprung to life, and they'd be back in the hot box again soon, but there was no denying their strategy was a sound one.

Not that Akiko was going to waste the cavalry battle paying attention to them.

"Keep going! We're almost in range to intercept one of the 1-B teams!" She said.

"Then we have our target," Shinso returned. "Team Kodai, dead ahead!"

The team of four possessed only one face Akiko knew by heart. Jean ran forward as one of the rear horses towards another 1-A team, still unaware of the danger approaching them. Beside her was Fukidashi Manga, who was around the same height as her, and the lead horse in front of both of them was none other than the goliath of a student, Bondo Kojiro. Their rider was, obviously, Kodai Yui.

But Akiko wasn't going to pay any attention to their looks. Just what they did, and how she could get their 220 points. It wouldn't be much, but it'd be enough to get her team started.

"Alright!" Akiko's features shifted to peridot yellow as she engaged one of her Quirk's modes. "Jomei! I'll reel in the headband, you just need to blast it off before they know what hit them!"

"You got it!"

Akiko stood, relying on her other two teammates to keep her secure as she freed one of Jomei's arms for his attack. He grinned as he raised a now-free hand, took a moment to line up his shot, and let a Neon Beam burst into the air. Kodai would lose her headband, and that would be that.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Jean turned her head at the last second. "Uh, Fukidashi? Incoming!"

"What? Oh, crap!" An exclamation point popped into Fukidashi's dialogue bubble of a head. "WOOSH!"

Massive lettering for the onomatopoeia exploded into existence outside the confines of his face, blasting forward and casting Jomei's attack aside like a sudden burst of wind.

"Ok… that's a Quirk," Jomei murmured.

"Kodai! We've got company, Bondo and Fukidashi are on defense right?" Jean shouted.

"Hm."

"You heard her! Don't let 1-A take our headband! Shake 'em off!"

Akiko's eyes narrowed. "Not so fast! Jomei, keep up the pressure! Shinso and Aoyama, full speed ahead!"

"Oui!"

"Right!"

As her teammates sped up to keep up with the now-evasive Team Kodai, Jomei let loose a brief barrage of Neon Beams, and Kodai turned her head to pay closer attention to her team's newfound foes. Fukidashi let out another WHOOSH, blowing three of the beams off-course once again, but another continued flying towards her unabated.

"Hm."

"Bondo!" Jean translated.

The bulky student nodded and shifted his attention over to Team Takara, and his straw-colored and bucket-shaped head snapped around. Suddenly, the seven holes in his head, presumably his eyes, ejected a glue-like substance onto the battlefield like a waterfall. The substance hardened almost instantly, and Jomei's Neon Beam only succeeded at cracking the newfound wall before dissipating.

But with a strong gust of air, Akiko blew through the hardened substance as though the obstacle was little more than an inconvenience.

'You're not getting away that easily…!'

"Wow! Only two minutes in and the cavalry battle has already devolved into a free-for-all! It's every team for themselves, and with so many Quirks on the battlefield, who knows what could happen next!?" Present Mic exclaimed excitedly. "Just make sure to watch your headbands…!"

It was as Present Mic stopped speaking that Jomei fired another salvo of Neon Beams. As Team Kodai sped along with Bondo and Fukidashi consistently rendering midrange attacks thus far moot, Akiko decided to try and find a hole in their strategy. Before Bondo had begun creating hardened glue walls, it seemed as though Akiko's team would've eventually been able to get within arm's reach of them, but now Team Kodai running out of range was a very real possibility. The distance between them was growing, and Akiko had to shake things up if she wanted her team's standing to go anywhere.

"What's the plan, Akiko?" Shinso growled. "We're wasting our time, here!"

"I have one! You focus on running, but Aoyama, Jomei? Fukidashi and Bondo's Quirks are just being used for defense right now. We may not know what she and Kodai can do, but we're faster than them!" She took note of the fact both teams were about to turn around the edge of the arena to avoid hitting a wall. "Aoyama! I need you to punch straight through Bondo's wall when I give the signal. Jomei! I need you to stun them with a Flashbang, and I'll get their headband!"

"So long as they don't make it into the next round, them knowing about that technique won't be a problem…" Jomei thought aloud. "I'm ready when you are, Akiko!"

"And if they try anything?" Shinso warned.

"I'll deal with it as it comes, trust me!" Akiko said. "Besides, we can always get away with Aoyama and Jomei's Quirks, but we need to do this right when they turn back towards the main field! It'll be our only chance to catch up enough to make this work!"

Team Takara continued forward, and as the 1-B team neared the wall of the field, it was as Akiko expected. She couldn't hear what Jean shouted, but Team Kodai suddenly made a hard left with almost shocking efficiency. As Akiko's team angled themselves to intercept, Bondo once again focused his attention in their direction. A deluge of his Quirk's substance followed, and a long, thick wall quickly formed. Had Akiko not made a plan, its size would have been enough to force her team to finally give up the chase.

Unfortunately for Team Kodai, they weren't going up against a team that was so easily deterred.

"Everyone brace yourselves! Aoyama!" Akiko ordered.

"It's my time to shine!" Aoyama declared, and a navel laser flew from his belt. It bored through Bondo's hardened wall and shattered the obstacle into splinters, and as Aoyama's teammates started regaining what speed they'd lost from the backward force of his attack, he smiled. "No walls can stop my sparkly Quirk!"

"Jomei!"

A pink orb flew from his hand ahead of their team. "Way ahead of you!"

The Flashbang whistled through the dust cloud that Aoyama's attack had whipped up, and not a moment after it reached where the enemy team should be, it detonated. The shocked cries of Team Kodai erupted through the air, and Akiko's own allies ran through the billowing dust and closed the distance in no time.

Visibility was low, but Akiko could see all three horses of Kodai's team stumbling from the effects of Jomei's stun, and the eyes of their team's rider herself were squeezed shut in apparent shock from the attack. For a moment, Akiko thought she'd be able to pluck Team Kodai's points right from the rider's head without any opposition.

She then noticed two tiny pebbles soaring through the air towards her.

In what felt like slow motion, Kodai pressed the tips of her fingers together, and quietly spoke only one word.

"Release."

The pebbles expanded into boulders in an instant. There'd be no dodging them without letting Team Kodai get away scot-free.

"What!?" Jomei yelped.

"Akiko!" Shinso growled.

'Don't think that this is going to be enough to stop us, Kodai!'

Just as quickly as Kodai had unleashed her Quirk, Akiko engaged hers. She swiftly shifted from peridot to emerald mode, and threw her palm forward at the incoming boulders. Her Quirk was one she used sparingly, but it was at times like these, that straining herself just that little more could mean the difference between success and failure. It was at times like these, with her team counting on her, that she refused to fail.

The boulders exploded into gravel that fell harmlessly beneath her allies' feet.

"Whooaaaaaa! Talk about split-second reaction times! Team Takara just took down Team Kodai's last-ditch defense! The 1-B team is wide open!" Present Mic yelled.

The crowd's cheers grew loud enough to be compared to thunder, but the sound was muffled as the world around Akiko faded. All that existed right now in her eyes was Team Takara and Team Kodai.

She had nearly gotten within arm's reach of Kodai's headband when she noticed that her opponent's teammates were beginning to recover. Two more pebbles flew from Kodai's sleeves, and she stood determined to defend her team despite the expression on her face revealing her fear of the quartet charging at her.

'If your Quirk makes you press your fingers together to enlarge objects, then all I have to do is stop you from doing that for one more second!'

Akiko's Quirk swapped back to peridot mode, and her arms moved in a blur of motion to send wind towards Kodai's hands as her fingers grew closer together. The attack connected, Kodai's arms were thrown apart, and the pebbles bounced harmlessly off Shinso's chest as Team Takara got their rider within reaching distance.

Akiko's fingers looped through Kodai's headband and tore it from her brow before she even knew what hit her.

"Jomei! Aoyama! Hit it!" Akiko commanded.

"Right!"

Aoyama twisted his hips to aim his Quirk behind them. Jomei's gases flared as he activated Light Speed. Shinso braced himself for the inevitable burst of speed from behind.

As Team Kodai recovered, the last thing they'd see of their opponents would be their backs careening towards the opposite end of the arena, leaving them demoralized and in the dust.

Jean was the first to recover fully from Team Takara's stun, and as she saw that Kodai had lost her headband and they'd been left behind, she frowned miserably. "I'm sorry you guys… I couldn't do anything to help! Kodai, I swear, if I had some of my gear with me I would've done everything I could to get the headband back!"

"Mm." Kodai nodded sagely.

Fukidashi shook his head, and an exclamation point popped into its speech bubble. "Hey! Don't go all beating yourself up about it Jean! They were all like POW through that wall and then BOOM with that follow-up attack, there was nothing you coulda done!"

"It just sucks that only the support department gets to bring things that'd help them out…" Jean sighed. "I had my costume designed to let me not wear these armbands and help me use my Quirk for a reason, and now we're down points and our class might get upstaged by 1-A!"

"That's not true!" Bondo interrupted. "All of us took it easy and threw the obstacle race so we could see what 1-A could do, right?"

"Right…?" Jean unsurely echoed.

Bondo tilted his head up at the screens towards the top of the arena. "Then just look at everyone else's scores!"

"Hold on just one second sports fans…!" Present Mic said, and the screens flickered to show each team's present standings. "Just look at every team's point totals! Aside from Team Midoriya in first and Team Takara close to fourth, Class 1-A isn't looking so hot! Class 1-B's owning the second stage!"

Jean looked at the screen, and her mouth fell agape. Just like the pro had said, 1-B seemed to be ranking supreme amidst the top teams, and the only reason 1-A was still technically in the lead at this point was because of Team Midoriya's ten million points. Even Bakugo, the hothead that everyone in her class couldn't help but seem to hate after how Tetsutetsu had reported what he'd acted like, had zero points.

Which meant that someone in her class had claimed them as their own.

"We're entering the halfway point of the cavalry battle, but it's still anybody's game!" Present Mic continued. "Class 1-B's making an unexpected showing, but who will the top teams be in the end? Will it be the underdogs that came out of nowhere and stole the show, or will it be 1-A, ready and raring to take back their points!? That's the real question, sports fans!"

"We're still in this game, Jean!" Bondo reassured. "Class 1-A's teams are still our targets, and we can still make a comeback ourselves if we try! Are you with me?"

"Yeah!" Fukidashi cheered. "Come on Jean, let's hit 'em so hard it'll be all like WA-POW!"

Jean smirked. "You guys are awesome…"

"Mm!" Kodai fiercely hummed.

The three horses carrying Kodai laughed as they recovered their stride.

"Listen guys, we might not have any points anymore, but let's give it everything we've got and make it to the next round!" Jean encouraged. "Plus ultra!"

"Plus ultra!" Bondo and Fukidashi echoed.

They were Class 1-B, but they were not second-rate.

Akiko started to secure her team's second headband like a scarf around her neck, and the rest of her team carried her steadily onward as they awaited her instructions to head for another target. Just as she was about to locate a new team to attack, Present Mic's announcement of how terribly most of Class 1-A was doing rang in their ears. The news gave Akiko a moment's pause before she fully fastened Kodai's headband, and clearly shocked Aoyama and Jomei both, but Shinso remained impassive despite the revelation.

"Okay… headband secured," Akiko declared. "Everyone ready to keep going?"

Jomei stared at Bakugo's zero points for a moment longer, but nodded. "Yeah, sure! I don't know how 1-B's doing so well, but our plan stays the same! Besides, it isn't like 1-A have any points left for us to go after anymore even if we wanted to…"

"Such a shame – it seems we must shine on behalf of our peers as well!" Aoyama said.

Shinso looked back at his fellow horses and rolled his eyes before looking up at Akiko. "Hey, you heard how Mic mentioned that we're already down to the halfway mark, right?"

She nodded.

"Well even with Kodai's headband, we still only have 650 points – it's close, but that still doesn't even put us in the top four. We need to go after higher-value teams if we want to get anywhere close to the top and into the next round. It doesn't matter if it's 1-A or 1-B either anymore, slow and steady isn't going to win us the cavalry battle if a single headband takes up half our time. We need to make a call, and quick!"

It didn't take much thought for Akiko to agree with the sentiment. Their team may have been close to fourth place right about now, but 'close' wouldn't be enough to carry them on into the next stage of the festival. U.A. counted on its students to go beyond in everything they did, and settling for anything short of excellence at this point in the cavalry battle would merely be a one-way road to mediocrity.

"You're right," she agreed. "Okay! Everyone, keep an eye out for another team with a lot of points, and the moment you see them, call them out so we can chase them down! We're getting down to the wire, but we can still get into the top four if we play our cards right!"

Shinso nodded and faced forward once again.

Aoyama smiled. "My my Takara, and here I thought you were but one of the most demure of our class, yet you show such ferocity on the battlefield! I approve of this new plan!"

Akiko's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. The praise from one of her classmates still felt odd to receive, even if she was making a concerted effort to overcome the insecurity that plagued her.

"Uh, guys!?" Jomei suddenly shouted, snapping her out of her inner musings. "I think we won't have to go far to find a team with a bunch of points to go after…!"

"What?"

She whirled around when she noticed Jomei looking behind them, and there she saw another team's headband, its emboldened red font proudly advertising its wearer's 705 points. She also noticed how fierce the team that owned it looked. More specifically, she saw their leader's distinctly bronze-colored skin, and one of his horses' sharp teeth clenched in a fierce scowl as his solid steel body glared in the sunlight.

And the team of four was on a course headed right for them.

'Oh no…'

"Get ready, guys!" Jomei warned. "Team McKennan, incoming!"

Authors Note: Ah, chaotic combat… how I despise you so much when it comes to depicting it with so many names and characters and things to juggle in the middle of an event as big as the cavalry battle. But seriously though, I stand by the fact that Akiko's strategy was a nice way to give her team something unique to do other than go after Midoriya like a bunch of sheeple, but my GOD is it narratively hard to pull off. Again, it gives me SO much more respect for people who can pull off a good tournament arc without anyone noticing the effort that goes into it all. Anywho!

Thar be hints hidden in this chapter and another in the (far?) future that Akiko's Quirk is more than what it seems… which is pretty obvious if you've seen my commission of her on my DeviantArt, but still! It's refreshing to still have more new stuff to share with you all about one of the protagonists even though we're 22 chapters into the fic. I mean, hell, I still have to unveil what Jean and Thad's Quirks are (admittedly way in the future, but there are hints insofar as Jean's is concerned) AND I have still yet to introduce like… four, kinda even FIVE characters that will play major roles in WFAF throughout its story.

I've already laid the groundwork for one character (hint, it's not very well-hidden in any of Snipe's scenes), but I suppose the other four and the foreign exchange students' Quirks will just have to wait to see the light of day. C'est la vie, as Aoyama would say, eh?

It's going to be a while before we get there, but I will say that this is the final arc before I finally get to give our two protags something to do! Other than exist in canon events' shadow and be extremely fun to write all the while, I mean. In the meantime, stay awesome, eat food, don't die, all that good stuff – peace!