A/N: Hey there, everybody! Alright, so now THIS is where the Sports Festival starts getting into gear, and I'm going to be honest with you all… I thought this chapter was gonna be WAY longer than it ended up being. Whenever I adapt full episodes like this (usually in my Ben 10 RWBY story), it usually takes two-parters to cover all the material. But in THIS case here, I think I might know why this is a different case for THIS story.

For one, the original episode was pretty much the obstacle course race non-stop from start to finish with no change in setting, so that definitely helps. Lots of action going on from beginning to end, that kind of stuff. But secondly… I cut out a lot of the fluff and internal monologues, or at least cut a few of them down. I've noticed that anime REALLY likes characters thinking long-winded speeches to themselves, so cutting out that middleman also really helps out a lot.

But at this point, I'm pretty much delaying things, so why don't we actually get TO the actual chapter now, yeah? This is…

Chapter 24: Alliance Through Obstacles

…..

As he and the rest of the First Years started taking their places near the stadium entryway, Izuku couldn't help but sink into his own thoughts, going over everything before the round could even start. And of course, there were only two people on his mind at the moment, those being his mentors. 'All Might… Optimus…' His brows furrowed as he observed the students around him, taking stock of his own powerset. 'I have to be smart about this. I might have Full Cowling, but I can still only use a small percentage of One for All with it. So I'm going to have to be careful when I use it. That means… I'll have to go beyond.' But then… SMACK! "GYAAAH!"

"Yo, Earth to Izuku." Kyoka said, having given him the jab to the shoulder. "I've been trying to get your attention for like, half a minute."

"O-Oh, sorry, Kyoka." Izuku rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I-I guess I just got lost in my thoughts."

With a light smile, Kyoka rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Hmhm, what else is new, Celery Stick? In any case, you think you're ready?"

Izuku gave a light sigh. "I can only hope so. You?"

"Same boat, honestly." Kyoka shrugged, staring at the entryway with trepidation. "I'm thinking that narrow hallway outside is gonna be an obstacle in and of itself. With all these students, it's bound to get cramped in there…"

The greenette's eyes widened in realization. "Woah, you're right… how can we bypass something like that?" Both teens stood in silent thought for a moment, only for an idea to pop into Izuku's mind. "W-Wait, I think I might have a solution! …Though it's a pretty bold idea."

"Hm, well, I'm all for bold." Kyoka approved. "Let's hear it."

"On your mark!" Midnight suddenly said, taking both of them off guard.

"AAH!" Izuku exclaimed, turning so his back was facing Kyoka. "N-No time to explain, I guess! Come on, we gotta do this quick!"

"O-Okay!" Kyoka nodded, not knowing what the boy was about to do.

Midnight brought her hand up as she continued the countdown; "Get set…" With a swift swipe, the art history teacher brought her hand down, giving the call; "BEGIN!" At her word, the entire student body of First Years went straight for the entryway… and just as expected, things began getting very cramped, very quickly.

But, up in the commentary booth, Present Mic was feeling ecstatic. "And we're off to a racing start!" He turned to his co-host, the still very bandaged Shouta Aizawa. "How 'bout some color commentary, Mummy Man?!"

"…How did I let you talk me into this?" Aizawa muttered.

But Mic ignored that and asked; "What should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the race?!"

Aizawa glanced down to the students, who were now getting VERY cramped to the point of flailing about in a vain attempt to get loose. "…The doorway." Right as he said that, however, something began happening in the entry way… that being several layers of ice began to form around the inner walls, making its way out through the outer end before a MASSIVE blast of snow came bursting out. In the process of all of this, the floor became iced over as well, and as a result, nearly everyone's feet were now frozen in place.

The culprit behind the icing-over became quite apparent as Shoto Todoroki came dashing out through the snowy mist, giving a brief call back to his peers. "Apologies."

"Woah, would ya look at that! Nearly all of the contestants got cold feet thanks to none other than Shoto Todoroki of Class 1-A, who's taken a clear first place spot!" Present Mic's observation was put into question, however… as a bright green spark could be seen ping-ponging between the entryway's walls. "Huh?! But what's this?!"

It didn't take long for the green light to come blasting out the other end, revealing it to be none other than Izuku. The green-haired boy was in full Full Cowling mode, with green lightning sparking all over his body… all while he held Kyoka on his back, piggy-back style. "Haha! Alright, it worked!" Kyoka cheered!"

"WOAH! I don't believe it! We've seen this strategy before in Sports Festivals past, but this seems to be our very FIRST alliance!" Present Mic practically threw his arms around as he spun in excitement up in his booth, with Eraser Head ducking to avoid him. "It's Class 1-A's very own Izuku Midoriya and Kyoka Jiro! Quite the unexpected combo!" …Of course, Mic knew better since he knew those two were friends not just with each other, but with the Autobots as well… but if it made the crowd pop, then he'd be remiss NOT to play it up.

Back on the field, Shoto's eyes widened slightly, watching as Kyoka jumped off of Izuku's back, the green glow dissipating from the latter as they both began running side-by-side. "What? Where'd that come from?"

He didn't have long to question that, however, as more students came blasting out of the tunnel with their quirks. Momo was leading the pack, surprisingly, having vaulted herself out by creating a metal pole from her hand. At her sides were Eijiro, who hardened up and bashed through the ice, while Bakugo was blasting his way through the air as well. And most astonishingly of all, Aoyama had joined them as well, using his belly button laser to fly.

"Nice trick, Todoroki!" Momo admonished.

"DEKU!" Katsuki bellowed. "How the HELL did you do that?!" He then shifted his focus toward Shoto. "And don't think you're getting away so easily either, you Icy Hot BASTARD!"

Izuku and Kyoka's eyes widened at the sight of their flying classmates, causing them to pick up the pace immediately. "Crap! I didn't think that they'd all try something similar!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Well, evidently they did!" Kyoka shouted back, now seeing Tokoyami and Ojiro both lunging out of the crowd as well, the former using his shadowy bird creature to take to the air while the latter used his tail. "Now KEEP RUNNING! They're gaining!"

While others were breaking through with gusto, however, others were having… a less easy time. "W-Woah! WOAH!" Mina nearly slipped as she began sliding across the ice, expelling acid from the soles of her shoes to skate across it. "C-Close one!"

On the other hand, Ochako and several others were carefully trudging across the ice, being careful not to slip even as she marched on. "Gotta find the RIGHT time to use my Quirk!" she resolved, not wanting to show off too early. But then… ZOOM! "AAH—WAAAH!" From out of nowhere, Ochako found herself being pulled along the ice, with someone keeping a quick pace to do so. The brunette blinked and immediately found out who it was. "K-Kaida?!"

"Hey, 'Chako!" the Sauro-Parts user saluted. "Saw you were havin' a hard time here, so I decided to give ya a hand." Ochako glanced down, seeing that Kaida had both her Raptor Legs and Brachiosaurus Tail active, the long appendage pulling her along. "I figured if Kyoka and Midoriya were makin' an alliance, then why can't we?"

As much as Ochako liked that idea, she could only offer an apologetic smile. "That does sound really cool, Kaida… but if you don't mind, after the ice, could we not do this again?" Kaida's expression was a mixture of hurt and confusion, which Ochako panicked at. "I-It's not that I don't WANT to, really! It's just… I also wanna finish this race on my own merits, you know?"

"…Now THAT'S somethin' that I can get behind!" Kaida grinned, giving her a supportive thumbs up. "Consider it done, 'Chako! In fact…" The scaley girl suddenly skid to a stop, only to whip her tail forward. "Let's give ya a little boost!"

"W-Wait, Kaida, I didn't mean—AAAH!" Ochako was sent hurdling forward, sliding across the ice until it was no longer there. She stumbled a little, causing her to tuck and roll before she got control again and sprang into a sprint. "Hah… haha! That worked better than I expected! Thanks Kai—huh?"

Without warning, Kaida went sprinting ahead, her Raptor Legs now going into full gear. "Just keep on runnin' 'Chako! I ain't about to let up and neither should you!" At her words, Ochako put on a determined face and put her all into her sprint… only for BOTH girls to come to an abrupt halt. They weren't the only ones either, as Izuku, Kyoka, Katsuki and even Shoto had all stopped… and they couldn't blame them with what stood in their way.

As the rest of the First Years came to a stop, they gazed up in disbelief at what was in front of them… robots. Not just ANY robots, though, but the robots that the Hero Course students had fought against in the entrance exams so many months ago. But what floored them most of all was that it wasn't just the standard One, Two and Three-Pointers… but the colossal Zero-Pointers were there as well.

"TARGET AQUIRED! ELIMINATE THEM!" one of the robots stated.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Kyoka muttered. "They brought THESE here, too?!"

Just then, they heard Present Mic speak up once more; "Uh-oh! Enemies have shown up outta nowhere! I bet we're in for a treat here! A test of strength and cunning; it's a ROBO-INFERNO!"

Todoroki simply furrowed his brow up at the towering behemoths. "So, this is what the others dealt with in their entrance exams…"

Momo seemed shocked by the presence of these bots as well. "Just where does the school get funding for these things?!"

"THAT'S what you're asking?!" Kyoka screamed as one of the Zero Pointers began reaching its hand out toward them all. "We're about to get crushed, Yaomomo! MAKE SOMETHING!"

But if anything, Todoroki was ahead of all of them in making a way to get past the bots. He began outstretching his right hand, which began to grow ice cold once more. "I appreciate the school wanting to make an effective obstacle, but I wish they'd have sprung for something more difficult." There wasn't much emotion in his voice as a massive explosion of ice went bursting forward, practically enveloping the robot as well as it went listing forward. But then, a noticeable bitter bite was heard with what he had to say next; "Especially since my dear ol' dad is watching."

…..

Back at the Autobot base, the bots in question were staring in shock and awe at the screen after watching what had just happened. That boy had just frozen that colossal drone with a simple wave of his hand, as if it meant absolutely nothing to him. And then, he just went running forward again, not even bothering to look back. "…Okay, WHAT?!" Sideswipe shouted.

"I think I can safely say that whoever THAT guy is…" Sunstreaker pointed at the screen, "he's got an OP Quirk." He noticed Optimus crane his head to him curiously, and Sunstreaker quickly realized that his leader misunderstood that. "O-Oh, no, I mean that his Quirk is overpowered, Prime. I wasn't talkin' about you."

"Ah, I see." Optimus nodded, putting his focus back on the broadcast. "Though in reality, while his Quirk IS quite impressive, it is not infallible." He pointed up as Todoroki kept running. "Rather, he uses his Quirk's strength in conjunction with his strategic cunning to heighten his effectiveness in the race. He is certainly a top contender."

They continued to watch as Todoroki dashed past the Zero-Pointer, leaving the rest of the students in his wake… all while the robot continued to lean forward. "Uh… Prime?" Springer piped up. "Did he…"

"Freeze it while it was off-balance on purpose?" Optimus finished as the robot crashed into the ground, kicking up ice and dust as Todoroki didn't even look back. "…More than likely, yes."

Strongarm couldn't help but take issue with that. "That is COMPLETELY irresponsible! Someone could be crushed under that!" She attempted to zoom in with her own optics to try and see if any of their human friends were alright. "Just who IS this kid anyway?"

As if to answer her, Present Mic kept going on. "That's Shoto Todoroki again from Class 1-A pulling into an early lead with a devastating display!" The video cut to the booth as Mic turned to his less-than-willing commentary partner. "Amazing! He's one we should watch! It almost seems unfair! Any thoughts?"

"…His attack was both offensive and defensive." Eraser Head said briefly.

"No wonder he was let in on recommendations!" Mic snapped his figures, with the camera switching back to the action. "He'd never even fought those Robo-Infernos before, but they didn't stand a chance against his chart-topping moves!"

While he was somewhat perturbed by Mic's commentary, Red Alert seemed intrigued at the knowledge he presented. "Hm, so this Todoroki kid got into U.A. on recommendations like Momo. Interesting…"

"I'm not surprised, honestly." Windblade added, folding her arms. "After all, he's the son of Endeavor, the Number Two Hero. My guess is that he must have SOME pull on the school board or something." Not long after, though, something caught her optic back down on the course. "Wait… I think I see movement on that frozen drone!"

It didn't take long for the Bots to find out what it was, as Kirishima burst right out of the Zero-Pointer's back, with him shouting; "I'M ALIVE!"

"HAHA! YES!" Sideswipe pumped his fist, pointing at the screen. "That's my BOY! No falling warbot's gonna take HIM out!"

"Would ya look at that!" Present Mic announced, all hyped up. "It's Eijiro Kirishima from Class 1-A! Makes sense that HE'D be able to take that without much damage since his Quirk, Hardening, can make his entire body as hard as a rock! That means he can be the ultimate shield or a devastating weapon!"

Kirishima didn't seem too happy though. "Todoroki, that was a sneaky move! Anyone but me would've been crushed—huh?" But he was cut off when someone ELSE came bursting out from the robot's armored shell… a young man with wild hair and covered head to toe in metal. The Autobots recognized him as one of the kids from Class 1-B, the one with the very thick eyelashes.

"Dammit! Should've guessed that a kid from 1-A would do this!" the boy said, gritting his sharpened teeth that were fairly similar to Kirishima's. "Ya know, anyone other than me would've been crushed!"

Once again, Present Mic felt the need to commentate; "And wouldn't ya know! Testsutestu Tetsutetsu from Class 1-B was under there as well! What are the odds?! His Quirk, Heavy Metal, coats him in solid steel! That means he can be the ultimate shield or a devastating weapon!"

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu seemed visibly upset about the reiteration, though Sideswipe was also quite offended on his friend's behalf. "HEY! C'mon Mic, did ya HAVE to say the exact same thing?! You're makin' my boy look like the copy cat when that METAL guy is obviously infringing on his thing!" Off to the side, Strongarm deadpanned and slapped her forehead in disbelief.

It wasn't long before the contenders in the race continued, though it was very noticeable that Class 1-A was definitely pulling no punches. Bakugo was practically shooting himself up and over the Zero-Pointers, with Hanta Sero and Tokoyami following him. Sero in particular fascinated the Autobots, shooting tape out of his cylindrical elbows as if he were using a grappling hook. And of course, Tokoyami was using his Dark Shadow beast. Back on the ground, Tenya blasted forward with his Quirk, delivering a hard kick through one of the bots and destroying it with ease. Denki ran straight up to one and blasted it with electricity while Ochako used her Gravity Quirk to lift two of them up and then send them straight back down into wreckage heaps.

"Haha! There they go!" Strongarm cheered. "Go get 'em, guys!"

"Man, lotta the early leaders are from 1-A." Jazz noted, craning his head toward Optimus. "Whaddya make o' that, Prime?"

Optimus gave his lieutenant a nod. "Indeed, I've noticed. And I have a good feeling as to why that's the case." Prime set his attention back on the race, where Class 1-B and the other students were lagging behind somewhat, though they were beginning to catch up. "It isn't that 1-B and the others are doing poorly. It's simply because… Class 1-A has learned not to hesitate. They've seen what the real world is like after their experience with the villain attack, and the children that we've trained have gone through even more thanks to their experiences with the Decepticons. They've felt that fear, and yet, they keep fighting to over come it. And through that, they know they must act quickly and avoid thinking as much as possible." Beneath his faceplate, Optimus cracked a smile as he saw Kyoka and Izuku go in for a double team maneuver. "And through this, they will find their way to victory."

…..

Back on the field, Kyoka had just stuck her jacks into two robots, resonating her heartbeat through them and causing them to become paralyzed. Within an instant, they began to short circuit and convulse, which was her cue to initiate phase two. "Izuku! PUNCH IT!"

"SMAAAASH!" With his attack announced, Izuku practically zipped right through both bots with his fist extended, his Full Cowling once again in use. He could feel a spike in his adrenaline just from that single action alone, and through that, he knew that his new technique was working perfectly. As the robots fell to pieces, he and Kyoka shared a high-five. "Haha! Excellent!"

"No doubt about it!" Kyoka jerked her thumb down the track. "Now c'mon, we gotta catch up."

"Right…" Just as he was about to follow her, however, something caught Izuku's eye in the wreckage. There was a single piece of armor that had broken off that was bigger than all the rest, and it had a wire attached to it. An idea hit Izuku's brain within an instant and he picked it up, carrying it with ease. "No sense in letting something like this go to waste."

As he ran up beside Kyoka, though, she just raised an eyebrow at it. "Uh… what's that?"

"It's for protection." Izuku explained. "Just in case anybody decides to blindside us." He received an incredulous stare from Kyoka, making him shy away. "…I just kinda don't wanna get blown up by Kacchan, is all…"

"Oh, trust me, I get that." Kyoka assured. "But are ya sure you can carry that without it slowing you down? What if—AH! Watch out!" Izuku spun around as Kyoka pointed over his shoulder, only to be met with another robot rolling toward them. It was a smaller one, but it was no less threatening with its arm cannons. However, without missing a beat, Izuku drove his jagged armor piece straight through the robot's neck and chest, sending it crumpling to the ground with ease. Kyoka blinked in shock before concluding; "…Okay, changed my mind, we're keeping that."

BOOOOM! BOOM-BOOM! The two teens were caught off guard when they heard several explosions going off from overhead. At first, they thought it was Bakugo turning more robots into scrap… but it was actually something far more amazing. Momo had undone her shirt and created an artillery cannon from her belly, having used it to blow all of the Zero Pointers away. Without batting an eye, the raven-haired beauty said; "Piece of cake." before charging forward, continuing the race.

Izuku and Kyoka simply stared at her as she went by. "…Woah, guess it's no secret that SHE got in on recommendations too…" But then, Kyoka slapped herself to come back to her senses. "GAH! What am I saying?! We're letting her get ahead!"

"Crap, you're right!" Izuku said before seeing Kaida charging through a few robots herself, her head now resembling that of a Triceratops. "We've gotta hurry!" They all pressed on with the race, though it didn't take long for them to get to the next obstacle… and it was a doozy.

The students' jaws dropped as they arrived at an absolutely enormous crevasse, one that had several stone pillars standing within it to act as platforms to cross the way. However, the spaces between the platforms were still considerable, with the only thing remotely connecting them being thin tightrope-like tethers. Kaida went over to the edge along with Tsuyu, Mina and Ochako to peer down into the black abyss. "Wow… deep hole." Kaida commented.

"Brilliant detective work, Captain Obvious." Mina deadpanned.

"If any of you thought the first obstacle was easy, let's see how ya feel about this second one!" As Present Mic kept up his announcing, Todoroki was already working on a way across, creating an ice path along the tethers for him to slide across. Bakugo was also blasting his way across, hopping from platform to platform. "If they take a spill, they're out! If they wanna get past this test, they're gonna have to get creative! It's THE FALL!"

Kaida rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Psh, really?" She extended her arms out and called out; "Pterodactyl Wings!" Within seconds, her arms grew thinner as a much thinner membrane came out of her skin, connecting her arms to her legs along her torso. She jumped off the edge and flapped, taking to the skies as she caught a wind current. "See ya on the other side, guys!"

Without missing a beat, Kyoka and Izuku nodded toward one another, the former getting on her best friend's back yet again. "Yeah, we're not gonna take that! Let's go!" Kyoka grabbed hold of the armor piece tightly, helping secure it to them before Izuku took off.

"Man, seriously?!" Mina pouted and folded her arms at the sight. "I wish I had someone I could piggy back across. How do they expect us to get past—"

But she was cut off as Tsuyu suddenly jumped, grabbing onto one of the tethers with ease. "Hup! Ribbit!" Tsuyu went crawling along the tightrope, her hand sticking to it without a problem. "This is the perfect chance to show off my Quirk!"

Mina and Ochako couldn't help but be a bit jealous. "Hmph… lucky."

"Heeheehehehe!" The girls did a double take, however, at the familiar cackle, whipping their heads around to see Mei grinning like a maniac as she stepped up. "This is it! This is the moment I've been waiting for!" She threw her hands up, drawing even more attention. "Everyone! Observe what my gorgeous creations can do!" The inventor gestured to what was strapped around her torso and legs; "Wire Arrows AND Hover Soles!"

Ochako stepped back, worried about what might happen, "M-Mei! …Oh my gosh, how did you get this far with all that strapped to you?"

The pink-haired girl simply raised a finger, placing it to her lips. "Ah-ah! Let's not question that now, Rosy Cheeks! For now, it's time to SHOW what my babies are made of! Just watch!" Mei made sure her arms were out at her sides as one of the Wire Arrows launched out, grappling onto one of the platforms. All the while, her Hover Soles activated, making her float a few inches off the ground. "For those of us in the Support course, this is our chance to show off our ingenious ideas and creations to any companies who might wanna recruit us! AHAHAHA!"

The girls all moved back as Mei went lunging forward, being pulled by her wires as the hover soles gave her an extra boost. As she swung down, she sang; "I hope investors are watching!" before swinging her legs up so that she would come blasting out of the crevasse. "Hahaha! My super cute babies are sure to make a splash!"

"Wow, she's good." Ochako whispered.

"GAH! This is so unfair!" Mina flailed in frustration before sucking it up and going for the nearest tether. "We might not get fancy support gear like the tech heads, but dammit, I'm gonna make it across here if it kills me!"

…..

"By Primus, Mina, don't get yourself killed!" Back in the stadium, Bulkhead was covering his eyes as he, Bumblebee and Arcee watched from the crowd. Well… at least mostly. He was peeking one eye out between his fingers to make sure Mina was alright. "Trion's Beard, you'd think this was an Elite Guard-made obstacle course!"

Arcee nodded in agreement, all while Bumblebee kept shoveling popcorn into his holoform mouth. Why he was doing that was beyond her, especially since they didn't NEED to eat, but she wasn't about to question it. "Yeah, though thankfully no one's gotten majorly hurt yet." She saw Todoroki, Bakugo, Kaida, Izuku and Kyoka all make it across, which gave her a bit of hope. "I mean, it seems like they're doing pretty well."

"Heh, wish I could say the same for Tenya." Bulkhead pointed out, seeing the spectacled student balance-sliding across the tethers while keeping himself upright with small bursts from his engines. "Man, he sure looks foolish."

The pink Autobot winced at that. "Hm, yeah… wonder what Strongarm's thinking?"

…..

At the base, Strongarm felt her optic twitching as Tenya slid across the rope, with Sidewipe about to open his mouth to comment. Before he could, the young cadet clamped her hand over his face, and without even looking to him, said; "One word out of you and you won't be walking correctly for a week." Sideswipe quickly withdrew his observation.

…..

"Well, either way, the kid in first place is pretty far ahead." Bulkhead noted as the camera focused on Todoroki again. "He's got a pretty powerful Quirk, but I think it's his natural athletic talent and keen judgment keeping him where he is." He craned his head to his compatriots. "If he were an Autobot, he'd make a pretty darn good strategist."

Arcee concurred without a second thought. "Oh yeah, definitely." She focused on the red and white-haired boy, raising an eyebrow. "In fact… I think I know who that kid might be. Pretty sure Ochako and the others described him a few times. He's the son of Endeavor, apparently."

Bulkhead's eyes widened in shock as Bumblebee confirmed that with a nod. "Wait, you mean the aft-shaft who bad mouthed Optimus the first time we met him?! THAT Endeavor?" The Wrecker cringed as he looked back at the boy on screen. "Yeesh, ya gotta wonder what HIS homelife is like."

"And now, we're approaching the final obstacle!" Present Mic shouted, bringing everyone's eyes back to the big screen. But when they saw what was set before Todoroki, the Autobots felt their jaws drop. It was a minefield, they could just tell by staring at it. "Everyone had better tread carefully… YOU'RE STEPPING INTO A MINEFIELD!" On screen, small circles began appearing over the pits in the ground, where the landmines were more than likely buried. "If you look carefully, you can see where those little bombs are buried, so keep your eyes on the ground, folks!"

Bumblebee's hands flew to his head while Arcee shook her own in disbelief. "Are you KIDDING me here?! They're risking BLOWING these kids up?!"

"Oh, and uh, by the way…" Present Mic continued. "These landmines were designed for the games, so while they might be loud and flashy, they're not all that powerful." He stood up and flung his hands behind his head. "JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WET YOUR PANTS!"

Arcee, with a rightly agitated face, stood up and screamed; "You could've LED with that, man!" But just as she did that, all nearby eyes were now on her, quickly leading Arcee to realize that she had just caused a small disturbance. "O-Oh, uh… hehe…" She sat down and lowered her head bashfully. "…Sorry."

…..

At the minefield itself, Izuku and Kyoka were stuck standing at the edge while watching Todoroki and Bakugo go across, the latter taking it slow while the ashen blonde blew his way forward as usual. It wasn't long until Katsuki caught up with Shoto, though, and that was enough for the half-and-half teen to start using his ice again to get himself forward. Also, despite being so far out, they could hear Bakugo declare; "BASTARD! Your declaration of war… WAS TO THE WRONG PERSON!"

Kyoka pursed her lips at that. "Hmph, even when he's facing another person, he feels the need to get a dig in against you."

"Y-Yeah…" Izuku shook his head, getting back on track. "But let's not worry about that now. We've got a bigger problem; I can't exactly run at high speed through a mine field."

"Hm…" Kyoka twirled one of her earphone jacks around her finger in thought. "Maybe I could use my jacks like a sonic radar so we can avoid them?"

Izuku smiled at her, liking the idea. But, as their competition began moving past them, the greenette noticed something fairly significant. "That DOES sound like a good idea, but it'll also slow us down if you have to keep your jacks low."

That made Kyoka take a sharp breath. Her friend had a point, they'd be down to basically a crawl if they did that. "Hm, yeah, you're right…" The duo's eyes went to the minefield before them, seeing all the small indents in the ground where the mines were buried. The softer dirt was a clear giveaway… though at the same time, it seems few students realized that as there were already several explosions going on, each accompanied by a blast of pink smoke as kids were sent flying through the air. And what's more, Bakugo and Todoroki were already close to half-way to the end. "If we're gonna figure something out, we've gotta do it fast."

Izuku furrowed his brow, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to come up with something. 'C'mon, come ON! There has to be SOMETHING…' His grip tightened on the piece of robot armor that he was holding, only for his eyes to snap open as a realization came to him. This armor… it was rather scoop-shaped now that he thought of it. And the dirt hiding the mines—it was really soft. A gasp escaped Izuku's throat and he rushed forward with armor in hand. "That's it!"

"W-What? What's "it"?" Kyoka asked, only to see Izuku start digging for the mines. "AH! Izuku, what're you—"

"Kyoka, don't worry!" Izuku shot her a reassuring grin. "This isn't over yet." He dug out several mines with gusto, all while Kyoka watched on, perplexed. "You see, these landmines go off if you step of them, but they're not that powerful." He carefully moved the mines with the armor piece, grouping them all near one another. "But, if you set off a bunch of them all at once, it can become a real pain. No one will be able to just rush through all that quickly."

The purplette tilted her head. "Okay… so how can we use that to our advantage—oh…" The moment she saw Izuku hold his armor piece up in front of the gathered landmines, she realized what he had been cooking up. The idea sounded insane. "…Are you serious? You're ACTUALLY thinking—"

"Yes." Izuku nodded. "A-And I know it's risky, but it might be the only shot we have." He reached his hand out to Kyoka, gazing into her eyes with determination and sincerity. "Question is… do you trust me?"

Kyoka could swear she felt her stomach do flip the very second he locked his eyes with hers. Despite that, however, she smiled to him and took his hand, determined herself to see this through. "Izuku, you might be insane for thinking this up… but I'm behind every bit of it!" Izuku put on a grin as she clung to his back tightly, all while he kept the armor propped up. "Let 'er rip!"

"Alright, here goes!" Izuku took in a deep breath and bounded forward. "Super Explosive Turbo Speed!" He leapt up and jumped, falling straight onto the bunch of landmines…

"Todoroki and Bakugo are neck and neck for the lead and knocking on the finish line, folks!" Present Mic announced as the leading duo were about a quarter away from the finish line. But then…

SHAA-KOOOOM!

An explosion so powerful that it rocked the very ground everyone was walking on reverberated through the area, accompanied by a bright, pink light and massive cloud of pink smoke at the very back of the field. The students were left stunned as they blocked their eyes, all while Present Mic began freaking out. "WHAT'S WITH THAT HUGE EXPLOSION IN THE BACK?! That was WAY more powerful than it should be!"

Kaida had to do a double take as she made an emergency landing, wanting to avoid any flying debris. But then, she noticed something come flying out of the burst of smoke… and she couldn't believe her eyes. "HOLY HELL!"

"Midoriya?!" Tenya exclaimed.

"Kyoka?!" Ochako shouted as well.

Todoroki and Bakugo were left utterly floored the moment they saw them; Izuku and Kyoka clinging for dear life on a piece of robot armor as they flew through the air, courtesy of the explosion. "INCREDIBLE! What just happened?!" Present Mic bellowed as the green and purple-haired duo went careening over the whole field, glaring down at the leaders in the race below. "Whatever the case, the team of Class 1-A's Izuku Midoriya and Kyoka Jiro are suddenly in hot pursuit of first place!"

…..

Back in the stadium, a certain anorexic Symbol of Peace shot up in his chair in the teacher's private stands, pumping his fists into the air. "YES!"

Below him in the guest stands, however, Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead were slack-jawed at the sight before them on screen. "…Are you seeing this?" Arcee muttered.

"I'm seeing it…" Bulkhead rubbed his eyes, making sure it wasn't a trick. "But I honestly can't believe it." Bumblebee was almost about to pull his hair out, though Bulkhead forcefully brought his arms down to try and calm him. "Dear god, Izuku, Kyoka, I don't know what you're thinking… BUT GO! GET PAST THOSE TWO AND TAKE THE LEAD!"

"Go get 'em, guys!" Arcee cheered, with several people in the stands joining her. "We know you can do this!"

…..

At Autobot headquarters, though, the rest of the bots were simply stunned as they watched Izuku and Kyoka go flying through the air. "Dude… what?" Sunstreaker tried to articulate. "I-I… I just don't know anymore. These kids are WHACK."

"Man, I can't tell if those two are just determined to win, or just plain crazy." Sideswipe remarked. "Though I'm tempted to say "both"."

"I don't agree with you often, Sideswipe, but this is a rare exception." Strongarm nodded.

"This is an incredibly risky maneuver." Springer added, placing a hand on his hip while tapping his chin with a smirk. "Gotta admit, they're actually thinking like Wreckers here. Wouldn't be the first time I saw someone ride an explosion, I'll say that much."

Windblade rolled her optics. "Why am I not surprised?" She glanced toward Optimus, who kept his hands together while watching the race. Oddly enough, Windblade could see an air of… anticipation surrounding Optimus, almost as if… "Optimus… just how invested are you in this race?"

"Very." Prime answered simply. "This bout of creativity was very unexpected, but it has proven to be very effective."

"Scratch that! The lead is THEIRS!" Present Mic said as Izuku and Kyoka flew over Katsuki and Shoto's heads.

"There is one part that concerns me, however."

Windblade raised an eyeridge. "And that is?"

Optimus lowered his head. "…How they will land."

…..

But that was the last thing on Izuku and Kyoka's minds at the moment. To them, passing Bakugo and Todoroki was the main thing on their minds, and they had just succeeded in doing so. They were both in first place, and the excitement was clear as day on their faces. "HAHA! YES!" Kyoka cheered. "What a freaking rush! We're in the lead!" However, as they began losing altitude, Kyoka came to the realization; "Uh… Izuku? How do we land?"

"I, uh…" Dread began to sink in for Izuku as he comprehended their situation. "I-I didn't think that far ahead."

"DEKU!" And in a single second, Izuku's blood ran cold. He peered over his shoulder to see both Bakugo and Todoroki in hot pursuit, the two having forgotten about their conflict all together.

Izuku swallowed hard, feeling themselves listing forward as they went down. "Uh-oh…"

"We're losing speed!" Kyoka clutched onto her friend's back as they began flipping toward the ground, going head-over-heels as Todoroki and Bakugo caught up. But then… an idea popped into Kyoka's head, the world around her seemingly slowing down. They had flipping momentum… and they still had the armor with them. Kyoka snapped her eyes open and saw a landmine directly below.

She knew she had to act fast. Kyoka extended her jacks and wrapped around the armor quick as a flash. "Izuku, FLIP!"

As much as he wanted to ask why, the greenette knew he couldn't hesitate. It was now or never. He lurched forward and went with the momentum, flipping both him and Kyoka forward as the purplette brought the armor further forward, smacking it straight into the landmine below. And, just like that…

BOOOOOM!

The duo rode one last small explosion, losing the armor piece in the process but gaining a significant lead. Izuku did his best to land on his feet, with Kyoka leaping off his back as soon as they hit terra firma once more. "This is unbelievable! In an astounding move, Midoriya and Jiro have blown past their classmates from 1-A!" They could practically hear Present Mic's smile as they saw the stadium approaching, the cheers growing louder with every step. "It's amazing! They cleared that minefield in an instant! Eraser Head, your students are amazing! What the heck are you teaching them?!"

"This has nothing to do with me." Aizawa responded, though Izuku and Kyoka could swear they heard a bit of pride under his usual grumble. "Each of them is powered by their own drive to succeed."

"There ya have it, folks! Eraser Head is a terrible teacher!"

"I'm WHAT?!"

The two partners had to hold back their laughter as they neared the entrance to the stadium, only for Kyoka to notice something strange. "…Ya know, you COULD just blow past me now and take the win." The comment made Izuku turn his head, the two still neck-and-neck. "Hah… I'm honestly surprised you didn't activate your Full Cowling the moment we landed."

Izuku's face flushed, though thankfully his face was already red from all the running he was doing. "W-Well, yeah… but we've pretty much been working as a team throughout this whole thing, Kyoka." He offered her a nervous smile. "S-So, you know… I thought we could maybe share the win? I know it sounds cheesy, but we helped each other get this far, so ya know…"

Kyoka blinked in surprise as she let that settle in. Izuku wanted her to tie with him voluntarily. She'd be lying if she said she was expecting this of all things, but as they went through the entryway to the stadium… the idea became very appealing to her. Kyoka returned his smile and gave him a nudge with her elbow. "Hah, ya know, Broccoli Top, you're way too nice."

"Well, I—"

"Didn't say that was a BAD thing, did I?" Kyoka winked. "Let's finish what we started, huh?"

As she said that, the finish line came into view, and Izuku gave her a resolute nod. "Hm! Right!"

"Who would've imagined at the beginning of this race that the climax would be a non-stop mega-mix of surprises?! The first to make it back to the stadium is the first-place winner—SCRATCH THAT!" As Present Mic said this, both Izuku and Kyoka crossed the finish line at the same time, leading to an absolutely deafening cheer from the audience around them. "IT'S A PHOTO FINISH! The dream team of Izuku Midoriya and Kyoka Jiro ARE OUR CHAMPIONS!"

As the two stumbled to a stop, breathing hard as sweat dripped down their faces, the place went absolutely nuts. And that wasn't even mentioning how hard Arcee had popped. "AAAAAAAAHH! THEY DID IT!" The pink-haired holoform grabbed Bumblebee and shook him by the shoulders, all while he kept his arms raised up high. "They did it! They actually pulled it off as a team!"

"HAHA! I don't believe it!" Bulkhead clapped as he stood up with the others, beaming down at the duo. "Man, to think that they'd pull a tie outta this."

…..

At Autobot HQ, the rest of the Bots watching WERE about to start cheering as well… but then something unexpected happened… "YES!" Much to the stunned surprise of the Autobots, Optimus Prime had actually shot up out of his chair, expressing his apparent excitement at the sight of Izuku and Kyoka winning with pumped fists and an exhilarated tone. That being said, the Autobots had never seen him so enthusiastic about something, and the moment he realized they were all staring at him, Optimus cleared his intakes and collected himself. "Uh, ahem, my apologies."

"Hah, no need to apologize, Prime!" Jazz waved off with a smirk. "Trust me, we're just as hyped up as you!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Windblade cupped her hands together as she smiled at the screen, seeing Izuku and Kyoka starting to take in the fact that they crowd was cheering for them. "Those two… they ended up making a really good team out there."

Strongarm nodded as she saw more students come running in, most of them from Classes 1-A and 1-B. "Yeah, you're right. It's very exciting, that's for sure." She saw Tenya and Ochako come dashing across the finish line, both wearing expressions of disbelief. "Hah, don't worry, guys. Maybe next time."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker couldn't help but feel bad when they saw Eijiro and Denki come across the finish line as well. "Man, really thought the guys had a shot at winning it." Sideswipe groaned.

"Well, don't forget, this is just the first competition." Sunstreaker reminded. "We've still got two rounds left to go."

"Ah, boy…" Springer said as he saw Mina hobble across the finish line breathlessly, her legs shaking as she nearly fell to the ground. "Don't worry, little Wrecker. It's only the first round. Gotta run before you can rule the school." He glanced over toward Red Alert, whose gaze was locked to the screen as Mei also came in. She was the last of their human companions to come in, though thankfully she wasn't dead last. "Worried 'bout your lab partner there, doc?"

Red Alert huffed at the suggestion. "Hmph, of course not." He craned his head to the Triple Changer. "As Sunstreaker said, this is only the first event. Besides, Mei's goal in the festival has nothing to do with actually winning. So long as she places high in the next event, things should go according to plan."

Optimus lacing his hands together, waiting for said event to begin. "Indeed. I can wonder what that even could be…" On the inside, though, Prime was smiling proudly as his young student, all while the boy cried at his victory. 'All Might, I'm certain you must be just as proud as I am.'

…..

The Symbol of Peace himself was certainly feeling that and much more as he beamed down to his pupil, with Izuku meeting his gaze and clenching his fist in victory. 'This Sports Festival is a competition where everyone aims for the top.' All Might thought to himself as he watched Kyoka give Izuku a congratulatory smack to the shoulder. 'Even though that means defeating your friends and classmates. And for professional heroes, popularity plays a huge part in their careers, so they have to want to be the best.' At that point, he saw Izuku lower his head and cover his eyes, no doubt weeping from his emotions running high. 'It's a blood-thirsty world. At your core, you want to help others. That's why I chose you, Young Midoriya.'

As he watched Kyoka comfort his protégé, All Might's smile faltered somewhat as certain thoughts ran through his head. 'But in all honesty, I also thought your selflessness could be your weakness, especially when I saw your alliance with Young Jiro take form.' However, his smile came back, knowing he had been proven wrong as he clapped his hands. 'Turns out, I was worried over nothing! You two make an excellent team. Working toward the same goal proves it; you two ARE fighters. …Though maybe cool it with the waterworks a bit.'

Back down on the field, as Izuku collected himself, he and Kyoka heard a certain brunette coming toward them from behind. "Deku! Kyoka! That was amazing!" The two spun around and saw Ochako jogging up to them, out of breath and quite weak in the knees. They also saw Tenya further back, though he seemed preoccupied trying to figure out how he came in seventh. "I… I couldn't believe it! You FLEW!"

"Aw, that wasn't really flying." Izuku said bashfully.

"Nope… it was falling, with style." Kyoka added, with her and Izuku shared a high five at that.

"Well, whatever it was, it was AWESOME!" Ochako beamed, her eyes shining with awestruck admiration. "I mean, you two made one heck of a team out there!"

"No kidding!" Izuku and Kyoka nearly fell forward as a pair of arms draped over shoulders, with Kaida grinning at the two with approval. "Guys, that whole thing with the landmines was INSANE! Where in the prehistoric hell did you come up with that?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he explained. "O-Oh, it wasn't really THAT special. I-I just got the idea when I saw how fast Todoroki and Kacchan were going over the field."

Kaida laughed and brought her arms in, pushing the duo together so they were shoulder to shoulder. "Hahaha! Oh man, well, whatever the case, you two should definitely keep workin' together. You guys have found the winning formula with this little tag team you've got goin'." She lowered her head down and gave them a wink, whispering; "Though you'd better be careful, or else the crowd will probably think you guys are some sorta power couple, hehe…"

At the mention of that, both teens blushed profusely and immediately went into denial mode. "W-What? No…" Kyoka shook her head. "No way! We are NOT a couple."

"Y-Yeah, exactly." Izuku tapped his fingers awkwardly. "I-I mean, really, can't a guy and a girl just be friends without all that hassle?" But as much as each of them wanted to deny it, what they couldn't deny was their accelerating heartbeats, and it WASN'T from the run they were just on. It was doubly hard for Kyoka especially given her Quirk.

Kaida shook her head, amused by how adorable they were being. "Heh, well, let's hope your luck holds out in the second round. C'mon, I think Miss Midnight's about to announce the next event."

…..

"The first game is finally over, and what a game it was!" Midnight announced as the students all gathered up near the stage, holding her mask up by her forehead as she gestured toward the screen. "Now, let's take a look at the standings, shall we? Keep in mind; with Midoriya and Jiro both taking first place, the next forty students will be the ones advancing to the next round."

Thankfully, everyone who was in Classes 1-A and 1-B had made it to the Top 41, along with a couple of extras. In addition to all the Hero Course students, Mei had made it as well, which thrilled everyone in her friend group. Along with her was that Shinso kid who had stopped by 1-A's classroom a couple weeks ago. How HE of all people had made it across the finish line, no one could guess, but they didn't have time to try and guess.

"Also, don't feel too bad if you didn't make the cut. We've prepared OTHER ways for you to shine, hmhmhm…" Midnight licked her lips with sadistic glee when she said that, which served to worry all students involved. "Now, the REAL fun is about to begin; the chance to fully move yourselves into the limelight. SPIN THE WHEEL!"

Midnight whipped her flog up and the screen changed back to the slot wheel, where it immediately began rushing through at blurring speeds. Up in the stands, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead all leaned forward in anticipation. "Man, if the obstacle course was that intense, I can only imagine what the next event's going to be like." Arcee rubbed her hands, eagerly awaiting the result.

"Yeah, though hopefully it'll actually be IN the stadium this time." Bulkhead punched his fist into his palm. "I wanna see Mina kick some aft down there!"

Bumblebee, however, kept his eyes trained squarely on Izuku and Kyoka. They were in first place, which was definitely a good thing… but then he started to wonder; would their placements matter in the next event? 'They wouldn't be ranking their placements otherwise.' The young scout thought to himself. 'So whatever ends up happening… they're either going to be at an advantage, or be the main targets… or both.'

"Let's see what we have in store for you next!" Midnight twirled around on stage, making sure to put on a good show for the audience. "Will your WILDEST fantasies come to life? Oh, what could it be? The waiting is TORTURE."

Bumblebee cringed, just as the students did below. 'She's enjoying this roll a bit too much.'

Midnight lowered her mask back over her face and spun back toward the screen. "Prepare yourselves… FOR THIS!" The second she waved her arm up, the wheel stopped landing on the words;

"Cavalry Battle?" Arcee tilted her head, with Bee and Bulkhead raising their brows curiously. "What's that supposed to be?"

"Allow me to explain." Midnight said as the image on screen changed to one of All Might behind held up by three other teachers; Present Mic in the front, and Thirteen and Snipe toward the back. "The participants will form teams of two-to-four people as they see fit. In theory, it's the same as a regular playground game, but there is one difference; each player has been assigned a point value based on the results from the obstacle course."

Bee snapped his fingers. 'I knew it!'

The screen once again changed to show how many points would be assigned to each student, going from five up to two hundred. "The point assignments go by increments of five, starting from the bottom… with one exception." With a sadistic smile, Midnight extended her hand down to Izuku and Kyoka. "Because the point value for the first-place contestants is special! A whopping TEN MILLION!"

Simultaneously, the Autobots felt their jaws drop, with Bumblebee in particular feeling rather uneasy in his gut. Arcee glanced down to the students… and as she feared, all of them, friends and foes alike, were either glaring or staring intently at Izuku and Kyoka. At the moment, she could tell that they must've felt very small in the middle of all those students. "So that means…"

If Midnight was enjoying this before, she was now utterly thrilled to see the reaction she was hoping for from the students. "…That's right. It's survival of the fittest, with a chance to overthrow the top!"

…..

A/N: At this point, a certain cartoon dog would be saying; "Ruh-roh". Yep, that's the price to pay for finishing first; you're immediately targets for the second round. But speaking OF finishing first, Izuku and Kyoka have indeed formed an alliance AND tied for the Obstacle Course Race. Unexpected, yes, but also highly beneficial for both contestants… or at least so they thought until they became everyone else's target.

On the bright side, though, we got to see Optimus and All Might acting like two proud dads, so that was fun. I get that Optimus is often quite stoic, but back in the Generation 1 days, he wasn't ALWAYS so calm and collected. Again, wanted to mix a lot of that characterization into what Optimus is usually portrayed as nowadays… kind of like how the current Earthspark cartoon is doing, hehe. Aside from that, though, not many visible changes yet, aside from the obvious tie. But that's all going to change NEXT TIME! With that said…

And now, the Preview! As the teens form teams for the Cavalry Battle, things don't end up well for Kyoka and Izuku in terms of forming one. But thankfully, a certain mad genius is more than willing to team up with Muscles and Jackie… before the team is then rounded out by an unexpected ally. Time for things to get… PREHISTORIC! Next time; Cavalry Battle Dino-Might! …Wait, where did Ochako go? Tune in next week to find out, folks, and I'll catch you then! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!