Opening Notes: I would like to thank Ultimate-Zelda-fan for pointing out a rather large mistake I made at the end of the previous chapter, which has since been fixed. I owe you one.

It has been a while. Life tends to throw curveballs, but hey, sometimes all we can do is roll with them. I went back and made a few small adjustments. It was not nearly as important as the last one, but that's what happens when you think ahead.

"I love this country already!" Cioccolata exclaimed as he situated himself in his new dwelling. A soft chair welcomed him as he reclined into it, basking the violence displayed on the screen. His ever loyal pet, Secco, nodded with a series of pants escaping his lips. The deranged doctor picked up a bowl of sugar cubes from the accent table next to his seat. "Now don't get greedy, Secco. These are all we have until the Boss sends our next check."

Secco nodded with his tongue hanging out. Ecstacy washed over him as his master casually flicked one of the tiny white boxes to him. His neck craned and he bit down, catching his treat between his teeth.

Cioccolata laughed. "Good! Good good good!" His attention returned to the screen, which was currently showing a replay of the Obstacle Race. "Ah, I remember when I was their age. Telling people they were worthless. That their families hated them. Videotaping them as they took their own lives. Oh, to be a rowdy teenager again."

"Gotta love modern technology." Leaky-Eye Luca wiped his constantly saturating eye with his left hand as his right held a phone, showing him a live feed of the Sports Festival. His trusty shovel was leaning on the wall next to him. He had decided to watch for a few moments standing on his usual spot. Foot traffic today proved to be light, almost nonexistent, quite probably due to the very event he himself was observing. "Wonder if Polpo has any bets riding on these brats..." He was so focused on the small screen, he did not hear a vehicle pull up to the curb in front of him. He was pulled out of his fixation via the clearing of a throat. He glanced up and found a police cruiser before him. Most in his line of work would start sweating or just run for the hills, but Luca just smiled pleasantly at the two officers as the passenger window rolled down. "Good morning, boys. How goes the beat?"

The driver responded first, her tone cold and professional. "Good. And yourself, Luca?"

The gangster chuckled as he stuffed his handkerchief into his pocket, and reached into his coat. "Oh, just passing the day." He pulled out a packed envelope and kindly handed it to the passenger. "Always eager to help my local law enforcement." He waved at the back of the car as the two drove off. He returned to watching the Festival, only to be interrupted once more.

"Hey. Leaky."

Luca's attention turned to the speaker. It turned out to be one of his regular customers. The U-shaped birthmark on his cheek was a dead giveaway. He grabbed his shovel by the shaft. "Ungalo, as I live and breathe."

The addict scratched his arm. "Yeah, hey. You got any of that..." He struggled to remember the name of the euphoric narcotic, and failed. "... stuff on you?"

"Depends. Do you have the means to purchase it?"

"Not on me, no."

Luca's friendly veneer vanished instantly. "Then beat it, Flatface. I've got paying customers coming around."

Ungalo snarled and reached into his pocket. Luca was not sure just what was within, but he also was not about to find out. He swung his spade, bashing Ungalo's skull. He fell to the ground and writhed. "You fucking... stupid..."

"As I said, get lost. Before I really hurt you."

Izuku was not the only one putting together the optimal team.

"I've selected you three because it will prove to be the most strategic," Shoto said to the trio in front of him. "Kaminari, your electricity will be perfect for disorienting our opponents. Yaoyorozu, you can provide us with protection from the shocks. And Iida, your strength and speed will make us ready to counter anything."

The electrical Hero-in-training grinned widely. "And you can make everybody stay back with your ice and fire, right?"

Todoroki gave no answer. He remained silent as he looked to the audience. He lost instantly found just who he was searching for. It was nigh impossible to miss the man. He seemed to have a beard, moustache, and mask made entirely of flames. And he was gazing at the scarred youth.

"No. I'll never use my flames. Never."

"Your boy seems rather dour, Enji," said a man with blonde hair stylized in swirls. He had an unreadable air about him. He wore a white suit and dress shirt buttoned up well to his neck. The Funniest Valentine, having grown up in the deep south of his home country, paid the fire next to him no mind.

"It hardly matters how he feels, Valentine. Only that he does what I created him for." Enji's words made the grandson of the late President Funny give a sideways glance. "Just watch. The Foundation backing him will be the right move to make."

"I'll believe it when I see it. I've gambled enough as it is with the Joestar boy."

The name caught the Number Two Hero's attention, making him give the blonde a sidelong glance. "Joestar?"

The Funniest pointed down to the sandy blonde youth with an odd pink creature floating over his shoulder. "That's him. Hopefully the investment will pay off as much as it has with Star Platinum." His coldness vanished like a magic trick. He stood up with a smile and waved to his daughter. She gleefully returned the gesture.

"Hi, Daddy!" Siri shouted happily before returning to the task at hand. Finding a team. Candidates were quickly leaving candidacy. She spied two that weren't gravitating over to anybody else.

"Well, Johnny, looks like it's you and me." Gyro cackled and slapped his best friend's back.

"Oh, joy," Johnny said with an eyeroll.

"Perhaps two can become three?" Siri suggested, closing the gap between her and the duo.

The Joestar stared at her blankly. "You'd team up with us?"

"Of course! I'd never turn down the opportunity to fight with a fellow American in a foreign land!"

Gyro let out a series of coughs that soundly oddly like "flag fanatic" before clearing his throat. "Three it is!" He started thinking about the best course of action. Tapping his chin, he looked at his close friend. "Johnny here should be the Rider. He needs his hands free, after all."

Something caught Siri's peripheral sights. "What about adding a fourth? For extra muscle? That guy doesn't seem to be with anyone else."

She pointed and Johnny's eyes followed. He recognized the hairstyle and tired expression. "Isn't he the-"

"He's in!" Gyro happily exclaimed, content with having to support as little of Johnny's weight as possible.

As the teams formed and readied themselves, Midnight made another declaration. "Naturally, Quirks and Stands are allowed out here. So I want to see some brutality!"

With the Horses all set, the countdown began.

"Get ready, Deku." Bakugo snarled as Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero held him up. "I'm gonna blow you away like I should have done years ago!"

Gyro grinned as he situated Johnny's right thigh on his left shoulder. "Let's do it, gang. Let's leave an impression on them all. Make 'em remember that they'll always lose to Gyro Zeppeli, Johnny Joestar, Siri Valentine, and... uh... what's your name?"

"Shinso Hitoshi."

"Shinso Hitoshi!"

Diego adjusted his hair to keep the bandana and zippers as obscure as possible. Even a second of throwing off the enemy could make all the difference. "Ready yourselves, comrades. We're about to get very popular." He opted not to activate Scary Monsters just yet. The other teams were standing still, thus negating his dynamic vision.* Not that he needed it to see everyone was already eyeing them like starving children at a buffet. He gave a dismissive breath. "Pigeons."

His teammates eyed him with confusion.

"Just watch. They'll all swarm us, eager for the top spot. Predictable."

The siren went off. The Cavalry Battle began.

Diego's prediction proved accurate. Everybody swarmed Team Brando. Well, almost everybody.

"So what's the plan, Johnny?" Gyro adjusted his grip on his buddy, carefully avoiding the inner thigh.

"Dio will figure out a way to escape. We should just hang back and let them all kill each other."

"Nicholas would have beaten Dio."

"Put those boots back!"

"Oh... God, you took the wrong son."

"Then again." Johnny raised his arm, lining up his finger and eyes.

"See what I mean?" Diego smirked. "Pigeons, the lot of them."

"We're coming for you, Brando!" Shouted who could only be a half naked Hagakure. One of the bandanas was suspended in the air above Jirou, Sato, and Koda, the latter two blushing deeply.

Sato looked away from the young woman on his shoulder, and saw Joestar taking aim. "Behind us!"

The other three, on reflex, looked over their shoulders, but his warning came too late. Johnny's index nail flew through the air. Tooru braced herself. She had felt just what Johnny's projectiles can do to a person... but no pain made itself known to her. She looked down at herself. No blood to be found. "He... missed?"

Jirou shook her head. "I don't think he was aiming for you." The invisible girl followed her line of vision and quickly saw who Johnny had shot.

Diego clutched his bleeding cheek. Crimson seeped down onto his shoulder and chest. He would have shouted a retort, but his teammates below him let out yelps of shock. He looked to the ground and saw something that made his eyes widen. The formerly solid concrete beneath had been replaced with... he could only surmise it was a sort of mud, and it had already swallowed his holders' ankles. But he was not worried.

"H-huh-hey!" Secco pointed at the screen, his mouth agape and twisted in rage. "Somebody's copying my moves!"

Cioccolata nodded. "So it would seem." He rubbed his pet's head. "Don't worry about it, Secco. We'll make you special again."

You aren't the only one who can think, Izuku. Diego hastily shouted his first order. "Uraraka! Make us all weightless!"

His words were enough to pry her vision away from the newfound quicksand trap. "W-what?!"

"Just do it!"

His authoritative tone was enough to grant obedience. Ochako quickly pressed her right hand's fingers on Izuku's neck (making him blush), followed by Bucciarati's wrist, which he helpfully moved towards her so she could reach. Then, she frantically pulled up the fabric covering Brando's left ankle. Her digits met his flesh. Finally her own neck served as the spot for contact. "Now what?" She returned to looking down, and saw that the liquidized ground was making for their knees.

"Hang on to me."

Izuku caught on to what was going through his friend's head. "Bucciarati, your Stand!"

Bruno caught on to the idea and summoned Sticky Fingers. He and Ochako wrapped their arms around an insulated Diego's legs. The grandson of DIO felt a surge of annoyance course through him. He was the leader of this team, was he not? The trio of subordinates holding him literally on their shoulders had to follow his lead, after all.

He would have spoken out about this, but the thought of victory replaced the negativity as he grabbed Izuku's shoulders.

With all of them firmly connected, Sticky Fingers grasped Diego's sides and pulled upwards. The muck they were sinking into proved to be of little matter when faced with the zipper Stand's innate strength combined with Team Brando's weightlessness. With a mere yank, the foursome was freed from their murky confinement. Now they were levitating in the air, surrounded.

If I know these simpletons... Diego finally activated Scary Monsters, making his talons form and lips split open to reveal jagged chompers. "Upward and west!"

Bruno nodded and willed his Stand to shove the team in the designated direction.

From their seats, the spectators could see the list of teams participating in the Cavalry by way of the name of the respective Riders. One name caught many attentions.

"A Joestar?! Here?!"

"I thought that family went extinct years ago."

"Guess you thought wrong."

"Only the name went into obscurity. Until now, it seems. Yare yare..."

"Now what?!" Midoriya clung on to the Brit as if his life depended on it as they rotated until all four of them were, in a certain sense, upside down. Not as hopeless as his endless tears would suggest, he wracked his brain for their next course of action.

Brando gave no answer. Shifting his head back as far as his neck would allow, he couldn't see the completion below, per se, due to his movement-based vision, but he knew they were all gaping at him and his subordinates. He heard the invisible one shout out Jirou's name, followed by a flat "on it."

Then, like a light switch activating, he could make out the earphone jacks of his classmate snarking extend upwards towards them. The muscles of his arms coiled and tightened. He readied himself. The timing had to be spot on.

"I'll take care of this," Bucciarati declared as Sticky Fingers shifted.

Diego gave a calming gesture. "No, I've this handled."

Izuku looked down, or in his case, up, and was reminded of when he first met Diego. The young blonde's arms lashed out with such quickness, they looked like blurrs. His sharpened fingers met their targets, each grabbing one of the jacks. He yanked. Hard. Team Hagakure, still possessing weight, were the perfect anchor to bring them back to the ground.

And now, instinct takes hold. The chords began to retract back into Jirou whilst still in his grasp, taking Team Brando back as well. They steadily lost altitude. Using his anchor as leverage, Diego adjusted all of their positions with another pull, returning Team Brando to being right side up. He hunched forward and grabbed Ochako by the shoulder. "And... release!"

Uraraka, not about to question Diego's unsaid plans again, pressed all ten of her finger tips together. The return of their weight was instantaneous, causing them to free fall... all of four feet. All three of Team Brando's carriers landed on their feet behind the commotion.

"I'll give Dio this," Johnny said with a slight hint of boredom as he and his own trio of carriers took a moment to watch. "He can think up insane ideas on the fly."

Gyro grinned and used his free hand to start Spinning one of his Steel Balls. "Then we should do the same thing!" He spied their first set of more points.

"I'm coming for you, Deku!" Bakugo roared with a smile dripping with sadistic glee as his own holders ran towards the spectacle. He reared his left arm back, readying a blast just for the green-haired loser, but then his right hand grabbed the bandana. The valuable cloth was in the air before he could do anything. He was bewildered. He could not recall making his other limb so such an idiotic thing. And now, he was finding that he could not make it do anything at all. He willed it to return, but it seemed to have gained a mind of its own. "What in the fuck happened?!"

His teammates stopped running and Kirishima pointed to his back. "Gyro happened."

The headband flew away from its now former holder, and was grabbed by D4C, which then handed the fabric over to the man atop its Master.

Bakugo craned his neck as humanly possible. On his left shoulder blade was one of those blasted Balls, still spinning like a vinyl record on overtime. His shock melted into anger. "Somebody get the fucking thing off me!"

Before any of them could even reach for it, the Steel Ball launched off of his back, making his arm fall. He tested it, and his fingers obeyed.

The ball soared until landing in its creator's palm. "Thanks, Hothead!" Gyro loudly mocked. "I didn't take you for the giving type!"

Johnny fashioned the new bandana to rest on his shoulders and sternum, like a necklace. "Guess this means you're down to zero points."

Deku was completely forgotten. Bakugo snarled like a rabid hound. "I'm gonna blow all of you to Hell, Starboy!"

"Well, aren't you the loud type," Shinso deadpanned.

The literally explosive young man launched himself into the air, rocketing towards them. "I'll show you loud, you fu-"

The exhausted looking member of Team Joestar had a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Stop."

Nobody could see it, but Bakugo's eyes glazed over and he ceased creating combustion from his palms. Naturally, he lost momentum as well as altitude. But before he could collide with the ground, Sero quickly produced a line of his adhesive, making it stick to Katsuki's back. He quickly pulled, making his team leader return to the air. "Catch him!"

Johnny narrowed his eyes. "Wait. The Rider can detach himself from the horse?"

His question had apparently been heard by Midnight, and she gleefully explained. "It's only technical! Nothing wrong with it, so long as the Rider doesn't plant their feet on the ground!"

Meanwhile, the commotion caused by Team Brando had devolved into utter bedlam.

"My headband!" Hagakure felt up her unseen cranium as Diego and his cronies crash landed. "Gone!"

"So easy when they're fighting each other." A smug blonde twirled the purloined bandana on the tip of his index finger. As he basked in his self-proclaimed genius, an all too familiar whirring filled the air, gradually getting louder. A red blur passed in front of him, and his newly acquired points were gone.

Narancia, currently holding up his Class Representative, laughed as Aerosmith nosedived and barrel rolled, making the headband slide of its wing and fall gracefully nto Kendo Itsuka's hands. "Knew I could do it!"

"I'm just glad you didn't take off one of his fingers," Itsuka clarified.

Back over with Team Joestar, Gyro risked a glance at the massive screen. "Let's get outta here! We're never gonna catch up to Dio messing around with these guys!"

Johnny gave a nod. "For once, you're making sense, Gyro."

The minutes ticked by.

The Funniest alternated between watching the fight below and the scoreboard above. It was evident that Team Brando was not about to give an inch to anybody. Those ten million and then some points had not gone anywhere, and if things continued on, they never would. Trailing behind in second place was Team Todoroki. Being Number Two must run in the family, Enji.

"He still denies who, and what, he is," Endeavor rasped.

"Perhaps he'll... snap out of his little teenage rebellion when his back is against the wall." His eyes drifted back to the scoreboard. More than half the teams had zero points. The main competition was obviously claiming the spots below Brando and his carriers.

Adrenaline surged through Johnny like gasoline in a jeep. The commotion, the screaming... it reminded him of his races. For a moment, he realized how much he missed Slow Dancer. Dad may not be too fond of me, but he wouldn't vent out on an innocent horse... I hope.

He was pulled from his musing via Gyro shifting, causing a sensation to go up his thigh.

"Focus, will ya, Johnny!"

The young Joestar shook his head to clear out the mental fog and readied his nails.

A very angry looking peer of theirs with wild hair and silver skin snarled at them. "You guys! You and that self-righteous asshole are going down!"

"Actually, if you recall," Gyro slowly reached for a Steel Ball, "I specifically said we weren't involved with him, remember?"

Johnny took aim. "Pretty sure he doesn't care, Gyro."

Tusk, currently in ACT 1, agreed. "Chumimiiiin!"

Its User fired away... only for his projectiles to bounce off their target.

"What the Hell, Johnny?! I've seen you nearly cut a person in half with those!"

"They don't work so well on... metal." Johnny realized something. That's why he's silver. Must be his Quirk.

"Tough luck!" The boy he failed to injure made his own carriers charge towards them. He reared his armored arm back, and when the distance closed he swung it forward.

Johnny mentally prepared himself for a broken nose... but the impact never came. Rather, a whitish blue fist, coming from behind Johnny, slugged the assailant's wrist, making his attack miss entirely. His built up momentum, however remained. His head and torso kept getting closer until he and Tusk's Master were breathing the same air.

Deciding to capitalize on such a rare occurrence of good fortune, Johnny reached and pulled the metal one's headband off.

"What a wonderous Quirk!" Monoma was positively giddy as a small explosion erupted from his palms, making those surrounding his Team scurry away. "But it has nothing on my own!" Bakugo, having since gotten a hold on himself, took a swing at him. His arm collided with his opponent's, and a soreness sprang into his fingers and wrist.

Monoma's skin was cracking, like Diego's whenever he used his ability. Or when Kirishima activated his own.

"He's got my Quirk too?!" The manliness-obbsessed brawler was becoming more and more distraught. "It's like fishing in a barrel!"

"No, that isn't it." Bakugo pieced it together. "The sonuvabitch has a Copying power."

"How deductive," Monoma said with amusement.

"Look at all of them, scurrying about," Diego observed as his own team avoided the kerfuffle.

"Almost all of them." Bruno pointed to a team on the opposite side of the riff raff.

Todoroki stared at them, or rather, Diego's bandana, with his usual disposition. "I told you I would defeat you, Midoriya." With so little time left, he had to make due on that vow.

"In case you missed it, I'm the leader of this team!" Diego shouted towards him.

Kaminari blinked with utter confusion. "How did he hear you say that, Todoroki?"

"It doesn't matter. Prepare yourself. Yaoyorozu, start forming our protection."

"I'm on it." From the prodigy's arms came a thick sheet exactly like the one she created back at the USJ ambush, albeit smaller, allowing her outfit to remain undamaged. It covered three-fourths of Team Todoroki like a shroud, leaving only Kaminari exposed, thus allowing him to do his thing.

A glow filled the air, and all those around him felt the uncomfortable surge of far too many bolts entering their bodies and dancing around. It left them all stiff in their spots.

"My apologies," Shoto said. Within a few seconds, nearly every other team was covered up to their knees in ice, stuck. "Iida, charge."

The motorized Hero-in-training did so without a second thought. As they passed the immobilized Teams, their Rider did not fail to capitalize. Whenever more points were within reach, Endeavor's youngest son made sure to snatch them away. The end result was a hefty amount of points and the spot of second place. But it was all just mere pocket change compared to the cloth wrapped around Brando's forehead.

The top teams stared each other down.

"I guess this was inevitable," Midoriya braced himself, both for Shoto's attack or Diego's insane defence.

Diego narrowed his eyes. He pondered on whether or not to deactivate Scary Monsters. Their competition had stopped, thus making them invisible to his vision. But then again, Shoto was undoubtedly going to charge and seize the surefire victory. Or at least attempt to. Kaminari was still lucid, so that was also an issue. Then again. Even if I am shocked silly, they'll still be unable to remove my victory. He whispered, "Bucciarati. What's your Stand's range?"

"Two meters."

"Good. When they get close, make the first attack."

Sticky Fingers appeared over Bucciarati's shoulders.

A Stand. And we've no idea what it can do. Todoroki thought quickly about what to do next. "Iida. Go fast as you can and get close."

The bespectacled teenager tensed his legs. "Everybody hold on tight." They did just that. Iida focused all his energy into his legs, feeling it all coiling and build up in his Engines. With a burst of smoke, he, and the rest of Team Todoroki rocketed forward.

Diego could once again see them, clear as a surrealistic painting. Iida leading them. Yaoyorozu and Kaminari clutching on for dear life. And Shoto reaching out towards him, fingers spread. But the speed... it caught him off guard.

He tried to duck, but it proved to be fruitless. Shoto's fingers grabbed onto the headband, and a few strands of Diego's hair.

Only it did not detach from Brando's head. Instead, he was momentarily dragged along with Team Todoroki, forcing his own carriers to grab on to his legs and lower torso with a vice to stop him from going flying. Iida skidded to a halt. Diego found himself in a rather odd position. A shocked Shoto still had a grip on the bandana, and his teammates were grasping his lower half, making him act like a strange sort of bridge between the two sets of competitors.

And surprise, surprise, it was not all that pleasant, the stretching of his legs and neck simultaneously. His mind, for the shortest of moments, thought above medieval torture techniques. The sun shown down directly into his eyes, forcing him to close them. The pain made me irritated. His fingers sprouted claws. "Let go!" He threw a blind swipe to the relative area above his head. It must have made contact, as he felt a warm liquid squirt onto his knuckles and wrist. His request was met as Todoroki released his head. He nearly fell to the ground, but Bruno's quick reaction allowed Sticky Fingers to catch Diego and return him to an upright position on his teammates.

Todoroki looked at his slashed right forearm. Brando had sliced him, but not considerably deep.

"Is he cheating?" Kaminari wondered allowed.

"He must be," Iida replied. "How else could Todoroki have failed to remove the headband?"

Bruno answered. "Midnight clarified all abilities were allowed."

Diego rubbed his throbbing temples and still bloody cheek. "Immobilize."

Sticky Fingers moved forward, arm drawn back. Yaoyorozu, not about to let her team take such a telling blow, made a wide slab of metal emerge from her arm. Her makeshift shield blocked the Stand's fist... only for a golden zipper to sudden appear on it, going from the top to the bottom tip. The slide and pull moved down with nobody moving them. The large zipper was not just for show, they found out. Yaoyorozu's metal split in half, opening up the path for Sticky Fingers to unleash a barrage of blows.

"Ariariariariariariariari!"

Back in the crowded coldness, Team Bakugo was on a warpath.

Kirishima had lost track of how many points they had accumulated from the teams that were still stuck, but it certainly was not enough for the angry teen on his shoulders. "First place! I'm gonna get it and none of you extras are gonna stop me!" His vision, positively red, locked onto the one who had taken his original bandana. "STARBOY!"

The little pink creature constantly accompanying the young American pulled on its User's shoulder. "Chumimiiiin!"

Johnny looked over his tugged shoulder, and was rather surprised to see just how much a certain four of his classmates resembled an angry, stampeding rhino. "Oh boy..."

Sticky Fingers proved to quick with its punches. All members of Team Todoroki checked themselves. None seemed worse for wear. Except one.

Iida fell to his knees, making his teammates lean forward like a poorly constructed building. His shins and feet were covered in zippers. The openings caused by them exposed not his inner biological workings, but inky, swirling voids. He did not feel pain, but he was aware of a lack of sensation in his legs.

"You picked the wrong team, Iida!" Diego declared. Taking advantage of the proximity, both he and Midorya reached forward, aiming to take every last point Shoto had purloined. At the end of the day, the only one left standing will be this Dio, me!

Midoriya was mentally making a declaration of his own. I'm not just going to be dead weight anymore! I'll do everything I can to reach my dream!

Todoroki felt the proverbial wall on his back. His front runner was dead in the water, and two of his top potential rivals were about to throw his entire team into the dirt of the potter's field. First place was smoke in his hands. But he refused to just lose entirely. But there was a problem. Both Dio and Deku were reach with their right arms, exploiting his open left flank. Desperation flared up, among other things.

What am I doing?! he asked himself as his left arm ignited. I shouldn't... I swore I wouldn't!

"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's deafening words nearly made the entire arena shake. "Shall we see who our winners are?!"

Diego and company froze like somebody pressed the universe's pause button.

Todoroki's fire died out.

Johnny gagged as Bakugo's hand remained around his neck.

"You can let go now, stronzo," Gyro said as he moved Johnny's feet to the ground. The other teams dismounted their Riders. Those with zero points felt dread and sorrow wash over them. There was no way they would advance.

Diego grinned as the zippers keeping his assured victory on his head vanished, allowing him to finally take it off. "Hmn, I can feel all the sweat..." He dragged his forearm over his brow.

"In first place... Team Brando!"

Bruno allowed a rare smile to form on his lips. Uraraka cheered with her fists in the air. Midoriya cried tears of joy with such force, he could have moonlit as a geyser. Diego assumed a position that made it look like he was playing limbo and let out a triumphant "wryyyyy!"

"In second place... Team Todoroki!"

The only one to celebrate was Kaminari. "Yeah! Whoo!"

Shoto looked at his left hand in silence. I was trapped... they made me desperate.

Bruno looked over and saw the still unraveled Iida still on the ground. "I apologize. Allow me to remedy that." With a mere thought, the zipper closed up and vanished, returning Iida's limbs to normal.

Iida stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Thank you."

"Coming in third place, it's Team Bakugo!"

The leader of the bronze winners clenched his fists and seethed at having been denied the gold. All the while his teammates were content with moving forward in the Festival.

"And in fourth place... Team Joestar!"

Gyro smiled as wide as he could and pointed to his teeth. "Nyo ho ho! You got that right. We're the main JoJo characters now!"

"We still lost to Dio," Johnny pointed out.

On the opposite side of the world, in a sitting room with several portraits of art, a woman sitting down on a loveseat watch the events of the Festival. While it was taking place during the day, the planet's rotation and time zones made it so she was watching in the dead of night. And she was watching it alone. Her husband had retired to bed. Her firstborn was in the grave. And her younger son was on the screen.

"Jonathan..."

The screen showed Anne Joestar's only living child halfheartedly put a star-riddled hand in the air while another young man with green lips and gold teeth slapped him on the shoulder with a grin on his own face. Surely, he had to be Jonathan's friend. Standing on her son's opposite side was a girl who was the spitting image of the late President Valentine, smiling and waving like a true politician. And away from the trio was a tired looking, wild haired boy with a smirk.

She was proud of her son.

Half of her wished her husband was watching with her... but the other half was glad he was asleep. She could hear the echoes of past conversations.

"Nicholas could have won. Why are you incapable of beating Dio, son?"

Anne sighed as the image invaded her mind's eye. George scolding and even neglecting Jonathan. Making him drown his pet mouse. Outright disowning him not too long ago.

Sure, Anne was proud of her son. But she also wished he would come home.

"Well, that was fun!" Gyro happily shouted as he and his peers walked off for a midday meal. "I'll be honest, Johnny. I thought we were gonna het at least in the top three."

Joestar shrugged. "Oh well. At least we didn't lose entirely."

Gyro agreed. "Izzy made the right choice, shacking up with Dio."

"That's... not the right phrase to use."

"Ah well, I still think he's got more under the hood that he isn't showing us."

In front of them, Diego could not help but agree. He thought again about all those pieces that formed an unidentifiable image. He got his Quirk from somebody else... All Might shows him a lot of attention... He used to be Quirkless... He has some explaining to do. He sniffed the air. Midoriya's scent was fading. He was moving away from them. He broke out from the line and followed it, inhaling every other second.

Noticing this, Gyro nudged Johnny's side with his elbow and nodded towards the retreating Brit.

A few wrong turns and backtracks led Diego to a hallway entrance at the outermost part of the stadium. He was about to walk in to continue the trail, when he heard voices.

"So, uh, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Midoriya sounded nervous, like a woman trying to say 'no' to DIO.

"You blindsided me, you forced me to break my vow." Todoroki was as emotionless as ever.

Vow? This sounds interesting... Diego pressed himself on the outer wall and craned his neck to listen.

"I took you as a lost cause, Midoriya. But after the USJ, after that Cavalry Battle, I'm noticing something. Your power, it reminds me... of All Might's."

Join the club, Shoto. Diego hoped things would take a turn for the interesting or new.

"So I have to ask... Are you All Might's illegitimate son?"

Though he could not see it, Midoriya was just as dumbfounded as Brando. That's his first guess?!

Midoriya stuttered, trying to collect himself. "What?! No! No, not at all! I mean, sure a bastard son probably would say that, but I swear that's not it."

"'That's not it.' So there is a connection between you two, one that you're not about to share."

Diego inched closer to the open entrance. Do it, Shoto. Squeeze it out of him.

"You must know about my father, Endeavor."

Both Deku and Dio had the same thought. Your Endeavor's son?!

Shoto continued as neither spoke up. "He's been the Number Two Hero for as long as anybody can remember. He made a name for himself by always firing on all cylinders, but he could never match All Might. And he knew this. His own power couldn't surpass the Symbol of Peace, so he made a plan."

On the floor above them, Gyro, kneeling on the ground, had his ear next to a spinning Steel Ball.

"What's going on?" Johnny asked.

Gyro shushed him. "Something juicy."

Closing Notes...

*: Not sure that's entirely accurate, but it's what he calls it in the scans I read.