Coco: Hey, guys, I honestly wasn't expecting to post a chapter this soon after chapter 24. I finished this chapter earlier today, and wasn't going to post it until about Wednesday, but here we are! As you can see once you start reading that I took the easy way out of my predicament by shoving Kaminari with my wonderful supporting OCs. And did a few other things to put the storyline as close to the original cavalry battle as possible. I just couldn't think of anyway else to do things to have the right end results I wanted for the final round. So, in some ways, I'm not entirely happy with how I did things, but on the other hand, I believe I took the best course I needed to write the rest of the Sports Festival. I even wrote out a outline and everything, so I hope it all works out lol.
And soon we'll be getting to the students picking out their hero names and going to actual hero agencies for more training. I already decided on Ayano's hero name, obviously XD And Hachiro's hero name. I'm still iffy on Ayumi and Konan's hero names. So, if you have any suggestions, please message me a few hero names or just leave them in the review. The same goes for what hero agencies they intern at if you'd like to make recommendations. I know where I'm sending Ayano, but not the other three. I guess, Hachiro could intern at his parents agency, but maybe he'd like to try somewhere else? If you think so, let me know.
Now, let's get started, hmm?
Ayano stood with her team as Shoto was explaining his reasoning to all of them as to why he chose them.
"I chose the three of you because I believe we'll make for the most stable formation possible." Shoto said. "Ishida is our left wing. She can use her quirk to keep enemies at bay, but also be in a position to move offensively if needed. Though we'll mostly be relying on your telepathy and psionic construction to keep us safe."
Ayano nodded in understanding. Even if another team does get too close for comfort. All she has to do is put a wall between that team and them to keep their points safe. Also, her telepathy will help her understand the other teams' strategies and how they plan to take them down. And using her telepathy, Shoto can give them commands without the other teams being able to hear their next move aloud.
"Yaoyorozu, you'll take the right wing." Shoto said. "Focus on installation and defense. Iida, you'll take the front. We'll rely on you for mobility and physical defense."
"And you'll be attacking and creating diversions of ice and fire, is that right?" Tenya guessed.
"Not quite." Shoto said. "When I'm in battle, I never use my left side."
His fits clenched as he said this, which didn't do unnoticed by Ayano. She quirked her brow curiously before following Shoto's line of sight. Her eyes landed on Endeavor who was up in the stands watching.
'Ah, so what has Todoroki-kun so riled up is his father,' Ayano deduced. 'I don't know their story, but it's obvious that it isn't just Jinsoku-chan who has father issues.'
It wasn't any of her business though, so she wasn't going to pry—mentally or aloud.
"I take it we will be going after Jinsoku." Tenya said.
"Yes," Shoto said as he glanced over at the speedster who did manage to get some teammates.
She was currently speaking with Hachiro, Denki, and Konan. She seemed to motioning that she should be the front of their cavalry, but the other three were shaking their heads. It was an interesting team up for sure, and Ayano wasn't sure how well all their quirks would work together.
"I highly doubt Jinsoku will be the front of their group." Momo said. "She will most likely be the rider. The others have no way of keeping up with her speed after all."
"Making us—mostly likely—the fastest team of this battle." Ayano said as she followed Momo's train of thought. "But even if they cannot follow us physically in speed, I'm sure a speed attack won't blindside someone like Jinsoku-chan."
Momo nodded in agreement. Though they'd worry about that later. Shoto was the one who was going to call the shots, and they'd follow his lead.
"Let's get ready," Shoto said as he placed the headband with their combined total of 735 around his head. "Ishida, please link us all mentally."
Ayano nodded her head then concentrated for a moment to connect of four of their minds together.
'Can everyone hear me?' She asked.
'Yes,' The other three replied in unison.
The group then got into formation with Shoto taking the place as their rider. The other teams readied themselves as well as everyone waited outside the field for the signal to start to be given.
"Okay, First Years, I hope you're happy with your chosen teams!" Present Mic called out to them. "Let's get this party started! One final countdown before the game starts!"
Ayano took a calming breath. They could do this. All they had to do is get the 10 million from Ayumi and her team, and make sure no other team gets their own points.
"3! 2!" Present Mic counted down. "1!"
"Begin!" Midnight shouted.
All the teams shot forward onto the field, and almost all of them went straight for Ayumi and her team. While Denki and Hachiro looked worried by all those heading for them, Ayumi just grinned.
'This is going to be fun,' She thought before speaking aloud. "Alright, let's move!"
"I don't think so!" Tetsutetsu called.
Jūzō then softened the ground quickly to try and prevent their escape. Ayano watched on as their team was hurrying that way. She saw Hachiro, who was at the front, look as if he wanted to move, but he actually remained in place despite Ayumi's orders. Something was up. But it was that split second of hesitation that got their team trapped in Jūzō's quirk. Konan looked as if she was going to attack Tetsutetsu and his group before they could get too close, but another team swooped in before they could. Many gasped in shock as Dark Shadow came flying in to rip Ayumi's headband right off her head.
"Whoa! And would you like at that!" Present Mic shouted. "Just seconds in and Team Jinsoku has already plummeted to last place! It looks like Midoriya is getting a little payback from the obstacle race as he steals first place!"
The crowd went wild for this as many teams stopped to rethink their strategy.
'That all seemed a bit too easy,' Tenya thought as they hurriedly changed direction to go after Izuku's team as they fled the scene.
Ayano, who was already looking through Ayumi's mind, chuckled as she finally understood.
'It's because Jinsoku-chan meant for that to happen,' Ayano informed her team who were shocked by the news. 'It seems she doesn't care about first place, and realized the best way to take pressure off of her team was to let the 10 million go right from the start. If they're not a target, they can work on stealing points from other teams who now won't care to pay attention to them. A good strategy considering their team isn't made up of many compatible quirks.'
It really was a smart move. The only quirks Ayumi and her team could really rely on were Hachiro and Konan's quirks. Ayumi could still use her quirk since her entire body runs on speed, but her strength is better used when she's on her own two feet. Something she couldn't do as the rider—not that the others could keep up with her if she was one of the horses. Then Denki's quirk would be harmful to his teammates—meaning they can't use it without causing damage to themselves, which would hinder them. Ultimately, Ayumi realized they were the most vulnerable team in this battle, and knew to move on, the best option wouldn't be aiming for the top spot. Despite having a laxed attitude towards the games, Ayano knew that couldn't have been an easy decision to make for Ayumi. And she's sure the others weren't too happy with the strategy either. However, they still trusted Ayumi and followed her judgement. They make a good team.
'But that isn't our plan,' Shoto told them. 'We will continue to go after the 10 million. We won't settle for anything below first place.'
'Right!' Momo and Tenya replied.
Ayano just continued to grin as she set her eyes on Izuku's team as they took to the sky thanks to Hatsume's gadgets.
'Their strongest asset is Tokoyami-kun and his quirk Dark Shadow,' Ayano thought. 'He will be hard to get pass. However, thanks to Hatsume-chan's inventions, they now have a way to go airborne, which is equally hard to deal with.'
'We will strike as soon as they're back on the ground,' Shoto decided. 'Ishida, please, make sure to stay vigilant of the other teams. I'm sure Jinsoku isn't the only on unconcerned with the 10 million. Other teams will most likely be concerned with just making it to the top four places.'
'Of course,' Ayano replied.
She thought the same, of course. Not everyone is ambitious enough to just focus on the 10 million points and claim first place. Or they realize with what they have to work with now that even keeping those many points is no worth it. But that doesn't mean their team who has 735 points won't be targets. Izuku and his team finally landed, and many teams were already on their trail again.
"Wow, barely two minutes have passed since we started, and it's already a total free for all!" Present Mic commented. "Yeah! Watch those headbands! You can even ignore the 10 million points and go after the other chart toppers!"
Ayano supposed that was Present Mic's subtle way of trying to tell them not to be so narrow minded on one goal. But the students of Class 1-A weren't what some people would call settlers. Especially not Shoto and Katsuki. And she herself was done with settling for just passing or just getting by. It was time to head for the top. But not everyone disagreed with Present Mic's suggestion from what Ayano could read from the other teams.
'We need to be wary of Class 1-B,' Ayano warned her teammates. 'They haven't done much to stand out as of yet, but it's part of their strategy. Their plan is to go for the other teams to rack up enough points to place high enough to get into the next round. They don't care about the 10 million. Not all of them anyway.'
As she thought this, she glanced over at Monoma Neito. He already managed to steal Toru and her team's points and he planned to just do the same to many of the other teams of Class 1-A.
'Don't worry. They won't get the drop on us,' Momo assured Ayano.
Ayano nodded to the girl in reply. Ayano then looked up as Izuku and his team went airborne again when the other teams became too close for comfort. That means they'll have to wait even longer to strike. But there was no reason to get in a hurry. All they had to do was pick the right moment to hit them and hit them hard. However, it didn't seem all the teams were so patient as Katsuki used his explosions to send himself flying after Izuku's team.
"And there he goes," Ayano said aloud with a deadpanned expression.
"Don't think for a second that you're safe!" Katsuki shouted as he prepared to attack. "I've got you!"
He sent an explosion at Izuku, but it was blocked by Dark Shadow who roared in what almost sounded like pain. The crowd roared in excitement as Katsuki growled in frustration from being stopped.
"Whaat?!" Present Mic shouted as Hanta used his tap to snag Katsuki. "Bakugo has been separated from his horses!"
Thanks to Hanta's quick thinking, their team managed to catch their fearless leader.
"Wow, nice catch." Eijiro said.
He was glad Katsuki was back where he belonged. That move could have caused them some serious trouble.
"Is that even allowed?!" Present Mic questioned.
"He never touched the ground, so technically it's okay!" Midnight gave her approval.
Izuku and his team landed down once more onto the ground with barely a moment to breath.
"Nicely done, Uraraka." Izuku complimented.
"It's hard to control where we're going with just one foot." She warned him.
"I understand." Izuku assured her.
He then looked forward as his team continued to move. They couldn't afford to take one moment to rest now that they had the 10 million. He's still a bit surprised that Ayumi and her team gave it up so easily, but that wasn't important right now.
'With that busted boot our movement is limited,' Izuku thought to himself. 'We can't risk taking to the sky again. That means to survive we'll have to rely on Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and our increased mobility thanks to Uraraka's Zero Gravity.'
Izuku then stiffened when he realized the mistake he just made. Even inside his head, he shouldn't reveal their weaknesses. That was just painting a target on their backs for a certain mind reader to see.
"As expected, everyone's after the new first-place team!" Present Mic spoke. "The other students are certainly not giving them a moment to catch their breaths! What a show this is!"
The crowd roared with cheers of agreement as the students continued to give it their all down on the field.
"Now who wants to take a look at each team's points so far?!" Present Mic asked. "It's been seven minutes, so let's get those rankings thrown up on the screen!"
The crowd looked up to the screen to see who was in what place. Many were shocked—including Present Mic—when seeing Class 1-A was not dominating the top spots.
"Hold on here," Present Mic continued. "This is an unexpected turn! Other than Midoriya, Class 1-A isn't doing so hot."
'Class 1-B has really made their move now,' Ayano thought—mostly to herself as she glanced up at the boards to see only her team and Ayumi's team, who managed to snag a few points and come in sixth place, were the only ones from class 1-A with points besides Izuku and his team. 'Even Kacchan just hit zero points.'
Something she was sure was going to set him off. If she didn't hear explosions in the next few seconds, she might actually become worried.
"Even Bakugo is losing!" Present Mic added.
And that was just going to set Katsuki off even more. Ayano could even see Monoma had stopped to chat with the ash blonde. He was just asking for Katsuki's temper. But that wasn't something Ayano needed to worry about now. She was sure Katsuki would get his points back without fail. She needed to focus on the task at hand. It was time she and her teammates made their grab for the 10 million points. But unlike her, it seemed as if Izuku was distracted by this turn of events.
'Holy wow,' Izuku thought. 'Class 1-B had a long term strategy that involved throwing the qualifier. I guess that could help them leave a bigger impression with the audience. Everyone does kind of love an underdog. But if they're playing the long game here, they might not even worry about coming after the 10 million points we stole at all.'
However, his hope that things would be okay for them, vanished instantly as a familiar voice entered his head.
'You really shouldn't let yourself become distracted, Izuku.' Ayano informed him as he gasped. 'It leaves you wide open.'
His head snapped up just in enough time as Shoto and his team came in to block their path. If Tokoyami hadn't been more vigilant and jumped back, Ayano and her group would have hit them head on.
"And now, we've reached the halfway point of the game!" Present Mic informed everyone.
Izuku frowned before letting out a breath to calm his nerves. No reason to let them get the best of him. He just had to remain calm and think.
"I thought we had it made." Izuku said. "Guess I was wrong."
"As the cavalry battle enters its second half, it's anyone's game!" Present Mic said. "Class 1-B has made an unexpected showing, but who will win the 10 million points in the end?! That's the real question, sports fans!"
Shoto ignored Present Mic and the crowd as he focused solely on the target in front of him and his team.
"I'll be taking the 10 million now." Shoto informed Izuku.
Of course, they still weren't the only ones heading for the 10 million points. Meaning they had to act fast before the other teams came down on them.
"I thought this confrontation wouldn't happen until later in the contest," Fumikage admitted. "He seems to have it out for you, Midoriya."
"The game is only halfway over." Izuku said. "We can't stop now!"
As his team shifted for a fight, Shoto made sure to prepare their next move as he spoke to his team.
'Now, Iida, forward!' Shoto ordered.
'Right!' Iida replied.
He shot forward, which seemed like out of nowhere to many, but Izuku knew Shoto was giving orders. It was just thanks to Ayano that they didn't have to be given out loud. Meaning they'd have no idea what Shoto's plan was until it was too late.
'Ishida, do you think you can stop those teams? Even for a moment?' Shoto asked her.
Ayano looked to the other teams heading their way. There were a lot of them, but…
'Yes, I can,' Ayano told him confidentially. 'Just for a moment, yes?'
"That's right,' Shoto replied. 'I'll take care of it from there.'
Ayano understood and with that in mind she focused on the teams' lead horses. What she's about to do might not be very flashy, but it'd get the job done. Ayano quickly set her plan in motion. And while it didn't appear as if anything happened at first, everyone soon gasped as the front horses of the teams, who were in a close enough proximity to team Todoroki and Team Midoriya, all cried out in pain and shaking their heads.
Shoji winced as he tried to ignore the ringing going through his head. He could hear Ayano's voice shouting through his skull as if it's being amplified a thousand times over. He wanted to keep moving, but all the noise happening in his mind had it where he couldn't think straight. And it was the same for all the other lead horses caught in Ayano's psychic attack.
"I can't cause people actual pain since my quirk doesn't contain empathic abilities." Ayano said aloud. "However, by adjusting the volume of my mental presence in their minds, I can…well, you see."
She shrugged her shoulders as she said this. Shoto didn't care how she accomplished it. He was just glad the teams were temporarily stopped long enough for him to make his next move.
'Yaoyorozu!' He called.
Momo quickly made a pole for Shoto who gripped it tightly in hand.
"Less than six minutes left," Shoto said. "Time to make a move!"
He then used the pole Momo made to shoot his ice down onto the ground to trap all the teams Ayano had stopped. This meant less competition in the end, and now gave them a chance to go after Izuku unhindered.
"Sorry, but there's no other way." Shoto apologized to the frozen teams.
He couldn't afford to let them get in their way. First place was going to be theirs.
"Would you look at that?!" Present Mic shouted. "He stopped all those teams cold in their tracks!"
"But only after Ishida immobilized the other students by using her telepathy to cause pandemonium in their minds." Aizawa said. "In the obstacle course, he was surprised by how many people avoided his attack. He's adapting his strategy."
"Nice commentary!" Present Mic praised.
Aizawa didn't reply to that as he kept his eyes on his students. It seemed as if Shoto and the others weren't quite done with those they had froze in place. In the blink of an eye, they stole points from both the fifth and seventh placed teams from Class 1-B.
"I might as well take these," Shoto said holding up the extra headbands as he and his team hurried after Izuku once more.
Kendo yelled at them to come back, but there was no way they were doing that. They had to hurry and nab first place. It didn't seem as if Izuku got far, which was perfect for them. They just had to make sure not to let Izuku come up with any plans for escape, and that 10 million will be theirs. As they rushed Izuku and his team, Shoto created ice behind them and around them to try and box Team Midoriya in.
"Oh no!" Ochaco exclaimed as they drew closer. "They're too fast! We can't get away!"
"Take care of them!" Fumikage ordered Dark Shadow.
Dark Shadow quickly made a move for Shoto to slow them down, but they wouldn't be stopped so easily.
"Yaoyorozu!" Shoto shouted.
In the blink of an eye, Momo created a spatula like shield from her arm to defend Shoto from the attack. It fell from her the second Dark Shadow pulled back, but it served its purpose.
"She's too good at her creation quirk." Izuku said. "And with Ayano being able to act as offense and defense at a moment's notice, we're at the clear disadvantage."
But there had to be something they could do. They still had five minutes to go. If they could keep the 10 million safe until then, they should be able to take first place. Izuku then gasped as Ochaco brought them to an abrupt halt. He looked behind them to see they were at the edge of the field. That and the ice around them only meant one thing…they were trapped.
"Team Midoriya has nowhere left to run!" Present Mic commented as Team Todoroki drew closer.
Despite the grim looking circumstances, Izuku kept his cool as he looked to Shoto's left side. Then he had his team all shift left, which had Shoto's eyes widening for a moment.
"Only 1-minute left!" Present Mic warned the students. "Todoroki has cornered the 10-million-point team and is poised to cease the ultimate prize! At least that's what I would have predicted five minutes ago! Hahaha!"
Ayano frowned at Present Mic's laughing. Was it really necessary?
"Unbelievably, Team Midoriya has been able to keep away from the ice master for the last half of the game!" Present Mic continued to speak.
Shoto and the others tried to move forward, but Team Midoriya only shifted more left. Obviously, they were trying to stay out of Shoto's right side, so they wouldn't be turned into popsicles.
'We need to make a move, Todoroki-kun.' Ayano pointed out. 'While you can't use your ice, it doesn't mean we're done. True, Tokoyami-kun's Dark Shadow will be hard to get pass, but it isn't impossible. What do you wish for us to do?'
Shoto frowned because he wasn't sure. Ayano could use her psionic construction as a way to block Dark Shadow from the rest of them. Or she could use her telekinesis, but she had to be careful with that one. If she forces them to stumble and fall, they will be breaking the rules thus losing this game completely.
'Everyone,' Tenya spoke up. 'We have less than sixty seconds. I'm going to do something that will make me useless to you.'
As Momo and Ayano looked to Tenya in slight confusion, Tenya kept his eyes on the prize in front of them.
'But it's worth it.' Tenya assured them.
'What are you going to do?' Shoto asked.
Tenya didn't reply at first as he crouched forward as if preparing to run and run hard.
'Make sure you get the 10 million,' Was all Tenya replied. 'Brace yourselves. Hold on tight!'
Then without anymore warning, Tenya's engines kick started with more power than Ayano has ever seen Tenya use. A second later, they were all shooting forward, and Ayano practically had to dig her nails into Tenya's shoulder to make sure not to be left behind. It all happened in a split second, but once it was all over, it was Shoto who held the 10 million points while Team Midoriya was only left with the 545 points they started with.
"W—wow-wow, what just happened?!" Present Mic exclaimed. "That was just one big blur! Holy smokes, folks! Why didn't he show that super speed in the preliminaries?!"
As the crowd went wild over what just happened, Tenya's teammates stared at him in shock.
"Iida, what was that?" Shoto asked after securing the 10 million around his neck.
"I forced my quirk and RMP into overdrive." Tenya explained. "Which gives me explosive power. Unfortunately, the recoil stalls my engines for a while. It's a secret move I've been saving. No one in the class knew about it."
Tenya then looked to Izuku as the greenette looked as if he didn't know what to think of what just happened.
"I told you, Midoriya." Tenya said. "That I'd do my best to beat you."
The crowd continued to cheer for the first years as Ayano wondered how much time they had left. It obviously wasn't over, so they'd have to be the ones on the defense now if they wanted to keep first place.
"The insanity!" Present Mic yelled. "This entire game was turned completely on its head. Todoroki's team has the 10 million points and Midoriya's team is suddenly left with very little at all!"
Izuku wasn't ready to give in. They still had time—even if just very little—to win this round. They just had to work together.
"Don't let them go!" Izuku ordered his teammates.
"It will be smarter for us to try for other points now!" Fumikage pointed out.
With the tables turned like this, he wasn't sure if they could get those points back.
"We can't!" Izuku said. "We don't know whose got the other headbands! This is our only chance!"
Before Fumikage could advise against it, Ochaco gave a large shove from the back that sent them forward.
"Then let's go!" Ochaco said. "We'll get the points back, Deku! I know it!"
As they came in for the attack, Ayano narrowed her eyes. All they had to do was keep the 10 million safe. It shouldn't be much longer now. They could do this. She watched as Izuku went to use his quirk and attack from Shoto's left side. In the heat of the moment, Shoto raised his left hand with fire licking across his arm to block as his right was going in for attack. However, Shoto could do nothing as Izuku sliced the air to cut through his defenses entirely. Shoto's eyes widened as he realized what he was doing as he stared at his left arm.
'My left side!' He thought in a panic. 'What am I doing?'
Even if it was just a small moment of distraction, it was all that was needed for Izuku who ignored the pain in his own hand. He quickly snatched the top headband as his team rushed by. Now first place was once again theirs, or so they thought. As it soon dawned on them, they did not in fact have the 10 million, they looked back at Team Todoroki.
"We mixed the headbands up," Momo informed them. "There's no way we'd leave the prize on top. You underestimate us."
As everyone was starting to realize of Team Midoriya's mess up, Ayano looked to Shoto. Her look was one of concern when seeing how shook up he was from what had just occurred.
"Todoroki, you better watch yourself." Tenya said to their team leader. "That was too close."
Shoto didn't seem to hear Tenya as he continued to glare down at his left side as if it was evil incarnated.
"Oh no!" Present Mic exclaimed. "Team Midoriya didn't get the 10 million points after all! The Game is almost over! Time for a count down!"
As the last ten seconds appeared on the board, Katsuki's team came bursting through the ice in a last-ditch effort for first place. He wasn't the only one either since Team Midoriya wasn't done yet either.
"Who has the points?!" Katsuki demanded as he shot forward into the air.
As Team Todoroki prepared to defend their points, Katsuki turned his eyes to glare at them.
"Dammit, Icy-Hot!" Katsuki snapped as he changed direction midair.
Ayano readied herself to block Katsuki herself with a psionic wall as Shoto faced Izuku. They weren't about to give up first place. If Katsuki and Izuku wanted to try for it, let them, but Ayano wasn't going to make it easy on them.
Coco: Okay, well, that's done! XD I'll have to make things up to Kaminari latter for having Ayano take his place. I'll probably give him time to shine later XD Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. And remember if you have an hero name suggestions or agency suggestions for my supporting OCs, let me know in a review or don't be afraid to message me.
See ya!