A/N: To everyone who wants to write fanfics, the Cavalry Battle is such a damn mess. Thankfully, I realized I didn't have to actually write Katsuki's battle. Or anyone elses. Thank goodness.

Also, I feel like some people haven't read the parts where I've made it clear that Izuku is far more socially inept here than in canon because being friendless, parentally emotional cut off, shut in for 11 years doesn't make you instantly okay. It's been said multiple times in this fic, and in some of the notes I believe. And Kyouka said herself that the festival is Izuku's opportunity to overcome his past fear of uselessness and those bullies. This is his chance to overcome his fear of Katsuki, and he's beginning to see that. As shown quite a number of times last chapter.

Just thought I would make that clear one more time. I hate explaining too much, but this is in case I wasn't clear about it all.

Anyway, enjoy!

...

"Remember, even if your horse formation falls apart, it's not over until it's over! Good luck!"

Kyouka shook her head, "So...What do we do?"

Izuku took a deep breath, looking over at his other friends. "Iida? U-Uraraka?"

Tenya gazed down at his feet in thought before looking back up to his friends. "I'm sorry, but...I refuse."

Kyouka deadpanned, "Of course."

The bluenette shook his head, "I mean no disrespect, truly. But, after the entrance exam, I've been behind you, Midoriya. And now…" Tenya turned to Kyouka, "I see that I've been blind to notice another formidable classmate right in front of me. I know there have been several declarations of war today, but I need to add one more." Tenya turned away, beginning to walk into the sea of students. "Todoroki and Bakugou aren't the only ones who see you as a rival."

As he vanished, Kyouka squinted her eyes in confusion. "Me? I literally rode your back the entire time. How am I a rival?"

"W-Well, I think he just means you have the intention and mind to win. I guess he's just as surprised as everyone else is that we worked together during the race. A-And now that we're working together again, we're a threat."

"I guess that's fair." Kyouka looked over to their brunette companion. "Et tu, Uraraka?"

"Oh, no I'll definitely help you guys! I think it's best to work with your friends!"

Kyouka smiled, but immediately jerked back in shock as Izuku's face clenched into something...odd. "Woah, what the hell are you doing?"

"I-It's just s-so heartwarming to remember I have friends." Kyouka rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing Izuku was being genuine. Having people care about him after eleven years was new to him, but this just meant it was affecting him for the better.

She tugged his sleeve, bringing him down to whisper in his ear. "Look, I think you're always hot. But, this is not a good look for you." Clearly, that was the wrong thing to say as Izuku's face clenched up even further. "Wh-?! What now?!"

"You called me hot."

"...Okay, c'mon big guy. Let's go find our fourth membe-"

"MS. FIRST PLACE!"

"AH!" Kyouka jumped back as a goggled pinked-haired girl suddenly entered her vision. Her jacks quickly shot out in defense, but Izuku grabbed them before they could hit their target.

"Team up with me!"

"Next time, Bubblegum, how about yo-"

Izuku raised a brow, "Do you j-just create all of your nicknames based off of people's hair?"

"Quiet you. Anyway, Bubblegum, how about you just walk up to us and ask politely next time."

"And waste time that could be used showing the big shots of the industry my super cute babies? Never!"

Ochako furrowed her brow in confusion, "Wait...Babies? Industry? Who even are you?"

Lifting up her goggles, the girl brandished a wide, crazy smile. "Mei Hatsume, future queen of the support gear industry, at your service! Someone like me would be useful in your situation." Mei unclipped a part of her harness, a large backpack falling to the ground. She unzipped it, pulling out gear one after the other. "Just look at all my babies! I'm sure you'll find one, if not all of them, useful to you!"

Both of Kyouka's eyebrows raised, "That's...actually a good idea."

Izuku nodded, his hand rubbing his chin in thought. "No one else has support gear, it's a playing card no one else can play. It would also allow us to rely on much more than our quirks, and it's unexpected. Each piece of gear would do something different, so unpredictability will b-"

The trio of girls watched as Izuku continued to mutter, his mouth going a mile a minute. Kyouka smirked, "Yeah, he does that."

Mei smiled wider, "A quick thinker! I like him!" The inventor quickly stepped over to Izuku, disrupting his muttering as she shoved the open backpack in his face. "See anything you like?"

"O-Oh, w-well-..." Kyouka watched as Izuku began to falter and shut down with how close Mei was. If Izuku was anybody else, she'd be a little ticked off because she would think Izuku was nervous because Mei, another girl, was getting near him. But, Izuku was nervous around literally everybody. Except for herself, obviously. Mei was his exact opposite socially. Loud, in your face, no shame at all. However…"I-Is that…?" Izuku reached in and pulled out a jet pack. "This looks like Air Jet's."

"Yep! Based directly off of his gear."

A smile broke out on Izuku's face, "His agency used t-to be in my neighborhood. He's really c-cool."

"That's not all I got. C'mon, take a look!" Kyouka smiled as Izuku began to dig deeper into the bag, in awe at everything he saw. Hero stuff. One of the only things that broke through Izuku's nervous shell. At first, Kyouka thought Mei was going to be someone she'd lose her patience with. But, maybe she was a good addition. Izuku was quiet and reserved due to his social inexperience, and Mei was loud and shameless due to her's. Combine that all with hero related conversation and they oddly balance each other out when it came to that specific aspect.

"Hatsume, you're in."

The pink-haired girl swiveled around, "Perfect! Hold on, I'll go grab the rest of my stuff."

"You have even more?"

"Pfft, of course I do. Future queen, remember? Also, I know none of your names. You can tell me, but I'll most likely forget...Scratch that. I will absolutely forget."

Kyouka chuckled, "Well, even if it doesn't matter, I'm Kyouka Jirou. And that stuttering ball of awkwardness is Izuku Midoriya. And this bubbly brunette is Ochako Uraraka."

"Koko, Zuko, and Chalk. Got it!"

Kyouka and Ochako looked at one another, shrugged, and then back to Mei. "Close enough."

As Mei ran off to grab more gear to choose from, Ochako turned to her purplette friend. "She's...interesting."

"Yeah, but she definitely seems like a big help. What do you think, Izuku?"

Moving his eyes away from the backpack, Izuku nodded. "Yeah, a-all this stuff is great. I'm just trying to figure out how a-all this stuff will work for a horse formation."

Kyouka nodded, looking around at all the other teams beginning for form. They were all beginning to start stacking themselves on top of one another, their riders stepping onto their teammates' hands with everyone else being the horse. If she was going to be the rider, she would be used to that kind of position. It was a little different to riding piggyback on Izuku, but they couldn't just do that. There were four of them…

...Or, could they?

Kyouka looked back to Izuku and Ochako. "Hey, they said the team has to be two to four people, right?" They both nodded in response, waiting to see where the purplette was going with her train of thought. "So that means anything goes as long as there is at least one horse and one rider. The formation could even break up, but the game keeps going."

Ochako tilted her head, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, we don't have to be in a full, four person horse formation, do we?"

Izuku furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

"Midnight said there can be two people on a team, so it's allowed to have only one person as the horse and one as the rider. Izuku, you're our speed demon and our strongest attacker. We'd be holding you back. Especially since our goal isn't really to grab other headbands."

The greenette brought a hand to his chin, "You're right. We're the only headbands that really matter. I got second place, but I'm still not a target."

"Like Hatsume said, the spotlight is all on us."

"So, our goal isn't t-to attack, but to defend and evade. We're running away. But, it won't last forever. We need a good defense from all angles."

Kyouka nodded over to the jetpack, "I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone else with air support."

"You're right." Izuku hummed to himself, looking around at the rest of the groups. "But, whoever is using it won't be connected to the formation. And they'll have to keep up with me. We'll need some way to keep them attached, or we'll be disqualified."

"Oh, wait!" The couple turned to Ochako, her face lighting up. "Back during the obstacle course, Hatsume had a grappling hook harness thing."

Kyouka chuckled, "So we fly her around like a kite? That's a good idea, but what purpose will she serve?"

"I'm back!" The trio turned to see Hatsume appear with an even larger duffel bag of gear. "So, what'd I miss?"

Izuku pointed down to the duffel bag, "Do you have any projectile w-weapons in there?"

"Hm...Oh!" Mei reached in, pulling out a dual-grip, silver gun with a canister screwed into the bottom. "Baby #41! Pressurized Globular Cluster Firearm! Or Glue Gun for short."

Kyouka and Izuku smiled at one another before the purplette turned back to Mei. "How would you like to fly above the rest of the crowd to show off your babies?"

Mei's smile grew even wilder as she lowered her goggles and pulled out her welding gun, "Just need to make a few adjustments."

(Ten Minutes Later)

"One minute remaining!" Midnight yelled out. "Get your formations ready!"

Izuku wrapped his 205 point headband around his neck, turning towards Mei. The inventor fired out her harpoon into the ground for Izuku to pick up. Following Hatsume's disassembly instructions, the sharp harpoon came off, leaving only the wire cable and hooks. Mei took the jet pack, fastening it on the upper hook of her harness. Ochako turned on the rocket boots, setting them to low power per Mei's instructions, allowing her to hover off of the ground.

Attaching Mei's second harness around her body, Kyouka allowed Izuku to wrap the cable around the back clips, securing it tightly to keep Mei connected to the team. Izuku leaned down, allowing Kyouka to hop on his back. Kyouka sat upright, her arms straight with her hands on Izuku's shoulders. Ochako interlocked her fingers around Kyouka's waist to avoid accidentally using her quirk until they needed it. Mei fired up her jetpack, flying up a few meters before twisting on a full canister to her gun.

Tetsutetsu yelled out from his own formation, "Hey! That's not horse formation! And that chick's flying!"

Midnight yelled out through the megaphone, "The rules state that there needs to be at least one horse and one rider. So, as long as the team is connected in some way, and the support student's feet don't touch the ground, these fall under our guidelines."

Kyouka smirked, patting Izuku's head. "Good thinking, Pine Tree."

"Hm? This was mostly your plan, though."

"You're rubbing off on me. So, you ready?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Uraraka?"

Ochako grinned, "Ready when you are!"

The punk looked up behind her, "Hatsume?"

"My babies will be all over the big screen!"

"...I'll take that as a yes." Popping her knuckles, Kyouka tightened her headband and brandished her jacks. "Here we go."

Kayama began the countdown. "3!" Izuku turned his gaze over to Katsuki's team, the blonde seemingly unfazed by his former friend's out of place formation. The only expression he had was his usual glare. "2!" Shaking his head, Izuku focused back on Todoroki's team and found Iida. They were more dangerous than Katsuki's team, which Izuku had to sum up to the blonde not knowing anyone else's quirk. He didn't care about anyone else, and that cost him valuable knowledge he could have used to form a more balanced team.

But, Iida had the speed to match, maybe even surpass Izuku's. He still had no idea what percentage of One For All he could use, and Iida surely could have something up his sleeve. Izuku noticed the team was wearing rollerblades, likely made by Yaoyorozu. So, Tenya wasn't being held back by much either. The only thing Izuku had to depend on was that One For All boosted his physical strength as well, not just his speed. Iida still had to drag weight behind him, albeit eased by the rollerblades. Shoto also would have a difficult time creating ice with Iida directly below and in front of him.

'Whenever we directly confront them, stay to the left of his team. Iida will be in the way of his ice if he tries to go after me.'

All eyes were on his team. Kyouka and Mei were right, the spotlight was on them. Izuku knew he couldn't freeze up now. He had to be ready, he had to prove himself again like he did during the race. Izuku breathed in deep, his body beginning to glow. One For All began coursing through his veins, raising his power until he felt his muscles slightly tighten in strain. He felt Kyouka's hand slowly move up from his shoulder, giving his cheek a slight, subtle caress before moving back down to his shoulder before anyone noticed.

A smile spread on Izuku's lips.

"1!"

He was ready.

"BEGIN!"

*ZOOM!*

Izuku burst out through the teams, weaving his way through the students before some of them even began to move. Kyouka looked back, seeing the ground they had been standing on begin to sink in on itself. It must've been someone's quirk, but they managed to evade it.

However, it looked like Todoroki had learned from the race. He knew Izuku would burst out into a full sprint like he did beforehand. A large wall of ice formed in front of them, but they were ready. Kyouka yelled, "Uraraka!"

"On it!" The brunette stopped interlocking her hands, flipping them around and pressing them against Izuku's back. Izuku jumped up and Ochako boosted the rocket boots, allowing them to float up high above the ice.

"DEKU!"

Kyouka groaned, "I'm getting really sick of him screaming that."

They turned their gazes to see Katsuki flying up at them, explosions blasting out of his hands. "You're getting so full of yourself! You can't wi-GAGCK!" A small ball of glue suddenly exploded onto Katsuki's face, but before he could fall, Sero pulled him back to his group with his tape.

Mei lowered the weapon clicking on the speakers attached just under her chest, "Don't worry folks! It's non-toxic!" She then raised a brow, looking down at her gun, "...I think. Either way, it's a super cute baby ready for action! Along with this incredible jetpack made by yours truly!"

As Ochako deactivated her quirk and the group began to fall to the ground, Kyouka looked back towards her pink-haired teammate. "Are you seriously advertising right now?!"

"You said I could!"

"I meant show them off in action! Not literally making a commercial!"

"I'm a woman of opportunity!"

"I-...Whatever." The team landed with the help of the rocket boots slowing their fall. They took off again, running around the outer edge of the area with Izuku as their chariot horse.

"Well folks, it looks like this unorthodox horse formation is working out for the best! With their placement in the last event, and their performance so far in the second, Izuku Midoriya and Kyouka Jirou of Class 1-A seem to be the MVPs of the festival this year! What are your thoughts on your star students, Eraser!"

The teacher didn't respond, he merely furrowed his brow in thought. This wasn't the first year the Cavalry Battle had been the chosen second event. But, out of all the years it was selected, he had never seen a formation quite like the one formed by the "Dynamic Duo" as Present Mic had taken to calling them.

Shouta knew he was someone who judged harshly and bluntly. He made it clear to his students on the first day, but especially to Midoriya. But, he was beginning to show Aizawa just how wrong he can be about people.

And now he was beginning to feel the same about Jirou.

Her grades in the past were very good. Never the top five, but always the top ten. Her quirk was versatile enough, and proved it could do damage during the entrance exams.

But, just like Midoriya, she was beginning to reach new levels at faster rates than he anticipated. He saw their exams, he saw their skill. Yet, somehow, they were far better than they were just a few months ago. He knew it had to do with their relationship.

Whatever they were to each other, their improvement benefitted from the other's presence.

He'd have to keep an eye on them.

Back on the field, Kyouka leaned down next to Izuku's ear. "Okay, we're doing good. We have ten minutes left. If we keep this up, then we can-"

"Tongue!"

Blushing, Kyouka's eyes widened. "Wow, that was forward of you."

"No! Tongue!" Kyouka followed Izuku's line of sight to see Shoji far up ahead of them, trying to intercept them before they ran by. From Shoji's back came out Asui's tongue, aiming high for Kyouka's headband. Kyouka quickly shot her jacks out, jabbing Tsu's tongue before it came near.

Mei yelled out from up above, "Purple minefield!"

Kyouka squinted in confusion until she looked far up ahead and saw a multitude of Mineta's hair balls on the ground. She had to give it to the little bastard, it wasn't a bad idea. He likely knew he wasn't fast enough or a good enough aim to hit them dead on. They were too fast, so he decided to stop them in their tracks. "Stop or jump, Green Bean?"

"It's like you said during the race against Todoroki. They want us to stop. We have to keep going! Get ready to jump, Uraraka!" They repeated their process from earlier in the battle with Uraraka using her quirk on Izuku and jumping high in the air with the assistance of the rocket boots. Izuku turned his head to assess the situation when they landed. Further away, he miraculously saw Katsuki not trying to chase him. He was actually going after someone from 1-B. Someone with a smirk and look in his eyes that uneased Izuku.

Kyouka followed Izuku's example, sighing in relief as she too saw Katsuki. "Thank goodness. That's one less major thing to worry about."

Ochako looked past Kyouka, her eyes wide. "I think we should worry about that, though."

The couple turned back to look ahead of them to find Hagakure, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Koda waiting for them at the very end of the field of purple orbs. Seeing nothing but a few floating headbands and a pair of pants, Kyouka realized Toru was completely topless. "Izuku, close your eyes!"

"Wh-? Why!?"

"Just do it! Hatsume!" Hearing her name again, the inventor began firing at the opposing team. With Tokoyami as their lead, Dark Shadow burst out of his body, smacking away the bundles of glue. Kyouka knew her jacks had become stronger, but not yet strong enough to be able to combat Dark Shadow in any way. "Uraraka, Hatsume, slow us down!"

Mei pulled back, trying to fly back while Ochako put her feet forward to move them in Mei's direction. But, Kyouka looked back to see Shoji's team running towards them with Mineta ready to throw his balls, and directly to their right, Todoroki's team was finally beginning to catch up. "Izuku, any ideas?"

"I can't assess the situation with my eyes closed!" Kyouka looked back down at Toru, and then over to an approaching Momo whose jacket was wide open with her bra covered chest out in the open.

Had Izuku seen Momo in her far less, that being her hero costume? Yes.

Could Izuku, or anyone, not actually even see Toru's breasts? Also, yes.

Did Kyouka care? No.

"Keep 'em closed, just be ready to attack."

"How?"

"Uh." Kyouka looked around again, trying to figure out which direction was their best bet of escaping. Shoto's team and Shoji's team could easily stop them in their tracks if given the chance, so..."Ram right through Dark Shadow!"

"How? I-I can't let go of you! How can I atta-..." Izuku's eyes opened wide in realization, putting his legs out to attack.

"Did...Did you just forget you have legs?"

"N-...No?"

'...Oh my god, my boyfriend is an idiot.' Deciding not to think too hard on that, Kyouka yelled out to her other teammates. "Hatsume! Uraraka! Fly us at full speed towards Hagakure!" Mei flew towards them at full power, pressing against Ochako, who also put her legs out behind her. With three rocket powered pieces of gear on their side, they launched at the opposing team at blinding speeds. Clearly faster than Tokoyami was expecting, because his the teen bird's eyes widened right as Izuku kicked hard into him while Kyouka sent her jacks out into his forehead. With the other team stunned, Kyouka's group made their getaway. Kyouka looked over her shoulder, yelling out, "Hagakure! Put on a shirt!"

A sudden light flashed from their right, all of their hairs standing up. All of their eyes turned to see Kaminari lighting up the entire playing field, shocking other teams while Shoto froze them.

Izuku's eyes widened as he saw a wave of electricity flying right for them. Mei could avoid the hit, Ochako was behind the group, but Kyouka was out in the open. She would be blasted for sure. Izuku's instincts kicked in, his body seized up like at the USJ when Kyouka was going to be touched by Shigaraki. He jumped up, arching backwards to make Kyouka fall back and for his body to be in front of her.

"AAAAH!" He felt the sparks hit him directly in the chest, all of his muscles clenching as the electricity shook him to his very core.

...Until he felt nothing.

Izuku felt his feet hit the ground again. He opened his eyes to see his body glowing and sparking with yellow electricity, which then turned green, and dissipated into him. "Izuku?" Kyouka asked. "What happened?"

"I-I-...I don't…"

"Look out!" Ochako yelled. They didn't even have time to register Ochako's warning before they felt wind rush past them, and Kyouka's headband was ripped from her head. Kyouka looked over her shoulder to see Shoto's team skidding to a halt far behind them. She could see their mouths moving, so her jacks focused in on the noise.

"-as that?" Kyouka heard the fragmented question asked by Shoto.

Iida responded, "It's a secret technique I've been waiting for the opportune time to use. But, it stalls my engines.

Midnight yelled out through her megaphone, "Ten seconds remaining!"

Kyouka's jacks perked, her eyes widening. "He said his engines are stalled!" Izuku's eyes widened as well, quickly springing to action, bringing One For All's power up until a shooting pain ran throughout his muscles.

"9!"

The greenette fired towards them, shouting over the wind blowing in his ears. "Hatsume!"

"8!"

Mei heard her cue, a smile breaking out on her face as she pressed the button on her harness, her jetpack firing at full power. She flew at Shoto's team, firing her gun at all of their feet. With their slowed speed and Mei's zoom quirk, her aim was true. Due to Shoto's formation being in mid turn, glue clusters began to hit the right side of each person. With their main horse, Iida, now stuck to the ground, they were sitting ducks.

"7!"

Shoto looked at his team and panicked. Iida was stuck to the ground, and Momo was half covered in glue and looked like she was scrambling to think of anything to save them. Kaminari was the only one not hit by the glue, but his brain was completely scrambled by his big attack. Shoto looked back towards the enemy team heading right for them.

"6!"

There was an intense look in Izuku's eyes, lightning flaring up all around him as he charioted his friends. They were right on course to ram into Shoto's team's side.

"5!"

Kyouka's jacks were brandished, and her hands were out, ready to grab the headbands.

"DEKU!" The purplette groaned as she saw Katsuki flying in the air towards them.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me."

"4!"

The pressure was at an all time high, Shoto's instincts kicked in. Heat began emanating from his only free arm, his left.

"3!"

Todoroki shot out his arm towards, flames beginning to billow. Izuku could feel the heat, quickly improvising by leaping up and kicking away Shoto's hand, flames bursting away from them. With their momentum from the charge, Izuku's jump caused them to go over Shoto's team. Kyouka quickly reached down and back, grabbing the top headband around the dual-quirk user's neck.

"2!"

"Got it!"

"1!"

"RAAAH!" Their eyes Katsuki, flying in the air towards them. "That headband is mi-GACKH!"

"Time's up!"

All teams slid to a halt, except for Katsuki who fell on his face away from Izuku's team with another cluster of glue on his face. Mei smiled from up above, "Got him!"

Katsuki growled, sitting up and turning to see Izuku's team dissembling from their formation. Kyouka smiled, bringing the headband in her hand up to read it, only for her stomach to drop. "Si-...Sixty-five?!"

"What?!" Ochako and Izuku said simultaneously.

Izuku gripped his hair, shaking his head. "He must've switched them around. I can't believe we lo-"

"In first place, Team Jirou with over ten million points!" Izuku froze, he swiveled around to his teammates. Kyouka and Izuku both turned to Ochako, but the brunette was pointing towards Mei, who had just landed back down on the ground. She raised her hand up to the sky, the ten million headband in her grasp.

She clicked on her microphone once more, turning towards the Support Industry seating area. "Would you look at that! My babies secured us the first place win!"

Izuku's jaw dropped, tears beginning to form in his eyes before Kyouka quickly wiped them away. The purplette chuckled to herself, "Future Queen of the Industry, indeed."

Midnight yelled out, "In second place, we have Team Todoroki! In third, Team Bakugou! And in fourth, Team Shinso. Before we advance to the final event, we'll have a one hour lunch break. We will announce when we start up again!"

Kyouka unclipped her harness, handing it back to Hatsume. "Thanks, Hatsume. We wouldn't have been able to win without you and your babies...You really need a new nickname for those."

"I told you my babies were the best. All I had to do was swoop down and grab these headbands. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for...special plans I have for the final event." With that, the pinkette walked away with her gear in hand.

Izuku came up behind Kyouka, a sigh escaping his lips. "I can't believe w-we pulled that off."

"Me neither. But, now we at least have a small break from all this cra-"

"Midoriya." The couple turned around to find Shoto standing behind them, his usual cold glare present. "I need to talk to you privately."

Kyouka pinched the bridge of her nose, "When will I learn not to speak too soon? Look, I get you hate him for some reason, but can't you just leave us alo-"

"W-Wait." Izuku placed a hand around Kyouka's wrist to stop her. "...Okay."

Shoto nodded, turning around and walking away, expecting Izuku to follow. With Izuku walking away, Kyouka couldn't keep her feet still. Shoto had proven to be a thorn in their side all day, and now he suddenly wanted a private conversation?

Once they were a good distance away, Kyouka began to follow them through the crowd. She luckily managed to keep track of them through all the people trying to get to lunch. They entered the stadium building, weaving through hallways until Kyouka could hear them stop and begin to talk.

Kyouka rounded the corner, shock appearing on her face as she became face-to-face with Bakugou, who seemingly also was trying to listen in on the conversation.

Katsuki gave her an emotionless stare before looking back down at the floor tiles. As much as she would have enjoyed telling the blonde to go away, Kyouka decided it was best to not blow her cover. The purplette leaned against the other side of the archway, honing in on the nearby conversation.

Izuku was standing against one wall, and Shoto the opposite. The light from the exit next to them shone through into the hall. The greenette looked around at anything but Shoto's cold stare. "Um...Wh-When people ask to have a conversation, u-usually they actually talk." Shoto raised a brow, and Izuku cleared his throat. "S-Sorry, that was my inner Kyouka. She's been influencing me." Around the corner, Kyouka couldn't help but smirk with pride.

"...You overwhelmed me." Izuku was taken aback by Shoto's sudden dialogue. "So much so, that I broke my pledge, even if for a moment. I used my left side." He raised his left hand up, staring into his palm. "I didn't know what to do. I saw you coming right for me, trapped in that glue. I felt like an animal in a trap, instinct kicked in to lash out. I could've really hurt you, all of you. Even my own team...but, you stopped me."

"I-I mean...I don-"

"And unlike a lot of the class, I was there when All Might appeared. I felt him clash with that creature. That overwhelming pressure, a strange static in the air, even when he was just standing still. I could feel that same pressure, that electricity, from you."

Kyouka hadn't actually thought about that before, but it was true. She was right in the action when All Might was there. Hell, he even picked her up and took her to the USJ entrance. There was this weird electricity in the air that made the hair on her neck stand on end. She had trained with Izuku more than enough to know he had that same aura when he fought. All Might didn't have green lightning or anything, but she could still feel that shock. She had just summed it up to the electricity she felt when they were being intimate, but now she could see how different those two feelings were.

While All Might's quirk was a mystery, it was obvious it was a body enhancer...Just like Izuku's. And, not that she believed Izuku was a liar, but developing a quirk at 15? She knew his story was that it didn't fully come to fruition until he was physically fit enough to handle it, but wouldn't the doctors still catch something?

Kyouka would've questioned absolutely none of this if Izuku didn't look like he was going to vomit out of anxiety again.

"U-Um...Uh...I-..."

"Are you All Might's illegitimate child?"

Izuku, Kyouka, and Katsuki's eyes all went wide. "Wh-...What?"

"Are you his secret love child?"

Kyouka almost laughed at the idea. There was no way. Izuku wouldn't make up all the issues he had with his father... Unless Inko just told him his father worked in America to cover up his true father's identity? No. No, that was stupid. Izuku didn't even look like All Mig-... Kyouka's mind suddenly jumped to Izuku's All Might impersonation, having his facial features copied to perfection.

'...Holy shit.'

Izuku began to panic, "I-? No! That's not it!"

"You worded that pretty oddly. That's not it? Sure makes it sound like there is something going on. You know my father is Endeavor, right? So, if you're related to the number one hero in some way, it's all the more reason to crush you."

Izuku squinted his eyes in confusion, "Wait, that's why you hate me? You th-think I'm related to All Might, so you want to beat me so you can please your dad?"

"The exact opposite, actually. I want him to hurt."

Kyouka's brows raised, 'Wow. And I thought Izuku had daddy issues.'

Izuku furrowed his brow, "Why?"

"You've heard of quirk marriages, right?"

"Oh, y-yeah. They a-appeared late in the second generation of quirk users, and became a big issue during the third. Those are looked down upon now. Some prefectures even outlawed it."

"My father did it. Forced my mother into a marriage. He made my mother's family agree, all to get his hands on her quirk." A deep scowl formed on Shoto's face as he formed a fist with his left hand. "I was born as nothing, but a tool. A weapon meant to be better than All Might, all because that piece of human trash can't do it himself. He's no hero. Never will be. Everything he's done to me, my family, my...my mother. She told me she couldn't stand the sight of my left side, right before throwing scalding water on my face."

Kyouka's jaw dropped, and she could see Katsuki's eyes widen slightly as well. Izuku was stunned into silence. "I-...I-I-..."

"He's the reason I have this scar. I made a pledge to never use my left side after that."

"...Why a-are you telling me this?"

Shoto put his hands in his pockets, walking out of the exit. "Because you at least deserve an explanation. I don't hate you, Midoriya. But, if beating you without using my left side is what it takes to deny my bastard of a father everything he's ever worked towards, then so be it. Sorry for wasting your time." He continued to walk away, not looking back.

Izuku felt a pit form in his stomach after hearing such a story. He knew people out there had to have it much worse than he did.

He just didn't expect it to be someone who he thought was born with everything he didn't have. Two quirks, a father, a family…

Yet, Izuku felt like Shoto had just as little as he did.

"I-..." Shoto stopped and turned around, waiting for Izuku to continue. Izuku steeled himself before speaking as clearly and stutter free as possible. "I've always had people helping me...Well, th-that's not true. I've only gotten help in the last year. But, I wouldn't be anywhere without them. I want to be like All Might, but...there's someone else in my life now. Someone I can't imagine living without. I want to be like them, too."

Katsuki lifted a brow at that, his eyes flickering over to Kyouka, seeing a blush on her face.

Izuku continued, "I-I can't fully know the experiences of everything y-you went through, but I can understand your convictions. B-But, even then, I owe it to the people in my life that helped me get to where I am today not to lose. I've lost enough. So, what I-I said earlier still stands. I won't fall behind. I will beat you with everything I've got. Nothing less."

Shoto watched him for a few more seconds before nodding, turning back around and walking away. Izuku tried to control his heartbeat, walking back to the archway and sitting down against the wall in the stadium hallway.

Around the corner Katsuki walked away just as he arrived, without a word. Izuku called out, "Y-You can come out now."

Kyouka grimaced, but rounded the corner and approached the greenette. She sat next to him and asked, "You knew I was following you?"

"I didn't actually see you, but I had a hunch. So...you heard all of that?"

"Yeah, it's...That's all kinds of screwed up."

Izuku sighed, shaking his head as he leaned his head back against the wall. "Makes my issues with my own father feel insignificant."

Kyouka grabbed his hand, "Don't say that. Everyone's issues are their own, and are significant to them in their own ways."

"Y-Yeah...Yeah, you're right. It's still not right. He shouldn't have to keep that part of himself in." Kyouka raised a finger to retort, but Izuku quickly intervened. "Yes, I'm well aware of how hypocritical that is coming from me."

"Ah, the classic "Do as I say, not as I do" situation."

"You know who y-you're talking to, right? That's half of my existence."

Kyouka chuckled, "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Well, as long as Frozone learns to stop being an asshole...That sounded insensitive. He at least somewhat deserves to be an asshole. But, uh...Did you mean what you said?"

"A-About the people in my life?"

"Yeah. Specifically the new person that you can't imagine living without."

Izuku cracked a smile, slowly leaning in and capturing Kyouka's lips with his. "O-Of course."

Kyouka put her forehead down on Izuku's shoulder as they sat quietly. Until, Kyouka spoke up. "So...that All Might theory Todoroki had…"

"It's not true."

"I know, but...he doesn't know some of the things I do about your , he can't poke holes in the past like I can. A lot of them revolving around your quirk…"

Izuku looked at her in what seemed to be deep thought. He was thinking back to what All Might had said about making a circle of trust for himself. If he thought Kyouka was the one, then tell her everything.

He did say he didn't want lies between them…

"I know you're gonna be mad at me, but I promise I-I'll tell yo-"

"After the festival. Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before. But you're not backing out of this one." Kyouka stood up, reaching a hand out to Izuku. "C'mon, let's go eat."

Izuku took her hand, standing up with her to walk to the cafeteria. "After earlier in the bathroom this morning, I think the last thing I need is food."

"You have to eat something, Izuku. Would you rather vomit during a fight, or pass out? I'm sure you could disgust someone so much they would just forfeit."

"Or I end up puking on Kacchan's shoes and he beats me up even more."

"Or you end up puking in his face, blinding him, and securing the victory."

"If that's h-how I beat him, I think I would rather just lose."

"Ah, Jirou!" As the duo walked through the cafeteria double doors, their attention was grabbed by Momo. "I was just looking for you. I need your measurements."

Kyouka's eyes widened, "Wha-? Why?"

"For your cheerleading outfit."

"Okay, back up! What in the world are you talking about? What cheerleading outfits?"

Momo hummed to herself, crossing her arms. "You didn't know either? I wonder why we weren't all informed. I was only recently told that we would be performing a cheer for our fellow classmates."

"By who?!"

"Well, Mineta told me that Mr. Aiza-..." Momo's eyes widened, her shoulders drooped. "...Oh."

Kyouka swerved her line of sight to meet Mineta's and Kaminari's as they sat a few tables away, a death glare burning through their souls. Minoru dropped his chopsticks, "Ooooooh shit. We need to run."

"I-I-...I can't!"

The grape-head turned to his friend, "What do you mean you can't?!"

"I...I dunno. Her eyes, I-...I-I can't move, dude. I told you we shouldn't mess with her again!"

"She wasn't exactly the one I was focusing on getting in the outfit!" They both jumped as Izuku's face suddenly switched into a fierce glare.

"Shit, dude! I think you said that too loud! Why do I keep hanging out with you?! You're gonna get me killed!"

"Just run!" The two quickly fumbled away from the table, breaking out into a full sprint and vanishing into the hallway.

"Are you going after them?" Izuku asked.

Kyouka shook her head, "No. Their time will come."

Momo pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head as she sighed. "I can't believe they almost tricked me. How could I fall for that? I'm so gullible."

"Don't feel bad, Yaoyorozu. Just don't think highly of them next time. That grape-headed bastard is always up to something."

"...I guess." Momo walked away sullenly, a discouraged look on her face.

Izuku frowned, "She didn't look too good."

"No one would if they were tricked by those two. At least we managed to avoid that."

"Y-Yeah...I mean, can you imagine...y-you…" Izuku's eyes suddenly glazed over, "...in a cheerleading outfit."

Kyouka's brow raised, "No, but I think you're imagining right now."

Izuku snapped to attention, his focus returning. "Hm? What? U-Uh, let's go get some food." Izuku awkwardly walked away, his limbs stiff and a heavy blush on his face.

Kyouka rolled her eyes, but a blush bloomed on her cheeks as well. The clear train of thought Izuku had destroyed any lingering blemishes on her mind that Mineta's comment left behind.

...She'd still get revenge on them, though. Not just for her, but for the rest of the girls as well.

She had a promise to keep afterall. Her jacks would meet his eyes soon enough.

A/N: Oh thank Christ that's over. Cavalry Battle sucks. Flat out.

By the way, to the handful of you that care, I'm actually working on making a second chapter to my Persona 5 Tae fic.