"Allllright ladies and gentlemen it looks like the teams are coming together and what teams they are!"The viewscreens dotted around the stadium showed close-ups of the gathered teams. "Looks like the hero classes are going for class pride and with 1-A's commanding lead in the obstacle race they've got four teams each worth a whole bucketful of points! Better hope they can hold onto them, or they're gonna see their chance to go through to the finals slip through their fingers! Class 1-B look like they've formed their own dream team!" The viewscreens flicked across the already formed teams as they received their headbands. "Shame about you late bloomer teams! Looks like you'll have to fight even harder to get into that winner's circle!"

Saiki folded his arms as he closes ranks with his team. "So, want to clue me in on the plan? I assume you have one."

"I ride, acting as offence," Todoroki informed neutrally. "Iida as the front horse gives us the best mobility on the field as long as the other horses can keep up. You can do that naturally and Yaoyorozu can make something with her quirk to manage it."

"Plus, with your enhanced strength you should be able to carry Todoroki easily!" Momo added with enthusiasm. "That means while Iida handles mobility you and I can be secondary attackers!"

Saiki nodded slowly. It was a solid setup. "What kinds of things can you make? I have some suggestions."

Minutes later the siren blared to end the prep phase.

"Alrighty sports fans! Looks like our teams are all ready to go! You can just feeeel the anticipation!"

"Thirty minutes on the clock!" Midnight announced. "Begin!"

The siren blared again and exactly as designed, every team in the event made a beeline straight for the golden ticket that was the ten million point headband. Fast Saiki's team might have been, but that didn't get them across the whole field faster than the teams that started closer. One of the Class B teams rushed Izuku's team but they escaped using a, "Oh, they took the support course student!" Saiki realised as he saw the support items they were using. "Momo, you ready?"

"Ready!" Momo nodded, passing a metal pole with a hook among other things under Todoroki's legs.

"Nice! Iida, bring us close in with some of these other teams!"

"No, ignore them!" Todoroki interrupted, "We should focus on Midoriya!"

"Settle your vendetta when it's just you on the line! I plan to go to the finals!"

Iida being the lead horse had final say. "Saisei is right," he agreed after assessing the situation, moving toward the crowd of distracted teams, "Midoriya is nowhere near us. We should not let an opportunity pass us by!"

"Tch. Fine. Give me a distraction."

"Can do! Get ready to cover!" Saiki ordered, fingering a small round object. "HEY GUYS!" he yelled, many heads turning to look at him, "Think fast!"

Many Class B students fell for the trap, watching the object as it flew from his hand, before it burst with light and sound! "Now, Todoroki!" While the opposing teams struggled to recover from the flashbang, a wave of ice passed over their feet, locking them in place. Easy pickings as Momo and Saiki snagged three headbands without a fight.

"Now can we focus on Midoriya?" Todoroki asked as he took the headbands and tied them around his head.

"Long as you don't lose those headbands, no prob–" Saiki's words were cut short as he stumbled, bringing the team to a halt. "What the hell?"

"Saiki, what's wrong?" Momo asked.

He pulled at his right leg but it wouldn't move. "I think I'm–"

"HAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, ASSHOLE?!" an unfamiliar voice coming from Shoji and Kaminari's team rang out. "THIS IS FOR THE ENTRANCE EXAM! GET A TASTE OF MY STICKY BALLS! GET THOSE HEADBANDS, FROG GIRL!"

"Son of a bitch!" Saiki cursed.

Momo groaned. "Not him again!"

Iida looked around warily. "We're sitting ducks here."

"I noticed!" snapped Todoroki, his head swaying out of the way of Asui's reaching tongue. "Saisei!"

"I'm working on it!" the blue-haired boy snapped back, dipping slightly as he took his shoes off by stepping on the heels. "Alright, we're good! Go go go!"

"Do you need replacement–" Momo tried to ask.

"My feet are tougher than the shoes! Let's just get away from that guy before anything else!"

"On it! Hang on!" Iida warned before cranking up the speed to get some distance.

"And with that play and lucky escape Team Todoroki makes a sudden climb into second place!"

"Great!" Saiki breathed, glad to get a little breathing room. "Now we just need to hold this place and we're golden."

"We're going after Midoriya," Todoroki refuted him.

"... Of course we are," Saiki sighed. "Momo, new shoes please. If that gen-ed twerp snags me again I'm screwed."

-(-)-

Saiki had hoped the rest of the event would be simple and straightforward. Not so much with Todoroki's vendetta constantly driving them into the thick of things. Bad enough when they ran across Shoji and the gen-ed kid again, Kaminari trying to shock everyone forcing him to use his hook as a lightning rod and take it all himself. After that, Ice Boy managed to snag the ten million headband. Was that the end of it? Oh no! That led to a mad chase in the last few minutes of Midoriya's team trying to take it back, an event that included Saiki wrestling a shadow monster trying to claw his eyes out!

The tired and irritable boy felt like he has just cause for a vendetta of his own against the boy with the ice quirk. Even worse that said frosty teen was already leaving the stadium without a word.

"And with that we have four teams advancing to the finals! In first, the powerhouse Team Todoroki with horses Iida, Yaoyorozu and Saisei! In second, the fiery Team Bakugo with horses Kirishima, Ashido and Sero! In third, the dark horse Team Shinso with horses Shoda, Ojiro and Hagakure!"

… Who the hell was Hagakure?

"And finally in fourth place with a buzzer beating victory, Team Midoriya with horses Ururaka, Tokoyami and Hatsume!"

And wasn't Todoroki in a strop about that. However it was also a spectacular amount of not Saiki's problem.

"Saiki!" Momo called out to him, jogging over.

"Hey, Momo," he greeted her, "Great job with the flashbangs and the poles and the... Well, you were pretty amazing in a lot of ways, really."

"Oh, well, thank you! That's very nice to hear!" she said with a pretty blush, "And of course you were quite impressive yourself. It was fun to team up again."

"It was," he agreed, "Even if things got complicated when egos got involved," he added with a significant look at a still quietly fuming Todoroki's back, but past him he saw Katsumi Bakugo storming through the crowd to get out of the stadium too. "Though... I guess I'm not always innocent of keeping my pride in check." His attention returned fully to the buxom rich girl, getting his head back in the game. "I was thinking, once this festival is out of the way you and I could go do something fun together."

"I..." Fingers absently ran over her ear as if to tuck away hair that was already perfectly tied into her ponytail. "I think I would like that."

He let out a smile. "I'm heading to lunch. Want to join me?"

"That sounds lovely!"

-(-)-

Lunch had been a pleasant experience, even if the two of them had gotten some extras who invited themselves along. Though Saiki wasn't about to turn down more cute girls coming to his table. Jiro was the first. It seemed she and Momo had become close friends since the USJ incident. And then Hagakure who he now knew existed. And was part of their class. And... who he never knew was a girl.

One would think by this point he would know the other students in his class. Sadly, he didn't know the names of half the students. Hagakure could have been anyone. Like crag-face. Or other crag-face. Or tail-guy. Or laser-guy.

Though it wasn't a bad thing to know there was another cute, or rather, possibly cute girl with a killer body in his class. And of course then there were the beauties in 1-B like Kendo, Tsunotori and Shiozaki. Maybe there was a photogenic requirement for female hero course students. Even the frog girl could be cute sometimes.

"And now the preparation for the final round!" Midnight announced, getting a cheer from the stands. "The final round will be a single elimination tournament! Our top sixteen competitors will battle it out one on one until only a single student stands undefeated! And now the students will draw lots to determine the matchups for the first round!"

"Excuse me?" Tail guy raised his hand and proceeded to absolutely floor Saiki and most in attendance by willingly bowing out of proceedings, claiming he didn't feel he deserved to be there. Both he and another student from his team bowed out, suggesting the fifth place team should get a shot... Only for them to say they didn't do much but hold onto their points and suggest another team should be allowed to participate since that team participated in more of the fighting.

Saiki was utterly lost. While it was nice to know the pretty ginger girl was a complete pushover with zero effort, what the actual fuck was going on?! The entire point of this contest was for students to compete, show off and get scouted by agencies! Why were they just throwing away their shot like this?!

With a whip-crack, Midnight silenced the argument in progress. "This kind of selfless sacrifice really turns me on!"

…

Though he wasn't too proud to admit he considered bowing out himself, just for an instant.

In the end, the iron quirk user with the unfortunate name and cruel parents went through, as did Shiozaki, the girl with vines for hair. That out of the way, lots were drawn.

"And now, our finals tournament bracket for the first year class of UA!"

Izuku Midoriya vs Momo Yaoyorozu

Shoto Todoroki vs Ibara Shiozaki

Mina Ashido vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Hitoshi Shinso vs Toru Hagakure

Mei Hatsume vs Tenya Iida

Fumikage Tokoyami vs Hanta Sero

Ochako Uraraka vs Katsumi Bakugo

Eijiro Kirishima vs Saiki Saisei

Last fight on the docket for round one, Saiki noted. That was good. Against Kirishima. Even better. By his estimation there was nothing Kirishima could do that Saiki couldn't do better, save maybe take a punch.

"Saiki, wish me–" he suddenly heard two voices say at once. Looking, he saw Izuku and Momo looking at each other confused, then with narrowed eyes.

Katsumi's cackling as background noise was not helping him. "Uh, good luck, both of you. Do your best."

"I will–" "Thank you, I will–" … They locked eyes again.

Given his history, his retreat might have be surprising. But Saiki didn't consider himself dumb enough to hang around two girls who just realised they were both fighting for his attentions. Not that he got much relief when he arrived in the students' box. "Trouble in paradise?" Jiro snarked, having watched his speedy retreat on her way up.

"You have placed yourself in an untenable situation," Tokoyami intoned with solemnity, "Set to sink into a quagmire of despair."

"What he means is, you're screwed," Kaminari added with a mocking grin.

Saiki's eyes rolled upward, not wanting to let on that perhaps yes, he had made his situation a little complicated by going for Momo while still working on Izuku. "Pfft, maybe you would be."

"No maybe about it dude. I like my junk where it is, thanks."

"Cram it, fight's starting!" Katsumi snapped, eyes laser-focused on the arena.

Izuku and Momo stood at opposite ends, viewscreens showing close up shots of the girls' faces, both resolute, not even paying attention to the crowds.

"Ready... BEGIN!"

Izuku instantly kicked herself forward! A long stride, two, before holding back on her increased speed to not give Momo the easy victory by running out of bounds. Meanwhile a shield burst out of Momo's left arm while she pulled a staff out of her right, moving sideways to get some space from the edge. Izuku lunged forward with a punch that Momo took on her shield even as it sent her skidding across the ring.

With a concerned glance behind her, Momo went on the offensive even if just to get away from the edge, meeting Midoriya and attempting to sweep the frizzy-haired girl's feet from under her. Izuku hopped over it and grabbed the arm as it came back around, tossing Momo away. She chased to follow it up but Momo turned around and threw something back at her. Worried it was a flashbang like in the cavalry battle Izuku flinched away only to feel her legs pulled from under her. It wasn't a flashbang, it was a bola, one that wrapped unimpeded around her legs and leaves them snared. Momo moved to capitalise, hoping to get the stronger girl out of the ring while she was impaired.

Izuku closed her eyes and focused. It wasn't quite the same as how she has used it in the past, but her quirk should give her the strength to break out of this. With a flex of power, the cord of the bola snapped before she fell, letting her put a steadying foot forward as Momo arrived, grab her arm and throw her over her shoulder! Her unprepared opponent sailed through the air, tried to use her spear to arrest her momentum but wasn't successful enough. Momo landed halfway out of the ring.

"Momo Yaoyorozu is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya moves on to the next round!"

Lying flat on her back, Momo hid her disappointed eyes behind her forearm, collecting herself before sitting up. First round knockout, she lamented. But Izuku was right there, offering her a hand up, which she took. "Good match," Izuku said. "You had me worried with the, uh, the way you trapped my legs."

"Thank you," Momo offered, not entirely meaning it, "I just wish I could have put on a better showing."

Her piece said, she vacated the arena into the back rooms, making her way to the stands while Midnight announced the next match. "And for our next match of round one! Shoto Todoroki of Class 1-A vs Ibara Shiozaki of Class 1-B!"

No matter how polite and wholesome Shiozaki tried to be, Todoroki had absolutely no interest in it.

"Ready... BEGIN!"

From her standing position, Shiozaki's vines lashed out like striking cobras at the two-tone ace of 1-A. But before they could get within three feet of him–

"Apologies."

A cascade of ice flowed out of him at Shiozaki who yelped in fear as she was instantly overwhelmed, her entire body locked in an enormous frozen wave.

"... Ibara Shiozaki is unable to continue. Shoto Todoroki moves on to the next round!"

The crowd were rendered speechless by the power on display. It felt like an eternity later when an audience member realises they had to do something and began some half-hearted applause with words of encouragement.

"Man, brutal!" Kirishima exclaimed. "What the hell is up with him?! Did that girl do something or what?!"

Saiki didn't know. But he felt like he just watched his hope of winning get frozen over too. "Snack run. Anyone want anything?"

"Tea please!"

"Coffee. Black as my soul."

"Chips!"

"Soda!"

"You sure man? Don't wanna watch the next matches?" Kaminari asked.

He shrugged. "Nah. I'm not gonna fight anyone from them so I'm good."

"Alright, your call. Can I get some taiyaki?"

Taking all the orders, Saiki headed into the back to the food stalls, running across Momo on the way. "Hey Momo!"

"Saiki," she greeted back, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

His face was an awkward grimace. He wasn't good at the comforting thing. "Look, don't mind the loss too much, okay? You did great. It's just that in our class, Izuku is just like, the secret powerhouse or something. With even a couple seconds prep-time, you would have had that."

"That's kind of you to say." Blinking, she realised he was heading away from the stands. "Where were you going?"

"Snack run. You mind helping? Pretty much everyone wanted something."

"I'd be glad to!"

On their return to the student box, Izuku was already there sat next to Ochako. "Hey, Saiki! Come sit– Uhh," she faltered seeing Momo follow after him.

Deciding it was his best option not to make a big deal out of anything, he said a quick "Thanks," and led Momo down, sitting her next to him while he sat next to Izuku.

"Bold move, let's see how it pays off!" Kaminari whispered loudly to Tokoyami.

"So what did I miss?" Saiki asked.

"Oh, Mina beat Tetsutetsu," Kirishima started, leaning over the back of the seats, "Her acid couldn't burn him so she used it as a slippery surface to mess him up and toss him out of bounds. After that Hagakure kneed that Shinso guy in the balls and pushed him out of bounds. And now we have..."

"–As you can see, my inertial stabilisers can keep any hero on their feet no matter what! Patent pending!"

"... This."

"I intended to go prepare in the waiting rooms. But it seems this may take a while." Tokoyami settled into his seat, preparing for the long wait.

Saiki elected to settle in as well, though wished he got something for himself when he went for snacks. "No sign of Todoroki?"

Kirishima shook his head. "Nah. Don't know where he is. Brooding maybe. He does that sometimes."

That was unfortunate for the blue-haired boy. He had hoped to maybe get a better gauge of the ice quirk user's mood before having to fight him. As it stood, he would just have to hope the other rounds would tire the powerful boy out.

Though... His eyes drifted over to Katsumi still glaring at the arena. She doubtless had something prepared in hopes of bringing him down. Saiki might not be at his best to fight Todoroki either, if he even got there.

-(-)-

Fun fact. I actually used dice rolls for the tournament bracket. Iida and Ochako really did get their canon matchups. The only one I moved was putting Izuku and Todoroki to meet in the second round.