Chapter XV: Cavalry Showdown

This was ridiculous.

Izuku was trying to come up with multiple reasons why UA was trying to limit him for the second time. Was the school out for him? Were they beginning to suspect that his powers were an anomaly and not a quirk? If things couldn't get worse, one of the stipulations – outside of the prohibition of his Infinity – paints a gigantic target on his back.

"Could this get any worse?"

"In our line of work, things get worse before they get better."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gojo-sensei."

"Anytime!"

So much for pep talk.

Time was given to the competitors to find potential teammates and group themselves. The greenette already saw the others form groups of three or four yet none dared to approach him. This made him anxious. With the time running out, the valuable seconds to create a team were slipping by his fingers. If he doesn't find at least a partner soon, then he'll be disqualified!

Luckily, there was one person who had plans for him.

"Yo, Izuku!"

The heir to Limitless whipped his head around to find none other than Kazui grinning as he walked closer.

"It looked like no one wanted to team up with you. I can't let that happen; so, I decided to form a team with you!"

Izuku stared at the hybrid for a good ten seconds before crying a whimsical fountain of tears out of pure joy and gratitude.

"Kazui! Thank you so much for teaming up with me!" Inside Izuku's mind, Gojo was chuckling at this. "You have no idea how scared I was from getting disqualified by default."

"I know," replied Kazui. "That'd be pretty bad. Getting the top spot in the first round, only to be DQ'd on a technicality before the start of the second round would be pretty hilarious."

The greenhead's tears stopped and were replaced by a deadpan look. "Really? I give you my utmost thanks and you make fun of it?"

Kazui realized what he said and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… I did sound kind of like an ass."

"Well, now that I think about it… it is kind of funny," chuckled the young sorcerer. "Still, I'm glad that you decided to team up with me."

"Hey, supernatural warriors got to stick together." The gingerhead's demeanor morphed into an unexpected glum. "It would've been better if Momo was with us. Then, we'd be unbeatable."

"You just want to be with her," Izuku teased with a smirk. This was one of the traits of his master that was slowly bleeding into him. "Don't give me that look, lover boy."

"When did you become such a wise ass?"

"When he became my vessel," Gojo replied through the slit on his protégé's cheek.

"Gojo-sensei!" shushed the boy. "Don't just suddenly speak or it'll freak out the other students!" Izuku reprimanded, but this was Satoru Gojo we're talking about.

"Now that would be a good reaction, hehehe. Kick their asses, kids! Hasta la vista, baby!" With that, Gojo receded into his successor's mind.

The two spirit warriors stared at each other in silence for a brief moment before Kazui broke said silence. "Is he always like that?"

"A headache? Yeah, he is," answered Izuku.

"Hey, you guys!"

A third voice caught the duo's attention. It was Ochako running towards them with an eager look.

"I hope there's still room for this team," the brunette said.

Izuku beamed once more. His team just grew by one more person and it happens to be Ochako! "Yes! Come on, there's always room for you here."

That caught Kazui's attention. He eyed Izuku suspiciously and noticed how he looked at Ochako. He glanced at Uraraka and saw the same look in her eyes as well. It finally clicked… and a devious little smile crept on his face. Elbowing his friend by the rib, he whispered, "I see Mr. Pretty Eyes has a thing for gravity-defying brunettes."

Heat rushed into Izuku's face after Kazui's remark. It didn't help that Gojo was rolling inside his mind laughing his ass off.

Meanwhile, Ochako just tilted her head in confusion.

"HEY, YOU!"

"EEP!" Ochako jumped and turned around. Kazui and Izuku gave their attention to the new girl and found her wearing some big goggles and a backpack stuffed with machinery. Ochako quickly recognized this student from the Obstacle Course. "Hey! You're the girl with a buttload of support items!"

"Indeed I am! Mei Hatsume - future CEO of Hatsume Industries, at your service!" the pinkette introduced.

Izuku and Kazui shared a glance before bringing their attention back to the techie girl. "Off-brand Stark Industries aside, I'm guessing you're planning on joining this team."

"That's right!" the girl, now identified as Mei, confirmed. She then pointed at Izuku. "You, Mr. Ten Million!"

"Ten Million!?" repeated the greenette. "Me?"

"Yes, you! I want to join your team!"

"Can you at least tell us why you want to join us?" Kazui interjected with a question for Mei.

The gearhead merely chuckled before laughing like a mad scientist. "I'm glad you asked! See, the Sports Festival isn't just an event for the Hero Course students to get scouted or the General Studies to get into the Hero Course, it's also an opportunity for us Support Course students to showcase our inventions! With you leading this team, there's no doubt a lot of eyes will be on us, which means I get to present my babies to the many support companies present!

Izuku, Ochako, and Kazui stared at each other (mainly just the latter two eyeing the former) for a good five seconds before one of them finally said anything.

"So, you're saying that this guy," Kazui pointed at Izuku, "will be your ticket to get noticed by whatever support companies watching right now. Did I get that right?"

"Yep!" Mei answered giddily. "With the kind of attention Mr. Ten Million will be getting, there's no way those support companies would miss out on an inventor extraordinaire such as myself!"

"Well, that clears things up." Kazui turned around and placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Izuku, I'd like to say… good luck being this whacky girl's billboard ad. I hope you get to serve her purpose in promoting many of her… babies."

"Pfft!"

Izuku can't seem to catch a break. Some nutjob wants to make him a walking promo ad and his friends just laughed at him. Even his crush was in a fit of giggles while his sensei was howling in his head.

The greenette sighed. "What happened to my life?"

-{}-

The students were allotted fifteen minutes to form their respective teams. To no one's surprise, those who were at the tail-end of the rankings immediately jumped at the students in the top ten and begged to be part of their team. That said, they mostly avoided Midoriya. No one would want a huge target on their back and instead, would rather do the targeting.

Bakugō was swarmed by his classmates from 1-A. They were all vying for his attention and acceptance into the team he would be forming. The number of students near him bewildered the ash blonde for a moment before finally getting his bearings together.

"Okay, okay!" he shouted, startling the people around him. "Remind me again what your Quirks were again? And your names."

"Seriously!?" Mina cried incredulously. "We've been classmates for at least a week, yet you still don't know our names!"

"Are you that self-centered?" Sato questioned.

-{}-

Meanwhile, at the faculty booth, the teachers were discussing the nature of the current event and the implications it had on the participants. Currently, All Might, in his deflated form, was observing Bakugō and commenting on the fact the students were eager to be one of his teammates.

"He's a hothead but he came in fifth place with a score of one hundred ninety, and considering how versatile his Quirk is, it's no surprise that people would want to join him. If he chooses his members wisely, he's a definite shoo-in to advance to the next round."

"There's also Todoroki to take into account as well," Thirteen remarked. "The members he's chosen aren't a joke either. He got Īda, Kaminari, and Yaoyorozu. Strength, speed, long and short range are covered; I'd say his team is the strongest in terms of members."

"True, but let's not count out the others who made it this far," Vlad King interjected. "Let's not forget the true purpose of this event."

"Cooperation and opportunity," Ectoplasm answered. "This is more of a simulation of the competition for the students when they become professionals. Considering that Japan is overrun with heroes, they've got to understand that sometimes they need to get ahead of the competition.

"Despite that, there are instances where team-ups and inevitable, and they are required to work together. The image they create affects those around them."

"Much like this cavalry game," Recovery Girl finished.

"Correct," Ectoplasm agreed. "While it's true that the top ten heroes get most of the spotlight, you never know when someone would replace them in their rankings."

"Which is why everyone will be gunning for Midoriya and his team," Hound Dog. "The best way to ensure your place in the next round is to take down the student with the most points which is sadly Midoriya." The counselor sighed. "It's going to be hard for the kid with everyone planning on taking him down."

"I'm not so sure…"

Everyone looked at Midnight curiously.

"What do you mean, Midnight?"

"Look at who's with Midoriya right now," she said while pointing a finger at said boy.

The teachers all looked to where she was pointing and, except for Nezu, instantly paled. With the greenette was none than Kazui who volunteered to be his front horse.

"Oh…" was all Hound Dog could say.

The rat supreme merely chuckled. "Despite the stipulation we put in place, I'm confident that Kurosaki would find a loophole or two."

"I know," Midnight nodded. "You're smart, Kazui, and powerful is an understatement," she thought while eyeing the gingerhead. "Maybe this event and the next will shed some light on those suspicions I have; suspicions about you and the Hollow."

-{}-

"Hey, Bakugō!" a certain spiky-haired redhead called out.

Bakugō turned around and saw Kirishima walking toward him. "Oh, it's just Shitty Hair."

"My name isn't Shitty Hair, it's Kirishima!" he corrected. "Anyway, I was gonna try Todoroki, but he already picked a group. So, we should team up!"

The Explosion boy listened.

"You need a strong front horse, right?" Kirishima questioned. "Someone who can withstand your explosions." He held his forearm out and hardened it to stone levels of thickness. "I'm your guy."

"I need someone with guts," the ash blonde stated.

Kirishima's grin grew wide upon hearing that statement. "My Quirk was made for this! I've got you covered, man! Besides, we both know the real prize is the ten million. What do you say?"

Bakugo instantly matched Kirishima's smile with his feral one.

-{}-

"I'm curious, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki began, "why haven't you teamed up with Kurosaki or Midoriya? I was quite sure that you'd partner up with either of them, more so Kazui."

Momo merely sighed as she stared at the boy in question. "It's true that I would rather team up with either of them, especially Kazui. However, this is the Sports Festival where we are given the chance to show what we are capable of. Besides, I want to challenge both of them and see how far I stack compared to those two."

"So, you have something to prove," Todoroki guessed.

"Not as much as that, but more on testing the limits of my other ability," Momo clarified. "And what better way than to challenge the two strongest students in our class."

"I see." The dichromatic-eyed boy stared at the rich girl with scrutiny. "You know something about those two, don't you?"

"I do." Momo looked at Todoroki in the eyes as if she was cautioning him. "All I can say is that do not underestimate Izuku and Kazui. You are correct in saying that I know some things about them and that is why our team should be cautious. Just because Izuku can't use Infinity doesn't make him vulnerable. His intellect is something to be wary of. As for Kazui, he would be the biggest threat out of them all."

Todoroki nodded, considering Momo's advice before approaching his other teammates – Tenya and Denki.

The heiress eyed Kazui once more, excitement building up in her chest as the minutes ticked by. "All of the contestants here should be wary. After all, we're up against a god and a boy with godlike powers." That alone made her grin. "I can't wait."

-o0o-

The fifteen minutes have finally ended. The teams formed were now ready to snatch the ten million-value ribbon from Midoriya and take the top spot. However, that would be an endeavor with extreme difficulty considering who the greenette was teamed with.

Speaking of Kazui, he was observing the many teams formed from the allotted fifteen minutes. Suffice it to say, there were well-made teams that could challenge them based on quirk compatibility and possible synchronicity. One such team was Bakugō's and Todoroki's. Both have powerful front horses and versatile support teammates. He was a bit surprised to find Momo being the front horse for the latter group though, which made him feel some things and think…

"Why do I want to suddenly blast Todoroki with a Gran Rey Cero all of a sudden? And why do I want to follow it up with a Goryūtenmetsu?"

"Hey, Kazui, you still with us?"

"Huh?" The reaper looked up to see Izuku staring at him.

"You kind of spaced out for a second there," Ochako added.

"Quit clocking out, Carrothead, and focus on the competition!" Mei cried all excited. "We don't want those tech companies to pass us over, wouldn't we?"

A bead of sweat appeared over the other three's foreheads. "Really?" was all Kazui could say.

The buzzer finally rang, signaling the time for team formation was over. Midnight, who just arrived from the Teacher's Booth, was doing some light arm stretches as she reminded the contestants.

"Okay, contestants!" the dominatrix spoke through the mic. "Get into positions!"

At the behest of her words, the twelve teams stood outside of the large square dirt field that would serve as this event's battleground. The atmosphere was tenser than earlier as each group all eyed one particular team who was wearing a headband worth a million points. The anticipation grew even more when Present Mic began counting down.

"THREE!"

"They're all gonna jump us…" said Midoriya who felt the cloth of the headband around his head.

"TWO!"

"Hehehe… let them come," was Kazui's reply.

"ONE!"

All hell broke loose. Every team only had one target and that was the headband worth ten million points.

"This is one big battle for ten million points!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed as his team rushed to Midoriya's group.

"I'll be taking that headband, Midoriya!" Tōru declared. Sato and Kōji were blushing since she was topless.

The other groups weren't far behind. They will get that ten million even at the expense of the other participants!

However, Momo observed that Midoriya wasn't nervous. He was calm and so were Kazui, Uraraka, and that Support Course girl. Then, Kazui grinned. That's when alarm bells began ringing in her head.

"Kazui is planning something!"

"What?" Todoroki looked at his horse and then at the mentioned boy. That sinister smile alone was more than enough to warn him of what the hybrid boy planned. "Damn it! Back up, back up!"

Kazui clasped his hands together and spread them apart. Between them was the same transparent rod he threw during the Obstacle Race earlier. Just like the previous event, he chucked the ethereal rod at the charging mob.

"Oh, crap! I know what he's gonna do!" Kaminari yelled.

Kazui pointed his index finger at the flying pole and shouted, "Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!"

Steps of a Hundred Fences is the loose translation of the binding spell and, true to its name, it scattered into hundreds of rods connected by thin chains and acted like a fence. The battlefield was then riddled with said rods, halting the progress of the other contestants in their pursuit of the ten-million-point headband.

"And just like that, folks, everyone's plans to take the first place got blocked by fences!"

"Do you know your puns are terrible, Mic?"

"Dunno, don't care!"

"Figures…"

"You think you can stop us with a couple of shiny poles!?" Tetsutetsu challenged. "Honuneki, do it!"

"Right!" the lipless student replied. He stomped on the ground and used his quirk to soften the battleground.

"What are we gonna do, Izuku?" Uraraka questioned a little apprehensively as the quicksand encroached on their position.

Izuku and Kazui shared a look before the latter spoke.

"Any one of you ever heard of the 'High Ground'?"

Getting the idea, Izuku grinned at their tech-savvy teammate. "Mei, would you do the honors?"

"It would be my pleasure!" Eager to showcase her machines, Mei pressed the controls of her jet pack, and the boosters engaged.

Izuku, who was wearing the jet pack, and the boot thrusters felt the propulsion lift him and his team out of their competitors' reach. With the help of Uraraka's quirk, lift-off was much quicker and easier.

Down below, the other teams were still focused on retrieving the ten-million-point headband. They continued following the flight path of Midoriya's team to anticipate their landing spot and snatch the priceless strap of cloth from them.

"Darn it! No good support gear!" the iron boy from Class 1-B cursed.

"Hey! Don't talk about my babies like that!" Mei hissed at Tetsutetsu.

Seeing this, Hagakure pointed with her invisible hand at Midoriya. "Jirō, now!"

"On it!" The rocker girl's earlobe jacks stretched and launched at Izuku's team.

Kazui noticed this and quickly held out his hand to prevent the pointy appendages from reaching them. "Bakudō #39: Enkosen!"

A dense wall came in between Jirō's earphone jacks and her intended target. She cursed that her objective wasn't met. "Damn it! Of all the people Midoriya had to team up, it had to be Kurosaki!"

"Modified Hadō #4: Jūgeki Byakurai!"

"GYAAAAH!" Jirō and Tōru shrieked in fright when a laser beam made of condensed electricity nearly struck them. "Kurosaki, what the fuck!? Are you trying to kill us!?" Jirō yelled.

Up above, Team Midoriya was carefully observing the competition below. It was a free-for-all down there. Utter chaos could be the other apt description. That said, Izuku anticipated this, and that's why their plan was perfect for situations like this.

*****Flashback*****

Minutes before the start of the second event, Izuku, Uraraka, Hatsume, and Kazui were discussing the best strategy for this cavalry battle.

"It's going to be utter chaos once the match starts; so, our best course of action is to stay away from the chaos altogether," Izuku concluded. He looked at Mei's gadgets. "That's where Hatsume's support gear comes in. They'll provide the thrust we need to get off the ground and the mobility to maneuver while in the air.

"However, the support gear can only do so much in terms of movement. That's why Ochako's Quirk will be very helpful in this scenario," added the Honored One's protégé. "With Zero Gravity decreasing the gadget's, well… gravity, we can increase our movement in the air and avoid anyone who tries to come at us."

Uraraka giggled at the unintentional pun which made Midoriya blush, but she had some concerns. "But I can't keep my Quirk activated for long, Izuku."

"I'm confident my babies will perform spectacularly, but they only have so much fuel," Mei added.

Luckily, their other teammate had that covered.

"Leave that to me," Kazui interjected. The others looked at him inquisitively. "With me around, we don't have to keep the jet pack and the thrusters running or let keep her Quirk active. Also, leave the defense to me."

Mei and Ochako were a little worried that Kazui was offering to do so much for the team. However, their Izuku – who will serve as their leader – knows just how capable of an individual the young hybrid is. That's why he has full confidence that he'll be able to keep the other teams off their collective backs.

Izuku nodded and addressed the two girls. "Hatsume, Ochako, you two will be in charge of our movement in the air. Kazui will be responsible for keeping us airborne and our defense. I'll give out commands now and then while assisting however I can by using a weakened version of Blue."

Everyone nodded as they accepted their roles for this match. Izuku hopped on Kazui's hands from behind while Uraraka and Hatsume supported him from either side. The gravity girl was wearing the jet boots while the heir to the Limitless strapped the jet pack on.

"Okay, guys, let's win this!"

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

*****Flashback End*****

"Heh… And they call me a genius," Gojo remarked as he observed the execution of his apprentice's plan. "Simple, but it's effective. Utilizing the skills and Quirks provided by your teammates by assigning them to those specific roles maximizes them. Smart, Izuku… very smart."

"It's not that complicated, sensei. Besides, we pretty much have this with Kazui on our side."

"Well, you're not wrong."

"Damn you, Midoriya!" Mineta screamed at the flying team. "Get down here and face us like a man!"

The midget was partnered up with Shōji, Tsuyu, and oddly, Tokoyami. Their initial plan was to use Mineta's sticky balls to glue Midoriya's team to the ground. Once grounded (no pun intended), the ten-million-point headband would now be easy pickings.

Sadly, that wasn't the case.

"Uraraka, deactivate your quirk. Hatsume, turn off the jet pack and thrusters. Let me handle our flight from this point onwards," Kazui said to the two girls.

Still hesitant, Uraraka replied, "Okay; if you say so." Touching her fingertips together, she felt the strain from using her quirk gradually fade. She let out a sigh of relief that the threat of her seeing her breakfast again wouldn't happen.

As for Mei, she gladly turned off her support gear. No inventor would want their precious babies to malfunction during a live demonstration.

"Wait a minute!" Uraraka exclaimed. She looked at her feet and saw them stepping on… something. "How are we standing? What are we standing on?"

Mei did the same thing and was left flabbergasted. "How!? Tell me so I can replicate it with my babies!"

Kazui smirked. "Trade secret."

"NOOOOO~! All that knowledge held away from me!" Mei cried dramatically.

Suddenly, they heard explosions coming closer to their location. When they turned to the source, the trio from 1-A weren't surprised to find Bakugō propelling himself towards them like a homing missile.

"Don't think for a second you're safe!"

"Don't do it, Bakugō," Kazui warned. "We have the high ground!"

A blob of sweat appeared over Gojo and Izuku thanks to the untimely Pop Culture reference. "Really? You're gonna make movie references in the middle of a match?"

Kazui just shrugged. "Eh, it seemed appropriate."

On the other hand, Mei and Ochako shared a confused look. Their teammates were weird people, they just chalked it up to that.

"Don't you dare underestimate me, Baby Face!" Bakugō shouted as he was now face-to-face with the team.

However, Kazui merely sighed and clasped his hands together. "Bakudō #75: Gochu Tenkan."

Before the angry Pomeranian reached for the headband, he was suddenly hit by a gigantic metal pole coming from the sky. A very loud DING alerted the other teams, forcing them to look up. Their eyes grew wide when five pillars made of solid iron were dropping from the sky. In a frenzy, everyone scattered like chickens to avoid the falling metal beams. As for Bakugō, a long strand of tape rolled over his hips and pulled him back to his team.

"I don't care if you came from another universe, but that has got to hurt!"

"Somebody notify Recovery Girl," Aizawa said after Mic's commentary.

The other students scrambled to avoid the descending pillars.

"On that note, is what Bakugō did even legal?" Present Mic questioned Midnight.

"He never touched the ground; so, technically, it's legal," answered the heroine.

Kazui just gaped at her from above with an incredulous look. "Are you sure you're not making this shit up as you go!?"

-o0o-

With the other teams, after escaping the rain of fences and the fall of pillars, they decided that it was best to pursue the other headbands than to waste time getting the ten million which was, quite literally, unreachable.

Hagakure and her team were just about to chase another group when Sato noticed something.

"Hagakure, our headband!"

The invisible girl reached for her head and found the strap of cloth no longer there. "EEK! Where did our headband go!?"

"What the…? When did that happen!?" Jirō looked around the battlefield and saw a blonde student smirking at her. "Damn it! I didn't notice him!"

Said student was Neito Monoma of Class 1-B. He was known to have the most disdain for Class 1-A among his peers due to this false sense of entitlement for his class and the belief that the students of 1-A were hogging all the glory. Still, Monoma was a better classmate than Bakugō!

"It's been seven minutes since the start of the match, folks. Let's look at the scoreboard and see who's in the lead!" Present Mic announced as the screen showed the current standing of the participants.

It was not what the audience was expecting.

"Wait, that's strange," the DJ-themed hero said equally perplexed. "Except for Midoriya's group, the rest of Class 1-A are trailing behind."

That confusion was the opportune moment for a group to snatch the headband from the rabid Pomeranian's head.

"Even Team Bakugō's not doing so well."

The feeling of fabric slipping loose from his head made Bakugō turn his head in the direction where it was being pulled. His eyes grew wide in shock initially but quickly turned into rage upon seeing the smug grin coming from Neito Monoma.

"You're class is too small-minded. Think bigger," taunted the blonde before he and his team dashed off.

"He got us!" Mina exclaimed.

Bakugō, on the other hand, was fuming. "What did you say!? Get back here!"

Monoma and his teammates slowed down. "Midnight-sensei said that the Obstacle Course was just the first event," he began after facing the raging bomber. "It makes sense to cut off most of the contestants during the qualifiers, right?"

"Where are you getting at?" growled Bakugō

"Assuming forty participants will move on to the next stage, all we had to do was to stay in those numbers as we ran. In our spots in the middle ranks, we could fully observe the other contestants and how their Quirks work. Only a fool would obsess about winning the preliminary rounds, wouldn't you agree?"

Understanding the 1-B student's plan, the Explosion boy narrowed his eyes. "You planned this as a class, didn't you?"

Monoma shrugged. "It wasn't a consensus, but it seems to be working." He tied the stolen band around his neck. "It's better than chasing around a temporary front runner like a horse with a carrot waving in its face. Oh! While I have your attention, you seem kind of familiar. Aren't you that kid that got kidnapped by the sludge villain months ago?"

The mocking tone caused a vein to pop on Bakugō's head.

"You have to tell me sometime. It must be strange to always find yourself in the role of a victim."

Being reminded of his time of weakness royally pissed the walking short fuse. His eyes were white, his nostrils flared, and his teeth were grinding at each other. "Kirishima…"

"Yeah?" When the redhead looked at his rider, he felt a bead of sweat roll over his head. "Oh shit. He's hella pissed."

Even Sero and Mina were trembling.

"Change of plans," muttered the bomber. "Before we get Deku… WE'RE GONNA KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE B-LIST IDIOTS!"

-{}-

Back to our protagonists, Team Midoriya decided to land to not exhaust their front horse. Kazui could carry them up in the air until the timer ran out, but it was decided unanimously by the other three that the hybrid needed some rest.

"Thanks, guys. Although, I wouldn't mind carrying all of you up there until the end of the round."

"We know, Kazui," Uraraka said. "Besides, it was getting kind of boring just floating up there."

"You said!" Mei agreed. "My babies aren't getting enough exposure if we just stand there all day."

Izuku deadpanned at the Support Course girl before drawing his eyes onto the ongoing chaos. "Class 1-B threw the preliminaries to gain an advantage in this stage."

"They used the first round to observe the other classes for any weaknesses. Considering the only thing needed during the elimination round was to not, well… get eliminated, I'd say they made a wise decision," Gojo commented.

"I guess that could help them leave a bigger impression on the audience. Everyone does kind of love an underdog."

"Got that right, kid."

"But, if they're playing the long game here, they might not bother coming after my headband at all."

"I'm not so sure about that…"

"Huh?"

Kazui, Mei, and Ochako came to an abrupt stop when they came face to face with Todoroki and his team.

"I'll be taking that now…" Todoroki told Midoriya.

"Wow, Todoroki; you seem to have it out for us," Kazui remarked.

The tone he said that with caught the attention of the others. There was a hint of worry. Hatsume and Uraraka didn't know what could make Kazui of all people the slightest bit worried. However, Izuku knew, and he felt the same thing.

It was Momo.

However, they weren't the only teams who planned on getting the ten million. Everybody else who wanted to qualify for the next round had their sight on them.

…And they are now collectively charging!

"Now, Īda, forward!" Todoroki ordered.

"Right!" Īda's exhausts ignited as he and his team sped toward Midoriya.

"Yaoyorozu, protect us!"

The Zen'in/Yaoyorozu heiress nodded. From her exposed stomach, a cloth-like material started forming due to her Quirk along with a metal pole that left a trail in the dirt.

"Kaminari…"

"Oh… I know what to do," said the electric blonde with a grin. Sparks began arching over his body. "I hope you made something strong, Yaoyorozu!" The sparks intensified, turning into bolts of electricity.

Todoroki saw this and took the newly formed insulation fabric courtesy of Yaoyorozu and draped it over him, its creator, and the speedster.

Seeing his teammates now insulated, Kaminari fired his multi-directional attack. "Indiscriminate Shock: ONCE-POINT-THREE MILLION VOLTS!"

"Kazui!" Izuku yelled.

Without a word, the young reaper held out his hand. Blut Arterie activating, he met the lightning bolt head-on, splitting it away from his teammates. Sadly, stray bolts struck their gadgets, thereby rendering them useless.

"MY BABIES!" Mei cried comically.

For the rest who targeted Midoriya, not much was there to say other than everyone in the immediate vicinity was getting their butts fried. It was worse that Kaminari didn't fry his brains out, meaning he could do this again. With the other teams paralyzed, Todoroki used the pole made by Momo, which was used as a grounding device earlier, as a conduit that let his ice flow; following the path of the electricity and freezing the other groups in place.

"Sorry, but there's no other way!" the dual-colored-haired boy announced.

"Would you look at that! He stopped the competition cold in its tracks!"Present Mic remarked.

"But only after Kaminari immobilized the other students using his electricity," Eraserhead interjected. "In the Obstacle Course, he was surprised by how many people avoided his attack. He's adapting his strategy."

"Nice commentary!" Present Mic said with a thumbs up.

Seeing the teams unmoving, Todoroki swooped in and nabbed their headbands. "I might as well take these!" he said after snatching Kendo's headband.

The said girl looked in shock, then in frustration, before yelling out bloody murder. "KICK HIS ASS, GINGER BRO!"

"Will do, sis!" Kazui chirped in recognition. Looking at Izuku, he said, "Normally, it'd be Kaminari and his lightning that'd be the problem. However, with Momo in there, their odds of winning jump exponentially."

"I know," agreed the Limitless wielder. He was made aware of the heiress' Heavenly Restriction and, if the stories about them were true, it was gonna be more than just a problem.

That conclusion was proven correct when Momo kicked a chunk of the ground toward them like earthen missiles. This caught them by surprise but, thankfully, Kazui managed to deflect the projectiles using his Blut Vene.

"I-I see what you mean," Uraraka said; a little rattled after seeing the rich girl kick some dirt at them.

"Darn, it!" Mei cursed after a quick inspection of her support gear. "My babies won't be functional."

"It's okay, you two," Izuku assured. "Both of you did good. Besides…" He gazed at Todoroki in anticipation, "It's time I did something."

-{}-

Bakugō, in a familiar fit of ire, tried to blow up Monoma for mocking him. The blonde from 2-B wasn't bothered and deflected the incoming bomb fist. Undeterred, the Explosion boy tried fighting back but, to his shock, saw his own Quirk used by Monoma.

"What the!? He has your quirk!" Kirishima yelled, unaware that Monoma slapped the top of his hair.

"DAMN IT!" Again, Bakugō tried to blow up Monoma and he seemed to get a hit. However, he was in shock again when his victim's left arm and face were rock-hard.

"Huh!? Mine too!" Kirishima exclaimed in confusion.

"It's his quirk." Bakugō managed to figure it out. "He can copy other people's Quirks."

Monoma smirked. "Correct. I guess an idiot can figure it out. Well, I'll be off to the next round."

As Monoma scurried away from Bakugō, they didn't take into account just how much the boy wanted to be at the top. To win. Despite his over-inflated ego, you have to admire the unwavering tenacity of his which was now in full display.

That said, he was still beyond pissed.

"Class 1-B's strategy was a reasonable one," Eraserhead commented while watching the chase. "That said, they forgot one crucial factor when it comes to Bakugō: his unwavering drive to always be on top."

"We are gonna get back our headbands and be the undisputable champions of the games!" declared the ash blonde with fiery determination. "Once we do that, we'll go for the big one!" His three members looked up at him and grinned, getting pumped for the incoming battle. "Elbow guy! Shoot some tape towards their left!"

"Hell yeah!" Sero fired a stretch of tape just left of Monoma's group.

"Racoon Eyes! Put some acid in the direction we're going!" Bakugō ordered.

A tick mark appeared on Mina's forehead. "I told you my name is Mina Ashido!" Nonetheless, she made a trail of low-friction acid going forward.

With everything set, Sero reeled in his extended adhesive. The pulling effect was maximized by Mina's acid, they were already next to Monoma in a matter of seconds despite the distance between them.

Monoma could only gape in shock as the headband he stole from Bakugō was taken back.

With their objective accomplished, the said Explosion boy set his sights on the biggest prize. "Now, we get the big one!"

-{}-

The chase between Midoriya and Todoroki's team was going nowhere. Aware that the dual-element boy never once used his left side, Izuku and his group maneuvered themselves so that they would always be in the enemy's blind spot. With the clock ticking down, their chances of obtaining the ten-million-point headband were ever fleeting.

"Everyone," Tenya called out to his teammates. "Our time is running out. I'm gonna do something that may make me useless." This statement caught the other three's attention. "However, if we're successful, then it'd be worth it."

"What are you gonna do?" questioned Shoto.

Tenya didn't answer. Instead, he leaned forward; right leg in front while his left leg was behind him. now in a sprinter's stance, his teammates heard the rustling of his exhausts revving up and prepared themselves for what was to come. "Make sure you get that headband! Brace yourselves and hold on tight!"

The pipes in the speedster's legs suddenly burst with blue fire.

"Torque Over: RECIPROBURST!" Īda yelled and his team accelerated at imperceptible speeds.

While initially surprised, Izuku and Kazui kept calm as they readied themselves. Thanks to his Six Eyes, Midoriya could see Tenya even when he was moving at sub-sonic speeds. As for Kazui, he's seen faster movement than this.

Everything moved so fast that in one moment, Todoroki and his team were a few meters away from Midoriya, and the next thing they knew, they were behind them.

"What the…? WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?" Present Mic yelled at the top of his lungs. "Īda from Class 1-A just showed us a move that lets him blitz through the competition. He should've shown that during the preliminaries!"

"Īda…" Shoto was at a loss for words. "What was that?"

Panting, the speedster answered. "I… forced my torque and RPM into overdrive. It gives me explosive power, but unfortunately, it stalls my engines for a while. It's a secret move I've been saving for the later parts of the festival." He turned to face his rider. "Did we get it? did we manage to swipe the ten-million-point headband?"

"No, we didn't."

Īda couldn't believe it. Even with his trump card, they still weren't able to best Midoriya and his team!? "HOW!?"

"You're fast, Īda," Izuku said calmly. His majestic eyes were now exposed for the world to see. "But my eyes can keep up with things much faster."

"Darn it!" Kaminari cursed. "That Six Eyes of his is such a bullshit Quirk!"

"It's not only him who saw through your move, Īda," Momo added. "Kazui was just as aware as Midoriya."

In the seconds during the high-speed exchange, Momo also tried to reach for the headband on Izuku but was stopped when her hand was grabbed by Kazui.

"Wait, you can perceive that much even when we were moving so fast!?"

"I can, but that doesn't matter if we fail to get our main target. That's why, it's my turn to do something." Momo raised her foot and stomped on the ground, lifting bits and pieces of rock in all shapes and sizes. Time seemed to slow down as her heightened perception let her see the floating debris before it fell. She tapped one little pebble and much to the surprise of everyone, it whizzed through Izuku who tilted his head away from the projectile.

"What the Hell!?" Uraraka screeched.

Momo didn't stop as she continued her assault by propelling more stones at them at insane speeds.

"Curse Technique Amplification: Blue!" Izuku made his move, swiping his hand and deflecting the barrage by twisting the gravitational pull to the side. "GET OVER HERE!"

A pulling force suddenly enveloped Todoroki and his team. Luckily, Momo was aware of what Midoriya was doing and, with sheer leg strength alone, planted her foot deep into the ground to keep them in place.

"What the heck's happening!?" Kaminari asked frantically.

"It's Midoriya!" Momo answered. "He's using Blue to pull us in."

"How the heck is a color doing this!?"

"That's the name of his technique, Kaminari!"

"Wait a minute, we can use this!" Shoto announced, much to the confusion of the other three.

"What do you mean?" Īda asked while trying to keep himself from flying off.

"Īda, can you still do one more Reciproburst?"

"I can. But, after that, I'll be out of commission for a while."

"I'm sorry, but maybe we can increase your speed while under the influence of Midoriya's power."

Tenya thought about it and, while it was a pretty big gamble, the reasoning was sound. "All right, let's do it!"

"I'll help too," Momo added.

"You will?" the three boys asked her.

"It's time I use my strength to its fullest!" Momo declared. The veins in her legs became visible. "Let's snatch that headband and win this thing!"

"You got it!"

With that, Momo and Tenya went into running stances. Kaminari's body crackled with electricity while Shoto readied himself.

Once again, Īda's exhausts let out blue flames. Momo released her implanted leg from the ground and, together with Tenya, their team blitzed toward Midoriya at speeds faster than earlier. This was due to the pulling effect from Blue and Momo's assist.

Unexpectedly, another competitor made their presence known with a literal bang. Above the engaging teams, Bakugō flew in with furious intent while looking for the prized headband with his team not far behind.

"Where is it? Where is it!?" He finally found it still resting comfortably around Izuku's head. "DAMN DEKU! GIVE ME THAT HEADBAND!" he shouted and used his quirk to propel himself to the Jujutsu Sorcerer.

In the heat of the moment, the two teams plus one contestant were in a collision course with each other. Todoroki was dead set on taking the top spot and proving to that bastard that he didn't need him or his Quirk. However, what the dichromatic-eyed boy didn't know was that his left side began flaring up.

Bakugō, on the other hand, wanted to prove that he was the best and that his view on heroism was right; that winning was everything. And, if he manages to win this tournament, then he would finally put that damn Deku and his friends in their place!

As for Izuku, his left fist began to crackle in black lightning. The excitement he was feeling coupled with the focus and drive to win had sharpened his mind to that sole objective. As a consequence, had unintentionally coated his right fist in the energies of Black Flash.

Unbeknownst to everyone, a white substance was forming on Kazui's right temple.

And the arena was covered in a flash of red light.

"TIME'S– WHAT THE HECK!?" Present Mic screamed into the microphone in shock when a bright red beam shot into the sky. The clouds parted upon being pierced by the crimson blast.

The audience was just as flabbergasted as the commentators; never had they expected something like this to happen. The other contestants stopped what they were doing not because of the buzzer, but because of the bright red light shooting upward.

All eyes were focused on the three teams vying for the number one spot. They heard a thud, possibly someone landing uncomfortably on the ground. It was Bakugō sitting on his ass after the brief scuffle between him and the other two groups. Todoroki still failed to obtain the coveted headband, but that wasn't what shocked him and his partners.

Mei, Ochako, and Izuku were looking at Kazui in astonishment. Sticking out of his right temple was a massive horn pointing dangerously forward. His right eye was in its menacing black and gold, and black markings ran over the right side of his face.

The tip of the horn was sizzling with fresh smoke, indicating that it was he who unleashed that red blast into the heavens.

Kazui grabbed the bony protrusion and, to the shock of everyone present, snapped the horn from his temple. The black markings faded, and his right eye returned to normal. The horn began dissolving into particles until no trace of it was left in his hands.

"Ladies and gents, it seems that the Cavalry Battle ended with a bang!" Present Mic announced, rousing the stunned crowd into a joyous frenzy. "Now, let's take a look at the top four teams right away! In first place by a LARGE margin, we have Team Midoriya!"

Despite winning, Team Midoriya was more concerned about their front horse. It's not every day that one of your teammates suddenly grows a horn.

"In second place is Team Todoroki!"

The aforementioned boy cursed his failure. Not only was he unable to prove to his bastard of a father that his fire quirk was unnecessary, but he almost used it during the fight.

Todoroki nearly broke his oath.

"Team Bakugō comes in third place!"

The said third placer was furious. With an angry huff, he punched the ground he stood on. That damn Deku and the freak Baby Face took the spotlight that was meant for him!

"I'll show them…" he promised to himself. "I'll show them what happens when they get in my way. I'll fucking put them in their place!"

"And finally, coming in fourth place is Team Shinso!"

The General Course student simply had a smirk. Behind him were confused students – two of which were Ojiro and Aoyama – who seemed to have woken up from some sort of trance.

"Thanks for all your help…"

"With that, folks, we'll have an hour-long lunch break before we proceed to the next event. See you soon!"

"Hello?" Kazui responded after picking up his phone from the waiting room.

"Congratulations on winning the competition, kiddo. You never cease to amaze me," a calm voice of a woman came through the handheld device.

"Oh! I never expected a call from you at a time like this," answered the young hybrid. "Although, I don't mind the praise."

"Well, don't expect more of it, kid. Besides, I called for a different reason."

Noting the change in her tone, Kazui drowned out the chatter around him and focused on the caller. "Okay, what do you have?"

"I'm not sure if this is good news or not, but it seems the commission has put on an alert for the Hollow."

"I knew that was gonna happen," said Kazui with a tired sigh.

"I got some friends of mine hack into the commission's database when we got that info. You don't have that high of an alert yet but, considering your modus, it's going to get higher in the coming months."

"Well, what can we do? It's not like they can catch me anyway."

"Confident, aren't you? Well, I also got intel that the president herself is watching the Sports Festival. Most likely to select a few potential recruits for their… 'operations'."

"And I'm guessing they have me on that shortlist?"

"They do and so does that kid with the spatial powers. Midoriya was his name."

"Damn. I knew the commission wasn't all that it appears to be, but to think they have something like this in the shadows."

"Don't be surprised. There are more things the commission has been keeping out of the public than just that. I should know, considering I used to work for those bastards."

"Until they decided that you were more trouble than you were worth…"

"I knew too much, and I had enough dirt on them to ruin the entire agency. So, it was a good thing you got my ass out of that mess when everything went sideways for me."

"Despite our not-so-good first encounter, I'd say we have a good arrangement since."

"Heh, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, there have been reports regarding Stain causing havoc around Hosu. Be sure to check that out."

"I will, and thanks for the info. It was helpful."

"It's the least I could do after what you've done for me."

"You weren't this casual with me when we first met.," Kazui chuckled, recalling the memory of his first meeting with the woman on the phone. "I seem to remember you shooting me with your arm rifle."

The woman snickered as well. "And I seem to recall you catching my bullet without even looking at it. But, considering you're an actual god, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

They both shared a laugh. While it was roughly a year ago, their meeting was something to remember.

"Well, I got to go, kid. I still need to keep tabs on a few persons of interest that might stir up some trouble."

"I understand," said Kazui. "It was good hearing from you, Ms. Tsutsumi."

"Please, just call me Kaina. You're making me feel old," the person on the line, now identified as Kaina, corrected with an annoyed tone.

"Okay, okay, Kaina. I'll be hearing from you soon."

"Likewise."

And with that, Kazui's contact ended the call. When he was about to head to the cafeteria, a shadow crept up behind him. He turned around and saw Todoroki looking at him with a serious expression.

"We need to talk…"

For Kazui, he only had one thing on his mind.

"This ought to be good."