A bit of trouble came up when it comes to arranging the teams for Cavalry. With replacing Tokoyami as Goku kinda joined Midoriya without problem, I'd imagine Black Bird Boi could instead join Team Mineta. As for Pony? She could merge into Team Kodai. Though for much of the rest, it'll be more about them trying to defeat Team Midoriya, so canon-wise, there won't be much of a difference.
-The Sports Festival Part Dos: The Cavalry Battle: A Battle of Ice, Fire, and Wits-
The crowd murmurs, some talking of Izuku, others talking about Goku's flight, and others talking about Shoto and Katsuki. The rest of the runners crossed the Finish Line, many of them panting hard and some of them dejected, as they knew they lost. However, quite a lot of them had gathered around First and Second place, mostly to offer them their congratulations, and a few declaring war against the Saiyan.
"Congratulations to the Top 42 Runners! To the rest of you, you've done well, but sit back and enjoy, as you get to see the true sifter in play!" Midnight announces. The panel is blank. "The next event is... THIS! The Cavalry Battle!" The crowd applauded, many of them wanting to see this battle. The 42 students murmur slightly on the battle.
"Erm, how are we gonna be split up?" Tsuyu questioned.
"Simple! Up to four students will become a cavalry, and your goal is to snatch up headbands marked with points." Midnight smirked, thinking this was enough before she goes into the rules.
"But how many points are there?" Mina asked, looking pretty impatient.
"I was getting to that, so shut up and listen!" Midnight cracked her whip, the students stopping their murmurs for just this second. "Starting from 42nd place, they will have only five points. 41st, ten. 40th, fifteen, so on and so forth, until 2nd place, who gets a bounty of 205 points. As for First Place... they instead have a ten million point bounty! Such is the scale of the world on your shoulders!"
Izuku felt deathly pale at this announcement, as he saw the entire student body, including Goku, looking at him. To the poor boy, it felt like all of them were glaring daggers right into his heart. Though with Goku, it may have more likely been blue fire rather than daggers.
"You all have fifteen minutes to buddy up and make your Cavalry!" Midnight announced, as kids start to congregate around their groups.
Of course, true to form, the vast majority of them immediately ran away even when Midoriya approached them. The poor boy was alone again, as he looks at the monkey-tailed teen and seeing how many people he's attracting, no doubt because of his amazing performance.
Goku, being second place, has more going for him in organizing a team. However, he isn't exactly interested in teaming up with them.
"Son!" Momo hailed over the Saiyan. "How would you like to team up for the Cavalry? With you as a major cornerstone, we can make it to the final event!"
"Thank you for the opportunity, Yaoyorozu, but I'm going to have to decline," Goku said, confusing the Creation teen. "I actually was thinking about joining Midoriya."
"You are certainly enigmatic. I hope you're considering why you'll put yourself in such a position," she mused to herself, before she left.
There, she approaches Todoroki, who looked cooly at her.
"Yaoyorozu," Todoroki spoke quietly. "So I saw that Son Goku had declared war on you, as well?"
"Unfortunately..." Momo said, just as quietly. "Are you willing to team up with me?"
"I don't see why not. Having your intellect will be a boon in this competition," he had accepted her request and the duo looked at their main rival duo.
"I'll see if Kaminari is willing to join us. Ice is an excellent insulator and all in all, he's not a bad choice," she added on.
"Hmm, that does make sense... And I would rather have someone like him on our side than fighting against us, even with his Quirk's side effects..." Todoroki mused for a bit, as Yaoyorozu drags Kaminari their way, having successfully convinced him.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Goku waved went closer Izuku.
"Son? I thought you were gonna be with a different team! You're in second place, you know!" The green-haired boy was confused, why is he coming to him as a partner? However, with such a confident and strong friend with him, he did feel relief.
"I know, but I kind of want to fight against Todoroki and Yaoyorozu! They're quite powerful!" Goku quipped right back. And true, the two had come to an agreement, though Momo had looked at Goku with a disappointed look on her face, wanting to work with him, though mentally, she understood why he's doing what he's doing.
"Count me in too, Midoriya-kun and Goku-kun!" Ochako said, approaching the two. The duo of them are joyful as they welcomed her into the party.
Their attempt to have Tenya join in had failed.
"I thank you two for your request, but in order to grow as a Hero, I will need to oppose you, Midoriya-kun and Goku-kun!" Tenya said, as he walked towards Shoto and his team. When it seemed to be like a three-person job, a girl with pink hair and a bunch of gadgets approaches Izuku from the back.
"How about I join your team, Mr. First and Second Place?!" the girl shouted with incredible enthusiasm.
"Aah! Too close!" The green-haired teen yelled in surprise, the mysterious girl getting within inches of his face, crawling away from her as he looks up to her. "W-Who are you?!"
"Mei Hatsume, Support Class. I saw your performances, you two are quite the innovative bunch!" Mei expressed bombastically, eyeing up Goku and Izuku. "Unfortunately for you, my black spiky-haired friend, I think you're too powerful for my cute babies!"
"Babies...?" Ochako and Goku said in confused synchronization.
"My inventions, my best creations, my babies!" she says as she sets her babies up, which are Support Items. For herself and Ochako, they have jetpack boots. For Izuku, is a jump pack. "I gotta show those corporate suits sitting way above there my inventions, y'know?!"
"It's for the best anyways. With all the training I've done, I'll be able to fly out of any situation!" Goku said, a bit prideful. "So, what's the plan, Midoriya?"
"Son, you'll be the Front Horse. Uraraka and Mei, to my sides. I'll be the rider." Izuku formulated.
"Sounds like a plan!" Goku chimes, reading himself.
"Right, Deku-kun!" Ochako agreed, getting to Midoriya's right.
"Showtime, ladies and gentlemen!" Mei yelled like a director as she clicks to the left, causing her teammates to shudder a bit with how loudly she yelled.
"Fifteen minutes have passed! Now, as this is a cavalry battle, Quirk usage is allowed, but you must not attack with malicious intent, that is attacking without thinking about snatching or defending your headband, or you will get a warning! More than three warnings, you will get the red card and be thrown out of the game!" Midnight announced. "And we shall begin... NOW!" Midnight yells.
Most everyone attempts to attack Team Midoriya, but with the help of Goku's innate strength and speed, alongside Mei's inventions, they are able to bob and weave through the grounded initial game. Any head-on attacks by the teams are met with a feigned explosion from Goku's hands.
However, their first obstacle was a surprise attack from Team Mineta! The first few balls pelted their bodies, but before any were able to tag any of their footwear, Izuku used a 5% arm sweep to start misdirecting the balls elsewhere with a gust of wind, with a few reflecting back and hitting Shoji's boots, immobilizing him, and a shadowed arm that clawed out was met with a blue orb parry, the intense blue light scaring it away.
The next obstacle came from Team Bakugou, who launched an attack on Izuku's team, who in turn were able to dodge it thanks to their technology being unharmed in addition to an explosive parry. A creepy guy from 1-B, Juzo Honenuki, attempts to use his Quirk to trap Team Midoriya, but while Ochako and Mei sunk in the quagmire, Goku was able to levitate, trying to keep Izuku up, the group soon was able to escape via Mei's gadgets and Goku's flight, the Saiyan pushing as much energy as he can.
Finally, a giant hand came in just as the group lands. Team Kendo were ready to try to snatch the headband with a couple floating hands trying to speed near Izuku's head, though a precise explosion from Goku threw their ringleader off, with the green haired boy able to throw the hands right back at their owner, a reptilian looking girl. However, it was paltry compared to what happens next.
As Katsuki's is distracted with Team Monoma stealing his team's headband, Team Todoroki walks around, electrocuting many and freezing others, including Goku and Mei's babies taking the brunt of the electric damage for Team Midoriya, leaving the two teams as the only free ones in the makeshift ice arena, a smorgasbord of headbands on the Ice-Fire student's neck.
On their first charge, Shoto and his team attempted their first snag of the 10M Headband, but it was no use as Goku misdirected them with an explosive feign attack!
Any attempt to steal their headband resulted in a counter either by Momo's wooden bo or by Denki shocking the Saiyan, and it was looking to be a stalemate.
However, Goku started to feel exhaustion near the one-minute mark, he had never needed to exert himself this much before against his classmates, especially with the numerous shocks by a now dumbed-down Denki. It was then that he heard something, but it was too late for him to do anything.
"RECIPRO BURST!" Tenya screamed, his engines going into overdrive, speeding faster than either the exhausted Goku or the other teammates could react, resulting in the No. 1 headband now belonging to Team Todoroki to all their shock. Team Midoriya was at 0 Points.
"Holy-! That speed, Iida! How did you do it?!" Shoto asked in surprise.
"That was my special technique, Todoroki-kun. I can use it for a large burst of speed, but it overloads my engines..." Tenya said, his exhaust pipes expelling a foul black cloud. He then turns around to Izuku and the now attentive Goku. "I said at the beginning to the both of you and I will reiterate, I'm challenging you!" The group's friend turned rival shot at them in defiance.
"Hurry, we need to get that headband back!" Izuku said in an urgent tone.
Goku concentrates, relaxing himself all the while the world around him grew silent. He glanced and saw Shoto, Tenya, and Momo interacting, figured something fishy was afoot, and noticed them shuffling their headbands around, tracking exactly which headband was theirs.
"Hey, Midoriya, I know what they're doing," the Saiyan whispered to his captain, who stopped panicking and nodded in acknowledgement. "So we'll need to charge at them with all that we got!" he rallied his group, as they glanced at Team Todoroki. Between the two powerhouses, their plan might actually work, though they need to be in extremely close quarters for such a daring plan to work.
"There's a final showdown going on near the boundary!" Present Mic spoke, spotting the two near the Out of Bounds Line. "All it takes is for Team Todoroki to keep the ten million headband away from Midoriya's Team and they will have won it!"
With a short yell, Goku flares up his aura, which manifested with a white color instead of yellow, his facials sharpened to determination as he looks at every little detail. The time's now or never.
"Midoriya, I'm ready! Go for Todoroki's headband! Uraraka, Mei, get ready to run as fast as you can!" Goku commanded, taking charge of the situation to bolster his allies' morale.
"Let's go!" Izuku said, Mei and Ochako nodded as they charge!
Goku carried most of their land speed for Team Midoriya, but Ochako and Hatsume were able to keep up. Denki attempted to zap Goku again, but a kiai shout causes the electricity to bounce harmlessly away, startling Denki! And as the gap grows ever closer, Izuku's arm glows with red cracks! Shoto, fearing for the raw power of his rivals, inadvertently started using his fire! The green-haired rival used a chop to cause a gale wind to disorient the other three members and dissipate the fires, as he grabbed at Todoroki's headband on his head!
However, within the same moment, Goku used his lightning-fast hand to snatch the headband on the Icy-Hot student's neck as well! Momo and Tenya's pupils shrunk as they saw that their black-haired enemy had plucked the right headband and their gambit failed. It was Team Midoriya's original headband, now back in their possession! Izuku had grabbed the one with the least points, only worth 125 points.
"We did it!" Izuku cheered on, bordering on crying in sheer excitement. While the two girls are panting, they looked quite happy that their plan had gone well.
"No way! I thought that was a foolproof plan!" Momo said in distress, Goku chuckles as he pants lightly, shooting a look of challenge right back at them, a grin of audacity having formed on the Saiyan's face.
"I saw through that slight-of-hand trick, Yaoyorozu! You won't fool me that easily!" He hands his friend the 10M headband, resting on his neck.
"Don't blame yourself, Yaoyorozu-kun! Our opponents were as clever as we are! If I had known Son-kun could move his arms that fast, I would have changed my strategy!" Tenya stated.
"Iida's right. Besides, I bare some of the blame myself. I've severely underestimated Son Goku's power even without that overwhelming aura. Thankfully, even if we can't get it back, we still have enough points to make it to the Finals," Shoto said, as his team nods while Denki can only shout "Woo woo!", resolved for a final charge on the off chance they can reclaim the headband.
Ten seconds!
They charge at Team Midoriya again, Goku sets up in a defensive position! Despite the tiny puffs of black smoke, Iida's determination will not allow him to not give up right here!
Five seconds!
Team Bakugou start coming in, the blonde bomber launching off his teammates, yelling in rage as he attempts to snatch the 10M headband for himself! ZERO!
"GAAAAAAAME OOOVER!" Present Mic announces with a roaring applause following soon after. Katsuki face-planted in the dirt, growling. "Team Midoriya has done it! They've reclaimed their headband from Team Todoroki's jaws! The two, alongside Team Bakugou and Team Shinsou will move on to our third and final event!"
Izuku gets off Goku, with the latter playfully smacking his friend's back, accidentally cratering him.
"Whoops!" Goku gets him back up and rubs his back. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." Izuku started to lighty cry. It wasn't sadness or stress, but... "I'm just... so... happy!" he shouts before he flat-out sprouts his waterworks all over the place, drenching Goku and their comrades in tears and planting himself into the ground by the pressure of it.
"You both were amazingly in sync with one another, Deku-kun and Goku-kun!" Ochako said, happy as she takes off the Boots and Mei takes the pack off the still-crying teen.
"Mmm... I'll need to make my babies more electric-proof and make them resilient to temperature shock, maybe make them tear-proof... Actually... Maybe I'll have something for Son yet...! Thanks for the field tests! I'll happily work with you again when you need it, Midoriya-kun and Son-kun!" Mei said, waving goodbye. Ochako looked dejected as she didn't even get mentioned, but she doesn't mind as she's with her friends.
"B-bye, Mei!" Midoriya stopped his crying as she left, sniffing.
"See ya!" Goku yelled in a blunt way.
"There will now be a Noon break for the Sports Festival, our titanic tykes deserve to have a bountiful lunch, after all! Come back in an hour as you will see... The First-Years TOURNAMENT!" Present Mic declared.
"Midoriya, Son, I want to speak to you both where there's less prying eyes." Shoto commanded, going towards the shade, away from everyone else.
"Hmm, what do you wanna talk about?" Izuku asked, as they go into the shade of the opening arch.
"You two made me broke my pledge. I wanted to win without using my fire side. And yet, I lost to the two of you and lost to my father, Endeavor..." The son of Endeavor said, dejected.
"Huh? Why don't you use your fire side, Todoroki?" Goku asked. "Isn't this thing about showing how we are as Heroes-in-Training?"
"...My fire side is nothing more than a cold reminder of what my father wanted." Shoto replied with a non-answer, softly. "You've heard about Quirk Marriages, right?" He asked towards his green-haired rival.
"Yeah, it's been a common occurrence during the third and fourth generations," Izuku replied. "Back then, some marriages were more about creating the strongest possible Quirk than it was about love-" Then, the red-white haired kid cut him off.
"Right. I was a conception of such a Marriage, to be nothing more than a tool to surpass All Might, since the old man can't do it himself."
It went from bad to worse, as neutrality turned to disgust as the story went on.
"Day in, day out, my father trained me. All I've ever known was training. No matter what happened, whether it was an illness or my siblings trying to connect with me, my father constantly trained me, calling me weak, isolated me from everybody but him... Until one day, my mother snapped and poured boiling hot water over my left side. She was sent to an institution, later that day..."
"No way!" Goku was startled, not in any state of mind would he have ever imagined either Gohan or Mikai treating him like Endeavor would have treated his son. Izuku was severely distressed as they processed the information. A tinge of sadness was visible with the son of Endeavor's eyes, before he resumed, looking lightly enraged.
"That was why, until this day, I had never used my fire side. It's nothing more than a reminder of that bastard, and what he has done to my mother, my siblings, and me. And that's why I will surpass you both, just using my ice! I will surpass All Might himself with my ice!" Shoto proclaimed, close to a blind rage.
"Todoroki... I don't know what to say...! But I am not All Might. And you are not Endeavor! You are yourself, and your Quirk is yours!" Izuku said with absolution in his voice. That knocked the young Todoroki out of his rage, with a perplexed expression having replaced anger.
"Yeah, you're plenty strong by yourself, Todoroki! But you're strong because of you, not because of Endeavor!" Goku chimed in. The red-white haired teen dejectedly smiled a little, as he then looks at the both of them. He's calm again, though he's still got an intense bone to pick with the two teens.
"It's all the more reason I will crush you two. Be ready for that point. I don't know if you're the illegitimate love child of All Might or if you're just related to him somehow, Midoriya, but I'll be ready when we fight. As for you, Son, I'll show this entire stadium that your Quirk isn't invincible despite your improvements," He said, starting to walk away.
Katsuki was hiding from the three of them, hearing in on the entire thing. Holy shit, what the Hell had Endeavor done...? Is that really the No. 2 Hero, or just some kind of monster in the guise of No. 2? Those are questions for later, since it was about that strong kid dragging in that useless Deku and his pet monkey. That only strove to make him angrier, yet more determined to destroy his enemies on the stage. He slips out before any of the three could realize he was there.
"Hey!" Shoto heard Goku's voice as he turns around. "I'll be ready for you in the tournament, and I won't hold anything back!" Goku yelled to his rival in challenge.
"Remember that it'll be our battle, and no one else's!" Izuku added on after Goku said his piece, the three left their little archway hideaway. Goku went straight to the cafeteria to get himself a king's feast for lunch, since he feels ravenous!
