A/N: Edit finished 23 August 2018. Beta provided by Kylekatarn77.

Chapter 13

"Ten million points." The words mocked Izuku as he tried to think about anything other than the target slapped onto his back. Suddenly the attention upon him was undesirable. Fortunately, everyone then looked away, ready to plot and plan how to take his team's points. They'll fight to take my points, since it'll make for an easy win. It'll be tough to find people to join me, but it's doable. Hopefully the three I want are willing to join me and haven't been swept up by someone else. I might need to do more than simply ask. He scanned the mixing crowd as teams began to form.

He first picked out Fumikage's hawkish gaze. Midoriya raised an eyebrow and in response, the crow-esque hero nodded and started for Izuku. One down, two to go. I think he actually wanted to work with me. Hopefully the others can be recruited as easily. He next spotted Kendou amidst half her class, all of them trying to get her to select them for her team. She sorted through her classmates, trying to pick who she may want when her eyes flicked up and met his. There was a pause as she looked at her classmates and then back to him. As he had with recruiting Fumikage, he raised an eyebrow and waited for her reaction. She looked away, thoughtful, and then spoke to her classmates. A look of amused betrayal crossed the few visible faces and Izuku was certain he now had two teammates.

And for the last one. He watched Katsuki pick through several people from their class, including the person he wanted. As he watched them, Kendou and Fumikage joined him.

"Excuse me while I get our last member," he said, distracted. Izuku cut through the thinning crowd and while Satou and Ashido argued about who deserved to be on Katsuki's team, he wrapped an arm around Ashido's shoulders and smiled. "Satou's all yours, Kacchan. I'll see you on the field." He led a half-heartedly protesting acid user back to his other teammates. He dared a glance back at Katsuki and grinned at the sight of him fuming. He's probably planning my funeral now.

"This better be worth it, Midoriya," Kendou said as Izuku and Ashido joined the other two. "My entire class will likely be gunning for us. There's a lot of reasons, but the big ones are that many want to eliminate the strongest members of Class A, your million points, and now because I joined you." She nailed his bicep with a fast punch. "Don't make me regret joining you."

"It'll be worth it when we win," Izuku responded, rubbing his arm.

"Very curious team you're putting together, Midoriya," Fumikage said. "I should guess you have assembled us with the mindset of crowd control?"

"That's the tactical purpose." Izuku raised an arm and clenched his fist. "I also want to humble Kacchan and Todoroki before the next round. Plus, winning is always nice."

"That it is," Ashido said, grinning. "Let's go, Midori!"

Fumikage nodded. "Let loose the crows of war."

Kendou glanced at the others. "Let them doubt our strength."

Kendou Itsuka couldn't remember the last time she had been nervous compared to the moment right before the cavalry battle began. Even with the Entrance Exam, I had been gung-ho about it, confident I would get into U.A. It didn't seem as unlikely as winning this battle. Yet staring down her own classmates made her spine go rigid and her hands clammy. The hands on her shoulders gave a squeeze, recognizing the tension inside, but they did little to calm her nerves. Just start already, she thought, tempted to say it aloud.

"Do I really have to do this barefoot?" Ashido asked. The pink girl was twice as gregarious as Kendou's entire class combined. "Twenty minutes of this will hurt my feet."

"You said your shoes would melt if overused. Let's stick to the plan, Mina," Izuku said, perched above them. They had agreed to use first names for the battle. "Every decision is meant to wring everything out of our quirks. If they get even a single advantage over us, it's over. We're the prize target and the first minutes will determine who gets the chance to continue on." She knew wrapped around his forehead was the battle's Holy Grail, worth one million, three hundred and seventy-five points to whatever team had it once the battle ended. It's an automatic win. We lose it and this becomes much more difficult.

"Beginning the second event! Prepare yourself for this brutal battle royal!" It was Present Mic's voice and not Midnight's that roared through the stadium. "START!"

Their team raced right. Ashido was on the edge facing the charging teams, acid flowing from the soles of her feet. With each step, the ground melted and the acid spread, creating a break line against the furthest of the charging opponents. That should force many teams to turn around and fight each other, according to plan. Tetsu and Monona will surely take advantage of the chaos, sneaking around as Class A fights each other. She scanned the growing crowd of teams, all of them turning away from Team Midoriya and attacking each other. All according to Midoriya's plan. Just nineteen minutes to go. She scanned the battle, the land before them just visible from the corner of her eye. Ah, there's Tetsu's team…but where's Monoma?

"Siding with Class A? I expected better from you, Class President!" Monoma shouted as his team charged headfirst towards Kendou. His short blond hair rippled as a breeze crossed the stadium. "It's a shame that I have to take you out. No hard feelings, Kendou. Just trimming the opposition."

"Looks like our leaders are facing their first challenge in the team assembled under Class B's Monoma Neito!" Present Mic's voice filled the stadium with his first comments since the battle's start. "This should be a very interesting battle. Unlike the other teams, this one is a mix of the two heroic classes. At the front of Team Midoriya's horse is the President of Class B, Kendou Itsuka. It will be interesting to see how her addition allows the members of Class A to handle Monoma's team." Another thing Midoriya predicted, although Present Mic is doing his best to commentate on the battle.

"Straight ahead towards Monoma, Itsuka," Izuku said. "We'll take him straight on. Mina, that's good on the acid line. Give your feet a break from producing acid. Kacchan and Todoroki are too distracted by the other teams to give chase right now."

Kendou frowned at the order, but followed through. You only explained your plans for fighting Bakugou and Todoroki, Midoriya. What strategy could you have for Monoma? "His quirk is called Copycat. It allows him to steal the quirks of those he touches, but he can only use one at a time," was what I said when quizzed about the threats from my class. He'll be able to touch one of us if we're to get close enough to steal his headband in this scenario. She glanced over her shoulder. What are you thinking?

There was a soft thump from above her head and the ground to Team Monoma's right exploded as if a mortal shell had struck. They stumbled as the ground exploded, but they straightened out and continued on their path. Less than ten meters between us and it'll close quickly. She spotted a glimmer in Monoma's eyes as he focused on Izuku and a pit formed in her stomach.

The collision was quick. Kendou unleashed a barrage of tire-sized fists while the team leaders grappled. They shoved off and Monoma laughed, sounding victorious.

"Oh, what a quirk you have, Midoriya," he said, clenching his right fist. It glowed with power. "I can feel it pulse through me. I wonder if you're as powerful as All Might, for I feel like I could go head-to-head with him."
"Then use it, unless the Copycat of Class B is more of a cowardly cat," Izuku said. The noises Ashido and Fumikage made signaled to Kendou that the green haired boy taunting wasn't something he usually did.

"Have it your way," Monoma said and his team closed the short distance once more. The Copycat threw a punch coursing with Izuku's quirk. Izuku caught the punch and turned it aside, as the fist turned red and purple, dozens of bones braking and thin spurts of blood popping out. Kendou looked away, face slack, as her classmate screamed.

"I guess I should've warned you," Izuku said, regretful. "My quirk generates more power than I could control as a kid. It took me years to reach a point where I wasn't shattering my arm using my quirk, so it's not too surprising that it backfired on you like that. Recovery Girl should be able to patch you up." He reached over and swiped Monoma's headband, the boy not even trying to protest as it was removed.

With a sigh, Kendou expanded a hand and swiped at her classmates, breaking their horse apart. Present Mic announced that Monoma's team was eliminated from the battle by their team. Medics raced out to take Monoma away, still holding tightly to his shattered hand. Izuku sighed, watching the four be led away.

"It would've been cleaner if he had gone for one of you, but my tremendous power was fortunately too much for him." Izuku sighed as he noticed the core battle around Katsuki and Todoroki shift, a few teams positioning themselves in between them and the larger grouping. "We'll have to go and fight the others. I had hoped to try and fade from everyone's attention, but Present Mic was too loud to allow us the chance and your class, Itsuka, will be looking to take me down. Let's start walking until a group gets close enough to fight."

Team Midoriya approached the main battle step by step. The weaker teams not eliminated had been forced to the outside, all of them stalking, watching, waiting for an opportune moment as the few strong teams fought over the most valuable headbands. Shouji walked by, gleaming eyes peaking out from within his webbed arms. Izuku stared at them for a moment before gesturing towards one of the fights.

Team Bakugou and Team Todoroki were engaged in a fierce duel, their quirks flowing past their teams. Each wall of ice Todoroki raised was cut down, either by Katsuki's explosions or Kirishima's hardened fists. Sero attempted to bind their feet with tape, but Tenya's speed kept Team Todoroki competitive and their headband outside of Katsuki's reach.

"We should work together," Izuku told Shouji. "If we could get a couple more teams together, we could charge in and disrupt their fight. I have no interest in stealing their headbands, but you all do."

"I like your plan," a silky voice said from behind. They turned as a team carrying a boy with blue hair approached. He must be that kid from the general studies who declared war on Class A, Kendou thought. It seems working with us is to his benefit, at least for now. Hopefully he doesn't turn on us once they've been attacked. The three carrying him looked dazed and judging from how the hands on her shoulders stiffened, some were from Class A. The pink haired girl with the goggles has to be from the Support Course, if only because of all the gear she has.

She assumed Izuku nodded from the boy's smile before he leaned down and whispered to Ashido, "Could you possibly create an acid to protect us from Kaminari's quirk?"

"I may," she said, thinking. "Either his electricity will slide off us like rain or we'll take the hit ten times worse. It's a risk, but it could work out."

"Let's do it. Just enough for us, though. I don't want to give any special advantages." A minute or so passed as the pink girl quickly produced a special acid paste, which they wiped onto their skin, hair, and clothes. Her skin tickled, as if covered in goose bumps as the liquid settled, more like lotion than the paste it had been. With a tap of a foot to her back, she broke into a run. Other groups, not including the two that had allied with Team Midoriya, had pulled back from the fierce battle, but upon seeing their movements, joined the charge. Within a blink, the duel was turned into a chaotic free-for-all.

Team Todoroki summoned a blanket out of the stomach of the black haired girl. Yaoyorozu Momo. Todoroki caught it and tossed it over their entire team, except for a smirking boy with yellow hair. The world seemed to still for a moment before crackling electricity flowed from the boy and rolled over every team. Kendou's muscles tensed as the electrical wave struck. Instead of shocking her as it did others, it flowed over her skin. It itched something fierce though, as if she had rolled down a long, grassy hill wearing only wool.

A fiery explosion pulled her eyes from Team Todoroki. At some point in the chaos, a white cocoon had been created to surround, she would bet, Team Bakugou and insulate them from the electrical attack. Her suspicion was proven correct as the angry blond and his team emerged.

BANG! BANG! With simple flicks, Izuku shattered the pause with two shots, each leaving a long scratch along the cheeks of Katsuki and Todoroki. They turned to Team Midoriya and a fire burned bright in their eyes. Izuku pressed his left foot into her ribs and she turned right, slipping between the other teams, who were beginning to recover from the paralyzing shock. Their formation was strained as they forced Teams Bakugou and Todoroki to push past the other teams if they wished to seize their headbands.

"Mina, Fumikage! Cover our rear. Itsuka! Get us close to the far side. We'll turn there and fight, away from everyone else."

"Are we taking them out?" Ashido asked as the ground at her feet sizzled.

"Maybe," Izuku said. "The third and final event is always a fighting tournament. The numbers are inconsistent, so it's possible even if we take their headbands, they might still continue on."

"We only have seven minutes left," Fumikage said and Kendou nearly stumbled. Has thirteen minutes truly passed? It feels like we just began, not that we're close to finishing.

"That'll make them desperate," Izuku said. "Both of them want to take me down by seizing my ten million points. It's easier than fighting me head on later. I know they don't appreciate me beating them back to the stadium during the first event."

Kendou nodded and ignored the whispers between Ashido and Fumikage as they continued towards the far end of the stadium, near where they took down Monoma. One of the teams drew close, their pace faster than hers as the seconds counted down.

"They're almost on us!" Ashido shouted. The sizzling that had followed them grew loud, promising violence.

"Turn to face them," Izuku said. Kendou spun in place while the two behind her followed her momentum, shuffling around. Team Todoroki was only a few feet away, pulled along by the powerful speed of their lead. The yellow haired kid had somehow kept up, even with his dumb, blank expression. Yet it was the cold presence of their leader that made Kendou flinch and gulp. I heard that Endeavor's son was in our year, but I didn't expect to face him like this. His presence…it's so much like his father's.

"I said I would beat you, Midoriya," Todoroki declared, his voice carrying across the stadium. "Show me your strength so that I can overcome you and prove myself."

"Prove yourself to your father?" Izuku asked. "Is that why you won't use the power of your left side?"

"Don't speak about matters you don't understand, Midoriya. This is between me and you, determining who's the strongest." Todoroki then turned and formed a thick ring of ice around them, blocking Team Bakugou just before they could attempt to interfere. Explosions begun to chip away at the ice, but Izuku would bet that it was built to resist the might of Katsuki Bakugou's quirk.

"If it's a battle of strength you want, then why confront me now?" Izuku asked. "You know as well as I the format of the Sports Festival. After this will be the tournament." He paused and Kendou guessed he was looking at the screen, displaying each team's point value. "You're in second place. Your team is guaranteed a spot in the final event. What do you have to gain fighting me like this?"

"I've lost to you once, Midoriya," Todoroki said, voice cold and still like a winter night. Traces of frost stuck to his cheek. "I'll knock you from your pedestal before the Festival is over, starting now."

"So be it," Izuku said. The two teams tense, waiting to see who would dare and make the first move. A moment passed before Todoroki tapped Tenya's left shoulder and in a blink, they had crossed the short distance between their teams. Kendou threw out her arms, hands expanding to catch Team Todoroki the instant she saw the tap. As her hand and the enemy team approached impact, steel flashed and a large needle pricked her fingers.

Kendou swore as her hand shrunk, the stinging pain quickening her response. Team Todoroki took advantage of her defense failing and charged in close enough for Todoroki to reach out and grab Izuku's headband. They burst past in a blaze of speed, their leader holding onto a headband as they raced away. She turned to try and give chase when Izuku laughed.

"They got the wrong one," he said as his laugh faded. "We still have my ten million." Team Todoroki slowed as Todoroki looked at the headband he had grabbed. He sent a dirty glare at Izuku, but before either could turn and fight again, the ice wall was shattered with a roaring BOOOOOOOOMM.

"DEKU!" Katsuki shouted as his team raced into the icy arena. A flashing light above the raging blond caught Kendou's eye and she grinned. A minute left and counting. Team Bakugou charged, their leader screaming until he apparently decided to take things into his own hands and using his quirk, flew high into the air.

"I'm going to swat him like a fly," Kendou mumbled to herself, letting her right hand expand as Katsuki approached. The instant she was able to pick out his red irises from the white surrounding them, she flicked her large hand up and as she claimed, swatted him out of the sky like a fly. His team raced to catch him and did so, thanks to a last second explosion from their leader.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, MAN HANDS!" Katsuki shouted as Present Mic's booming voice began to count down.

I'm going to smack him again for that nickname.

"TEN! NINE! EIGHT!" Present Mic began the countdown as Team Bakugou and Team Todoroki moved into position for a desperate final charge against Team Midoriya. "SEVEN! SIX!" Team Todoroki burst ahead thanks to Tenya's quirk. "FIVE! FOUR! THREE!" Team Bakugou caught up with their rivals as they reached the last few feet of the charge. Kendou expanded her fists to the size of small trucks, blocking their charges at the final moment. "TWO! ONE! ZERO!"

The three teams stopped as Present Mic declared the end of the battle and rattled off the top teams.

"In first place, Team Midoriya!

"Second place goes to Team Bakugou!

"Third place is Team Todoroki!

"And in fourth place is Team Shinsou!"

While Kendou grinned, proud they had held tightly to their first place position, a worrisome thought nudged up from the back of her mind: Who's Shinsou?