Chapter 13: Cavalry Battle
A space in the green had been cleared out: a huge dirt clearing where the cavalry battle would take place. Twelve teams had been formed, now standing far apart from each other on all sides of the clearing.
Doko saw that Hagakure had joined up with Jiro, Koda, and Sato. Altogether that team wasn't worth very many points. Did she want to go more unnoticed? I guess that fits for Hagakure. They'd have to be on the offensive to accomplish anything, though.
Continuing to scan the other teams, Doko saw that Midoriya's team was interesting. He'd gotten Tokoyami and the lone girl from the support course who'd made it through. And of course, Uraraka.
"Iida," Doko said to the boy next to him. "I thought you might have joined Midoriya's team. Not trying to pry or anything."
"Ah, yes, well..." the normally excitable class rep seemed to be mellower, perhaps apologetic. "Midoriya has done nothing but surpass me since the beginning of the year. I felt like I needed to prove myself without following behind him. We are still friends, of course. At least I think so." Iida gave Doko a glance. "What about you? I thought you might end up teaming with Ashido or Asui."
"There was an attempt," Doko muttered sourly, "but it kinda fell through. It seems like we all had different priorities at this Sports Festival."
"I see," Iida nodded. "And what is your priority, if you don't mind me asking?"
Doko started. What IS my priority? It's not like I'm trying to come out on top, or anything..."To not make a fool of myself, I guess."
"Hmm." Iida adjusted his glasses. "Pardon me, Katayama, but it seems that your issue is a lack of drive. I noticed it slightly during the Battle Trial. Why did you come to UA, if not to be the best hero possible?"
"Well...I did come for that. I just don't see how that translates to fighting other students."
Iida's face twitched. "I could see why you would think that. The system in place for training new heroes encourages competition, due to heroes being so popular and prevalent now. Unfortunately, we are merely kids and cannot yet do anything about it, as I'm sure you're aware. All we can do is use the system to the best of our ability, and hope it will be better for the future."
Doko sighed. "I suppose it's a good problem to have, having too many heroes. Thanks, Iida. You may have given me something to think about."
Iida nodded and smiled. "As class rep, I want to make sure that everyone in our class is properly motivated. We cannot afford to drag our feet now that we know the League of Villains is out there."
Doko looked back out at the clearing. Everyone's so competitive...and I guess I haven't heard a bad argument for it yet. And everyone keeps telling me that I need to stop being wishy-washy. Well, they're thinking it, and conveying it to me in nicer ways, at least. He met eyes with Mina, whose team was off to the right. She made a surprised expression upon seeing what team he was on.
Oh yeah. I suppose if I want to start being competitive, teaming up with THIS guy was a good way to go about it.
"Alright, you three," said Todoroki, gathering them to him. "I chose you all because I thought it would be a stable formation. I'll be the right wing, holding off enemies and blocking them with ice. Yaoyorozu, you'll be the left wing. You can defend and assist with movement by any means necessary. Create whatever you require. Iida, you'll be the front horse, as the main source of mobility and physical defense."
"Pardon me, Todoroki, but would it not be more prudent to put you in the front, or on top?" Iida asked. "If you're on the right side, your left hand will be focused on carrying the rider, and you won't be able to use your fi..."
"I'm not going to use my fire," Todoroki interrupted, glancing up at the stands. Doko followed his eyes...to where Endeavor was standing, watching. "And I never will."
The other three exchanged worried glances. This guy is holding back, of all people? I thought he wanted to win, Doko thought. But he couldn't think about the incident in the locker room right now. That would just make him angry.
"Besides," Todoroki said, turning back to them, "Katayama needs to be the rider."
Doko's eyes widened. "Huh? Me?"
"You cannot teleport other people, correct?"
"No. It would be a dangerous thing to attempt in a friendly competition like this."
"Right." Todoroki's eyes narrowed, showing what he thought of terms like friendly competition. "So there's no use in you carrying someone else. Instead we'll have you up top, wearing the headband. If we get close enough, you will be able to teleport other people's headbands off and claim them as ours. Namely Midoriya's."
Doko's eyes widened. I...I could...in theory...
He coughed. "Todoroki, it could work. However, these bandanas...people will WANT to keep them on their person. My Quirk is connected to willpower. If another person possesses the desire to hold on to something, it makes it much harder for me to warp it away from them." He'd learned that when he was younger, with his sister. Back before his parents had really put their foot down.
"I see," said Todoroki. "But it IS still possible?"
"Yes...but I will have to get closer than my usual. Perhaps as close as three or four meters."
"We can take care of that," said Iida. "We'll get you in."
Doko looked at the ground. "Also, I mean...I'm a bit nervous. You three are all much more impressive than me, but I'm going to be the one up top with the bandana?"
"Don't worry so much," said Yaoyorozu, smiling at him. "You're certainly impressive in your own way, Katayama. And we'll be there supporting you for all fifteen minutes." Iida nodded in agreement.
Feels like empty praise coming from these elites. They all saw the battle trial, didn't they? They just want to make me feel better. Yaoyorozu and Iida were being forced to put trust in Todoroki's plan just like he was, after all.
"Also, you're tall," Todoroki said flatly. "Taller than me or Yaoyorozu, and taking Iida off the ground would be counter-intuitive. It will be hard for other riders to reach up and grab your headband...even if I slip up and let them through." He clenched his right fist, and a cold gust seemed to emerge from it.
Doko sighed. "Alright. I apologise in advance if I let any of you down."
"It's okay," Yaoyorozu reassured, patting his shoulder.
"We have the highest point value besides Team Midoriya, by the way," Iida said, looking up at the scoreboard. "A smart team may choose to target us instead while everyone else goes for the ten million. That would put them cleanly in second."
"It doesn't matter who comes," Todoroki told him plainly. "I will not let them through."
...
"Alright, you've made your teams!" Present Mic announced. "Now it's time to begin!"
The twelve teams were formed up outside the great square.
...
"Tetsutetsu, no hard feelings, right?" Monoma asked.
"Of course not!" the steel user replied, holding up a fist.
"Good. Let's show that Class A what we're made of."
...
"Ready, Tokoyami?"
"Yes."
"Aye aye, Captain!" Dark Shadow echoed, holding up a thumb.
"Hatsume?"
"Hehehehehehe."
"Uraraka?"
"Let's do this, Deku-kun!"
...
"Is everyone ready?" Hitoshi asked his team members, three people from Class A.
"Yes."
"Of course, monsieur."
"Ready as I'll ever be...durrrrr." Kaminari made a blunt noise as Hitoshi triggered his Quirk, and then all three of them were his, their eyes going blank.
Hitoshi smiled.
...
"If you guys don't carry me to Deku straightaway, you're all dead after this," Bakugo warned from above.
Kirishima laughed. "Of course dude. We all want the ten million as much as you do."
Mina rolled her eyes, and looked across to Sero, peering under Bakugo's legs. "Did you see?" Sero whispered to her. "Katayama joined Todoroki's team. That's so unexpected!"
"...Yeah." Mina swallowed. He's finally going off and trying to win, I think. Maybe he doesn't even realise it yet. Somehow, she had upset him, or maybe they all had. It's so stupid. The exact reason he wasn't competitive was because he thought it would make people mad at each other. But the only one who's mad is him. Oh, and Bakugo of course. He doesn't count.
But...was she really being fair? Did she just want to blame Doko? If he's finally decided he wants to win, then...good for him. Fine. I don't care. Heat rose to her cheeks, however. She knew deep down how unhappy she was that he might be upset with her. No time to think about that, Mina! The game's about to start!
"Bakugo," she said calmly, looking up at their rider. "I probably don't need to tell you this, but watch out for Doko's team."
"Who? Oh...well, no shit watch out for them! That's Icy Hot's team!"
"No, see...it's not just Todoroki. If Doko gets close enough..." she and Sero shared another nervous glance. "He can warp your headband off."
"Tsk. I'd like to see the crackhead try."
...
"Now, let's go!" Present Mic announced. Doko felt thousands of eyes on him. He knew that him being the rider was a surprise to all. They all probably expected Todoroki to take the main position. But this was his idea. Somehow, Doko had been forced out of a supporting role and into center stage. The scoreboard even read "Team Katayama" instead of "Team Todoroki," since he was the one wearing the band. And their point value was 670.
"You did your math wrong, Iida," Doko said down to the engine user. "Bakugo's team is worth 690, twenty more than us. And one of the Class B teams has more points as well."
"Oh, is it?" he glanced up at the scoreboard. "That's good. We'll be targeted even less, then."
"Yaoyorozu, I'm not hurting you, am I?" He looked down at the girl on his left, holding up the weight of his thigh.
"N-no, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." She turned away from his gaze and blushed.
"Let the countdown begin!" Present Mic boomed. "Three!"
"We're aiming for one thing," Todoroki reminded them, glaring towards Midoriya's team.
"Two!"
Doko cracked his knuckles. "Energy within, don't fail me now."
"One!"
"STAAAAART!" Midnight shouted, twirling her feathery device.
All at once, the teams raced forward, converging onto Team Midoriya. Iida put a burst into his engines, Yaoyorozu rolled on skates that she created, and Todoroki laid down an ice slide, causing them to accelerate. Doko felt his body sway back, grimacing. He saw Midoriya's eyes widen.
"It's basically a battle for the ten million points!" someone shouted.
"I'll be taking that, Midoriya-kun!" Hagakure's voice.
"Katayama!" Todoroki's voice cut through him sharply. "Ready!"
Doko raised his hand toward the bandana on Midoriya's head. He'll be wanting to keep that with all his might. For the first time in a while, he flexed his arm, using the object side of his Quirk. He felt the energy race up through his muscles, as if excited to do this again. His hand began to glow purple.
As they got in closer, the other teams all around them, Doko heard Tokoyami's cool, dark voice. "An attack without delay, huh? The fate of the pursued."
One of the Class B teams, the one with more points than them, sent out some kind of attack on the dirt, causing it to shimmer and waver. Iida skidded up short, wary. "They softened the ground!"
Doko whipped his head round. It was the front horse of the team, a boy with exposed teeth like a skull. His Quirk was now causing Team Midoriya to sink...and there were other teams closing in.
"Back up for a moment!" Todoroki said, and they moved away from the quicksand-like substance. Then, an exhaust of fire burst from Midoriya's back.
Yaoyorozu looked up. "Huh? A jet pack?"
Team Midoriya had gone flying into the air. "It's the support girl's invention," Doko relayed to them. Jiro from Hagakure's team whipped her ear plugs into the air, but Dark Shadow deflected them.
"How is the jet pack holding all of them up?" Doko wondered aloud.
"It's Uraraka's Quirk," said Iida. "They lessened their weight."
"Tsk," Todoroki growled. "Come on, they're landing over there!"
The girls on Midoriya's team were slowing their descent via some sort of boots that vented out air. Those inventions are crazy! Doko thought, his eyes narrowing in on the pink-haired girl. "I could maybe remove some of that gear," he told his teammates as they closed the distance once again. "It might be easier than the headband, and they won't be able to escape after that!"
"Good!" Todoroki shouted back. "Come on!"
"Fights over the headbands are breaking out all over!" Present Mic's voice. "It's turned into something of a free for all!"
Looking around wildly, Doko saw a Class B team escaping with Hagakure's headband, led by a blonde boy with a smug face. Hagakure had given chase. The other Class B team that had softened the ground was staying in pursuit of Midoriya, just like they were.
"Bakugo coming in from the left!" Yaoyorozu warned.
"And Shoji to the right!" said Iida.
"Huh?" Doko looked. Shoji had grown his arms into a sort of shell behind his back. "Is he...by himself?"
A tongue whipped out of the gap above Shoji's head, slapping Midoriya and the steel user from Class B as they closed in. Doko's eyes widened, and as Asui's tongue swung towards him, he ducked, accidentally bucking some of his weight onto Yaoyorozu.
"Argh! Sorry!"
"It's okay!" she returned. "Is that...Tsu?"
"Ribbit." The frog girl peered out from within Shoji's arms, along with another short person, a boy with blue hair from Class B.
"Oh ho! Team Asui has made use of their difference in sizes! They're like a tank!"
Shoji dashed past them towards Midoriya, as the Class B team closed in as well. Midoriya frantically pulled out the button to activate his jet pack.
"Katayama, now!" Todoroki ordered.
Doko clashed his teeth together and held out both hands, as they closed the distance to about eight meters. Shoji was coming in, as was Tetsutetsu. Doko sent the energy out, and his hands glowed purple.
Just as Midoriya pressed the button to lift off, Doko warped the activation device to his left hand. Shoji swiped through open air, and the Class B guy sent out another quicksand attack, forcing all three teams to back up as Midoriya and them went flying into the sky.
"Damn, a second too late!" Doko said, holding the button that had just allowed their escape before he'd flashed it out. With his right hand, he had messily pulled off part of Uraraka's air boots. "They're gonna have a rough landing, at least."
...
"Ah! My babies are wrecked!" Mei was shouting, looking down at Uraraka's half destroyed boot.
Izuku looked down at them. "Huh? What happened?"
Uraraka was cringing. "It was Katayama-kun! He warped it off!"
"He..." Izuku's eyes widened. Of course! He quickly felt his forehead, to make sure that the headband was still there. If he gets close enough, with just a flick of his wrist...there goes our points. That's power.
"DEKKUUUUUU!" a voice shouted, and a shiver flew up Izuku's spine. It was Kacchan, leaping up via explosions to meet them in midair.
"Tokoyami!" Izuku yelled frantically as Kacchan shot up towards him, snarling, an exploding hand reaching for the bandana...
Dark Shadow reared up, and took the blunt of the blast, forcing Kacchan to fall backward. Sero's tape caught him and pulled him down.
"Is that allowed?" Present Mic asked.
"It is! As long as he didn't touch the ground!" Midnight confirmed.
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Tokoyami."
"Erm...Midoriya?" Mei asked. "Where is the activation button for my baby?"
"Huh?" Izuku looked down at his hands, realising both were empty. I used it to lift us off...and then it...
Katayama.
"Oh."
The jet pack suddenly turned off, and Team Midoriya went hurtling towards the ground.
...
Doko took his finger off the button. "Oh. Apparently it does deactivate the gadget as well."
"Good thinking!" Yaoyorozu praised, as they closed in on the falling team.
"Wow. I'm glad I decided to teleport it to me instead of just away from Midoriya in general."
"They're landing!" said Iida.
A combination of Dark Shadow as a shield, Uraraka's Quirk, and their remaining boot gadgets slowed them enough to land gracefully, but then they were running again. "They can't use the air now, at least," Doko said, giving cha...
Behind, the energy told him suddenly.
Wordlessly, Doko teleported up and off of his team's shoulders and arms...as the blonde boy from Class B swiped at where his headband had been.
Immediately he felt himself begin to fall.
Iida's eyes widened. "Katayama, wha..."
"Hurry up and catch me!"
Iida and Todoroki and Yaoyorozu rushed forward and grabbed him, keeping him off the ground as the Class B team slowed to a stop. They stood to face-to-face. "Those were good reflexes," the smug blonde boy said. "It'd be neat to use that Quirk."
"Midoriya's getting away," Todoroki growled. "We don't have time for this."
Iida used his Quirk to burst them, and they made some good distance away from the Class B team, as Present Mic announced something.
"We're now seven minutes in! And...oh, Class A isn't doing so hot."
Doko looked up at the scoreboard. "Class B has moved up!"
"Tsk," Todoroki muttered. "They're using their lower positions from the obstacle race to come up from behind. It doesn't matter. Focus on Midoriya."
...
Katsuki clenched his fists in wordless rage as the stupid blonde from 1B twirled his stolen headband on his finger. "You Class A idiots just go go go, don't you?" he was saying with a smirk. "So focused on getting to the top, even in the first round where it doesn't matter that much. While you all fight needlessly, we strategised as a class on how to usurp you. And now it seems to be working."
"Bakugo, there's more Class B coming in from behind!" Sero warned. Katsuki wasn't listening. Who the FUCK does this guy think he is? Who the FUCK...his lip quivered. His eyes narrowed. His hands shook.
"Also, you're the boy from the sludge villain incident, aren't you?" the stupid fucking extra was saying. "Tell me, how does it feel to be such a target? Getting attacked by villains twice. Unlucky, isn't it?"
"Kirishima...change of plan..."
The red-haired boy looked up at Katsuki, and suddenly went slack-jawed in surprise and fear. "Uhh...Bakugo?"
"Before we get Deku...let's kill all these Class B losers."
...
"We're now halfway through!" Present Mic announced. "Class B has been making gains, but Team Midoriya still holds the ten million!"
Tsuyu looked up at her head. "Huh. That's weird, ribbit."
Shoda-san, the short blue-haired boy from 1B who'd joined her inside Shoji's shell, looked at her nervously. "What happened to your headband?"
"I don't know, ribbit."
"Urgh. I bet it was stupid Monoma." Shoda crossed his arms and pouted. "He had some grand plan to defeat you Class A guys in this event, and most of the class agreed. They're probably mad at me for 'betraying' them or something."
"In any case, we can't waste time, ribbit. Shoji-chan, full attack mode!"
"Aye."
...
They were closing the distance to Midoriya again...but more teams were doing the same. A handful from Class B, as well as Shoji, arms now unfurled, Tsu and another boy riding on his back.
Doko glanced ahead, and looked at Midoriya. The green-haired boy's eyes were darting between him and Todoroki. "I'll be taking that now," Doko called to him, raising his hands and focusing all in on the headband.
"Closer!" Todoroki ordered. Yaoyorozu rolled on her skates. Iida put short bursts into the engine. They closed in. The other teams converged, including Shoji and Tsu. Doko narrowed his eyes, feeling the pull with the headband grow stronger and stronger. It began to glow the same purple as his hand, and then...
Dark Shadow shot upward with a roar, and sliced its talons through Doko's hands. "ARGH!" Doko fell backwards in pain, and Yaoyorozu created a shield to catch him. Dark Shadow swooped again, and Iida backed them up, dodging.
Shit, Doko thought, clutching his bleeding hand and looking towards Team Midoriya with anger. Tokoyami was watching the whole time. "They're onto us," Doko reported. "With Midoriya's willpower, I'd have to get in close to warp it...and I can't get that close with Dark Shadow."
Todoroki glanced around at the other teams closing in. "We can always try this instead." He slammed his foot into the ground, and sent out ice in all directions, crawling up the feet of the other teams.
"OH! TODOROKI ATTACKS WITH MORE ICE!"
"Damn, I can't move!"
"He froze us again!"
The ice was weaker on the left, further from where Todoroki had stomped, and Shoji managed to break through it. "We'll be taking both you and Midoriya's points, ribbit!"
"Yaoyorozu!" Todoroki shouted, and the creation girl made a metal staff. Doko warped it across himself, from her hands to Todoroki's. The ice user froze up the staff and slammed it into the ground, sending out even more ice that enveloped Shoji further, to the point where he couldn't move.
Tsu shot out her tongue, but Yaoyorozu made another staff and deflected it.
"Now, Katayama," Todoroki said calmly.
Doko summoned all his strength, looking around at the teams they had frozen. He held out his hands, the violet energy emerging from them...and stole all their headbands.
Class B was shocked.
"Huh?"
"He warped them to himself!"
"They have that kind of power, along WITH the ice?"
"May as well take these," said Doko, twirling them on his fingers. "Oh dear, Midoriya's gotten away again. Shall we give chase?"
As his teammates carried him off, they passed the frozen Shoji, Tsu, and the other boy.
"Dokkun," Tsu muttered as they passed, "you're..."
"No hard feelings, right?" He narrowed his eyes at the two of them. "You did have a nice strategy, though. See you later."
They sped away. Todoroki sent up another ice wall as they went, further trapping the teams they'd just stolen from.
"That was well done, all of you!" Iida praised. "Team Midoriya's dead ahead!"
Doko met eyes with Midoriya, who grimaced. "Tokoyami!" he shouted.
Dark Shadow snaked out to grab their headbands, but Yaoyorozu created a shield out of her leg that went up in Doko's face, blocking the spirit and protecting him. Todoroki sent out more ice behind them. Midoriya backed up to the border of the clearing. They had nowhere to go. The distance shrank.
"Katayama!" Todoroki said. "No one can interrupt! They're backed into a corner, and we've trapped them! Get ready!"
Doko lifted up his hands, getting ready to send energy through them. "But...Dark Shadow..."
"We'll battle him! We'll create an opening!"
...
Katsuki pushed his hand out to blow it up in the Class B loser's stupid face, but the guy managed to dodge him, slapping his hand out of the way and sending their teams past each other.
"Hey, whoa!" Kirishima exclaimed, trying to right himself and turn.
Katsuki whirled, ready to attack again...and received a healthy dosage of his own Explosion back into his face.
The team skidded backward again. As the smoke cleared, the blonde was holding up his hand, grinning. "That was fun."
Katsuki's jaw dropped. "Bakugo? Someone has the same Quirk as you?" Kirishima asked in disbelief.
"ARRRGH! BASTARD!" Katsuki attacked again, sending his explosion up like a smokescreen as Kirishima leapt forward to hit the other boy with Hardening.
But this time, when the smoke cleared...the other boy was hardened too, and he was blocking Kirishima's attack. "Such nice Quirks, both of you. I still think I like mine better, though."
"WHAAAAAT?" Kirishima yelled as the Class B team backed up. "Mine TOO?"
"Idiot," Katsuki said calmly. "He copied it. His Quirk mimics other Quirks."
"Bakugo, watch out!"
Another Class B team had come in, led by a guy with a metal head. He sprayed a ton of glue between the other two teams, landing around Ashido and Sero's feet.
"Joining the fight, Bondo?" the blonde boy asked his classmate.
"Monoma, hurry!" One of the copier's teammates. "We should get out of here; right now we've got enough points for the top four!"
Both 1B teams began to turn and run. "AFTER THEM!" Katsuki roared.
"The glue is solidifying!" Sero cried.
"I'll melt it with my Quirk!" declared Ashido, spraying acid out of her shoe and onto the glue.
"Hurry! We've got zero points right now!"
Monoma turned to them, smiling. "There's no hard feelings, of course. You were the one who provoked us, after all. When you made that stupid pledge on stage."
Katsuki snarled in fury. I pledged...to be number one. Not just first place...an INDISPUTABLE first place!
...
"TEAM MONOMA IS NOW IN SECOND! TEAM KATAYAMA IN THIRD! TEAM TETSUTETSU IN FOURTH!" Mic shouted.
Shota leaned forward, watching Bakugo pursue the Class B team who'd just taken all his points. In fury, he'd leapt up off his team to grab the bandanas, but one of the B students had put up a wall of air. Bakugo shattered it in fury and ripped the headbands off. Sero pulled him back with tape. Monoma's team barely escaped with one left.
"HOOOOO!" Mic boomed. "Team Bakugo takes their points back and some to spare, putting them back in the top four! Monoma's team is now fifth!"
"Monoma..." Shota spoke up. "Class B certainly had a valid, reasonable strategy. However..." his eyes flashed back toward Katayama, ever so briefly. "He failed to count for the difference between those aim for the top..."
Sero shot out tape. Ashido shot out acid. Monoma's team tried to put up another barrier, but Bakugo shattered it again, taking back the last bandana.
"...and those who don't," Shota finished.
"Bakugo is merciless!" announced Mic. "He's gotten all the bandanas off Team Monoma!"
...
"ONE MINUTE LEFT!" Present Mic shouted.
From high in the stands, Endeavor frowned. His son's team had managed to trap the ten million points thanks to his ice, but the green-haired boy had managed to elude them the whole time. Shoto kept trying to send out ice attacks at the shadow creature, while the dark-haired girl (he believed she was from the Yaoyorozu family) created weapons to attack with. But the creature had them completely outmatched, and they had yet been unable to create an opening.
Endeavor's eyes fell upon the boy that his son was supporting. He was tall for his age, with dark grey hair cut short, like an old man's. His eyes were a furious violet. A warper...my boy, you chose your teammates wisely, but taking on a supporting role? This Katayama may have a powerful Quirk, but it is NOTHING compared to yours.
You didn't become the number two hero without having a good knack for observation during combat. Through conjecture, he had figured out the shadow creature's weakness. Light. Shoto, if you would only use your fire, you could create the opening you need. But yet...you chose to support the warping boy from the right, making your left arm unusable. This rebellious charade...will it never end?
...
"Everyone, there is less than a minute left," said Iida, as the two teams stood facing each other down. Doko was bleeding from multiple spots thanks to Dark Shadow's talons. Yaoyorozu had kept the creature from taking any of his bandanas, but the ten million remained firmly around Midoriya's head. "I'm sorry," Doko told his teammates, grimacing in pain. "I just can't get close enough."
"I will get you there," said Iida. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu gasped.
The bespectacled class rep had a determined expression on his face. "After this, I will be unusable. Don't waste this opportunity, Katayama. Prepare yourself."
"Huh? Wha..."
"RECIPROBUUUURST!" Iida put EVERYTHING into his engines, and suddenly they were accelerating forward, faster than Doko could comprehend. His head pushed back, his cheeks flapped. Dark Shadow was trying to rise up but wouldn't get there in time. Midoriya's eyes became saucers of fear.
As they passed at lightning speed, Doko reached his right hand out and pumped all the energy into it. Two meters.
He warped the ten million headband safely into his hands. Dark Shadow had swiped at him again, but they were getting away now, first place safely secured.
Iida came skidding to a stop, out of breath. "Yes!" Yaoyorozu sang in ecstasy. "Well done, both of you!"
Iida looked up at his teammates. "My engine has now stalled. That was a move I put everything into. A secret I hadn't told anyone in class yet." He looked back up towards the enemy team. "I told you, didn't I Midoriya?" he called to them. "That I would challenge you."
The crowd was screaming, going wild. "The tables have turned!" Present Mic shouted.
Doko held the ten million headband in his hands, slightly in shock. They were all cheering for him. He couldn't believe it. Thousands of people...noticing me, for the first time. It was beyond anything he'd ever imagined. Is this why they're all so competitive? To get a taste of...this?
"Here they come!" Yaoyorozu warned.
"I can't move very well...my engines..." Iida coughed.
"Katayama!" Todoroki called to him.
Doko looked up, and his blood ran cold. Uraraka and the support girl were boosting Midoriya towards him. Dark Shadow loomed up in front of Tokoyami. There was a look of brave desperation on the green-haired boy's face...and he pulled his fist back, charging lightning and energy through it.
Doko's heart skipped a beat. He's going to use his Quirk on me. It doesn't matter if he breaks his arm, I am fucking toast. Midoriya grew closer and closer. "I can't counter that!" Doko alerted his teammates. "Help me!"
Todoroki raised his right arm, ready to send out ice...
Dark Shadow got ready to attack...
Off to the left, Bakugo's team burst through the ice, headed towards them...
Midoriya opened his fist, and swiped with his powers, opening his palm and sending out a gust of wind. Todoroki was blown off course, and his ice went shooting out of bounds. Doko blinked in shock as the wind buffeted at him...and then Midoriya reached out, and ripped the ten million bandana from his throat.
"NO!" he roared, whirling. "IIDA!"
"My engine is still stalled!"
"ONLY SECONDS REMAIN!" Present Mic shouted.
"DEKU, HALF AND HALF, CRACKHEAD!" Bakugo roared, exploding off his teammate's shoulders and toward them. "THAT TEN MILLION IS MINE!"
"We still have enough points to advance!" Yaoyorozu cried.
"I don't care." Doko's teammates froze in shock as he reached out with both hands, pulling the ten million bandana to him with an eruption of violet light. It glitched in and out of reality in Midoriya's hand, threatening to flash. Dark Shadow shot out to attack Doko again. Todoroki sent out ice. Yaoyorozu created another shield. Bakugo grew closer and closer, like a human bullet.
"Three!" Midnight cried.
"AAAAARGH!" Bakugo shouted, reaching out an exploding hand.
"Two!"
Doko grimaced, pulling, pulling. My willpower...can be as STRONG AS YOURS, MIDORIYA!
"One!"
The band flashed from Midoriya's hand to his, just as Bakugo arrived, screaming with fury.
"Time's up!"
Bakugo halted his attack, falling unceremoniously on his face between the three teams.
The crowd erupted in cheers and screams. Doko relaxed on his teammate's shoulders, out of breath. "I...I got it..." he turned over the bandana, showing the number 10,000,325. "We're advancing."
"Well done, Katayama!" Iida praised.
"Yes!" Yaoyorozu cried, as the three of them put him down. Then, she threw her arms around Doko's neck. "We did it!"
Doko's eyes widened in shock as he realised she was hugging him. "Oh...um..." over Momo's shoulder, he made eye contact with Mina, standing next to Sero and Kirishima. She was staring at them.
Doko pushed Momo gently off. The creation girl blushed. "Sorry," she said. "I got a little caught up in the moment."
"That's...alright."
"That's the end of the cavalry battle!" Present Mic declared. "Let's look at the scores! In first place, Team Katayama, obviously!"
The three of them looked to Todoroki, who nodded in approval. "It seems my strategy was correct," he said.
Huh? Doko clenched his fist. Not going to praise your teammates for helping you at all?
"In second place, Team Bakugo!"
"Damn..." Kirishima was saying. "We were so close!"
"Yeah, it's a shame..." Sero looked down at his team leader on the ground, who was pounding his fist and kicking his legs. "Bakugo, you good?"
"Grrrrrr! NO!"
Mina blinked. She couldn't seem to stop looking at Doko.
"In third place, team Tets...wait, it's team Shinso? Where did they come from?"
Doko looked around for that team, which he recalled had some Class A students on it. He couldn't see anything over the ice walls Todoroki had built.
"And in fourth place...Team Midoriya? Wait, I thought they had zero!"
"Huh?" Doko's team looked at the scoreboard, and then over at Midoriya's team. Tokoyami was standing with his arms crossed. Dark Shadow rose up, a bandana in his jaws that read 670.
"Huh? My original headband?" Doko felt his head. Sure enough, it was gone.
"I stole it during one of our clashes, and kept it hidden, just in case!" Dark Shadow declared to him.
Behind them, Midoriya had begun to cry with happiness. Doko's eye twitched. "It's fine..." said Iida. "They may have stolen it, but we still got first."
"Sorry about cutting you up like that," Tokoyami told Doko.
"I'm not sorry!" Dark Shadow echoed.
"Shut up and be nice," Tokoyami ordered.
"These four teams will advance to the final round!" said Present Mic, over the crowd's cheers. "We'll now break for lunch! Come on, Mummy Man, I'm hungry."
...
Shoto Todoroki was confused. Around him on the green, his classmates were discussing the match, as they got ready to head back for lunch.
"Iida-kun, where did you come up with a move like that?!" Uraraka demanded.
"I was just trying to...ahem. Sorry. I was just trying to compete with Midoriya."
Midoriya. I need to speak with him. Shoto glanced back up at his old man, glaring down from the stands. He probably thinks it's an easier win if I use my fire. For a moment there, I considered trying to use it to protect Katayama, but...
"That's disappointing, ribbit. Well, at least you two advanced, Mina-chan, Sero-chan."
"Eh, Bakugo did most of the work," Sero was saying. "We didn't do much."
"Doko made it to the next round, too," Ashido muttered. "Hey, where is he?"
Shoto looked up. He'd barely been overhearing the conversation, and now...Katayama was standing in front of him. The warping boy was looking up at the cheering crowd, but he was definitely standing there with purpose.
"Do you have further business with me?" Shoto asked.
Katayama chuckled. "You...really are annoying, aren't you?"
Shoto froze. "What?"
Katayama turned to face him. "Back there in the prep room when you challenged Midoriya, I was ready to do nothing short of punching you in the face. The only thing holding me back was that it wouldn't be very heroic."
Shoto swallowed, confused. He...what is he talking about...
Katayama shrugged. There was a strange light in his eyes, yet unseen. "It takes a lot to get me mad, I guess. But lately I've been getting more and more upset, and I've figured it out. It's because people are more worried about being good heroes than good people. In their pursuits, they don't consider the feelings of others. You said yourself that you don't want to bother making friends. You don't respect Midoriya and Bakugo as rivals. And you didn't respect me and Iida and Yaoyorozu as teammates. Before you say anything, just know that I think you'll be a very talented hero. But you won't be a good person. A great hero, but a bad person." His lips curled into a smile. "Just like your father."
Shoto growled and stepped forward, trying to grab the other boy's shirt collar. How DARE you! But Katayama only slid back, not teleporting but moving very quickly.
"Don't touch me," he said in disgust. "I've made up my mind. Since you've decided to be a bad person in single-minded pursuit of your goal, then I'm gonna be a bad person as well." His fists were trembling, and his voice shook with fury. "I'm going to aim for the top. But not because I want to win. I just want you to lose. You challenged the wrong people, Todoroki. It's not Midoriya or Bakugo you should be worried about. It's me. I'll make sure you remember this as the day of your defeat. And it will be HUMILIATING." He stepped away, tears in his eyes. "See you soon."
And that's it for the Cavalry Battle! Probably the longest extended action sequence I've ever written. Sorry for ending on such an angsty, foreboding note. I've sort of had this whole segment of the story in my head for a while.
I was not a big Todoroki fan when I first watched Season 2, but looking back on it, I can see why he acted the way he did. I like him a lot now, but I wanted to create a character that shared a similar initial outlook on him. Doko doesn't yet have the luxury of understanding Todoroki's circumstances; he is ignorant to them. I'm not trying to bash Todoroki at all, and Doko is not meant to be perfect. He's still got a lot of his ideals to work through and fine-tune.
I apologize if anyone is unhappy with how angsty things have become. They will start to turn around next chapter to something more hopeful. In canon, none of the characters are particularly happy or satisfied with the conclusion of the Sports Festival. That's going to be...somewhat different here.
I'm not changing the matchups up too much (besides the ones with Doko in them). The way some of them play out will be slightly different. But that will be all next time. See you then.