My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

16. Sports Festival Arc Part 3 - Cavalry

Hello again, everyone. Well, while I am glad a lot of people still gravitated to the surprise second chapter of this spin on the Sports Festival Arc, I will admit I was disappointed that nobody felt the need to leave a review. Feedback is essential for writers to not only evolve, but also to know what elements of their works need to be improved upon or altered. I can't rightly do that if people don't share their honest thoughts. I hate to sound like I'm begging, but I have been working nonstop on this story, and this arc in particular was proving very challenging in terms of what elements to change in order to keep the progression of the story interesting outside of the familiar canon, and I would like to know if I am succeeding at all in that regard.

Anyway, this chapter marked the beginning of a considerable canon-change that I like to think panned out quite well, and I would love to know the thoughts of you all, the fans, if you like what you read here today. I have to give a huge shout-out to my beta reader and consultant, who I'm certain would prefer to remain anonymous. They have been proving to be a tremendous help in me figuring out how to tackle this arc, as well as helping me iron out some of my ideas on how to change certain parts of the canon in order to keep things interesting and investing.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's the new chapter, I hope you all enjoy it,and if so, PLEASE take the minute or two you would need in order to write and leave a review for me. They are immensely appreciated.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my original characters, and the original events surrounding them, as well as the alterations of established events that result from their existence in this universe.

Chapter 15

Human Cavalry Battle

(Человека Кавалерийский Бой)

"Those who reach the top merely encounter fresh new hardships. And the kids who have enrolled here will hear it countless times: PLUS ULTRA! To the boy who placed first in the preliminaries go TEN MILLION POINTS!" Midnights' declaration had every single eye in the stadium, student and audience member alike, staring at Izuku like he was the worlds' single biggest target. As far as they were all concerned, that was exactly what he was, and even he knew it, judging by the absolutely petrified and wide-eyed look on his face as he couldn't even bring himself to move or speak.

…

Up in the stands, while the anticipation and excitement of the crowd was downright suffocating, Toshinori and Tunguska were simply watching the reactions of the students with great interest. "You can feel it too, can't you, Tunguska-san?" Toshinori ultimately asked, as Tunguska crossed his arms and gave a solemn nod. "Yes…I do. Malenkii Midoriya is getting a firsthand experience of just what it truly is to be at the very top. There will always be those looking to take your place, no matter how safe and secure you feel, or how confident you are in your strength and power."

Toshinori likewise nodded in agreement, his blue eyes scanning over all the other students with a discerning gaze. "It's not just Midoriya-shonen, either. All those students have now been forced into a very difficult position. They have now been forced to choose among each other, the very same faces they have been learning to call allies and friends, and choose who they would trust more in a conflict, and have to act against each other in order to reach the top position they so desire. In a way, it's a very accurate representation of just what the world of Hero Agencies is like in itself."

Tunguska was finally able to take his eyes off the arena floor, a look of genuine curiosity in his eyes as he saw the intense look of observation in Toshinoris' stare. "How do you mean? We didn't have Hero Agencies back home, we were all virtually assigned to each other as teams through the government itself and essentially forced to work together, no matter who they picked. A more organic and, apparently, competitive Hero infrastructure like this is new to me."

Toshinori was able to likewise break his focus and give off the driest of chuckles as he had momentarily forgotten just who he was talking to. "Of course. In essence, the Sports Festival is all about preparing those kids to be real Heroes. It's basically an elaborate simulation of the survival-of-the-fittest competition they're likely to experience once they step out into the world of real Heroes. Yes, they all work towards the same ultimate goal, but on the promotional and business ends of it, you'll find it can actually be quite competitive.

"If a Hero Agency ends up getting lost in the shuffle, they essentially lose their means of making a living. They need to be able to make themselves stand out in order to draw the attention of those that can help them financially. In a way, the previous Obstacle Race was the perfect representation of ones' need to sometimes kick down others in order to show themselves off. On the other hand, the Human Cavalry Battle is the perfect representation of the times when rival Hero Agencies will actually have to work together towards a common greater goal. It ultimately takes mutual compatibility and a grasp of how to best use each teammates' Quirk. Working that way, a victory for one becomes a victory for their whole team."

Tunguska couldn't even try to hide the fascination on his face as he listened to his colleagues' thorough explanation. In a nutshell, the way the world of professional Hero Agencies ultimately worked in Japan, sounded like a bizarre combination of the competitive winner-take-all nature of how he had always understood capitalism to be, and the unifying concept of many working together towards the greater goal ideology of communism. And to think that for so long, he had been so thoroughly convinced that the two concepts could not possibly mesh together. Today was truly proving to be a very informative experience for everyone.

…

"Okay, boys and girls, listen up and listen well! The time limit for the Human Cavalry Battle itself is 15 minutes. The point value of each groups' headband is worth the total point accumulation of each of the warhorses' members. And the one to wear the headband will be the warhorses' rider! Think of him or her as a standard-bearer. Until time is up, you'll all be fighting and stealing as many of each others' headbands as you can! You may not equip your headband on any area besides above your neck, or around your neck itself! As more and more headbands are taken, maintaining control of the situation will become more and more demanding! And the most important aspect of our Human Cavalry game is that even if you should lose your headband or crumble as a horse configuration, you're still not out of the game! The only losing factor is if the teams' rider has their feet touch the ground before the battle is over!"

Up to this point, Nikolay had been feeling a distinct combination of tension and anxiety building up, but Midnights' most recent explanation had given him a surprising sense of relief. At least he wasn't looking at a game where losing your headband would automatically get you eliminated, so that took some edge off. However, given how many potential teams were going to be participating in this event, based on how many members each team would have, and on top of that having to continuously keep track of just what your overall score would be based on how many headbands you would have in your possession, if you were even that lucky to begin with, that provided a great deal of stress on its own.

Nikolay knew without a shadow of a doubt, this was going to be a game where he would have to be even more alert than during the race, which was saying a lot already.

"Quirks are, of course, allowed, so I want to see some fine brutality out there! That being said, though, this is still just a Human Cavalry Battle game! If you attack any other group with the malicious aim of breaking them up, that's a red card and you'll be forced to sit out the rest of the game!" Nikolays' brain was already abuzz with trying to figure out who to approach. That last warning was already practically screaming for him to avoid teaming up with Bakugo like the plague, otherwise he might as well kiss his chances at the rest of this Festival goodbye.

"All right, you now have 15 minutes until the start of the game! START NEGOTIATING YOUR TEAM-UPS!" With the sounding of the bell, everyone was already racing to and fro for each other, looking for someone to team up with, while Nikolay found himself momentarily dumbfounded. 'That's it?! How am I supposed to convince two to three other people to team up with me, especially if I can't even walk right yet!? Dammit, I gotta figure this out, fast!'

It was difficult for Nikolay to keep up with everyone, having to waddle on the edges of his feet as he was, and all the while he was continuously trying to balance the pros and cons of every single potential candidate. 'I hate having to admit this, but as much as I feel sorry for Midoriya-san, I can't justify teaming up with him. This damn injury of mine would be a hindrance long before it would be a help, and the fact remains that teaming up with the ten million pointer is going to bring every single team down on us like a landslide. I'm sorry, Midoriya-san, but I just can't be on your team.' It truly did pain him to have to turn his back on Izuku, especially when he could clearly see the boy was desperate for someone to team up with, as well. He had already forfeited his chance at the top in the race, he couldn't afford to slip much further from where he already was, and he begrudgingly had to accept it.

His desperation was quickly reaching critical mass, as he soon found himself trying to work his way through the hustle and bustle to actually approach Bakugo, who he could see was also being enthusiastically requisitioned by numerous other students; Tenya, Aoyama, Mina, Mezo, Hanta, Tooru and Rikido to name a few. However, he didn't seem to be listening to any of them, instead simply staring ahead with a frightening razor sharp focus in his red eyes.

Unfortunately, that look of concentration momentarily broke, as the crowds had thinned just enough for Bakugo to notice Nikolay hobbling over in his direction. Such a sight immediately produced a difficult-to-describe mix between an angry sneer, and a condescending smirk on Bakugos' face in response. "No, no, no! Not a snowball's chance in Hell, comrade! You think anybody with half a brain is gonna team up with a semi-cripple like you right now, if ever?! Maybe you can find somebody who's just desperate to lose and get their asses booted out of the Festival! They'll take you in no questions asked! Now get the hell out of my sight!"

Nikolay didn't even want to give Bakugo the satisfaction of seeing the immense hurt on his face as he turned on his heels and began to hobble away as fast he could, trying his best to block out the infuriating laughter the blonde hothead was giving as soon as his back was turned. 'Screw him! What the hell was I thinking, trying to ask to team up with Bakugo of all people?! I'd rather lose altogether! I'd rather die!'

"Kolya-kun, wait up!" Nikolays' resentment was only mildly extinguished at the sound of Minas' voice, as he looked to find her rushing back to him. "Mina, what are you doing? You should be teaming up with Bakugo. With how versatile his Quirk is, he could actually get you a real chance at winning." However, despite having just seen her eagerly trying to get Bakugo to team up with her, he was now met with Mina stubbornly shaking her head in refusal. "Yeah, that was the original plan, but you know what? I'm not teaming up with someone who talks to my friends like that, no way! I'd rather be on whatever team you're on!"

Nikolay couldn't decide if he wanted to thank her for sticking up for him like this, or if he wanted to tell her to do what was best for herself and not worry about him. "Well, that's really nice of you and all, but I still don't have a team. Who wants to team up with someone who can't even run right now? Maybe Bakugo is right, maybe this is as far as I'm gonna get."

As he began to feel his own sense of defeat come creeping back up, he suddenly felt Mina tugging on the sleeve of his uniform; but when he looked, he saw she wasn't looking at him, but rather past him, a very clear look of intent in her golden irises. "Maybe not. Maybe we could still win without you having to run at all."

The pink girl was already off like a shot, dragging Nikolay along with her. As skeptical as he was about whatever she was cooking up, he did feel his heart lighten some, simply knowing that she was even willing to go as far as sacrificing her own surefire ticket at victory for her friends' sakes; he only wished he could have found the words to tell her how much that meant to him.

But just as he began to open his mouth to thank her once more, he felt his calm shatter as he realized Mina was directly approaching Shoto Todoroki of all people, who was simply standing by himself, ignoring any other students that were approaching him for potential team-ups. When his brown and blue eyes finally noticed them, the stoic look on his face showed he had no patience for chitchat and wanted them to get to their point.

"Todoroki-kun, Kolya-kun and I wanna team up with you! I bet with all three of our Quirks, we could win this thing no problem!" The confidence Mina was speaking with, even in the face of Shotos' icy stare, was simply astounding. She either wasn't letting herself be intimidated, or she was simply getting better at hiding it. She was certainly better than Nikolay was, anyway.

Shotos' eyes fell upon Nikolays' bandaged feet for a moment, before lifting to look them both in the eye with serious intent. "I think you're making a big mistake. A team in this event needs to have mobility, defense, offense and versatility at its disposal, and taking you two and your Quirks into account, a potential team-up between us has very limited capabilities. Besides, your current injuries would only hamper our already limited means of movement." Nikolay felt himself shrink at Shotos' words, but Mina simply balled her hands into determined fists, refusing to back down.

"That's not true, you've seen it at the tests and everything! I can control how strong and sticky my acid can be. I can make a harmless slick of it from my feet to make us go fast, and Kolya-kuns' hand blasts can make us go even faster, and even help us with sharper turns if we have to! We can both help make our team go way faster and stay out of everyones' reach, I promise! I can even throw a stickier but-still harmless acid to stick the other teams feet to the ground if I have to!"

Nikolay was about ready to just throw in the towel and tell Mina to stop dragging herself down trying to make a case for him. But that was when Shoto gave a single 'hmm' in contemplation, and the Russian boy felt his blood go cold when he saw the thoughtful look on Shotos' face.

"Perhaps you may have a point. You two may not be as useless as I thought, after all." Mina looked slightly incensed at the passive-aggressive insult on Shotos' end, but she was more than happy to just swallow it if it meant he was willing to give them both a chance. As he looked them both up and down, Shoto was clearly putting the gears together in his head.

"Considering all three of us still managed to finish the Obstacle Race outside of the double-digit places, that ultimately gives us a considerable headband point value as a team. The more ambitious teams will no doubt be aiming for the higher value headbands, so we'll need to have someone who is capable of offense and, more importantly in that regard, defense to be the rider, so I'll take that position myself. It'll also give me a proper vantage point to use my Ice to make ramps to grant us better mobility and overall control of the event, as well as to slip up any other teams that get too close, thus allowing us a chance to avoid getting attacked, as well as to take their headbands if need be."

"Yeah! See, this team can totally work out! I'm really good and fast on my feet, so with my acid slick ability, I can be the driver for us, too!" It was surprisingly clear that Mina and Shoto were miraculously now on the same page, but when he saw Shoto glance to his feet once more, Nikolay could feel his position in their potential team being questioned once again. "Bezpalovs' feet injuries do provide a problem, however. If he isn't able to walk properly just yet, trying to maintain momentum with you and your slick will simply result in our horse configuration collapsing over and over."

However, Mina was unperturbed, as she hurriedly returned to the Russians' side, that confident smile never once wavering. "That won't be a problem. All we need to do is come up with a way to link Kolya-kun and I together, and he won't have to try and keep up! He can just slide along on my acid slick in tandem; you know, like a water skier!" All at once, the overall image of this potential team became clear, and Nikolay finally found the confidence to step up and speak. "That's right! If I'm able to just slide along behind Mina, I can focus on accelerating us or turning us around if we have to, or I could even be able to deflect any projectile attacks the other teams might try to throw at us! With a setup like that, this team could actually work!"

Mina looked like she was just about ready to jump for joy to finally see her Russian friends' confidence come back, and thankfully Shoto didn't look to be in full disagreement anymore. However, there was still a very considerable glint in his eyes as he was still thinking. "So far, our respective roles and how our Quirks can benefit them is sound enough in theory, but we may need to consider having a fourth member added, not only for the sake of stability in case things get much more fast-paced and we run risk of losing balance. We also need to consider having a surprise attacker, someone who can get the drop on the other teams in a way they won't expect, that can give us a surprise advantage in case things get more difficult."

Mina and Nikolay exchanged worried looks, because they both knew the boy was absolutely right. However, therein lied the problem. Everyone else was visibly already securing their respective teams, so finding a fourth member at this point was going to be a lot harder. And that was when Midnight suddenly announced: "Ten minutes have passed, everyone! We'll be starting any moment now!"

"Dammit, only five minutes left already?! Everybody in 1-A already knows each others' Quirks so well! How could we get a fourth member that would actually be able to get anyone by surprise?!" Mina asked anxiously, while Shoto simply narrowed his eyes as he gazed over the few that were still left open. "Another good point. That's precisely why our fourth member shouldn't be someone from 1-A."

Nikolay almost instinctively began to open his mouth to voice his skepticism of anyone from another class or Department wanting to team up with them, but he knew he didn't have any better suggestions, either, so quickly silenced himself. From the looks of it, nearly everyone in 1-A was already in their respective groups, and there were barely more than a handful of students who still looked to be available, and time was not on their side, so with a sigh, he finally stepped forward. "Mina and Todoroki-san helped put this team together, so I should do my part, too. I'll just…I don't know, pick someone at random."

Nikolay closed his eyes, extended one pointing hand, and proceeded to swerve it around as he began mouthing to himself: "Aty-vaty, shli soldaty, aty-vaty, na bazar. Aaniki-beniki eli vareniki, aaniki-beniki pili kvas!" *

As soon as the final syllable passed his lips, Nikolay stopped his hand, opened his eyes, and found he was now pointing at a lone girl with wavy dark mossy green hair going just past her shoulders, with upturned, dark green eyes. Nikolay had to force himself to swallow the lump in his throat as he finally began to approach. Not only did he actually have to approach someone from a whole other class, one that had essentially declared war on his own, but also to a girl he'd never seen before in his life. How was he expected not to be nervous?

Of course, this was the method he chose, and this was the result it gave him, so now it was time to face it and hope for the best. Thankfully, he didn't have to draw attention to himself, as the girl in question quickly noticed his approach, her expression almost unreadable if not for the slight smirk on her face as she saw his awkward waddling.

"Looks like you're having a little trouble there. Something you need?" she asked with surprising bluntness, stopping the young Russian in his tracks. "Um, y-yes, yes! I, uh…I-I actually wanted to ask you to perhaps j-join our team." To his surprise, the girl in question couldn't help but chuckle to herself, revealing a mouth of noticeably sharp teeth, similar to Eijirou and the metal 1-B boy from before. "You 1-A kids certainly don't beat around the bush, do you? Okay, why not? Let's meet the rest of them, then."

Nikolay felt virtually over the moon as he tried to hurry back to his team with the new girl in tow, with Mina already rushing in with a bright smile for the more proper introductions. "Hi, I'm Ashido Mina! Thanks so much for accepting the invite! Oh, this is—"Hey, I can introduce myself, remember? I'm—"Nikolay Bezpalov, yeah, I kinda figured. Not a whole lot of foreign students in this school right now, and even less who actually win races by bouncing off landmines by accident, you know? Anyway, I'm Tokage Setsuna from 1-B. Nice to meet you both. Love your hair, by the way, Ashido-san." The girl, Setsuna, was surprisingly sociable as she gave them both a respective bow of greeting, even managing to throw in casual compliments right in like it was the most natural thing in the world, making Mina and Nikolay both smile at this pleasant turn of events.

"Oh, thank you! We were honestly kinda nervous, we thought you Class B kids wouldn't want anything to do with us." Mina admitted, with the embarrassed smirk on Nikolays' face pretty much saying the same. Thankfully, Setsuna didn't look the least bit insulted. "Eh, it's not exactly like the others gave you any reason not to think so. But don't worry, a lot of us in 1-B aren't like Monoma-kun or Tetsutetsu-kun. So, anyway, who's gonna be the rider for this team?" "I am."

Shoto wasted no time stepping forward to make his presence known, as well as his authority in the team. Thankfully, even his ice-cold demeanor didn't seem to dampen Setsunas' attitude. If anything, it actually made her intrigued sharp-toothed smile grow that much more. "Well now, this was just went from interesting to exciting. You don't need to introduce yourself, everybody here knows who you are, Todoroki-kun. Alright, count me in."

Shoto remained as stoic as ever, but Mina and Nikolay couldn't hide their surprise at her all-out willingness if they tried. This just made Setsuna laugh in total amusement, however. "What? Even dealing with all of us, he was still good enough to get second place in the race. Hell, I bet he'd probably have gotten first if it weren't for that Midoriya kid's trick with piling up the mines. All things considered, being on a team with Todoroki-kun as the rider sounds like my best shot at getting closer to the top. Besides, teaming up with Midoriya and that ten million-point headband sounds like it'd just be putting an unnecessary target on my back. So yeah, I'm in. So how exactly are we forming up the rest of this little team of ours?"

Shoto, Mina and Nikolay proceeded to fill Setsuna in on the dynamic they envisioned for their team, and just in time as well, for as soon as they had given her all the details she needed, the stadium was filled with the cacophonous bell, signaling the end of the team negotiation phase.

"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE TEAM NEGOTIATION PHASE IS OFFICIALLY DONE, AND OUR PROSPECTIVE WAR HORSES HAVE BEEN FORMED AND ARE NOW BEGINNING TO TAKE THEIR PLACES AROUND THE RING! AND FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE AUDIENCE KEEPING TRACK, HERE ARE THE TEAM BUILDUPS AS THEY NOW CURRENTLY STAND!"

At Present Mics' command, the massive screens lining the stadium suddenly displayed a full roster of the teams, and more importantly, their respective point values for their headbands. Nikolay looked and tried to dedicate as much of it to memory as quickly as possible as he and his team began to make way for their starting point. The listing went as such:

Team Midoriya: 10,000,315 points

Team Bakugo: 710 points

Team Todoroki: 570 points

Team Hagakure: 380 points

Team Tetsutetsu: 685 points

Team Monoma: 305 points

Team Kendou: 205 points

Team Shinso: 285 points

Team Yaoyorozu: 490 points

Team Kodai: 165 points

Team Tsunotori: 70 points

Team Rin: 125 points

"NOW RAISE UP YOUR WARCRIES! AND FIRE THE SIGNAL! MAY THE BLOOD ON THE ROCKS BE WASHED BY YET MORE BLOOD! NOW'S THE TIME FOR YUUEIS' DEADLY FEUD!"

Nikolay didn't even want to comment on the outlandish commentary at this point, because he could already feel enough tension in the air as it was. In less than a minute, they were going to be going all out, and he knew the rest of his teammates felt it too, especially as Shoto tied their teams' headband around his head, almost beginning to resemble the old pictures of ancient samurai warriors on the battlefield the Russian had seen in old movies years past.

As they had all informed each other of the uses of their Quirks in this scenario (with Setsuna choosing to simply elude that if they were looking for sneak attacks, she was their perfect choice), Nikolay suddenly recalled something all the way back from the first day; something he couldn't believe he had waited so long to bring up, even before this whole Festival had been brought up.

"Todoroki-san, I hope you don't mind my asking, but I just thought of something." Shoto gave no indication that he was listening, but he wasn't telling the Russian to be silent, so that was as good a sign as any. "Well, after the apprehension test when we got our class paperwork, and it listed all of our Quirks, yours was written as 'Half-Cold Half-Hot'. That tells me your Quirk also involves Fire. Yet, we've only ever seen you use the Ice part of it."

Again, their team leader didn't lose a step, but he did turn ever so slightly to indicate he was giving the boy an answer, while still not giving him the courtesy of eye contact. "Yes, and if all goes well and you all follow my instructions when I tell you to, then that's all you'll ever see of it. Understand this now: I have no intention of ever using my heat side in combat."

Shoto never raised his voice an octave, but there was a crystal clear edge to it that sent an intimidated tremor down all three of his teammates bodies. He was being even more serious than he normally was already; a fact that seemed unreal to even consider. In fact, it actually looked as though his eyes were focused on something else as he spoke, as though he were seeing something they didn't that put him on that particular edge. But if anything, it drove home for them the point that he was not going to talk about this for another word, and they would all do best to drop it now.

They had finally reached their spot at the edge of the ring, and as they began to get into position to form their configuration, Nikolay and Mina suddenly felt a tugging at both their sleeves, to see Setsuna at the ready with what looked like two small metal buckles attached by a tiny cord. "Here, since you were talking about linking up together to help with keeping the whole team moving and in formation. I mean, if Ashido-san is going to be the one primarily doing the moving, it's gonna be way too easy for Bezpalov-kun to trip up trying to keep pace on his own."

"Wow, great thinking, Setsuna-chan!" Mina exclaimed happily as the sharp-toothed girl hurriedly connected the buckles to the belt lines of their respective uniforms, officially linking Nikolay and Mina together. "Da (Yes), this is gonna make the movement part a lot easier, but what about you? You're going to be in the back of the formation, shouldn't you be able to stay connected, too?"

"Oh, don't you worry about me. I can keep a grip on you no problem." Setsuna reassured with a sly-sounding chuckle, before clutching tight onto the shoulders of Nikolays' uniform from behind. Once their three-person line was officially formed, Shoto swiftly got on top of them, with Mina holding her hands back and flat to support his feet, while Nikolay had his arms outstretched to their sides already, supporting their riders' legs with his shoulders. Shoto gazed around at their competition with total focus, especially Team Midoriya. In fact, it looked as though everyone around them was doing the exact same thing, all focusing on that one ten million-point target.

"Ashido," he announced with a sudden rise in volume, sending all his teammates frigid with similar focus. "Here!"

"Bezpalov!" "Here!"

"Tokage!" "Ready, willing and able, rider!"

With everyone officially at the ready, Shoto Todoroki narrowed his eyes in preparation, already beginning to build up the power of his ice in his right hand. "We all have only one target. Follow my instructions when I tell you to, and we will be victorious."

"LET'S DO IT, EVERYBODY! LET'S START THE COUNTDOWN TO THIS OFFICIAL CLASH! 3! 2! 1! STAAART!"

[Alexandrov Ensemble – V Pesnyakh Ostanemsya My (In the Songs We Will Remain)]

With the clamoring of the bell, everything immediately went off like the worlds' greatest powder keg. Every single team was moving as one, converging upon Team Midoriya like a tidal wave. Just as she had said she could, Mina had immediately begun with a running leap, before letting out a considerably slick fluid from the soles of her shoes, immediately gaining Team Todoroki an increased sliding momentum upon touchdown, with Nikolay and Setsuna following her lead, letting the momentum carry them forward, while Nikolay fired a two-handed blast aimed to the back to propel them forward. So far, their mobilization strategy was going off without a hitch, with Nikolay and Setsuna keeping their feet directly behind Minas' so they wouldn't risk coming off the slick and breaking their motion.

As they continued to close ground between them and Team Midoriya, the front-runner for that team, Tokoyami, had already begun to release his Dark Shadow, but whether it was to attack or defend or escape was anyones' guess. However, that was when the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to consume them, as though they were standing in quicksand, much to their visible surprise. This caught many of the other teams off guard as well, as Shoto immediately ordered for Mina to turn, which she was practically one step ahead of.

"Damn, looks like Tetsutetsu-kuns' team decided to make the first move! Honenuki-kuns' Quirk lets him soften whatever ground he aims for." Setsuna inadvertently exclaimed under her breath as Team Todoroki tried to turn themselves around to try and figure out another plan. That was when, to everyones' surprise, Team Midoriya suddenly took off straight into the air, with a flaring jetpack clearly visible on Izukus' back.

"What the hell?! When did they get a jetpack?!" Nikolay instinctively shouted in disbelief. "It's gotta be that girl, Hatsume! Urara-chan and I saw her back at the Obstacle Race; she said she's from the Support Department! She must've given that to Midori-kun before we even started!" Mina realized, earning an aggravated look from Shoto as he watched them like a hawk, silently realizing Ochakos' anti-gravity gave their escape an even stronger boost already.

"All of you focus. We'll need to wait for them to let their guard down again. Get us moving, Ashido." His lack of manners notwithstanding, Mina wasn't about to argue, as she could see the other teams were already starting to head off in different directions as well, and so kicking off, she began their sliding momentum once more, with Nikolay timing his accelerating bursts whenever it seemed any other teams were getting too close for comfort.

"The other teams are clearly now looking to get what headbands they can from each other until Team Midoriya leaves an opening." Shoto calculated to himself as he observed several of the teams already engaging with each other. Soon, his eyes focused upon one of the two two-person teams, composed of a blonde girl with horns and large doll-like eyes, riding upon a boy with bright green hair and the head of what looked like a praying mantis.

"Ashido, Bezpalov, get us moving faster." Shoto ordered, and before either of his teammates could ask what he was aiming to do, he suddenly threw his right arm, laying down a considerably steep-angled ramp of ice swerving to the right. Mina immediately began striding faster like a figure-skater, and only when Shoto ordered for him to do so, did Nikolay fire another burst from his hands, sending them practically gliding across that ramp to the other side.

By now, the two person team they now recognized as Team Tsunotori, had noticed Team Todoroki, and the girl serving as rider seemed to detach her horns from her head and began pointing them at the approaching team. Spotting this tactic from a mile away, however, Shoto threw his arm again, creating another ramp directly in front of Team Tsunotori, cutting off their trajectory and allowing them to swerve around again with another timely blast from Nikolays' hands.

Shoto kept laying the ice ahead of them this time, allowing his team to swerve first to the left and then to the right in a large S-shaped ice ramp, allowing them to come out on Team Tsunotoris' flank. Just as soon as the two-person team realized what was happening and was beginning to prepare to defend themselves, Shoto fired another blast of cold from his hand, effectively freezing both members in place. Recognizing an opportunity for what it was, Setsuna reached out and easily snagged the headband from the female riders' head as they slid right past. "Got it!"

"All right! That's 70 extra points right in the bag for Team Todoroki!" Mina cheered, only for Shoto to answer: "Get your heads back in the game, everyone! We can't afford to let ourselves get too lax." Both girls, albeit begrudgingly, relented and got back to scanning the surroundings while Mina kept her figure-skater strides going, and Nikolay fired another moderate blast to keep them going as fast as needed.

"HAVE A LOOK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED, AND ALREADY WE HAVE A MELEE OF TUMULTUOUS PROPORTIONS ON OUR HANDS! ANYWHERE YOU REST YOUR EYES, THERE'S TWO TEAMS VYING FOR AND STEALING EACH OTHERS' HEADBANDS! AFTER ALL, IT'S A FINE STRATEGY TO AIM FOR 2ND OR 4TH PLACE HEADBANDS INSTEAD OF THE BIG TEN MILLION!"

"YOU SHITTY ASSRAG SNEAK-THIEVING ASSHOLE BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! COME BACK HERE AND DIE, YOU SNARKY SHIT-EATING-GRINNING, COCKY SON OF A BITCH!" The apocalyptic shrieking rage of Katsuki Bakugo echoed pretty much all across the ring, sending the fear of death itself into any who heard it. Nikolay, in a moment of sheer panic, followed the voice to find, to his immeasurable relief, Bakugo actually wasn't yelling at him.

In fact, Team Bakugo was actually chasing after a whole other team with a multitude of headbands in their possession, being ridden by a boy with short blonde hair, condescending-looking blue eyes, and, as Bakugo had just described in so many words, a naturally infuriating cocky grin on his face.

"What the hell? I would've thought Bakugo would have been gunning for Team Midoriya no matter what." Nikolay mused as he watched Team Bakugo chase after the others, using a combination of Tenyas' speed and Hantas' tape to keep them going forward and never lose their momentum.

"Oh man, that's Monoma-kuns' team. That guy can run his mouth like nobodies' business, especially with the insults. Whatever he said must've really gotten under that Bakugo kids' skin. I mean, with him saying he was gonna come in first, for him to be going after anyone but Midoriya is just a waste of time, really." Setsuna explained as the two teams quickly exited view, while Mina was trying to keep their team turning to avoid any others getting the drop on them, while Shoto was continuously laying down more ramps of ice to keep them as mobile as possible. Nikolay couldn't say he was surprised. Considering how much of a hatchet he had set between 1-A and the rest of the school, it was pretty much inevitable someone was going to try going after Bakugo directly.

"You're not worried about him hurting your classmate, are you, Setsuna-chan?" Mina suddenly asked, while the green-haired girl just let out a confident snicker. "Please. Even if he does get his hands on Monoma-kun, it won't make any difference. That kids' got a Quirk that keeps him on an even playing field, no matter who he's up against." Nikolay wasn't about to ask for details, considering she probably wouldn't have given him any out of a sense of class solidarity. But the confidence with which she made that statement just left the Russian boy hoping Monoma wouldn't start gunning for them, especially.

"I mean, when you think about it, maybe it's not so bad it's turning out that way. Keeps Bakugos' team from coming after us, at least. Plus it leaves Midori-kuns' team that much more open, right?" Mina asked, before Shoto suddenly tapped his foot against her hand as a signal. "Quiet down, all of you. We've got them."

Just as their rider said, turning one last icy corner, Team Todoroki found themselves standing straight across from Team Midoriya, both riders essentially staring each other down in a standoff. "Guess we won't be getting such an easy ride after all, huh?"

There was an air of resignation in Izukus' voice as he said this, he and Shoto never taking their eyes off each other. "The time has come. I'm taking it." It was just as the red-and-white-haired boy had stated all the way back in the waiting room: they weren't here to make friends. Today, they all came here to win.

"I did suppose we would have to face them near enough to the final phase of the battle, but…they're really determined, aren't they, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked, his Dark Shadow at the ready, just waiting for the word to strike as neither team dared to make the first move too soon. "We still have half of the match left! Keep moving! The ones coming after us…aren't just a single team!"

At the exact same time as this, Shoto was ready to finally put his long-formulated strategy into action. "Ashido, advance, and be ready to turn whichever direction I say. Bezpalov, be ready to fire an acceleration in the corresponding directions on my command. Tokage, have any distance attacks you may have at the ready. When I give the word, we need to act in tandem." Nikolay and Mina both nodded in full agreement, but Setsuna remained oddly quiet, having taken the opportunity to look back over her shoulder. "As solid as your plan sounds, Todoroki-kun, you might want to remember…we aren't the only team gunning for these guys!"

All of Team Todoroki looked back to see three other teams, all 1-B students from the look of them, all simultaneously charging towards them and Team Midoriya alike. Unfortunately for all of them, the latter had taken that chance to evade, while Shoto Todoroki was hardly the kind to ever be shaken by anything. "Ashido, evasive action. Cut off their routes all around."

Mina was already way ahead of the boy, as she was already sending their team sliding behind her as fast as she could go with their formation, with Nikolay quickly following up with a single-handed blast to aid with her immediate sharp turn. "Todoroki-san, they said deliberately tripping up the other teams is against the rules! This plan is going to get us red-carded," Nikolay voiced in worried protest.

"Except we aren't deliberately tripping them up, we're simply limiting their means of moving around the ring, and granting ourselves some breathing room. If they end up slipping on Ashidos' trail and breaking their formation because they didn't pay attention to their surroundings, then that is no ones' fault but their own." As calculated and cold as it sounded, none of his teammates could rightfully say he was wrong. In this situation, any strategy that kept them from getting in trouble was as good as any other.

With nothing more needing to be said, Mina proceeded to start striding harder and faster, with Shoto silently counting down the seconds before either laying down another patch of his ice, or ordering Nikolay to give them a boost. All along the way, he kept directing Mina which direction to turn, and letting Nikolay judge from his position which hands to fire and in which direction in order to aid in their sharper turns. All the while, the other teams still in pursuit were beginning to fumble, finding themselves being progressively cut off and ultimately encircled by Team Todorokis' otherwise harmless acid slick.

In a matter of seconds, all three opposing teams (whom they now recognized to be Teams Kendou, Rin and Kodai) were all completely encircled in their own respective rings, and once they realized they couldn't effectively move without slipping all over the place, that was when Shoto finally took the offensive, firing carefully measured blasts of cold at all three of them, effectively freezing all members in place. By now realizing what he had just given them a chance at, Mina began carefully driving the team between all three of their now immobile rivals, allowing herself, Shoto and Setsuna to grab the headbands from all three in rapid succession; the two girls unable to resist holding them up like the trophies they essentially were. "We'll be taking these." "Hell yeah! Three new headbands for Team Todoroki!" Shoto stated bluntly, while Mina and Setsuna cheered between themselves, while Nikolay was trying to focus on keeping them going fast enough while doing the math in his head.

'Okay, so if our original headband is worth 570 points, and those three new headbands, on top of the 70-pointer from Team Tsunotori, gives us a total of 565 points, then that should give us a grand total of 1,135 points! If we can somehow keep this up, we might be able to come out of this event okay!'

"WHOA, AN IMPRESSIVE TRIPLE TAKEDOWN, COURTESY OF TEAM TODOROKI! TEAMS KENDOU, KODAI AND RIN HAVE ALL JUST HAD THEIR HEADBANDS SWIPED LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! TOTALLY TO BE EXPECTED OF 1-A'S STAR PUPIL!" "He's utilizing the combined benefits of his teammates' Quirks to compliment his own. He's using Ashido and Bezpalovs' combined mobility and reflexes to keep out of range of his opponents, while also limiting their means of travel in order to completely immobilize them. He's exercising full control of the environment. It's clear he's looking back on the Obstacle Race, where too many people were able to dodge his Ice for his liking."

"Heads up, guys, looks like Midoriya's coming down!" Setsuna pointed out, and much to her teammates' pleased surprise, it looked as though Team Midoriyas' jetpack had started malfunctioning, bringing them back down to earth. Mina didn't even have to wait for Shotos' command before she started turning them around with Nikolays' aid, to get them a straight shot for where they were about to land.

That was until they spotted the large, tentacled frame of Mezo Shouji suddenly come charging in to intercept, with Denki and Tsuyu hanging on to his tentacles at his sides, and Momo perched atop his back. Before Team Todoroki could react, the class vice-president swung her arm towards them, creating a set of three hefty-looking balloons towards them, that exploded into a huge mess of water spreading across the ground just as they were about to come running right onto it. "Kaminari, let it all out!"

Just as the blonde sparkplug began to glow and crackle, aiming at them, Shoto was immediately on the defensive. "Everyone, JUMP!" Just as a burst of electricity snapped out from Denkis' extended arm, all the runners of Team Todoroki jumped in unison, and Shoto quickly swung his right arm in a complete circular arc around them, effectively freezing the large mess of water solid beneath them, canceling out the electrical discharge. Mina was just barely able to manage landing squarely on her feet and keeping her balance, while Nikolay and Setsuna only had their subsequent attachment to thank to keep them from slipping all over the place and planting their faces in the ground.

However, their last second save had proven enough of a distraction, as that momentary window was all that was needed for Tsuyu to suddenly poke her head out from her teams' mass and shoot her tongue out, latching onto the collected headbands around Shotos' neck and yanking them right off, much to his and everyone elses' surprise. "Dammit, we've been had!" Mina even exclaimed as soon as they had all likewise realized it.

"OH SNAP, A LAST MINUTE INTERCEPTION THWARTED BY TODOROKIS' ICE JUST BARELY MISSED THE MARK! TEAM YAOYOROZU JUST NABBED THEMSELVES A WHOPPING FOUR HEADBANDS IN ONE MOVE! TALK ABOUT USING EVERYBODIES' QUIRKS TO THEIR FULLEST!" "Yaoyorozu is proving herself as an excellent tactician, using Shoujis' strength and durability as the transport, Kaminaris' electricity as defense to keep their foes at a constant distance, Asui for long distance assault and procurement, and her own Quirk to create whatever their team needs on the fly. She really seems to have chosen her teammates well."

CRACK!

The sudden pronounced sound of stone cracking split the air, as Team Yaoyorozu suddenly found themselves charging for a distinct break in the grounds' level, threatening to trip them up. Mezo, however, just barely managed to kick himself off to the side to avoid it at the last minute.

CRACK!

That same sound, and suddenly they were right in the path of another. However, this time they finally noticed what was happening, as a flesh-colored string suddenly lashed out from the side, embedding itself into the ground ahead, and producing a pulse that distinctly broke apart the concrete even further. CRACK!

Mezo once more managed to jump and sidestep around the sudden obstacles. Just as Momo managed to spot Team Hagakure swooping in, however, that was when a number of birds suddenly started diving in from above, not even attacking, but just keeping themselves collected around Team Yaoyorozu enough to keep any of their members from focusing or trying to attack.

"It's a distraction! Shouji-san, hurry and close around us-!" Momo ordered with distinct urgency, before she suddenly felt the collection of headbands Tsuyu had handed her; get swiped right off her neck by an invisible opponent. She looked on in shock as Team Hagakure immediately made their hasty exit with their headbands in tow. "Yay! Kyouka-chan, Kouji-kun, you guys did awesome! That makes up for that 1-B kid stealing ours! Now get us out of here, Rikido-kun!" Tooru cheered, not even paying mind to the frustrated looks on both her rival teams' faces, as Momo and Shoto both eyed her team like hungry wolves, both announcing the very same intent. "Shouji-san, turn us around!" "Ashido, Bezpalov, get us moving, faster than before!"

"We're getting those headbands back!"

Immediately, both teams were hot on Team Hagakures' tail, and the invisible girl and her teammates were quick to notice. "Don't worry, guys, I'll get us out of here no problem! Just try to keep up, or better yet, just hang on!" Rikido assured his teammates, before pulling out a small packet of sugar from the pocket of his uniform, downing it in one gulp, and within seconds, suddenly began running at an even greater speed than either of the pursuing teams could keep up with, forcing Kouji and Kyouka to hang onto his uniform in order to not get left behind.

'Dammit, Satos' Quirk description did say sugar boosts his strength and speed alike.' Shoto thought in aggravation, not helped by the fact that Team Yaoyorozu was managing to keep pace with them, even despite Mina and Nikolays' carefully timed strides and accelerating blasts. "Well, at least they're not actively looking to kick us off Hagakures' tail, but we're still gonna have to deal with them if we eventually catch up." Nikolay stated, realizing the overall stalemate they had gotten themselves caught up in.

"Maybe we won't have to, actually." Setsuna suddenly chimed in, and while nobody looked, she could just tell she had piqued their curiosity, especially since she sounded so confident. "Check this out," she proclaimed with another confident sharp-toothed grin.

All of a sudden, several sizeable chunks of Setsunas' body began remotely detaching themselves from her arms, legs and torso, and actually began flying alongside her, before just as suddenly shooting towards Team Yaoyorozu, tightly compacting themselves around Mezos' legs, quickly tripping him up, but managing to keep his team in the game by closing his tentacles around Momo, Denki and Tsuyu atop his back.

"What…in the…hell?" Nikolay and Mina alike couldn't even hope to hide their bewilderment at what they just saw, and the only slightly wider eyes on Shotos' face likewise communicated the same kind of surprise. All the while, even missing several sizeable chunks of herself, Setsunas' grip on Nikolays' uniform lost none of its strength, and neither did her cheeky smile lose its light. "That's my Quirk, Lizard Tail Splitter. I can control detached pieces of myself remotely. I can make up to 50 pieces maximum so far, by my count. That'll put the squeeze on Team Yaoyorozu and buy us enough time to catch up with Hagakure and get those headbands back!"

Nikolay could at first feel a queasy sensation in the pit of his stomach at the thought of his teammate being able to literally dismember herself on command, but quickly afterwards realized she didn't look to actually be hurt, and all things considered, she was still trying her best to help them. 'That's right, she's still giving her all, and you need to do the same! Focus, and help your team win this thing!' Steeling himself further, Nikolay fired another sizeable blast, sending Team Todoroki sliding with great speed and agility on Minas' end, steadily closing the distance between them and Team Hagakure.

…

Elsewhere in the ring, Team Bakugo had found themselves at last in a standoff against Team Monoma. However, the cheeky taunting blonde boy had decided to greet his pursuers with a sudden, and absolutely unexpected, surprise: a handful of Explosion right in Bakugos' face, nearly sending their team toppling back if not for Eijirous' durability. "Well, now, isn't this amazing? You really do have quite a nice Quirk!"

Those words immediately got Bakugos' angered curiosity going, but that could only go so far before his impulsive rage once again took over, and he swung an explosive hand right for Monomas' face with an enraged: "EAT THIS, YOU MOTHER-!"

However, instead of the sweet sound of agonized screams and pleas for mercy, his attack was only met with that same goddamned snarky chuckling. Once the smoke cleared, neither he nor the rest of his team could believe what they were seeing: Monoma had not only blocked Bakugos' swing, but his arm and face even had the same crystallized texture as Eijirous' Hardening. "Of course, no matter who I'm up against, my Quirk is always far greater."

"WHAT THE HELL?! MY QUIRK, TOO?! THEY'RE TAKING EVERYTHING FROM ME!" Eijirou couldn't even try to hide his surprise and indignation while Monoma was continuously laughing in their faces. However, Bakugos' explosive anger had now turned into a deeply simmering, bloodthirsty loathing as he narrowed his red eyes with contempt. "No, that's not it. This asshole…has a goddamned Copy Quirk!"

Somehow, with each passing second, Monomas' cocky grin only served to get more and more infuriating the more Team Bakugo had to look at it. "That's correct! Although, I suppose even an idiot would get it right away. The fact is none of you 1-A insects stands a chance against me. Oh, but please, don't be mad. You're the one who fanned the flames of war on this day; remember? What was it you said at the commencement, again, that unbearably embarrassing line…? Oh, well, no worries. Do yourself a favor and relax!"

"DIIIIE!" Bakugo screamed to a bloodcurdling degree as he immediately threw a double dose of Explosions right at the base of Monomas' team while the boy was laughing to himself. However, another of the boys forming the base suddenly let out a sharp exhale directly in his attack path, and Bakugos' explosions were immediately met with an invisible wall, rendering his attack virtually harmless. And unfortunately, that momentary save was all Team Monoma needed to immediately get themselves moving again, leaving the seething hothead and his team in their dust.

"YOU COPY-PASTING PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU TILL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT OF YOU TO KILL, GODDAMMIT!" Bakugo once again launched himself off the pad that was his team, ready to drive two fists-worth of absolute extinction on Monomas' head, before a line of tape suddenly lassoed around his stomach, forcing him right back down onto the waiting hands of his teammates, before they immediately began running after their rival team.

"Dammit, Bakugo, are you trying to get our team eliminated?! Stop going off on your own, dude! You can't stay airborne forever!" Hanta actually chastised his team rider out of pure desperation, but Bakugo was still too driven by homicidal hate to even care. 'I'll be the Number One…and it won't be just any first place. I'm gonna be Number One…BY ANNIHILATING EVERYONE!'

"Dammit, Four-Eyes, can't you go any faster than this?!" Bakugo finally shouted down to Tenya, who was trying to run as fast as he could, dealing with the weight and having to keep their horse configuration steady. "Not if we're to keep our team together and keep your feet from touching the ground!" Gritting his teeth at not hearing the answer he wanted, Bakugos' mind began to go into full gear, never taking his eyes off the team ahead. "But you're saying you could go faster, right?!"

Straightening his glasses, Tenya was immediately starting to see where Bakugos' train of thought was headed, as ill advised as it was. "Yes. My special move can close the distance and get you the chance to take their headbands before they even have time to react and mount a defense! However, once I've used it, my Engines will stall for approximately ten seconds, and our team will be dead in the water!"

"Not a problem, Emergency Exit! I can still reel you guys in and help us keep distance before those Monoma guys try to come back after us, at least until your Engines kick in again!" Hanta suddenly realized, and with it came another sadistic grin from Bakugo. "Alright, Four-Eyes, you do whatever you gotta do, and throw me at those shitheads when I say! Then Soy Sauce Face, you reel us both back in once I've got those headbands, got it?! If I end up hitting the ground and losing cause you didn't do it fast enough, I'll kill you myself!"

Neither Tenya nor Hanta wanted to waste precious time reminding him of their names, mainly because they knew he wouldn't care to remember. Instead, all they could focus on was getting their points back and staying in the game. So with that, Tenya reached and grabbed onto Bakugos' leg. "RECIPRO BURST!"

With a deafening roar of turbine engines, Tenya Iida almost seemed to teleport from where they stood just a second before, to suddenly being right on Team Monomas' tail, with none of them realizing what had just happened before they found Bakugo flying through the air at them at a speed past the sound barrier, his face twisted with bloodlust and determination. "EAT SHIT AND DIE, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE MAGGOTS!"

None of Team Monoma could react, as Bakugo zipped right past them like a human blur, snatching both headbands from around Monomas' neck. Seeing that cocky grin now be replaced with honest shock was indescribably satisfying for Bakugo to see. However, he couldn't savor it, as two strands of tape came zipping through the air, latching onto his uniform and Tenyas' back, before just as quickly reeling them right back in past Team Monomas' grasping hands, and right back into Team Bakugos' original formation.

"Alright, three headbands! Soy Sauce Face; get us the hell out of here! We're taking that prick Todoroki, and Dekus' next!" Grunting in frustration at the condescending nickname again, Hanta hurriedly shot his tape to the side, reeling their team a good distance from the now pursuing Team Monoma, with Bakugos' eyes set for the big kill of the game, that sadistic grin never leaving his face.

…

Back with Team Todoroki, the pursuit of Team Hagakure was proving more time-consuming than they had hoped. Rikidos' sugar-enhanced speed was showing no signs of slowing down, and he looked to still have the wherewithal to be continuously trying to throw them off by making a number of turns. However, Todorokis' Ice, Minas' sliding strides and Nikolays' accelerant blasts were continuously one step ahead, as they refused to lose an inch behind their targets.

"This is taking too long, and Midoriya is no doubt taking advantage of it to try and keep his team out of our sights." Shoto theorized to himself as he had to keep laying down one turning ramp after another.

"Not to worry, Todoroki-kun, I've got just the trick!" Setsuna suddenly exclaimed, right before reaching and prying out her right eye and optic nerve from its socket, and then just as swiftly sending it flying out of her hand and across the ring. "My Quirk lets me still see out of my eye even after it's been removed. I can keep an eye out for Midoriya even as we're still dealing with this lot!"

"Oh, no, guys; look!" Mina suddenly warned, and everyone looked ahead to see Team Hagakure was trying to throw them for a loop. They had just taken a roundabout way of bringing themselves and Team Todoroki right in proximity with the still immobile Team Yaoyorozu. Unfortunately, Momo had spotted their approach, and was already on the offensive, throwing a handful of newly created caltrops right in Team Todorokis' path. What was more, Minas' built up momentum was way too fast for them to either turn or stop in time.

"Mina, turn right, NOW!" Nikolay suddenly shouted, and on total reflex, Mina did exactly that, and following her reaction, Nikolay immediately aimed both his hands to their left and fired, immediately killing their turning arc and bringing their team to a screeching halt right beside Team Yaoyorozu, who were currently blinded by hiding under Mezos' tentacles in response to the caltrops being sent flying in their direction, albeit by accident.

Not wasting another second, Nikolay immediately aimed back and fired another propelling blast, with Mina practically jumping ahead in surprise, before just as quickly getting back in the game and secreting more of her fluid from her feet, regaining their previous momentum almost immediately. At the same time, Setsuna began to focus, and to Team Yaoyorozus' surprise, the chunks of her that were still stubbornly clinging around Mezos' legs, were beginning to be pulled along right behind Team Todoroki, dragging all of Team Yaoyorozu with them.

'Satos' enhanced speed can't persist for much longer. All we need is a boost to get ahead.' Shoto thought as he could see Team Hagakure was slowly but surely beginning to slow down. At the moment he knew was the most pivotal, he suddenly threw his right arm forward, laying down a continuous path of ice right in front of Mina, but rather than reacting in surprise, she instead met the new terrain head on, with Nikolay quickly following suit with another carefully timed acceleration, while Shoto kept continuously laying ice ahead, gradually giving them more of a gain right alongside Team Hagakure.

Just as soon as they were neck and neck, Shoto swiftly swung his still firing right arm to the left, producing a large steep ramp, effectively cutting off Team Hagakure in their tracks. As soon as Team Todoroki met the turn, Setsuna took that chance to finally recall her pieces from around Mezos' legs, returning them to herself. At that same time, Team Yaoyorozu had effectively been lifted off the ground thanks to her telepathic ability, and quickly realized they had been inadvertently turned into a veritable human wrecking ball, coming right for Team Hagakure.

It was only through Momos' lightning-quick reflexes that a devastating collision had been avoided. She had quickly created a large steel pole from her arm and immediately stabbed it into the ground with hers and Mezos' combined strength, serving as an emergency brake that stopped their otherwise disastrous momentum altogether.

However, while a collision had been avoided, the distraction was exactly what Shoto had been counting on. As soon as they had both come to a stop, Team Todoroki swooped right in from the opposite end of the ice ramp, and Shoto immediately lay down further ice, freezing Rikido, Kouji and Kyoukas' feet, and Mezos' hands and feet to the floor; while also managing to swipe the headbands from around Toorus' neck, as they dashed right in between the two teams, leaving them helplessly immobile in their wake.

"A MIRACULOUS SAVE! THROUGH UTILIZING 1-B'S TOKAGE SETSUNAS' SURPRISINGLY VERSATILE QUIRK, AS WELL AS LITERALLY USING ANOTHER TEAM AS A WEAPON, TEAM TODOROKI NOW COMES OUT HAVING REGAINED THEIR PREVIOUS FOUR HEADBANDS, NETTING THEM A GRAND TOTAL, INCLUDING THEIR OWN TEAM HEADBAND VALUE OF 570 POINTS, OF 1,135 POINTS! THEIR PLACE IN THE TOP FOUR SLOTS AFTER THE BATTLE IS PRACTICALLY GUARANTEED!"

"Todoroki-san, why didn't you try grabbing Team Yaoyorozus' headband, too?" Nikolay instantly asked, having realized they now had their old score, instead of the larger one he had silently been expecting up until now. "We've wasted enough time on the other teams. We need to aim for Midoriya now." Shoto wasted no time diffusing his teams' sense of accomplishment, already intently scanning around for any sign of Izuku and his team. "Already way ahead of you! I can see them!" Setsuna suddenly proclaimed, getting the stoic boys' attention, reflected in those as-ever intense eyes of his.

"They're right around the eastern end of the ring! Ashido-san, I'll shout out the directions, so just turn where I say and when," the green-haired girl ordered as she kept her one remaining eye closed in order to better focus through her detached one. With her reflexes running at full speed, Mina quickly had Team Todoroki cutting through the rest of the ring at Setsunas' command, and within seconds, they found themselves face to face with Team Midoriya in another standoff, with Setsuna finally taking the chance to recall her eye back into place.

"There's no means for you to escape now, Midoriya." Shoto announced, and from the looks on Izukus' and Ochakos' faces, they knew he was right. "They're too strong! We can't escape now," the girl exclaimed while still trying to hold steadfast in the face of their frankly unfortunate odds. However, it was Tokoyami who remained unperturbed. "I'll stop them!"

With viper-like swiftness, the crow-headed boys' Dark Shadow came lunging out from him, making a direct line for Team Todoroki; everyone instinctively getting into a defensive position, before Setsuna suddenly sent multiple chunks of herself flying around them and directly intercepting all of Dark Shadows attempted attacks, and to everyones' surprise, actually withstanding their power.

"Dammit! What kind of Quirk is that?!" Izuku exclaimed, not even trying to hide his typical fascination amid his frustration as he saw their primary means of attack had no effect. "Regardless, we'll be keeping the ten million!" At that moment, the same mechanical whirring of Team Midoriyas' jetpack suddenly began to hum, and as soon as the pink-haired girl in goggles in the back of their team, Mei Hatsume, gave a solitary thumbs up, they suddenly took off over Team Todorokis' heads, making an escape attempt to the other side of the ring.

"You're not getting away again, Midoriya!" Shoto suddenly proclaimed louder than his team had heard from him yet, and with Nikolay firing both hands back to their right, alongside Minas' first stride, their team managed to make a complete 180-degree turn on a pinhead, and with another of the Russian boys' accelerations, they were back into sliding after them at full speed. Tokoyamis' Dark Shadow was periodically lunging after them in order to throw them off, but Setsunas' controlled pieces were continuing to intercept its attacks, no matter what direction it came from.

By this point, Ochako had clearly applied her Zero Gravity to her team, as even when the jetpack had since stopped firing, they were still managing to keep floating ahead; also no doubt aided by the newly discovered bizarre technical-looking boots on both her and Mei.

"How are we going to do this, Todoroki-san? If they're not on the ground, we can't just stick them in place like the others, and we can't attack to try and topple them, or we'll get disqualified!" Nikolay finally asked once he recognized the latest stalemate they had now cornered themselves into. For once, Shoto was silent, grimacing in frustration as he observed their movements. 'Damn him, he's figured it out, hasn't he? Midoriya is deliberately keeping on my left side. He knows my offensive capabilities are only slightly lessened as long as he stays there. I can't make a larger ramp up to their level either, as the incline would sacrifice our speed, even with Bezpalovs' boosts. With Urarakas' Zero Gravity and that other girls' tech, they're currently in a space that's unreachable.'

"Hey, as long as they don't start trying to swerve for the next few seconds, that won't be a problem." Setsuna once again announced with that same confidence. Before any of them could ask what she had in mind, Nikolay suddenly felt her right hand let go of his shoulder, and only chancing a momentary glance back, he realized she had actually detached her entire right arm, as it was now levitating loyally at her side, while she had her eyes focused on Team Midoriya above.

"I can send this baby up there and snatch that headband before they even know what's happened," she stated firmly, once again piquing Nikolays' inherent fascination in just how much she was proving able to do. "You mean you can actually remotely control what your pieces can do after you detach them, to the point of telling them to actually grab things? Are you certain?"

The Russian boy almost grimaced with sudden pain as Setsunas' remaining hand on his left shoulder tightened its grip to prove how serious she was. "Believe me, I wouldn't be trying it if I wasn't."

The next few seconds felt like they passed in slow-motion, as Setsuna finally sent her right arm flying past Shotos' right, and past where Dark Shadow was focusing its offensive, as it swung in a wide arc through the air, higher and higher, until suddenly ducking in and snapping the ten million-point headband right off of Izukus' head, flying through his only momentary blind spot.

With inhuman swiftness and accuracy, as soon as the headband came off, the disembodied arm immediately snapped right back for Setsunas' shoulder, before sealing itself back in place, and the top prize gripped firmly in her hand; the reptile-like girl flashing a bright fanged smile in victory. "Not a single doubt left, right?"

"We have it! Ashido, Bezpalov, turn us around, now!" Shoto immediately commanded, and like the well-oiled tactical unit they had so far been proving themselves to be, they once again managed to turn their team around on another pinhead, and began moving as far from their original path as they could, while Ochako and Meis' combined mobility forced them to take a much more time-consuming means of turning in order to try and pursue.

"AFTER THEM!" Izuku shouted, already firing off his jetpack to send them as fast as they could with their added zero gravity and Meis' propulsion boots. "As long as they have that 1-B girl at their side, we can't get close enough to properly attack! I think aiming for the other teams' points might be advisable…!" Tokoyami realized with great begrudging, but Izuku could not hide the desperation on his freckled face. "It's no use trying for that! I have no idea how everyones' points are distributed now! There's nowhere else for us to turn! Not with the time we have left!"

"Alrighty! In that case, we go get it back, Deku-kun! Without fail!" Ochakos' declaration rang with nothing but absolute confidence and determination in their capabilities, and straight from a moment of complete despair, Izuku felt every fiber of his being now burn with understanding, and the desire to win, not for himself, but for everyone here that was counting on him. 'That's right! They're not just my points! They put their faith in me…and I'm currently carrying the dreams and hopes…OF THREE PEOPLE ON MY SHOULDERS!'

…

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! TEAM TODOROKI JUST USED A SURPRISE PROJECTILE MOVE FROM 1-B'S TOKAGE SETSUNA, AND HAVE COME OUT WITH THE COVETED TEN MILLION-POINT HEADBAND IN THEIR GRASP! THE CHASE IS NOW ON IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF THE CAVALRY BATTLE! IF THE TABLES AREN'T TURNED SOON, TEAM MIDORIYA WILL BE WALKING OUT WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO POINTS, AND TEAM TODOROKI WILL WALK OUT AT THE VERY TOP!"

Up in the stands, the entire crowd was almost universally on their feet, Toshinori and Tunguska included, only by now the massive Russian was almost literally trembling with anticipation as he watched the two teams most in contention with each other in the final minute. "You're exceptionally more anxious than I thought you would be, Tunguska-san." Toshinori noted with a trace of knowing humor in his voice.

"How could I not be? Be grateful you're not a father, Toshinori-san, so you'll never have to feel the conflict that I am. I've been forcing myself to distance myself from Kolyas' own training in order to meet my commitment to you and malenkii Midoriya. Granted, the boy hasn't asked me to help him with anything but our typical martial sparring, but still.

"I haven't been able to oversee his training, so cheering him on is the least I can do. Yet at the same time, a mentors' duty is to prepare and encourage his student. I know the answer should be so obvious for me, but I'm honestly at an impasse as to who I'm supposed to cheer for now." To this, Toshinori honestly couldn't help but let out the most wry chuckle he could.

"I may not be able to completely empathize with your plight, Tunguska-san, but I still feel you're putting far too much pressure on yourself. There's no need to feel ashamed for cheering one over the other, Tunguska-san. This is still all in the name of sportsmanship, after all. Those boys are doing everything in their power to win, and they both deserve every ounce of cheer they receive today. You need to be able to separate yourself as a father, from yourself as a teacher. Because you cheer for one doesn't mean you are deliberately hoping for the defeat of the other. You can cheer for both of them from the heart of both your roles."

Tunguska was more grateful for the benefit of his colleagues' outside wisdom than he ever had been before, as he proceeded to finally let the heart of his excitement out with unrestrained fervor, cheering both Nikolay and Izuku on alike from the bottom of his heart.

…

"Oh my God, we did it! We actually did it! First place is all ours! Go Team Todoroki!" Mina was squealing with unparalleled joy and excitement, having to use all of her restraint to keep from hopping for joy while trying to keep their team moving, but she just knew deep down that at least two of her other teammates were sharing in the excitement. "Quiet down! This is no time to celebrate. Until that final bell rings, this battle is far from over." Shoto immediately scolded his teams' driver, keeping his eyes open for the first sign of an attack.

"Guys, I think we have a problem." Nikolay suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of all those around and on top of him. "Most of the kinetic energy I used here came from absorbing the force of those mines earlier. I've pretty much used all of it up at this point. Trying to build up enough to keep us going this fast is going to take more time for absorption than we have, and Midoriya-sans' team isn't going to just sit back and give us that time."

Shoto instinctively grunted with disappointment, as he now began to realize they were losing speed, even with Minas' continued sliding strides, and the pink girl herself could feel a sense of dread building in her stomach, just knowing Midoriya and his team were no doubt closing in.

However, Setsuna looked to be deep in thought, before a crazy yet probable idea came to mind. "Bezpalov-kun, you said before that your Quirk works from absorbing vibrations from anything, including your own heart beat and wind friction, right?" "Yeah, that's right. Why?" he asked, currently too focused on trying to absorb whatever he could into his body to really think about where she was going with this.

All of a sudden, he felt Setsunas' arms come around his sides and cross over his chest, before suddenly pulling herself forward, pressing her entire body tight up against his back; leaving the Russian boys' face as red as an apple. "You feel that, Bezpalov-kun? That got your heart racing? Can you feel mine, too?" 'Yes, among other things!'

Insane as her plan was, it definitely got the desired results, as Nikolays' heart was pounding harder than he had felt before, and with it combined with her own heartbeat, he could slowly but surely feel the collective kinetic energy building up. "Well then, with that, maybe this'll also help! Go and win us this thing, guys!"

With that, Team Todoroki suddenly began to feel themselves going just that much faster, enough to start making a difference, and yet Nikolay could still feel Setsunas' hands gripping tight onto his shoulders. Glancing back over his shoulder, he found Setsuna herself shrinking back from them; both of her arms detached at the shoulders, still clinging onto him.

While it was regretful to have one of their teammates drop off, it was still making enough of a difference for their base speed, as Nikolay could feel the greater air friction against his skin helping build up his energy stores just as fast as he had needed. All he needed now was just a few extra seconds of energy build up, and he could finally give them the next boost they needed to get enough distance to still have the first place headband by the matches' end.

At that moment, Team Midoriya suddenly came dropping from the sky, landing square in Team Todorokis' path, with Izukus' eyes squarely focused on Shoto, with his right arm emitting a brilliant red sparking glow.

Mina immediately brought her slide to a stop, her and Nikolay both trying to use their feet to come to a screeching halt, and while it did manage to keep the two teams from colliding, it was still close enough for Izuku to suddenly swing his now illuminated arm right for Shoto. In that moment, with every fighting instinct in his body telling him to deflect, Shoto suddenly brought up his left arm to block, emitting raging flames from it, to the shock of all those able to witness it across the stadium.

'It's all right! It's…as long as I don't hit him directly, I can use wind pressure!' The words of his two mentors echoed true in Izukus' head as he drove his hand, powered by One For All, the opposite direction of Shotos' now-flaming defending arm, creating a massive gust of wind in its wake; enough to effectively extinguish Shotos' fire as quickly as it had come.

None of his teammates could see it, but for the first time today, Shoto Todorokis' always collected expression had, only slightly, finally slipped, as he looked not upon his opponent, but upon his now smoking left arm, his most strictly self-forbidden weapon in his arsenal. 'My left side…what am I doing?!'

Shotos' defense had officially been broken, and Izuku, counting the now less-than twenty seconds left on the clock, reached out with all the drive and focus as he could in that precious opening, and ripped away the very first touch of the headband he could feel, even through the still immense pain now flaring through his arm.

The moment they had seen him snatch away the headband, the rest of Izukus' team immediately took off the first direction they could see, leaving Team Todoroki to try and recover. "I got it! I GOT IT!"

"SEVENTEEN SECONDS REMAIN! WHAT A FURIOUS RECOVERY, AND ONE FOR THE AGES!" The crowd was in an absolute frenzy, and Izuku nearly felt himself become lost in it, overwhelmed with relief at their sudden recovery. It was only by a sheer miracle that he was able to make out the sound of Meis' voice urgently calling from behind: "Hold on, that headband…IT'S NOT OURS?!"

Izuku felt his whole body go cold as he looked to find, indeed, all they had managed to nab was the 70-point headband from Team Todorokis' bundle.

Only a handful of feet away, Team Todoroki found themselves facing down a sudden assault as Team Midoriya was already charging right back, realizing just as they themselves had that their prize was still on hand. "Bezpalov, get ready to fire on my command at full power."

Just as soon as Nikolay got his hands aiming forward for the first time this whole match, however, the clamor of the audience was suddenly overpowered by the dreaded, familiar sound of a multitude of explosions quickly coming from their right. Just as soon as both teams were drawn to the source, two walls of fiery explosions ripped through the air between them. This effectively stopped Team Midoriya in their tracks, and momentarily stunned Team Todoroki from the power and heat.

Emerging through the flames and smoke, the twisted face of Katsuki Bakugo lunged out, hand outstretched, and red eyes laser-focused on the bundle of headbands around Shotos' neck. Just as Shoto began to bring his right hand up to defend, Bakugo got his fingers around them, and before everyones' eyes, he and his entire team were suddenly reeled back en masse by two strands of tape still connected to the ground several feet behind them, only further propelled by Bakugo letting off another huge explosion from his free hand, effectively buying his team breathing room away from both Team Midoriya and Team Todoroki.

"Hurry up and run, Four-Eyes!" Bakugo ordered, to which Tenya immediately began taking off with the rest of their team in tow.

"AN EPIC CONFRONTATION OFFSET BY A SUDDEN INTERFERENCE! TEAM BAKUGO SWIPES ALL OF TEAM TODOROKIS' COLLECTED HEADBANDS FROM OUT OF NOWHERE! THERE'S ONLY TWELVE SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK, LADIES AND GENTS! IT'S ANYBODIES' GAME NOW!"

The instant Mina began moving their team after Team Bakugo, Nikolay immediately set them off with a blast, Shoto reacting in kind by laying down another continuous road of ice. This time, Mina was throwing herself forward harder and faster with each and every step, with Nikolay trying to fire off as much energy as he could afford with each and every one, to the point there wasn't an inch of ice between the formation of Shotos' ice, and Minas' feet.

Almost immediately after they took off, Nikolay felt one of Setsunas' hands fly off from his shoulders, but in his frenzied panic, simply chalked it up to the air current of their immediate speed.

"EVERYBODY COUNT DOWN WITH US! 10! 9!"

"Both of you get ready! We're taking that headband back now!" Shoto ordered, and just as they began to close the distance to Team Bakugo, he swiftly threw his arm in their direction, building up the steepest ice ramp yet, directly in their path. Minas' built up momentum nearly sent Team Todoroki sliding across the almost completely vertical wall, but it was with the most powerful instinctive war cry, that Nikolay took that moment, and with every last ounce of power and focus he could summon forward, fired the most powerful of his two-handed blasts, sending them flying across the wall on their feet at a speed that nearly broke the sound barrier.

"8! 7! 6!"

As they slid right in front of Team Bakugo, Mina took that chance to free one of her hands from under Shotos' feet, and throw a single handful of her least corrosive but most adhesive acid their way, essentially serving like a large glob of sap sticking one of Tenyas' feet to the floor where he stopped, effectively immobilizing them.

"5! 4!"

As soon as he stopped laying down the ice to provide an end to their ramp back to level ground, Shoto immediately after reached his right hand out as they swerved around the momentarily stunned Team Bakugo, and hooked his fingers into the first headband around the explosive hotheaded boys' neck, ripping it away with ease.

However, as soon as they were back to sliding on level ground, Shoto immediately realized his aim had been miscalculated, having only managed to instead grab the 305 point headband instead.

"3!"

Another deafening explosion sounded behind them, and Nikolay and Mina alike felt their blood go frigid to see Bakugo launched himself from atop his team, and was now diving down upon them with that same psychotic toothy smile on his face, focused solely on the still momentarily surprised Shoto.

"I'M TAKING ALL YOUR HEADBANDS, YOU BUNCH OF-!" All of a sudden, in mid-flight, Bakugos' eyes fell upon Shotos' head, and saw something he did not expect. 'The hell?! HE'S NOT WEARING IT!?'

"2!"

Indeed, Shoto Todorokis' multicolored head was deprived of his headband, and yet there was no sign of any kind of cockiness on the boys' face, as though he were completely unaware of it.

As his red eyes were still solely focused on that sight alone, Bakugo failed to notice a single spinning projectile flying from just over the top of the vertical ice wall, and flying straight up to his head from behind.

"1!"

He suddenly heard the sound of Velcro being ripped away from around his neck, and as he slowly managed to turn his head, he felt his entire heart stop dead in his chest, to find what looked like a disembodied human arm, clutching the headband adorned with the eight digits of 10,000,315, suddenly snapping away from him through the air, and just as quickly reattaching itself to the shoulder of a single girl with wavy green hair standing on her own in the middle of the ring; a victorious fanged grin on her face as one of her eyes likewise flew right back into her head.

"TIME'S UUUUUUUUUP!"

Bakugo face-planted hard into the ground as the entire stadium erupted into an indescribable wall of incomprehensible cheers and the ending bells, signifying the end of the Human Cavalry Battle. At the sound, every single scrambling team immediately came to a halt and finally disassembled, all the students awash in the flurry of emotions of having finally made it to the end of this unbelievable battle.

As Shoto silently stepped down from on top of them, Nikolay and Mina finally disconnected the buckles and cord connecting them, before both teens almost immediately collapsed to the ground in a mix of exhaustion and pure, raw emotion. In fact, they had both started to even shed tears the moment they saw their once castaway teammate Setsuna clutching the most coveted headband in her grasp as she returned to their side, an absolutely joyous bounce in her step.

As soon as Setsuna had rejoined her team, Mina and Nikolay both nearly rushed her in order to pull her in and lift her up like the hero of the minute she had just proven herself to be for them, all simply consumed in the immeasurable heat of the moment.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE, INDESCRIBABLE SPECTACLE OF CONFLICT, COMERADERY AND EMOTION THIS WAS, EVERYBODY! THIS IS NO DOUBT GOING TO GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST CONTENTIOUS EVENTS IN YUUEI SPORTS FESTIVAL HISTORY! NOW, SHALL WE SEE WHO OUR TOP FOUR ARE?!"

All the re-gathered students, once able to recover from their emotions and come back to reality, looked up to the speakers above, ready to be judged, all silently hoping for some kind of miracle, even if they could not even say what that would have been. Frankly, the adrenaline still burning in all of them was like a collective inferno.

"IN 1ST PLACE: TEAM TODOROKI!"

As the crowd erupted into thunderous applause, Nikolay, Mina and Setsuna once again broke into ecstatic cheers, all capped off when Mina eagerly moved in and pulled Nikolay into the tightest and happiest embrace she had ever given anyone, almost managing to lift him but an inch off the ground, while all he could manage was a still excited, yet surprised, laugh from all of it.

However, between his three other teammates, Shoto gave no sign of any such enthusiasm. In fact, he didn't even look to be listening, for his eyes were simply focused upon his left arm, his empty face once again betraying none of the emotions raging inside his head. All he could manage to say was an embittered resignation of: "…shit…"

"IN 2ND PLACE, TEAM BAKUGO!"

While the crowd was cheering like mad, and Eijirou, Hanta and Tenya could all simply manage a sigh of relief at still having made the final cut, Bakugo was still on his knees on the floor, screaming with an inhuman rage at just how closely victory had been stolen from him at the literal last second.

"IN 3RD PLACE, TEAM TETSUTE—WAIT, HUH?! HEY! IT'S TEAM SHINSO?!"

Everyone looked in surprise while the rest of the stadium once more cheered, to see the third place winners were none other than the enigmatic purple-haired boy from the General Education Department, who oddly enough looked immensely satisfied with the results, with Team Yaoyorozus' headband twirling around his finger, while his three teammates, Ojiro and Aoyama especially, looked…confused of all things, like they didn't even know what was happening or how they had gotten here.

"Everything ended up so close by the end, I can't even think of who's going to end up in fourth place." Nikolay admitted, having finally managed to ride out the euphoria of having actually won, while Mina chanced a momentary glance to their rider, only for her black-gold eyes to go wide with shock. "Whoa, Todoroki-kun, where's your headband?!" The rest of the team immediately turned and felt themselves get overcome with a similar sense of surprise, as did Shoto himself as he finally reached up and realized she was right; his headband had been removed, and he hadn't even realized it.

"AND IN 4TH PLACE, TEAM MIDORIYA!"

Once again, the air was booming with cheers, as every single student gathered once more turned to find Izuku standing amid his team, practically spouting tears from his eyes in joyous disbelief. And to all of Team Todorokis' surprise and subsequent realization, Tokoyami stood at his side, with his Dark Shadow clutching Shotos' 570-point headband in its beak.

"THE FIRST FOUR TEAMS WILL MOVE ON TO THE FINAL EVENT…NOW STEP FORWARD, VICTORS! THE NEXT STAGE AWAITS YOU ALL! THE MAIN EVENT WILL BE AFTER AN HOURS' LUNCH BREAK! SEE YOU ALL THEN!"

…

As the crowds finally began to disperse for said refreshments, the students had all begun to coalesce among themselves, congratulating each other on their victories, or simply complimenting each other on how they utilized their Quirks in the heat of it all.

Among them, though, the members of Team Todoroki were practically on Cloud Nine (with the exception of their namesake, of course, still glaring at Izuku from across).

"Come on, guys, let's go grab us a feast worthy of First Place! Ooh, I still can't believe we did it! You were amazing, Setsuna-chan!" Mina immediately took charge, practically guiding her two equally enthusiastic teammates by the hands, bouncing with every step, as she couldn't keep from gushing over their good fortune.

"Oh, c'mon, I didn't do anything that special; I just figured we could do well with a multi-front attack. I mean, they never said anything about teams being disqualified if one of the runners falls off, after all. Besides, you two were the ones that kept us going through all of it; you probably deserve a little more credit than me. Nobody could even get close without having to do a sneak attack on us." Setsunas' attempt at humility was only offset by the still cheeky grin on her face, clearly not denying her responsibility for their win in expression, while doing so in words.

"Well, our Quirks just seem to work really well together, at least as far as mobility goes." Nikolay tried to downplay his own involvement while inadvertently boosting Minas', only silenced when she immediately bounced back to walk beside him, nudging him in the ribs with a playful elbow. "Oh, Kolya-kun, you've gotta learn to take the praise when it's given to you! We probably would've been in real trouble with Yaoyomos' caltrops if you hadn't gotten us that sharp turning stop with those blasts of yours! And that last burst of yours right at the end? I thought we were gonna go practically airborne, you sent us going so fast! You're just as responsible for our win as the rest of us!"

Nikolay couldn't help but start to form a genuine smile at her saying so, which in turn made Mina and Setsunas' supportive smiles that much brighter. "You were super awesome, too, Todoroki-kun! That ice of yours is really handy, way more than I would've thought! Come on and try to smile, we won! You can be happy about that, you know!"

Minas' attempt at coaxing a pleasant reaction out of their still brooding team rider was all for naught, as Shoto was still staring at his left hand, before finally seeming to have realized his teammates were addressing him. However, to their silent surprise, his expression didn't soften in the slightest. "You three can celebrate if you want, but there's no reason for me to do so."

As he began to take his leave away from them, Nikolay suddenly stepped forward. "Todoroki-san, we won because we all worked together and used our Quirks the best ways we could with each others'! Can't you at least take the moment to be pleased that it all worked out the way you had wanted?"

At this, Shoto met the Russian, and his other teammates, with an exceptionally icy glare that stopped them from approaching any further. "That's exactly it, though; it didn't. We only won because the three of you did well to follow my orders and go by my strategies when it was required. Yes, we have achieved victory by working in tandem with one another, but that does not make us friends, so you can go ahead and enjoy your frivolities without me. As of this moment forward, our team relationship is no more. From now on, it's every man for himself to try and reach the top."

With that final declaration made abundantly clear, Shoto Todoroki turned his back on his now-former teammates, leaving them understandably silenced by his unexpected coldness, even in the wake of total victory. Yes, they had all witnessed him end up using his Fire Quirk when Izuku had attacked before, but anybody would have tried to do anything they could to defend themselves when getting attacked by that kids' Quirk. They simply couldn't understand why using his Fire had managed to get under his skin so much.

"You know, come to think of it, I should probably be heading back to join my classmates as well. The last thing I need is for Monoma-kun or Tetsutetsu-kun to start calling me things like 'traitor' for hanging out with you 1-A kids now that the battle's over." Setsuna suddenly chimed in as well; already beginning to take her leave, despite the admittedly saddened looks on Nikolay and Minas' faces as they tried to follow after her. "Aww, but why?! We all won together, we should at least be able to eat together as a team before you go!" "Yeah, we owe you big time for saving us back there; at the very least let us buy your victory meal for you." Mina and Nikolays' mutual pleas for her to at least savor the moment with them, earned a visibly genuine smile of gratitude from Setsuna.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'd like to, really. You just don't know my classmates like I do, and some of them can be pretty thin-skinned about stuff like this. But hey, maybe we can all have lunch together noonday break some time back at school after this. You two are actually pretty cool for 1-A kids, after all." This was more than enough for the two best friends, as their enthusiastic smiles surprisingly had a similar glow about them as they both eagerly nodded in acceptance of this alternative.

"Awesome! Hopefully I'll be seeing you two around sometime; preferably in less competitive circumstances, too!" And so with a friendly fanged grin and a wave, Setsuna Tokage bid Nikolay Bezpalov and Mina Ashido farewell and soon all the students of Classes 1-A and 1-B were back and gathered primarily to themselves again; at least, with the exception of Nikolay and Mina now being alone together.

"And then there were two," he muttered to no one in particular, before he felt Mina taking his hand in her own, already beginning to eagerly pull him along for one of the exiting tunnels of the stadium. "Aww, we'll see her again, I just know it! Come on, Kolya-kun, you worked just as hard as the rest of us, you deserve to eat, too; at least enough to get your energy back."

Once again, it was like there wasn't a thing in this world that could keep Minas' spirits down for more than a few seconds, as she was once more moving along with that same cheerful pep in her step, her fluffy pink hair bobbing along with her movements. Frankly it just made her look that much more adorable, with that joyous smile on her pink face.

"You know you don't have to drag me along, Mina, I think my feet might be all better now. I haven't been feeling that pain for the last few minutes." Nikolay tried to speak up, unable to hide the embarrassed smile on his face as some of the other students began noticing him being pulled along by his best friend. "That's wonderful, Kolya-kun! But still, this is such a huge step for both of us; don't you at least want to savor it together?"

Nikolay couldn't deny that it did sound like a really nice way of spending the next hour while resting up for whatever this Festival had in store for them next. "Well—"YOU!" Nikolays' modest acceptance was summarily cutoff by the all-too familiar roaring of Bakugo from afar, and before either he or Mina could react, they found themselves facing down the practically fuming blonde boy as he sprinted up to them with all the ferocity of a rabid animal, barely stopping himself from meeting either one of them with an explosive fist to the face upon contact, instead bringing himself to a nearly screeching halt, right in Nikolays' face.

"You…just who…IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, PULLING SOME CHEAP-ASS BULLSHIT TEAM-UP STRATEGY LIKE THAT?!" Nikolay felt like he might as well have been staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, as Bakugo was clearly looking for him to make a sound, any kind of reaction at all, to personally justify planting his head into the ground with all the strength he possibly could.

"Leave him alone, Bakugo! It wasn't—"YOU STAY THE HELL OUT OF IT, DAMN RACCOON EYES! I OUGHTA BURY YOU BOTH FOR THAT SHIT YOU ALL PULLED BACK THERE!" Mina visibly took a step back, her face showing genuine indignation at Bakugos' unflattering new nickname for her, but before either she or Nikolay could react, he was once again getting right in the speechless Russians' face.

"You and your sissy little injuries pull away one of my potential teammates, and you go and team up with that bastard?! You knew! You knew just like we all did, that you didn't stand a chance with anybody else, cause nobody in their right mind would have you, so you went and teamed up with that asshole Todoroki to pull yourself ALL THE WAY PAST ME TO THE TOP OUT OF SOME SHIT LIKE SPITE!

"Goddammit…I can't believe…I can't believe I actually lost…to some damn airhead and a weepy-willow little shitsack like YOU! I knew Todoroki was gonna be my biggest challenge no matter what, but to lose to a goddamn crybaby, having to watch them get to the top past me without actually EARNING IT?!" By this point, Bakugos' head was hanging in what Nikolay and Mina could only risk guessing was disbelief. His fists were clenched to the point his knuckles were turning white, as he grinded his teeth together, trying to find yet another way to adequately voice the sheer frustration he was practically suffocating on.

Finally, he lifted his head back up, a whole new fire in his red eyes as he looked at Nikolay and Mina like he was trying to make their heads explode with his mind. "You two worthless idiots go and tell that disassembling bitch and that shitheel, Todoroki…you all better pray you don't end up in my sights at whatever the main event is, cause I swear…I am going to OBLITERATE THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU! THAT'S A PROMISE, NOT A THREAT!"

With that, Bakugo topped it off by spitting on the ground at Nikolays' feet, continuing to stare the two of them down with nothing but the most concentrated hatred a single person could express, before finally turning and taking his leave, not an ounce of anger lost in every single step he took.

Finally, as soon as she had felt the boy was far enough, Mina worked up the courage to step forward and shout back: "Our names aren't 'Raccoon Eyes' and 'Crybaby', dammit! It's Ashido Mina and—"Nikolay Bezpalov!" Nikolay finally spoke up himself with an especial air of newly ignited vigor in his tone as he stepped up right alongside her. Of course, he was too focused on Bakugo to see the look of pride in Minas' eyes to see him finally speaking up for himself against their mutual opponent.

"Yeah! Remember our names next time, you bully," she finally capped their shared defiance with childishly sticking her tongue out at the boy behind his back. Afterwards, she was able to start smiling again, albeit a touch more nervously this time, but just as she was about to start heading for the mess hall with her friend in tow again, Mina looked to see the Russian boy was still visibly shaken. Of course, she couldn't deny that she was still feeling the same way, too.

"You okay, Kolya-kun? That was pretty scary, wasn't it? I don't get why Bakugo has to be so mean to everyone all the time. Maybe if he tried being nice to people, he wouldn't be so mad," she mused as she put a supportive hand on his shoulder, thankfully stirring him out of his momentary paralysis of fear.

"Hey, there you guys are! Come on, we're all gonna grab some food! Come with us, winners!" The distant voice of Eijirou called out from one of the exits, and Nikolay and Mina hurried over to find themselves being beckoned over by nearly all their other classmates, most of them exhibiting equal measures of excitement and pride in each other.

"You guys were incredible back there, such a bizarre team-up! But man, you all really pulled it off!" Eijirou congratulated his two friends as they all began to make their way through the passage, numerous conversations bouncing off each other and the walls alike.

"Hey, you guys weren't half-bad out there, yourselves! With Iida-san on your team, I thought we were gonna lose for sure after you grabbed our headbands!" Mina likewise congratulated him, Tenya and Hanta alike, the Class President simply looking as analytical and serious as ever. "Of course, I had to resort to using my special ability earlier than I had planned for today, so perhaps you should all consider yourselves fortunate I chose to wait on using it again until the main event. That could be a large factor in how you were able to secure a last second victory. Of course, your other teammates' versatile Quirk clearly had a big role in that, as well."

"I won't lie, it does suck to lose. But you and your team did really good out there. Congratulations, Mina." Tsuyu chimed in as well, her disappointment in losing completely un-betrayed by her always vacant expression, while Mina couldn't help but smile in embarrassment at all the praise.

"Come on, Tsuyu, it wasn't that big a deal! I mean, you and your team were really cool out there, too! You all had your strengths, and they threw us for a loop for a good while there. All I could really do was run and slide. I really don't know if I match up with the others' strength." Saying it out loud, Mina couldn't help but start thinking about it. It was true, all she'd really contributed was keeping her team mobile, other than her last minute stalling tactic at the end. Compared to people like Shoto, Setsuna and Nikolay, she still hadn't really gotten a chance to really show how she measured up in a confrontation. She could only hope she would get that chance before the Festival was over.

"If you don't mind me asking, Mina, I saw you approaching Bakugo when everyone was forming their teams-kero. I know he's not exactly easy to get along with, but I didn't think anyone was able to get you mad enough to actually turn your back on them. What changed your mind?" Tsuyus' question came almost entirely out of left field, as Mina had allowed herself to start getting lost in her own thoughts, only now realizing the spot she'd just been put in.

"Oh, it was nothing he said to me. Honestly, Bakugo didn't even say anything to me. He, uh…he said some really messed up things to Kolya-kun, cause he was trying to join up, too. After that, I just decided I'd rather lose than team up with someone who would talk to anyone like that, especially my friends."

Tsuyu once again brought a contemplative finger to her lip, deep in thought. "It's a nice sentiment, but considering how important today is, I would have thought you would just bear with it and go with whoever your chances were best with-kero. You're really protective of Kolya-san, Mina," she finally stated in blunt realization, completely ignorant to how strongly Minas' pink face was now blushing at the implication.

"Tsuyu, I am not protective of him! I care a lot about all my friends, and I don't like people doing or saying mean things to them! I'd be no different if Bakugo was being nasty to you or Urara-chan or anybody else!" As insistent as Mina was in her stance, that didn't stop the likes of Kyouka and Tooru from once again sharing silent-yet-knowing (and invisible) smirks with each other at just what they were really hearing.

Amid all of the continuous good-natured chatter, one student who was not sharing in the festive mood was Momo. If anything, she looked much more withdrawn and pensive than anybody else, clearly lost in her own deeply rooted train of thought in the wake of her and her teams' loss on such a big day.

Elsewhere in the throng of eager youths, Izuku and Ochako alike had approached Nikolay; all of them likewise able to now go back to speaking friendly with one another now that the game was over. "I couldn't believe it any more than Todoroki-san did, Midoriya-san. He sounded so dead serious at the start about not using his fire, and yet you got him to actually do it! I think you really rattled him with that Quirk of yours this time!" Nikolay congratulated the green-haired boy, who while still clearly overjoyed that he had managed to secure himself and his teammates a place in the main event, was still looking contemplative over what the Russian was telling him.

"Yeah, but you guys were all really impressive, too, Kolya-san! You and Mina-chan were so in-sync, I wasn't sure we'd be able to catch up with you after you took our headband!" Ochako was surprisingly not afraid to admit, especially from Izukus' perspective after having seen her get so fired up about doing just that. "Yeah, that jetpack you guys had really caught us all by surprise. Clearly that Support Department girl, Hatsume-san, is no joke. But still, that's nothing next to you somehow managing to grab Todoroki-sans' headband. Everything happened so fast, and I know you guys only grabbed the 70-point one from us, so when did Fumikage-san ever actually have a chance to grab it?"

"Believe it or not, it was right at the same time Todoroki-san and I actually fought. He'd been so focused on defending himself from me, that he'd ultimately left his head his only open spot, so Dark Shadow actually grabbed it at the same time I grabbed the 70-point one. I wasn't even aware until he told me after the Battle, himself." Izuku admitted, momentarily embarrassed at having not been aware of everything his own teammates were doing. Of course, Nikolay was quick to reassure him, going into detail about everything he and Mina had witnessed Setsuna do all throughout. By the end, they were all once again exchanging pleasant laughs with each other, all overjoyed that they were going to get to go further, but even more so that the Festival hostilities were, at least for now, over.

…

Nikolay felt completely rejuvenated, having finally gotten some food and drink into his stomach again, courtesy of Mina and her insistence on getting him to try okra and natto together with green tea. Needless to say, it was now easy for him to see why she loved that combination as much as she said she did.

All the hustle and bustle of the crowds was steadily building his kinetic energy reserves pleasantly quickly as well. He just could not shake the feeling in his gut that the main event of this whole Festival was going to need it.

After everyone had gotten to partake, all the girls of 1-A had eventually started to leave together at Momos' beckoning, for reasons even they admitted they weren't entirely sure of just yet, but were confident things would still be okay. Given how security had been seriously bumped up across the campus, for once Nikolay had no reason to think things wouldn't be.

The only problem now was that he was on his own once more, left to his thoughts. And with that, came the remembrance of another feeling he just could not shake.

"Kolya-san! I was wondering where you had gone." Izuku suddenly called out to him, as the Russian boy had absentmindedly taken to wandering the halls, momentarily stirred from his introspection by his curly-haired friends' presence. "Oh, sorry, Midoriya-san, I got kind of lost in my train of thought. You look like you're in a hurry. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing serious. I've just been trying to find All Might and Tunguska-sensei, hear what they've been thinking about my performance so far today." Nikolay could not possibly have failed to notice the look of clear-as-day eagerness in Izukus' likewise green eyes, and as a result, could not keep his own curiosity to himself. "Well, I know All Might has been a constant supporter for you, but why are you looking for my dad?"

"Oh…you mean, he didn't tell you? All Might asked Tunguska-sensei to personally help him out with my training for the last two weeks! I think it's really been coming in handy, at least in terms of figuring out ways to advance without having to rely on my Quirk all the time or at least in terms of helping measure out how much power I need to use."

Nikolay was instinctively nodding in understanding, as he had to think back over those last two weeks, himself. "That's right; I had been noticing you and him either on the school training grounds or around the parks surprisingly often the last few weeks. I had honestly kind of assumed something similar to what you're saying. I mean, if he's going to be a Yuuei teacher, it stands to reason he would be there to train whatever students need it, right?" Despite the casual air of Nikolays' tone, Izuku couldn't help but detect a trace of something else, something otherwise unnoticeable had he not really been listening. "You know, Kolya-san, why don't you try joining us for training after the internship period is over? I can't think of any reason why you couldn't."

As much as he really did appreciate Izukus' offer, Nikolay just let out a wistful chuckle to himself, only slightly shaking his head. "Thank you, but I shouldn't. All Might asked my dad to help with your training specifically; I'm not about to start putting your progress at risk by forcing him to divide his attention between us. Besides, my own personal training's managed to get me this far, so I'm clearly doing something right." Once again, for all intents and purposes, Nikolay sounded absolutely genuine, but there was still just a trace of something in his attitude being slightly…off.

"Kolya-san…is there something wrong?" he finally stopped skirting around the subject and just asked outright, only for Nikolay to finally sigh in resignation. "Yeah, I guess I'm not as subtle as I hoped I was. I've just been thinking. After the Cavalry Battle…Bakugo got in me and Minas' faces; said that I latched onto Todoroki-san to get myself to the top because I'm too much of a weak crybaby to do it myself. He said that I got to the top of the Festival without earning it. I didn't want to say anything in front of Mina, because winning made her so happy, and it did for me, too. It's just that there's a part of me that can't help but wonder if…maybe in a way, Bakugo is right. I mean, teaming up with Todoroki-san was really her idea, she just wanted me to be able to still participate despite my feet injuries, but that doesn't change the fact that I teamed up with somebody to make up for my handicap, and ended up winning as a result."

As self-doubt slowly began to creep into Nikolays' once pleasant expression, Izukus' only became firm and serious as he stepped in to make the Russian boy meet his eyes.

"Kolya-san, the thing we both need to remember and understand about Kacchan, is that he's only ever relied on himself. He's always thought and acted like he's never needed anybody but himself in order to get to the top. Honestly, if I had to make a wild guess, I think he hates the fact that even though he's been pushing himself to his absolute limit every step of the way, and therefore sees everybody else as weaker than him…to see other people winning by working together damages that image of himself he's held onto for pretty much as long as I've known him.

"We both need to try and keep that in mind when talking about Kacchan. Years of total confidence in himself and his Quirk, and everybody cheering him on and praising him; it's given him a lot of pride in himself. Now, Yuuei and this Festival, and all of us together, it's all shaking that pride for the first time ever, and there aren't a lot of people, at least I think, that could be able to handle that very well at any age. You know?"

He knew all too well, as a matter of fact. Everything Izuku said was making perfect sense in Nikolays' head. Had things played out very differently back home and he had still managed to end up at this school, he couldn't completely write off the possibility he wouldn't have somehow been the same way. "You're right, Midoriya-san. I can understand where he's coming from completely. He puts in just as much effort as the rest of us, but he handicaps himself by acting like he doesn't need anyone else. That's why I…that's why, whatever the main event is going to be, if I end up being put up against him, I want to meet him on his level. I want to prove myself, just like you and everyone else. I want to be able to reach the top, and I do want to be able to say I earned it through my own effort."

Izuku gave his Slavic friend an understanding and supportive smile and nod. Confidence and a desire to prove oneself were paramount for any Hero, but arrogance was the toxic side of that same coin. Perhaps if, all circumstances permitting, he or Nikolay were to end up going against Bakugo and winning fair and square against him, Izuku could only hope it would be enough to at least begin helping his one-time friend change his overall attitude for the better.

Taking this all in together, the two boys silently understood that they were of the same mind and opinion of how they wanted to go about the rest of this Festival. However, before further sentiments could be shared, they both instinctively felt the arrival of a third presence, both of them momentarily afraid it was Bakugo himself, having overheard everything they had been saying.

Instead, but no less dreaded, they found themselves face to face with Shoto Todoroki; his different-colored eyes observing Izuku and Nikolay both with serious intent. "Midoriya…Bezpalov…both of you, come with me. There's something I have to tell you two, alone."

Neither Nikolay nor Izuku could begin to guess what their most enigmatic yet powerful classmate could possibly have to say that would require such secrecy, but neither of them was about to start being standoffish with him. So, albeit with great trepidation, the two boys accompanied Shoto to a nearby tunnel, where just as he had said, they miraculously seemed to be at no risk of being eavesdropped upon or interrupted.

Nikolay and Izuku weren't sure whether Shoto was expecting them to begin this impromptu conversation, as he simply stood against the wall opposite them, staring them down with those same deathly serious eyes. However, neither of them was willing to let their admitted anxiety or intimidation show, lest that was exactly what he was hoping to instill in them.

Finally, it was Izuku who decided to make the first step in this surprise confrontation: "You wanted to tell us something…what is it?"

…

Elsewhere in the halls of the stadium, Tunguska and All Might (now back in his muscular form) were busily making their way for the Festival grounds, hoping to catch both Izuku and Nikolay, and extend their personal congratulations for both boys having managed to make it to the main event.

However, while Tunguska understood why Toshinori had changed into his All Might form for the sake of maintaining the illusion for Nikolay and all the other students and Festival-goers, he realized they had been taking a rather roundabout way of getting there.

It was just as he was about to ask why; that All Might had suddenly come to a stop at the mouth of a side stairway, forcing his large Russian colleague to do the same. The only thing that he immediately noticed was that they were not alone.

Descending the stairs, keeping his back turned to them at that very moment was a man of nearly equal size and muscle mass as All Might and Tunguska back in his prime, adorned in a dark blue Hero suit, and with a head of short, spiky, dark red hair. However, his most standout feature, without question, was the brilliant and raging flames emanating from around his eyes and across his face, giving him the look of having eyebrows and a large mustache and beard composed entirely of fire.

This was a Hero Tunguska had never actually met in the flesh before, but that didn't mean he didn't know just who was standing before him and All Might at this very moment. His was only the second most well-known face in all of the Pro Hero world.

"Yo. It's been quite a while; hasn't it…Endeavor?" All Might finally decided to break the quickly growing tense silence between the three, while the Second Top Pro Hero of the nation barely glared over his shoulder to the two fellow behemoths of Heroics standing behind him. However, his intense eyes didn't even grant Tunguska the courtesy of even acknowledging his very existence, simply looking past him like he wasn't even there.

Unfortunately, the large Russian Hero could see and feel Endeavors' frigid refusal of acknowledgment like a sledgehammer straight to the gut.

"All Might," he finally spoke up, his just-as powerful voice still managing to induce just as much of a coldness as his eyes, further contrasting against his fiery image. One needed to only hear it to just physically feel the utter contempt Endeavor felt towards the Symbol of Peace before him. And yet, miraculously, even facing such hostility as this, All Might never lost that sheen in his trademark smile.

"Why don't I break the ice between you two, this being your first actual meeting? Endeavor, this is an old colleague, fellow teacher, and my good friend, Tunguska. Tunguska, this—"Endeavor, Second Top Hero in the Nation. Oh, I've known about you for years. We could've even had a chance to avoid such an awkward introduction as this, many years ago, in fact."

Despite his attempt to try and ease the tension, All Might could clearly tell the atmosphere between the three of them was not getting any less tense. Even for this being the very first time meeting the man, Tunguska could just feel his skin crawling with just how much arrogance, hostility and utter indifference Endeavor exuded just standing before them, refusing to grant him the common courtesy of eye contact or even a nod of greeting. This Hero exuded an attitude that just instantly rubbed Tunguska the wrong way, in the worst possible meaning of the term.

And yet, despite seeing and clearly knowing all of this, All Might was still willing to play the peacekeeper, as ever. "What do you say we start this little meeting between us over, on better grounds this time? Endeavor, why don't you come join us for some tea?"

* Nikolay is essentially reciting two Russian equivalents of 'Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo'.

And that was the newest chapter, and my spin on the Human Cavalry Battle event. It took a lot of rearranging and planning with different team members now being on different teams, and I actually feel quite proud of how it turned out in the end. If you all liked what you read here today, feel free to write and leave a review to let me know how you think I'm doing so far. It's all very much appreciated and invaluable.

I will see you all with the next two chapters (yes, this will be that other double-delivery of chapters I had mentioned last week) on 04/03! From there, until I come across an event that demands otherwise, it will be back to the single chapter-per-week schedule from then on.