Chapter 123 - 36-39

Chapter 36: "Ladies and gentlemen… I Am Here to win!"

"The leads are breaking ahead while the back of the pack is bunched up!" Announced Present Mic. "The racers don't have a clue how many'll make it to round two, so they're all in a mad dash for first!"

Shoto slid to a stop as he found himself at the third obstacle, which seemed to simply be a wider stretch of dirt, though going off the way it had been displaced, he could tell something was wrong with the ground here, almost like something was hidden beneath the surface…

"It seems our leader's reached the final barrier! That is to say… The Minefield! This carpet of doom has dozens of explosives hidden just beneath the surface layer of dirt! A quick glance is enough to spot the mines of course, so you just need to keep your eyes peeled." Explained Present Mic helpfully as Shoto began to jog through the field, keeping his eyes focused on the ground as he made sure to sidestep any spots that looked like they had mines hidden in, only to freeze in place at the sound of approaching explosions. "Assuming you'll be able to while also dealing with your fellow competitors."

"This shit ain't gonna slow me dooown!" Dammit, it's Bakugou! And he was flying his way fast thanks to his Quirk!

'So this last obstacle is meant to delay those who've taken the lead then…' Thought Shoto as he quickly looked at the ground to find which spots were safe before turning his attention back to his explosive classmate.

Bakugou then swung his hand down at Shoto, who just barely managed to jump backwards and avoid getting blown by him. "Listen up you half n' half bastard…" Growled the explosive teen. "You made your declaration of war to the wrong person. I'm gonna be the one to take you down, capiche!?"

Shoto let out a noise of frustration as he shifted his footing before swinging his arm, allowing it to drag along the ground for a moment before lifting up, causing ice to erupt from the ground and stab at Bakugou, who fired off a series of explosions that let him move upwards, avoiding the attack before swinging his own hand at Shoto, aiming at his damned left side with the intention of blasting him out of the competition. Shoto refused to make it easy though.

"It's Bakugou vs Todoroki! The student who got the most villain points in the entrance exam versus the son of the Number Two Hero of Japan! It's a fight for first place, don't look away for a second social media, you won't wanna miss this!" Exclaimed Present Mic excitedly. Todoroki meanwhile simply grimaced at the mention of his old man.

Suddenly, an explosion and a scream caught their attention as they both watched Ashido get launched backwards into the air.

"Er," Present Mic suddenly spoke up, "Do let it be known that while those bombs might lookdangerous, they're ultimately nothing more than very smokey flashbangs, so those of you watching at home don't have to worry, we promise your kids will be coming home in one piece still."

"Maybe with some soiled undergarments if they're not made of the toughest of stuff."Chimed in Aizawa, who despite what Present Mic's laughter might lead one to believe, was being completely serious.

"Don't take your eyes off me dammit!" Shouted Bakugou as he swung for Shoto again, who barely managed to duck under his arm before sending more ice his way. While Bakugou was working on dodging, Shoto quickly turned on his heel and started making his way forward again.

"The grapple for first continues! Little do these two know that while they've been busy fighting each other…" Said Present Mic, whose spectating had largely been ignored by Shoto up to this point, but this time he had the feeling that the Pro had something important to say, before he'd been interrupted by the sound of someone else shouting from overhead.

"MANCHESTER SMASH!" Shoto and Bakugou's heads both snapped upwards as they noticed a shadow fly over their heads, before a blur of green slammed into the ground. Their eyes both widened as they saw who had just gotten ahead of them.

"Deku!?"

"Midoriya?!"

The pair barely had the time to express their shock before an explosion fired off from the ground, launching the now second and third place racers backwards while Izuku was propelled forwards.

"Clever trick, detonating a mine right there to not only propel yourself but knock your competition onto their asses."

'Present Mic said that these aren't dangerous, so that means a smarter racer can use them to their advantage if they're clever enough.' Replied Izuku as he landed onto the ground and resumed running.

"And there's not a kid in this race who's a craftier bastard than you, go get 'em Izuku!"

Izuku smiled to himself at the encouragement, but that smile quickly became a frown as he heard the detonating of explosions and the crackling of ice fast approaching him from behind.

"Probably should've realized it wouldn't be that easy…"

"DEKUUU!" Roared Kacchan as he flew after him, while Todoroki created ice from under his right foot to propel himself towards Izuku.

'Ah crap… quick question, do you think Fifteen Percent is enough for a New Hampshire Smash?' Wondered Izuku.

"You're the Quirk nerd here, why're you asking us!?"

"Doubtful, or I suppose it'd be more accurate to say that you could do it but the result would be far less effective at your current level." 

'Thought so.' Replied Izuku. 'Hard way it is.' He quickly leapt into the air and turned one hundred and eighty degrees before aiming his right arm at the two racers that were riding up behind him. While using his left arm to support his right, he charged One for All up to Fifteen Percent and called out, "Delaware Smash: Air Force!"

A burst of air fired from his hand and rocketed at the pair of boys while Newton's Third Law worked its magic and propelled him even further. His attack didn't hit either of his competitors, Kacchan was able to fly over the wind with his explosions while Todoroki simply applied his ice in a way that allowed him to sidestep it, but it still did its job of widening the distance between Izuku and the other two.

"At this point, do you even need Float?"

'Absolutely,' Replied Izuku quickly enough that it didn't even leave room for Seventh to start developing her own self doubts. 'Air Force is an effective means of propelling myself, but it's hard to control. Kacchan may make it look easy but that's because he's had a decade to fine tune his Quirk, and the level of precision needed to do what he does is frankly absurd. Without Seventh's Quirk, I won't be able to fly, I'll simply just be launching myself in different directions the same way Yagi-Sensei does when he jumps from one prefecture to the next. Her Quirk will be an incredible boon for mid air control.'

"Geez kid, you wanna butter up the rest of our Quirks too while you're at it?"

"Probably shouldn't, the audience might get bored if the author continues dragging this out further than he already has. They've already forced themself to abandon the bit of all of us talking in numerical order. Granted that one was doomed to fail from the start given Second's continuous refusal to cooperate."

"Fourth, for fuck's sake, can you try speaking in a way that the rest of us can understand?!"

"So, limit myself to words with three syllables or less for your sake?"

"That's not- oh get over here you son of a bitch!"

"NEW HAMPSHIRE SMASH: MINEFIELD MODE!" While Fourth and Fifth were distracted being… themselves, Izuku refused to let himself be slowed down, punching the ground in a way that would detonate more mines located beneath him in a way that would launch himself further.

If he couldn't use the New Hampshire Smash in the regular way, he'd make the most of his surroundings and get creative!

"Woah!" Exclaimed Hizashi as he slammed his hands on the announcer booth's desk. "Another insanely brilliant, or perhaps brilliantly insane, maneuver from Midoriya! Geez Eraserhead, the folks at home must be asking themselves, 'what in the world are you teaching these kids!?'"

Shouta turned his head to give his classmate turned coworker a tired stare before letting out a sigh.

When the door to the faculty lounge opened Shouta's ears picked up on the tic in the step of the teacher entering, recognizing him without a need to open his eyelids. Ectoplasm's prosthetics.

Aside from that detail, only Nishida was that careful. Hizashi and Nemuri were never that calm, and they would have already interrupted his nap by now.

Ah, Ectoplasm, someone who could recognize the need for some sacred silence.

"Eraserhead."

Nevermind then. Holding back all of his grudges, he replied, "Need something?"

"Not really," His coworker said, "I've just supervised some extra training for the 1A students."

Shouta raised an eyebrow at that. He did recall Midoriya talking about that earlier this morning. Well, good on them for wanting to be prepared for the Festival. But, wait a minute… "When you say 'just' I assume that means you completed some other task between that training and approaching me?"

Ectoplasm shook his head. "Classes ended four hours ago."

"I am aware."

"…Midoriya?"

"Midoriya."

"I know I promised not to call him a problem child but I swear I think he's intentionally trying to make me go gray."

With a tilt of his head, Ectoplasm replied, "I think he's succeeding."

Shouta decided against dignifying that with a response. He did however sigh when two of his favorite migraine makers entered the room.

"Heya guys, what's goin' on? Looking through homework for the week?" Asked Hizashi.

"Something like that." Replied Shouta.

"I was just discussing with Eraserhead about the extra training his students were doing that I supervised today." Explained Ectoplasm.

Nemuri giggled, "Is that right? I guess 1A's feeling excited for the Festival."

"What they're probably feeling is a couple existential crises after the bombshells that Midoriya dropped on the lot of them."

What.

 "Huh?" Asked Hizashi, looking at Nemuri in confusion who simply shrugged.

"After seeing the revelations about their Quirks that Midoriya brought to light, even I have to admit their potential."

And again, what? "I know I didn't have to expel a single one this time. Midoriya might've pushed his luck, and honestly I definitely pushed mine, but I can't imagine much could've been gleamed in a single afternoon."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" He saw the man's smile grow a bit, even if it was hard to distinguish given the state of his teeth.

Hizashi practically jumped on the other sofa. "What's going on with those little listeners? Awesome Quirks? Some drama? Come on, spill!"

Nemuri shook her head. "Mic, we're barely two weeks in. We've seen their practical exams and files, Hizashi. There shouldn't be anything we don't already know about."

Aizawa resisted the urge to say something, given the bombshell he received from Midoriya not too long ago.

And that's when Nishida started laughing.

"I wouldn't know about that, Kayama. You'd be surprised. This afternoon, I saw more growth in four hours than I do for most classes in a whole year."

"What do you mean?" The Heroine asked, suddenly far more interested.

"Nearly every student in 1A, sans three, came in following that Midoriya..." He started, before being interrupted.

"The one that beat the school's entrance record?" Hizashi asked. "Damn, the kid that destroyed the Zero Pointer is already gathering a club?"

"Is it a club if it consists of nearly the entire class?" Wondered Nemuri.

"If you two stopped running your mouths, maybe we could hear what Ectoplasm actually wants to tell us." Said Shouta drily, shooting his pair of long time friends his classic, "Stop wasting my time" glare.

"Right. The kid had me come to supervise the training, and I must say, I'm deeply impressed. He dealt with all of his classmates with extreme care, managing to find solutions to problems that most Quirk specialist would have given up on. He gave them hints to let them figure out a lot by themselves, stepping in when necessary to bring forth incredible ideas. I'm not sure, but I believe he may have completely altered how we should view some of their Quirks. For example..."

Ectoplasm kept going about the kids' work for a while, but each story seemed more incredible than the last.

If what he was saying was true, they'd completely misunderstood the Quirks of their students. Their potential had skyrocketed in a handful of hours.

How many inept Quirk counselors and doctors were to blame for that kind of mishap?

How many others didn't understand what they could be able to do if only they had the right guidance?

They exchanged theory after theory about what the students had managed to do, how much more room there was for them to grow and how they would need to adapt their lesson in the future.

Vlad, Snipe and Cementoss had joined in at some point, drawn by the heated discussion.

Thirteen, Hound Dog, Power Loader, and Lunch Rush had come in later but were just as prepared to join the debate.

Shouta had even gotten up from his comfortable position lying down, as incredible as that was.

They had found the recording of the kids' hours in the gym, and had promptly started to examine it in detail. More than once.

As they mulled over Ectoplasm's experience, they finally heard the sound of the tiniest steps in the school.

"And here I was wondering why all of my staff was stuck in their lounge well beyond the school's closing time..." Nedzu said, a slight spring to his step and pride in his voice as he entered the room with Chiyo and the shrunken down All Might at his heels. "Nishida must have told you of what happened with Class 1A."

The hell did the rat menace mean by beyond- oh. Oh it's already dark out. Their eyes fell onto the big screen where the transformation of Yaoyorozu was happening.

Shouta knew she had an almost infinite potential, given her Quirk, but to see how it could be used... Just like that, a hero that could have been better suited to deal with rescue and support missions had become a primary candidate for combat encounters. There were edges to smooth and learning to be done, but the idea was incredible by itself.

Recovery Girl sighed and shook her head, a tired smile covering her face. "Ah, I knew that little green bush would be a whole lot of trouble after his stunts in the Entrance Exam and during the incident at the U.S.J."

"Young Midoriya..." Yagi looked at the video in amazement. Was that pride in his voice or more surprise? Honestly Shouta was honestly just amazed that after all this time the man hadn't gotten his hands on some adoption papers for the kid.

"It's a sight to behold, isn't it?" Hound Dog offered, sharing his appreciation. "He's not perrrfect but, being a Quirrrrk counselorrrr myself, I can say that he's doing a much better job than most would."

"Hell, he's doing a better job than most teachers would," Vlad added, ending with a bit of hearty laughter.

"I'd love to see what else he could do," Snipe mumbled, moving his sight onto 1A's homeroom teacher. "What do you think, Aizawa?"

Shota clenched his jaw for a moment. His first assumption had been exactly right, "This kid's something else. Of course while what he's doing for his classmates goes beyond the call of duty for a simple class president, it's still ultimately our duty to provide guidance, especially when it comes to Midoriya's own… abnormal Quirk." Shouta didn't miss the expressions that crossed the faces of Yagi, Recovery Girl, and Nedzu when he said that.

"Well said, Aizawa," Nedzu interjected, taking a stand in the middle of the group. "I trust you all to take care of our new generation, as always, but remember that we have never lived through more delicate times. Our students need us just as much as we need them. Special case or not." The chimera moved his gaze over the whole group, briefly stopping to look for All Might's own. "We shall be there for every single one of them. Go Beyond…"

"Plus Ultra!" The chorus of voices replied without missing a beat.

"Plus Ultra…" Shouta nodded as he raised himself, getting ready to leave for home. He had an overly energetic wife waiting for him at home who was probably waiting to verbally rip into him for staying out this late and overworking himself despite his injuries.

But that didn't matter, he'd look out for all of his troublesome students, no matter how battered and broken his body became.

In his own way, of course.

"You know just as well as me that I can't take the credit for this, Mic." Replied Shouta. "These kids were forced to fight for their lives against villains, and they banded together to overcome the challenge. Now they're continuing to push each other even further beyond so that they'll be ready to face anything else that awaits them."

"Plus Ultra." Replied Hizashi sagely with a nod.

Izuku grunted as he hit the ground and rolled. Note to self: practice landing technique's once he's gotten his percentage higher to perform a proper New Hampshire Smash…

Whatever, no time to worry about that now, he needed to gun it straight for the finish line before-!

"DEKUUU!" There it is…

Looks like Kacchan and Todoroki managed to regain their footing and were trying to close the distance once more, though at this rate there's no way they'd catch up to him!

"When I get my hands on you I'm gonna blow your brains out on Live Television!" Threatened his overly aggressive rival.

And unfortunately, Izuku saw an opportunity and couldn't resist taking it. Looking over his shoulder, he called back, "Hey hey, easy Kacchan! Save that dirty talk for the bedroom!"

His comeback was… shockingly effective actually. Kacchan was so thrown off by the comment that it caused him to mess up the output for his explosions, setting his course off just enough to make him collide right into Todoroki and send both boys tumbling to the ground. Izuku's eyes widened before he turned his attention to the remainder of the course ahead of him, bringing a fist up to his mouth as he did his best to resist the urge to laugh, knowing that if he did there's no way he'd be able to keep running.

Shouta sighed, desperately wishing he had the ability to pinch the bridge of his nose as he listened to Hizashi wheeze with laughter next to him. "Of course, at the end of the day, they're still teenagers…" He said tiredly.

As Izuku crossed through that gate, he heard Present Mic's voice call out of the speakers. "And… and the winner is… hehe… the one to take an early lead… the one to protect his fellow racers in the first obstacle… the one to bring himself back from the brink of elimination, the one who overtook even his class's largest powerhouses… President of Class A, Midoriya!" 

Izuku, breathing heavily as he heard the crowd cheering, couldn't help but grin and pump a fist into the air. "Ladies and gentlemen… I Am Here to win!" He declared proudly.

Chapter 37: "Wait, Izuku is both a lady and a man?"

Izuku took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth as he watched the entrance to the stadium, seeing his fellow competitors, classmates, and friends all slowly rush into the stadium.

Todoroki and Kacchan were obviously the second and third to arrive given that they had been right behind him. Izuku elected to look the other way whenever Kacchan glared in his direction, not out of guilt but rather he didn't want to risk breaking down into a fit of giggles at the moment.

Iida and Tokoyami followed not long after, which was once again very logical in Izuku's eyes. Speed was Iida's entire thing and Dark Shadow was a great partner when it came to supporting Tokoyami and helping him through those obstacles, Izuku could practically visualize the various ways they likely worked together.

Sixth place managed to surprise Izuku, as it was a B Class student who arrived, a girl with an expression that Izuku struggle to read and hair that seemed to be composed entirely of thorny vines, that certainly looked useful, and he was itching to pick her brain about the exact mechanics.

Perhaps he'd get the chance to in the near future if today panned out the way he was hoping.

More and more of his classmates arrived, as well as other B Class students. Obviously only one of them could get first place, but he was proud of just how many of them actually placed in the top twenty.

Fifteen of them had placed that high, though it hadn't been someone from their class, or even from their sister class, who made it in twentieth place, it had actually been Shinso. 

And right behind him was Ochako, who had a very concerned expression on her face, something Izuku felt like he should address in a second.

Though seeing Mei come in shortly after Ochako made Izuku smile, the inventor had a broad grin on her face, even while her body was coated in soot.

"Looks like someone had a blast out there. Literally."

Okay, that one was kinda dumb, but it wound up finding itself in "so bad it's good" territory and earned Fifth some laughs from Izuku and a couple of the other vestiges.

Speaking of funny, Izuku had to admit that watching Yaomomo unknowingly carry Mineta in on her back had been kind of hilarious, even if he felt a little bad for the embarrassed heiress who failed to notice until she was already over the finish line. At the very least it seems like Mineta made sure to keep contact with his female classmate to a minimum and apologized to her afterwards. Yaomomo seemed to ultimately drop the issue, so Izuku's glad that the two of them still seemed to be getting along well enough.

"Are you feeling alright, Ochako?" While students continued to slowly pour in, Izuku approached his friend to check how she was doing.

Ochako blinked at him in confusion, a look of discomforted embarrassment crossing her face as she scratched the back of her head. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. I think I just zoned out there for a bit. I don't even remember how I got past the second obstacle." She admitted.

Izuku tilted his head in confusion at that. How odd. He then had a brief flashback to when he saw her during the Second Obstacle and the thought that had flashed through his mind. With a slight blush on his face, he looked away from her, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"What happened is that after you helped that guy from the Reserve Course get across, you just left the rest of us high and dry." Whined Kaminari, who had been standing nearby while they talked, as he wiped some sweat from his forehead using the back of his wrist.

Ochako's brows furrowed as she looked over at their blond classmate. "I did? Seriously?"

"You don't remember?" Asked Jirou, who had been next to Kaminari. "He asked you to help and after a bit of back and forth you just kind of… did, and then you left the three of us to fend for ourselves." She explained as she used an index finger to gesture at Kaminari and herself while using one of her Jacks to point at Kouda.

Ochako maintained a concerned expression as she brought a hand up to her mouth. "That is so weird… I don't remember that at all. Sorry guys."

"Eh, it's whatever." Said Kaminari with a shrug. "Still was a race after all, maybe you just dipped because you realized you had spent too much time helping others? I mean thanks to purple guy over there you didn't even make the top twenty. Hope that wasn't the cutoff…" Now it was his and Jirou's turn to be concerned, they'd both placed in the mid to late twenties after all.

"Doubtful." Chimed in Izuku, who'd up until this point been keeping his eye on Shinso as he watched the Reserve Course seemingly blend into the crowd. "We have two more rounds after the race to do still so they can't cut it down to that few that fast, they'll need sixteen just for the final round. The preliminary usually leaves about a fifth of the contestants in so everyone who placed before the mid forties should be in the clear."

That seemed to be the thing he needed to say to take the stress off his friends' minds as they all simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright folks!" Announced Midnight into her microphone. "Time to announce the top forty two students who'll be moving to the next round! Mic, if you'd be so kind?" She raised up and snapped her fingers, then the monitor changed listing forty two numbered spaces. The spots started filling in with names as well as pictures of the competing students next to them. The results were as shown:

MidoriyaTodorokiBakugouIidaTokoyamiShiozakiKirishimaSeroHonenukiOjiroAsuiTetsutetsuShoujiSatouAwaseYaoyorozuMinetaKaibaraAshidoShinsoUrarakaTsuburabaHatsumeKoudaJirouBondoKaminariHagakureYanagi KendoShishidoKuroiroKodaiRin ShodaKomori KamakiriMonomaTsunotoriTokageFukidashiAoyamaSeeing Aoyama just barely qualify made Izuku breathe his own sigh of relief. While he respected his sparkly classmate's choice to abstain from group training, that didn't make him any less concerned about his chances to move to the next round, and after seeing the state the poor boy was in, clutching his stomach as it ached from Quirk exhausting, he didn't want all that effort to have been for nothing.

"If your name is on this list, congratulations for surviving the first round, and for the rest of you who fell short, you kids should still be proud for giving it your all." Commended Midnight with a smile, before giving the crowd of round two participants a grin. "Now then, it's time for things to get really fun! The Press'll be jumping out of their seats for this next event, so don't look away!"

As the wheel of round two events went for a whirl on screen, Izuku brought a hand up to his mouth as he quickly ran through a list of potential events and what sort of means and methods he'd have to rely on should they be chosen. When the Second event was selected, he couldn't help but smirk as he read the name on the monitor, "Cavalry Battle."

"Somebody's excited."

'Of course.' Replied Izuku as he half listened to Midnight explain the rules. 'This event will be a prime chance to show off to the Pros our ability to work with others. All Might might've been an island in the field and in battle, but even he had people who he relied upon for support. Plus when it comes to my other ambitions this event will be a boon because of just who I plan to work with.'

"Oh right, I guess you wound up winning your bet with her…"

"Can it really be a bet if the chances of success were basically guaranteed?"

"Well as long as we don't tell her that, we should be fine." 

Izuku nodded his head. 'That's right, and what's more, thanks to the chosen event I know everyone's eyes'll be on me.'

"What makes you think that?"

"-Five, at the bottom, going upwards." Said Midnight, who'd been continuing her explanation while Izuku conversed with the vestiges. "Aaall the way to first place, which'll be worth a grand total of… Ten Million Points!"

"Wait, what?"

Izuku did his best to keep his smirk restrained as he suddenly felt forty one pairs of eyes slowly turn and focus their attention onto him.

"…Y'know Izuku, when you said everyone's eyes would be on you, I thought you were being poetic."

"Did you plan for this to happen?"

'Not really.' Admitted Izuku. 'I chased after first because I wanted to win, no more and no less. The Cavalry Battle is just one of the more convenient options for Round Two.'

"Kid, you're insane."

'I thought we'd established this already.'

"I thought we'd established that already."

There was a beat of silence before Izuku and his predecessors began to snicker.

"Um, Deku?" The sound of a familiar voice from behind him brought Izuku back to reality.

"Ochako?" Izuku turned around to see his friend standing before him, tapping her index fingers together with an awkward expression on her face.

"I was thinking-" However before she could convey whatever it was she wanted to say to Izuku, a very loud and cheery voice cut her off.

"IIIZUKUUU!" Izuku let out an "oof" sound as a pink blur collided with him at nearly Mach speed, sending them both tumbling and rolling across the grassy field.

"Deku!?" Exclaimed Ochako from the distance as she started jogging towards them.

Izuku groaned as he felt a familiar softened pressing into his face. Opening one of his eyes, he saw the face of Mei Hatsume smiling down at him. "Mei." He said calmly, his voice slightly muffled.

"Izuku." She responded, her expression never wavering.

"Could you get off me before your chest smothers me?"

"Can you agree to being my teammate?"

"I take it you want to take advantage of the fact that every other team will be after my ten million points as an opportunity to show off your babies?"

"You know me so well!"

"Fine. Honestly I was planning to approach you anyways."

Mei's smile bloomed into a full blown manic grin as she moved herself off of his face, now opting to sit on his stomach. "Perfect! I'm gonna show the whole world just how amazing my babies really are thanks to you!" She declared proudly with her hands on her hips.

Izuku couldn't help but chuckle, though that laughter quickly died down when a familiar, and much more stern, voice addressed him.

"Midoriya." Izuku craned his neck to see Itsuka Kendo standing behind where he and Mei were at on the ground, staring down at him with a neutral expression. "I'm here to make good on our deal. Though if you'd rather simply continue to cuddle your… girlfriend on the ground, I can find someone else to work with."

Izuku's eyes bugged out at that. "I- Me- Hatsume isn't my girlfriend!" He exclaimed in embarrassment as his face started to turn red.

Mei looked over at Izuku quizzically. "Wait, we're not friends?"

That actually threw him off balance. "Wh- of course we're friends! I'm just saying that you aren't my girlfriend. I don't want Kendo to come to the wrong conclusions about our relationship!"

Mei let out a thoughtful hum, bringing a hand up to her chin. "But wait, I'm your friend, and I'm a girl… so wouldn't that make me your girlfriend? Unless you somehow managed to think that I was a boy this whole time?"

"Trust me kid, I'm pretty sure he's well aware of the fact that you're a girl."

Ignoring the unhelpful input from Fifth, followed by the sounds of him angrily complaining at Seventh for punching him in the back of his head, Izuku sighed as he scooped Mei into his arms bridal style before standing up and placing her onto her feet, a feat of casual strength that impressed the many onlookers to this exchange. "Mei, we can have this conversation later, we have a competition to win."

Mei had a serious look in her eyes as she nodded her head at Izuku. "Gotcha, and speaking of competition…" She suddenly grabbed one of Izuku's arms and hugged it to her chest while glaring at Kendo. "You'd better watch yourself sword girl! Izuku here's my partner! I won't let you take him!"

"Sword girl?" Asked Kendo in confusion.

Izuku's blush returned with a vengeance as he tried to pull his arm free from the inventor girl's grasp. "M-Mei, it's not like that!" He exclaimed before taking a breath and calming himself a bit. "This is a team event, unless you plan to have one of us ride on the other's shoulders, we need teammates." After taking a moment to think, he then said, "Also, she's from the Hero course, same as me. She's not going to 'take me from you' or anything. You're still my one and only when it comes to Support."

Mei stared at Kendo for a couple more seconds with narrowed eyes before giving the orange haired girl a smile while extending her hand to her. "Fine then, welcome aboard teammate."

With the face of a woman who was regretting all of her life choices that had led her up to this moment, Kendo sighed and took Mei's hand, shaking it.

"Kendo, what the hell!?" And it looked like Kendo's regrets were piling up from the look on her face as all three of them turned towards the sound of the voice, a blond boy from Kendo's class. "Why are you teaming up with that 1A Bastard!? That wasn't what we agreed to!"

"We didn't agree to anything Monoma! You just planted ideas in our classmates' heads and have been doing your best to perpetuate a pointless animosity!" Snapped back Kendo with a glare. "Midoriya and I made a bet, since I lost I'm fulfilling my end of the deal and joining his team." She then turned her attention to the rest of her classmates who were watching this exchange. "Honestly maybe some of you should give working with 1A a try, it seems pretty clear they're not as bad as some peoplehave been trying to get us to think."

The blond flinched, feeling just a little, and very justly, targeted by that last statement. At their class president's words, a few members of 1B started exchanging glances and wandering off, attempting to intermingle with students from their sister class.

After a few seconds of watching this happen, Monoma let out a frustrated noise. "Fine then! Change of plans! Tetsutetsu, Kamakiri, over here!" He called. Two of 1B's students, the guy with the weird eyelashes that'd confronted their class two weeks ago and a boy with green hair and bug-like features jogged towards the blond of 1B.

Kendo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "He never rests. I'd admire his drive if he didn't put it towards such unimportant endeavors." Izuku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Somehow he felt like he could relate to that.

"Deku…" Izuku's eyes widened as he was suddenly reminded that there had been a fourth person there who he had largely ignored up until this point.

Turning around, he saw Ochako standing there with an unreadable expression. She slowly reached her hands up and cracked her knuckles before a grin that didn't reach her eyes formed on her face. "You'd better be willing to give it your all, because I sure as hell don't plan on losing!"

"Eh?"

Before he could question what she meant by that, Ochako turned on her heel and started walking towards Kacchan, who seemed to be discussing something with Kirishima and Tsu. 'What just happened?'

"Oh adolescence, how I've missed thee."

"Way to make yourself sound old."

"You're older than me, so feel free to keep throwing those stones from inside that glass house of yours."

Okay, they're choosing not to be helpful it seems… "We still need a fourth." Said Izuku.

"You called?"

"Your Quirk will make for a great defensive measure, method of counterattacking, and even a means of support," Continued Izuku, choosing to breeze right past Fourth's interjection, "and Me- Hatsume's ba- inventions will absolutely be an asset, but I still feel like with one last teammate, our formation will be complete."

"Good luck inviting someone else to join." Replied Kendo, crossing her arms. "Unlike Todoroki and Bakugou, people aren't exactly clamoring to join your team."

"Well being worth over a million points is bound to put a target on their backs if they sided with me after all." Admitted Izuku with a weak chuckle. "I mean, you're only here out of obligation and Hatsume's here to use the Festival as a giant advertisement commercial for her inventions." Kendo didn't seem to be all that interested in rebuking his statement. "You wouldn't suppose there's someone from your class who'd be willing to take that risk, right? Because I'm pretty sure the one from mine just left…"

Kendo shook her head. "I don't think so. I've definitely got reliable classmates, but I'm not entirely sure if… is that Shoda?" Whatever she was going to say was cut short as her eyes narrowed in confusion while she seemed to be looking at something.

Izuku and Mei both turned their heads to see 1B's vice president as he seemed to be trailing after that Shinso guy from 1B. He wasn't the only one either, Aoyama and Ojiro were following him tol. "Wow, your friend's got quite the flat face. It's like he's dead to the world around him." Commented Mei before squinting her eyes. "Huh, so are the other two hero students for that matter."

"Is that right…?" Mumbled Izuku. "Excuse me for one moment, I think I just found what we're looking for."

"What do you-" Itsuka wanted to say something but didn't get the chance to finish before Midoriya suddenly took off. "…mean by that?" The inventor girl next to her giggled. "Is something funny?"

She shook her head in response, a much more… normal looking smile on her face as she watched Midoriya's back. "Oh nothing, it just looks like Izuku's about to do something insane for the sake of someone else again."

Itsuka raised an eyebrow at her, and then suddenly thought about the brown haired girl from 1A who had made that odd declaration a moment ago. Then she came to a realization. "Huh, didn't expect the 1A President to be such a ladies man."

"Wait, Izuku is both a lady and a man?" Asked the inventor.

That's when Itsuka decided to jog after her teammate.

So far things had gone exactly as Hitoshi had wanted. He had managed to clear the first round, being creative with his Quirk for those watching without clueing any of the muscle headed brutes who were riding on their flashy Quirks onto how his ability worked.

And now he managed to get some of the other Hero students that nobody seemed to give any attention under his Quirk, which meant that if he could play his cards right he'd be moving to the third round easily enough and could prove that even someone with a Quirk like his could be a Hero.

However when he heard three loud smacking sounds in quick succession, he had the sinking feeling that all his plans had immediately fallen through.

Hitoshi turned his head to see that green kid from 1A standing between him and the ones he'd been controlling just moments ago, all of whom were now holding the backs of their heads and looking around in confusion, free from his Quirk's hold.

"'Shinso.'" Said the Hero kid, "Containing the characters for 'mind' and 'manipulate.' Your Quirk is mind control, I presume?"

The other three students flinched at that, seemingly coming to the understanding that they'd been had. Shinso grit his teeth but remained calm and thought about his options. He could try to use Brainwash on the green one, but given that he already seemed to have figured out his Quirk it was unlikely he'd fall for it, and even if he did he now had at least three others backing him up who could either wake him up for just beat the shit out of him.

Alright, time to negotiate. "So then, what do you want? Here to blackmail me into dropping out?"

"I-" Before Broccoli Head could respond, the monkey covered his mouth with his tail.

"Don't, that's how he gets you." Shinso grimaced, this felt painfully familiar.

What was unfamiliar to him was how Greebie reacted, looking at his classmate before gently reaching up and pulling his tail away. "Don't worry Ojiro, I think Shinso wants to talk, not use his Quirk on me."

The monkey, Ojiro, looked at Greenie, glared at Hitoshi, and then looked back at his classmate before sighing and stepping back with his arms crossed. "Fine then."

"Midoriya!" Just then, the orange haired girl from the B Class showed up, with that crazed inventor girl close behind her. "What I'd miss?"

"Shinso, I'd like you to join my team."

What?

"What?" Asked the B Class Girl.

"What?!" Exclaimed Ojiro.

"What?" Asked Hitoshi.

All the inventor girl did was fucking laugh.

Chapter 38: "Looks like the fun's just getting started…"

After sending Aoyama, Shoda, and Ojiro away, reminding them that they still had to find their own teams, Izuku turned his focus back onto Shinso. "Now then, would you like to join my team? I know that you probably don't want to deal with having that ten million point target on your back, but I think you'd be a great asset to our team."

Shinso's tired eyes moved from Izuku, then to look at Mei and Kendo standing behind him. One was smiling excitedly and the other was tiredly standing there with her arms crossed.

No points for guessing which was which.

"Do I really have a say in the matter?" Asked Shinso drily.

Izuku tilted his head at the question. "I mean, yes? You can say no if you want." He actually sounded a little saddened at the implication that Shinso didn't want to work with him.

Unbeknownst to him, the smile on Mei's face became a lot more unsettling as she practically stared into Shinso's soul, something that made both Kendo and Shinso sweat nervously. The former even decided to take a small sidestep to put some distance between her and the unhinged inventor, while the latter was unfortunately stuck in place like a deer caught in headlights.

After awkwardly coughing into his fist, Shinso turned his focus back onto Izuku. "Well I really can't go to anyone else at this point, I doubt I'd have the time or luck to get three more people under my Quirk now that you've managed to wake up my initial 'teammates.'" He said tiredly. "Honestly I'm just amazed the star student of the Hero Course would be willing to expend a precious slot on his team for some Gen Ed student with a 'villainous Quirk.'"

"'Villainous Quirk?'" Izuku parroted back in minor disbelief, his eyes widened as he stared at Shinso.

Shinso raised an eyebrow at him before pointing a finger at himself, "Uh, hello? Brainwashing Quirk? Doesn't exactly scream 'Heroic' does it?"

Izuku's expression of disbelief shifted to one of annoyance. "Are you serious!? Anyone who's stupid enough to call your Quirk 'villainous' is a god damn dumbass." 

It was Kendo and Shinso's turn to stare with wide eyes as the baby-faced President of 1A revealed himself to actually have a bit of a potty mouth, even Mei seemed slightly surprised by this revelation.

"Shinso, think about the number of ways your Quirk could be used. Catching a villain off guard with it would allow you to make them immediately surrender, bypassing the risks of someone getting hurt. And I know that if there's ever a hostage negotiation going down, you'd be my first pick for who to call." Izuku would've continued to rattle off various applications for Shinso's Quirk if the purple haired boy hadn't decided to raise a hand up in front of his face.

"Alright, alright, I get it, that's enough." He grumbled out, putting his other hand over his face and looking away, far too embarrassed to make eye contact with Izuku at this rate. "You think my Quirk is cool, admittedly a first, but I still don't get why you're so dead set on helping me."

"Isn't it obvious?" Replied Izuku, "You want to be a Hero, right?" Shinso lowered his hands, turning his head to look at Izuku in confusion. Izuku sighed before elaborating. "I'm willing to bet that your Quirk doesn't work on robots, does it?"

Shinso looked down at the grass at that, shaking his head to confirm Izuku's suspicions.

"Thought so. The entrance exam is generally useful for finding those with flashier Quirks that can pack a punch and are good for marketing, but when it comes to more subtle Quirks like yours it falls short." Explained Izuku, bringing a hand up to his chin. "That's probably why events like the Sports Festival exist, it gives General Education Students like you the chance to show what you're made of and attempt to be transferred into the Hero Course." He then set his gaze onto Shinso, leaving the boy feeling like Izuku was staring right through him. "If what you've implied about your life prior to UA is to be believed, then the fact that you're still fighting to be a Hero is a testament to your resolve and desire."

Shinso couldn't meet his gaze, what Izuku was saying was way too embarrassing.

"You could also say that me helping you now is a way of saying thanks for when you helped me all the way back during the day of the entrance exam."

Shinso's brows furrowed as he suddenly looked back at Izuku. "Wait, what?"

Izuku gave him a weak smile. "I suppose you don't remember it since it was only a brief moment, but at the gates to UA on the day of the Entrance Exam I was a bit lost in my head due to… Quirk related things, for simplicity sake. You called out to me and snapped me out of it. If not for you I might've wound up being late to the exam." Izuku's smile morphed into a grin. "So thank you, Shinso. And allow me to return the favor you did by letting me help you show off exactly why your Quirk, and you, are so amazing."

Good god, it was like looking into the sun, Hitoshi had to avert his gaze once again. His focus settled on the 1B girl, who'd been witnessing this whole exchange with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth. It was pretty clear to Hitoshi that this was her first time seeing just how far this Midoriya guy goes for others, so he supposed he could take some solace that he wasn't alone in this madness.

Speaking of madness, the sound of a girl squealing forced him to look back Midoriya's way as that pink haired girl suddenly leapt up and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "You guys see it, right!?" She exclaimed. "This is why I chose Izuku to be the one to help be my muse for creating babies! I knew that even if he never got his Quirk to work, he'd make an amazing Hero!"

There was a beat of silence.

"Wait, what was that about making babies?" Asked the orange girl.

"Wait, what was that about his Quirk?" Asked Hitoshi.

Midoriya sighed, they didn't have time for this so he decided to keep it brief. "She refers to her inventions as babies." He explained, pointing at Hatsume. He then pointed at himself, "My Quirk was too strong for my body to handle so I effectively grew up Quirkless. The first time I used it was during the entrance exam."

The pair of students both stared at him, seemingly trying to process this abrupt bombshell. Midoriya decided it was time to shift them back onto the right track. "Mei, you wouldn't happen to have a baby that can alter a person's voice, would you?"

Hatsume stared at him blankly. "Izuku, you realize that a baby like that would be super situational and is something that a support engineer is very unlikely to have on hand, right?" There was a beat of silence before she grinned at him, suddenly pulling a strange mouth guard looking device seemingly from the aether. "Obviously I've got one on hand."

Midoriya formed a grin that mirrored Hatsume's as the two began to go over her inventory of inventions so that he could come up with a game plan.

While those two were doing… that, Hitoshi decided to turn his attention to the only other sane member of his team. "So I've gotta ask, how did you get roped into this nonsense?"

Itsuka watched Midoriya and Hatsume continue to be lost in their own little world before sighing and turning to look at Shinso, "Well…"

After a chop to the back of Monoma's neck calmed him down, Itsuka and Midoriya made their way into the hallway outside of 1B's Classroom. "So, how can I help the President of Class 1A, Midoriya?" Midoriya gave an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "Well I…" He responded, before trailing off and narrowing his eyes. "Quick question, does one of your Classmates have a Quirk that can be useful for espionage?"

Itsuka blinked at him. "What does that-?" She suddenly understood his question as her own eyes narrowed. She quickly slammed the door to her classroom open and settled her gaze on Setsuna's desk, feeling her annoyance rise as she saw her friend's headless body sitting there.

Her head then slowly tilted backwards to look up at the ceiling, seeing her classmate's head staring down at her with a sheepish grin. "Listen," She said defensively, "When a boy suddenly arrives in our classroom and asks to see our Prez, can you blame a girl for trying to get herself some juicy gossip material."

Rather than dignify her weak attempt at a defense with a response, Itsuka turns her attention to Ibara. "Shiozaki, kindly explain to Tokage the immorality of spying on friends and betraying their trust." She said flatly.

Ibara clasped her hands together as a radiant light manifested to shine on her. "As you wish President Kendo, I will gladly educate Tokage in the error of her ways."

"Hey wait, c'mon, isn't that a bit much Prez?" Asked Setsuna nervously. Itsuka said nothing, simply closing the door and leaving Setsuna to her fate.

Turning her attention to Midoriya, Itsuka said, "Come on Midoriya, let's move somewhere with fewer prying eyes and ears."

Midoriya blinked as he seemed to be taking in the behaviors of her classmates in stride before nodding his head. "Does the gym work?"

With a nod of her head, Itsuka allowed Midoriya to lead the way.

Changed into their gym uniforms and standing in one of the many gymnasiums in UA, Itsuka turned to address the green haired president of 1A. "So, one more time, what can I do to help you Midoriya?"

"There's a schism that's formed between our classes as a byproduct of the U.S.J. incident." Said Midoriya calmly. The choice in subject certainly wasn't one that Itsuka was expecting. Midoriya wasn't done talking either. "I suppose it's unsurprising that your class would feel rather overlooked because of everything that happened. Not only is there the initial stigma of our class's names being A and B implying that ours takes some sort of priority, but there's now the fact our class survived a villain attack, making everyone else in our year turn their eyes onto my class and leaving yours largely ignored. The fact that even one of your own classmates came to check us out speaks volumes."

Itsuka sighed and rubbed her temples. "So Monoma chose to actually go through with that… I know Tetsutetsu wants to see the best in his classmate but would it kill him to realize when he's being a poor influence?" She asked aloud.

Midoriya winced at that a little. "Yeah, it doesn't help that the first of my classmates he spoke to left a rather… poor impression."

"You have your own loud and obnoxious blond who demands to be the center of attention?" Asked Itsuka.

"I've known him since we were kids. He's a good guy once you get past the ego… and the hair trigger temper." Explained Midoriya with a weak chuckle.

"You have my sympathies." Replied the 1B President with a sigh. "Now then, back on topic, I take it you're here to propose some way to bury the hatchet?"

"In a sense." Replied Midoriya. "I want to show that not only can Class A and B stand as equals, but also be capable of working together, and the Sports Festival will be the perfect opportunity."

Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening…"

"The first round serves mainly as a means to trim the fat in the competition and let the students show off creative applications of their Quirks, only about a fifth of the first years, primarily the first years plus a few from other classes, will make it to round two. That's when this plan comes in." Explained Midoriya. After double checking Itsuka's expression to make sure she was still following him, he continued, "Round Two is almost always some sort of team event, I want to work with you."

Itsuka pondered that offer. "That's quite a tall order, Midoriya." She said. Midoriya said nothing, he simply stared at her with an unreadable expression as she waited for her to elaborate. "Not only do you not really know what kind of event will be occurring in the Second Round, meaning you're leaving this plan entirely to chance, but there's still the simple fact that as 1B's President, making a plan to work with the quote unquote 'enemy' could negatively affect their trust in me. You can understand my hesitation, right? Especially when it comes to placing my trust in someone I honestly barely know."

"So then how about a spar?"

"Eh?" Itsuka wasn't expecting that kind of response.

"A spar." Replied Midoriya nonchalantly. "As a martial artist, I suppose an exchange of blows would be an excellent means of learning about someone?"

"How did you know I…?" Itsuka had no idea how he could've possibly known that she was someone who trained in martial arts.

"Well knowing how to properly fight is a great means of augmenting your Quirk, which you were kind enough to share with me the day we met." Explained Midoriya. "That coupled with the way you hold yourself helped me come to that conclusion. Of course it was purely speculation until you confirmed it for me. Thank you for that Kendo."

Itsuka was actually a little unnerved at that. Midoriya was a smart person, far more intelligent than his unassuming face and demeanor would allow one to believe. She was starting to understand why 1A had chosen him as their leader as opposed to someone who seemed more reliable on the surface like Yaoyorozu.

"How about this, we can also make a wager." Suggested Midoriya, pulling Itsuka out of her head and back into reality. "If I can place first in the preliminary round, as well as if my speculation about the nature of the second round gets proven right, you'll accept my offer to work together. Does that sound fair?"

Itsuka considered the offer. The odds that Midoriya would actually succeed were so unbelievably stacked against him it almost felt like he was guaranteed to fail. And yet she couldn't see a hint of doubt or hesitation on his face. "Why are you so committed to this?" She had to wonder.

Midoriya smiled at her. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked. "It's because…"

"'…It's because he wants both of our classes to strive towards our dreams of heroism together.'" Said Itsuka calmly, crossing her arms as she finished her memory of her and Midoriya's encounter in the gym. Honestly a part of her was partially disappointed that they hadn't wound up sparring after all, she had the feeling that the way Midoriya fights would've been a spectacle to behold.

"Good to know our rider has a track record of insane stunts like this." Said Shinso tiredly as he watched Midoriya and Hatsume continue to talk together at a mile a minute. "I can't tell if he's a genius, a prophet, or just insane."

"Most likely, unlikely, and almost with complete certainty." Replied Itsuka drily, earning a weak chuckle from Shinso.

"Alright guys." Said Midoriya, turning his head to look at the gossiping duo, "Come gather round so we can start talking strategy. I've been ironing out which pieces of support gear will help us in the battle, now we need to suit up before it starts."

"Coming Midoriya." Said Itsuka with a tired chuckle as she approached the President of 1A, doing her best to mentally prepare herself for the ride she was about to be taken on.

"Your fifteen minutes are up!" Called Midnight-Sensei as she did a couple stretches with her arms in order to loosen up her shoulders. "Time to get started."

"Wakey Wakey Eraser." Came Present Mic's voice coupled with the sound of his hand smacking something from the speakers. "The students have formed their twelve teams and are about to take to the field."

"Hmm… interesting…" Hummed Aizawa-Sensei, "I'm curious to see what they'll do with these teams."

"Let's hear a battle cry everyone!" Called out Present Mic. "Here comes the starting signal!"

"Mei, Kendo, Shinso, are you guys ready for this?" Asked Izuku as he fastened his Ten Million, Two Hundred, and Eighty Point Headband to his forehead while the crowd let out excited cries and cheers, excited to see Forty Two different Quirks begin to fly.

"Mhm!" Mei let out a pleased hum from his right side as she nodded her head.

"Of course!" Said Kendo from the front, a determined look on her face as she stared down the other eleven teams.

"This better work, Midoriya." Said Shinso from his left, his voice coming through the mask Mei had given him clear as day.

"Blood begets blood in the UA Grand Match!"Declared Present Mic.

"Ready…" Called Midnight-Sensei, raising her whip into the air, "Begin!" It came down with a crack, signaling the students that it was time to charge.

And all eleven teams charged right at team Midoriya.

"No hard feelings, Midoriya, but I still really wanna win!" Called Tooru as she rode atop Jirou, Kouda, and Satou. Izuku couldn't help but make a face as he realized her entire upper body was invisible save for her headband. Seeing how uncomfortable her riders looked only confirmed his suspicions. He had to admire her determination, or perhaps shamelessness, to be willing to do something like this on live TV.

"Forgive me Lord for choosing to single out a common target, but I must claim that headband for my companions!" Shiozaki of Class B murmured loudly with her hands clasped and a familiar radiant light shining down upon her and her three riders, named Kamakiri, Tetsutetsu, and Tokage by Kendo, the second one being the one Izuku recognized as the Class B Student who confronted his class back then.

"We've got two teams coming at us at once." Said Izuku, "Get ready to move!" 

"Make that a third at four o'clock!" Called Shinso.

Izuku and Kendo's heads turned to see a third team charging their way, with Shoda from class B as their rider and two guys and a girl from Kendo's class that Izuku didn't recognize. One was wearing a headband, the other had pale skin and no lips, leaving his teeth completely exposed. The girl had silver hair and bangs that covered one of her eyes.

"That's Honehuki! We need to get going before we're immobilized!" Said Kendo urgently.

Izuku nodded his head as he flexed his fingers. "Alright then. Mei, it's time to see what these babies of yours can do!" He shouted as he then pointed both of his arms at forty five degree angles towards the ground. 'Sixth's Quirk…' He thought to himself before shouting, "Smokescreen!"

Suddenly, two large burst of a purple haze shot from his hands, augmented by the brand new gloves the Mei had gifted him, and the group was quickly enveloped, now obscured from their competitor's line of sight, causing all three fast approaching teams to come to a halt.

"Drat, can't see a thing…" Said the boy with no lips as his team stared into the smokescreen.

"Delaware Smash…" Came a voice from inside the smoke, making all horses back up as they recognized the name of that technique at this point. "Air Force!"

From the smoke Team Midoriya rocketed out, with their initial propulsion offered by Izuku's technique, and their momentum and control maintained thanks to the rocket boots being worn by the two back horses.

Team Shoda attempted to move, but they weren't fast enough to dodge. All Honehuki could do was stare with wide eyes as the underside of Kendo's boot connected with his face.

The team was so focused on simply maintaining their balance that they weren't able to prevent Izuku from swiping their headband, adding an additional Four Hundred and Twenty Points to their score.

"Nice."

"Not the time man."

"What, would you rather I make nine references?"

"Sorry guys, I hope there's no hard feelings?" Came Kendo's voice.

"That fuckin' hurt Class Prez."

"I think Monoma has some hard feelings towards you."

"It is a competition at the end of the day, don't blame yourself for trying to win."

"I can't say I completely approve of your choice of teammates." Admitted Shoda. He likely would've said more if not for the fact all four members of Team Shoda's expressions abruptly went blank.

Shinso reached up and pressed a button on his mask. "Leave us be and continue trying to take headbands from the enemy teams." He ordered in his normal voice. Silently the four Class B Students rushed off.

"Good job Shino." Said Izuku, not receiving a proper reply from the Gen Ed student beyond a grunt and a nod. Izuku looked down towards his front horse. "I hope you aren't too bothered by going against your friends."

Kendo shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like I'm the only one going against their friends here. It's nothing personal. And honestly with how he was at the start of the year I think Honehuki kinda needed that kick."

Izuku elected against requesting an elaboration there instead turning towards the all too familiar sound of an explosion. He let out a nervous chuckle he stated, "Sounds like Kacchan's having fun out there."

There was then a sound of maniacal laughter. "Monoma too." Deadpanned Kendo.

"Uh, guys, we've got company…" Said Mei. The rider and front horse turned to see the heterochromatic eyes of Todoroki staring their team down.

"Good Grief." Said Izuku as he tugged at his headband. "Looks like the fun's just getting started…"

Chapter 39: "I won't lose."

Katsuki held a hand up to his chin as he listened to the extras amongst his class describe their Quirks to him while Tsu and Stupid Hair stood at his sides, waiting for him to select their fourth.

Now, did he know their Quirks by this point?

Yes.

Did he also find the chance to fuck with them funny as hell?

Also yes.

Besides he was actually still contemplating who to select and honestly the more time he made them waste trying to win him or the Icyhot Bastard over, the harder they'd have to scramble to form teams amongst themselves, which would also be funny as hell.

"Oi, Bakugou." Katsuki raised an eyebrow as the crowd was forced to make way as Uraraka suddenly forced her way through. She had that same look on her face the day that the Sports Festival was announced, which definitely made Katsuki more than a little curious. Soon enough she was standing right in front of him. She then reached forward and grabbed his shirt before speaking with an almost menacing expression, "Team up with me."

"Hah?" Asked Katsuki. "The fuck're you doin' over here Round Face? I figured you of all people would be fuckin' clamoring to team with Deku. The damn nerd end up rejecting you or something?"

The word "rejecting" earned Katsuki an eye twitch from Uraraka as her head slowly turned to glare at something across the field.

Following her gaze Katsuki could see Deku chatting it up with some pink girl covered in gadgets and some extra from the other Hero Class. Damn, there must be one hell of a story there, especially with the way the nerd just set his sights on that Extra from the course literally made for Extras.

"I won't lose." Said Uraraka stubbornly. "And if that means that I've gotta work with your asocial ass then so be it. I know you've got a better shot than most to make it to Round Three and I'll take you over Todoroki that's for sure."

Katsuki barked out a laugh. "Well at least you've got good enough taste in teammates! I would've kicked your ass to the curb faster than you could say 'Plus Ultra' if you hadn't come to me first!" He then narrowed his eyes at her. "Still, I need some solid proof that you can actually be useful and that you're not just gonna be dead weight."

Uraraka said nothing at first, instead she moved her hand from his shirt and pressed it into his face, pushing upwards as his gravity got removed.

"The fuck-!?" He said angrily, but stopped when he felt her grab his pant leg before he could get too high.

"You like to fly around using your Quirk right?" She asked with her head tilted. "Imagine how fast you could fly without gravity dragging you down. And that's just from me using my Quirk on you." With a sharp tug she brought him back down to the ground before swiftly deactivating her Quirk. "Need anything else or will this do for our interview?"

Katsuki glared at her for a second before smirking. "Using your Quirk on me just to prove a point. I'll admit, you've got more balls than most of the guys in our class. Alright Uraraka, you're in." Looking over her head, he gave a glare to those amongst their class who'd stayed to watch their conversation. "Alright you damn Extras, team slots're filled so you lot can piss off!"

The remaining students of 1A all grumbled as they slinked off in an attempt to find other potential teammates to work with.

Just then Dunce Face came jogging up. "Heyyy there Bakubro, would you be willing to be a pal and let your good buddy Kaminari onto the team?"

"Too little too late Jamming-Whey." Said Earlobes drily as she passed him.

"Goood DAMMIT!" Cried Dunce Face in anguish as he fell to his hands and knees.

Katsuki rolled his eyes before looking at his teammates. "Alright you fuckin' clowns, let's talk strategy."

Tsu then looked at Uraraka and Stupid Hair, "Congrats on getting Bakuchan to say your name, Ochako, ribbit."

Uraraka grinned at her. "Oh yeah, he did use my name didn't he?"

Dumb Hair clenched his face. "Bakubro still insists on calling me 'Shitty Hair,' even though our hairstyles aren't even that different!" In an attempt to prove a point, he pointed at his head and then at Katsuki's.

"You'll get there someday Kirishima, ribbit. I'm pretty sure Bakuchan's just being a Tsundere about it at this point."

Okay, now Katsuki could feel his eye twitching in annoyance. He reached out and placed his hands on Tsu and Stupid Hair's heads. "Alright dickheads, less flapping your lips and more opening your ears. Here's how it's gonna go…"

"We've got incoming!" Shouted Uraraka.

"Harden Hair for Brains!" Ordered Katsuki as he sparked up both of his palms just in time to obliterate the projectiles flying through the air. They seemed to be… horns?

He then shifted his gaze to see the massive form of the Octopus running towards his team. "What the hell!?" Exclaimed Dumb Hair. "I thought this was a Cavalry Battle, but all I'm seeing is a single horse!"

"Shit!" Came a high pitched voice from within the tent that the Octopus was making with his arms. "[Let's try that again] Shouji! We'll show those A Class Bastard's who's in charge!"

"A mouth on this one…" Said Katsuki drily as comically large drops of sweat appeared on the heads of his riders.

"Grape Rush!" Suddenly a barrage of purple balls came flying from the Octopus's arm tent.

"Damn!" Said Katsuki before ordering, "Uraraka, Zero Gravity on the horse, now!"

"Right!" A few swift smacks later, and their team had become weightless.

"Fuck OOOFF!" With a blast from his Quirk, Katsuki sent his team up, up, and away fast enough to avoid Fruit Bowl's Balls.

"Two minutes in and the battlefield's already descended into chaos! At this point it's not just the Ten Million Point Headband that's being targeted, team's are scrambling to get their hands on the other top placers' points too!"Shouted Loudmouth-Sensei over the loudspeaker.

Katsuki scoffed as he suddenly pushed himself off of his horse. "Woah, Bakubro, the heck're you-?"

Whatever Kirishima was going to say was cut short when Katsuki shouted, "Tsu, I'm leaving the landing to you, I have some fish to fry." He then grinned as his hands began to glow. "Or maybe it'd be more accurate to say that I'm about to pluck some grapes?"

"Six out of Ten, ribbit." Croaked Tsu drily, making Katsuki scoff.

"Go fuck yourseeelf!" He shouted as he blasted off the horse and flew towards the Octopus.

Being weightless made him fly even faster than he would normally, and before the Octopus salad could react, Katsuki was already standing on the shoulders of the largest student in 1A and aiming one hand into the opening between his arms while the other clung onto one of the Octopus's half dozen triceps for balance. No amount of running or shaking could throw him off either as he peered into the opening with a grin on his face. The wide eyes of both Fruit Bowl as well as the horse looking girl from the B Class stared back at him. "Alrighty you mobile petting zoo." He snarled, "Either you fork over the headband or we find out what my explosions do in an enclosed space."

"[We're not going down that easily!]" Shouted Horse Girl in English as the horns on her head began to spin. Katsuki reacted by setting off a few sparks from his hands.

Before either of them could attack though, Fruit Bowl acted first, placing an arm between him and Horse Girl. "Ease up Pony, Bakugou isn't bluffing and I don't wanna learn the hard way how his Quirk feels at this range." He then used his other hand to tug off his headband.

"What!?" Exclaimed Horse Girl. "[You're giving up like that!?] Monoma was right! 1A's full of weenies!"

Fruit Bowl said nothing as he held the Three Hundred Point Headband out for Katsuki to take. Just as he was about to reach out for it though, he paused as he came to a realization. He quickly reached behind his head and fired an explosion, earning him a yelp of pain as the Octopus retracted the extra limb he'd grown and had used to reach for Katsuki's Six Hundred and Fifty Point Headband.

"Fire Pony!" Shouted Fruit Bowl. Katsuki quickly crouched, just barely taking the brunt of one of Horse Girl's horns, which instead simply grazed his shoulder. He swung a foot forward, kicking Fruit Bowl in the face and snatching his headband before blasting off, narrowly avoiding another horn being fired his way.

He didn't even have the time to search for where his teammates were before something long, wet, and pink sudden wrapped around his waist and tugged on him, pulling him straight onto his horse once more.

"Quite the wild gamble, ribbit." Commented Tsu as Katsuki resituated himself.

"Not reckless if you know what you're doing and you know it'll work." Retorted Katsuki.

Uraraka scoffed at that. "Okay Deku." She said, barely holding back her laughter.

"Cram it before I demote you back down to Round-" Snarled Katsuki, though his retort was cut short when his head jerked to the side with the feeling of something getting yanked off his head.

"Wait just a second!?" Exclaimed Present Mic over the speakers, "Other than Teams Midoriya and Todoroki, Class 1A doesn't seem to be doing so hot, what just happened!?"

"It's quite simple really, Class A…" Came a voice that seemed to just grate at Katsuki's nerves from the sound alone.

"The Hell did he come from!?" Exclaimed Uraraka, eyes wide as she and the rest of the team stared at that loud mouth blond from 1B.

"Gimme that headband back you bastard, I'm gonna blow you…" Katsuki paused for half a second as he got flashbacks to his verbal slip up during the Obstacle Course, "to bits!"

"Nice save…" Said Uraraka flatly.

"So help me god Round Face if you keep talking shit we're gonna find out how well this ride operates with two horses instead of three." Snarled Katsuki as he let one of his hands crackle menacingly, earning him little more than an eye roll in response.

A loud cough drew the bickering duo's attention back to the Blond Bastard, who looked at them with a raised eyebrow before deciding to continue his little monologue. "When Midnight announced the first event, it didn't take a genius to realize that they wouldn't be thinning our numbers that much during the preliminary, just down to a solid forty or so to let all the Hero Students get through, plus a couple extras who either got lucky or were really determined to pull ahead. Lo and behold that prediction came to pass. From there we got the perfect opportunity to hold back and watch our soon to be rivals in action, letting them pull ahead so we could see their Quirks and personalities in action. Of course as a byproduct that meant members of our class wound up with far more… modest placements." He admitted with a shrug.

"Your whole class was in on it…?" Asked Kirishima in shock.

"Bakuchan, ribbit, we've got company…" Said Tsu quietly. Out of the corner of his eye Katsuki could see some B Class Extra riding on the back of a literal beast of a student.

"Well, not all of us, despite my best efforts." Admitted the Blond Bastard. "There are those like the ever virtuous Shiozaki who wished to give the race her all, doing our class proud with that Sixth Place placement." He then frowned as he glared in Deku's direction. "And then there are those who were willing to cooperate before they found themselves falling into the honeyed words of that damned President of yours…" This statement honestly got more of a reaction out of the Blond Bastard's teammates than it did for Team Bakugou, the three of them all mildly cringing at their rider's antics.

"Focus your animosity on the foe in front of you, Monoma." Said the B Class whose entire body was pure black, save for his silver colored hair.

"Oh hey, looks like Class B has one too." Joked Kirishima.

"The loud blond or the brooder in black, ribbit?" Wondered Tsu.

"Yes." Replied Shitty Hair.

"Now that I think about it," Said Blondie as he turned his focus back onto Katsuki, "I suppose Midoriya and the son of the Number Two Hero aren't the only celebrities amongst Class A. We've also got the victim of the sludge villain incident right here. I've gotta wonder what it's like being attacked by villains on a yearly basis, must be nice to have all that spotlight on you and your class, right?"

There was a brief period of time where onwards were spoken, as all three teams simply waited for a response from Katsuki.

The Class B duo flanking Team Bakugou from behind made the first move, as the rider seemed to coat his arms and hands in what seemed to be green scales before swiping at Katsuki, seemingly intending to grab for the headband around his neck.

But Katsuki was faster, grabbing his arm with his left hand and slamming his left elbow into the guy's nose. He then ripped the Hundred and Five point headband off his forehead and fired an explosion off in his face, sending him reeling backwards.

"Tsu. Uraraka. Kirishima." Said Katsuki slowly and methodically as he fasted his second claimed Headband around his neck. "There's going to be a slight change of plans."

"Bakubro?" Asked Kirishima as he looked at Katsuki over his shoulder. Katsuki then interlinked his fingers and loudly cracked all eight while firing off an explosion from each palm. 

"Why's this seem familiar?" Asked Uraraka drily.

Tsu nodded her head, "Deja Vu, ribbit, they really are alike."

"Before we can beat the brakes off of Deku or Icyhot, we're gonna have to murder this Blond Bastard first, understand?" Said Katsuki calmly as an aura of murder practically radiated from his body.

His horses all stared up at him for a moment before he heard Kirishima let out a chuckle. "Well, you're the boss Bakubro." He said.

"Agreed, I'm willing to let Deku have his fun a little longer, first things first we need to knock this guy down a couple dozen pegs." Said Uraraka with a nod.

Blondie gave Team Bakugou a grin as his horses tensed up in preparation for the incoming clash. "Oh? What's this? You're choosing to approach us? Rather than run away and have some fun picking on those you deem as weaker you're choosing to confront your clear superiors head on?" He asked arrogantly.

"I can't murder the shit out of you without getting closer! Now DIIIE!" Roared Katsuki as his team charged the Blond Bastard, who simply laughed like a maniacal super villain while his horses ran towards his own team.

Shoto adjusted his body posture just in time to avoid being jabbed by a blade of grass the size of a giant naginata being held by a black haired girl from Class B before reaching out and grasping it with his right hand, activating his Quirk and causing ice to appear and spread down the length of the blade of grass.

"Ditch it Kodai! Don't let that ice touch you!" Shouted Ojiro, who was acting as the sole horse for Team Kodai.

"Hm!" Hummed Kodai with a nod and a determined look, releasing the grass and her Quirk's hold over it, allowing it to shrink down to its original size.

Whatever counterattack the pair had planned wasn't going to happen though as team Todoroki was faster on the draw, with Yaoyorozu manifesting a pole from her skin that struck Kodai in the stomach, sending her backwards.

If not for Ojiro's quick thinking, gripping her thighs tightly with his hands and using his tail as a third leg to balance them, she likely would've fallen off. Shoto was then quick to swipe her Two Hundred and Fifteen point headband. 

Kodai's arm darted out to counterattack, and Shoto planned to return the favor with his right hand which was letting off frost, but Ojiro was fast enough to push himself upright using his tail before he could freeze Kodai.

"Sero." Instructed Shoto calmly.

"Way ahead of you boss man." Replied Sero as he aimed one of his elbows and fired, his tape wrapping around Ojiro's legs and tripping the tailed teen up.

Mashirao cried out as he fell forwards, time seeming to slow down as the ground rapidly approached. He then looked up and saw Kodai, her eyes wide as her raven black hair fluttered in the wind as they both continued to fall.

He knew he had to act quick to avoid her hitting the ground and their team being disqualified. Thankfully while he couldn't move his legs, his arms were a different story.

Mustering the type of strength born from diligent training in martial arts, Mashirao didn't just lift Kodai over his head, he straight up threw her into the air above him, delaying her fall by a precious few seconds and positioning her over himself.

He grunted as he hit the ground, and then the wind was completely knocked out of him when Kodai landed on his chest. He sat there in silence for a moment before slowly opening his eyes, seeing Kodai sitting on his chest with her back to him, looking at him over her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Asked Mashirao quietly.

Kodai nodded her head.

He followed up with a second question, "Are you touching the ground at all?"

Kodai looked forward, and after a second shook her head.

Mashirao breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. "Alright. Let's take care of this," He said, while moving his tape covered legs to emphasize what he was talking about, "and then get back to work. We're not out until the blond pro sings."

After another beat of silence he saw a Determined look on Kodai's face as she nodded again. "Mhm!"

Hanta looked at Ojiro and that Kodai girl on the ground as Team Todoroki made their get away before the pair could recover from being tripped up. "Damn, lucky guy." He said aloud, although mostly to himself.

"I fail to see how Ojiro could be considered 'lucky' Sero." Replied Iida, looking at Sero briefly over his shoulder. "His rider has lost the only headband they had, and now his legs have been bound. One wrong move while attempting to return to the battle could disqualify them."

"Yeah, true." Replied Hanta with a shrug before grinning, "But at least he got a cute girl to sit on him. If nothing else I'd sure as heck call that a win." Hanta's comment was met with complete silence. After a few seconds he put the pieces together. "Geez, why did I have to be put on a team with three sheltered turbo-virgin rich kids?" He lamented aloud with a sigh as he dropped his head.

"Given that we are minors still, I would greatly hope we were all still virgins." Replied Yaoyorozu. "Additionally-"

"Enough Yaoyorozu." Cut in Todoroki. "Focus on the battle ahead of us, we don't want to risk being caught off guard."

"We'd be at a lot less risk if someone didn't insist on kneecapping himself by using only half his Quirk." Said Hanta flatly. The cold glare that earned him from Todoroki out of the corner of his eye felt more frigid than anything the dude's Quirk had produced so far, and he was on the guy's left side!

Seriously though, he still found it kind of hard to believe he was on this team. He'd considered going to Bakugou to try joining his team, but for some reason when he saw Iida approaching Todoroki, he found himself switching tracks and following after the guy. After that, well…

"Personally I think Sero would make for a spectacular teammate. His Quirk offers methods of range and entrapment towards the enemy that we are otherwise lacking." Insisted Iida, his hands chopping aggressively.

"Kaminari also has a level of range thanks to his Quirk, and I believe the enemy will find it very difficult to move after receiving a couple hundred thousand volts of electricity." Argued Yaoyorozu with her arms crossed.

"But will we not also be susceptible to Kaminari's attack? The technique is named 'Indiscriminate Shock' for a reason after all." Countered Iida.

Yaoyorozu shook her head, "Not if I create an insulated sheet that can protect the three of us when Kaminari launches the attack."

Iida raised an eyebrow at that, "That strategy sounds very high risk, Yaoyorozu. I did not expect that of you, Sero would be the far safer option."

"You don't win by 'playing it safe,' Iida." Replied Yaoyorozu curtly. "Kaminari is the better choice."

"I disagree, Todoroki should pick Sero."

"Kaminari."

"Sero."

"Kaminari!"

"Sero!"

"Gotta admit, can't decide if I'm more embarrassed or flattered." Admitted Hanta with a weak chuckle as he scratched his cheek with one of his lanky fingers.

Kaminari returned his chuckle with one of his own, "I get what you mean man, I don't think I've seen Yaomomo or Emergency Exit be this passionate about… well, anything beyond 'nerd stuff.'"

"Honestly I'm surprised you can be so calm, I figure you'd be over the moon having a girl like Yaoyorozu arguing on your behalf." Noted Hanta before pausing and bringing a hand up to his chin. "Then again maybe a gal like Jirou would be more your speed…"

"Eh?" Replied Kaminari, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "What're you on about dude?"

Hanta blinked at him, "I mean, with how much time you spent around those two I figured you had the hots for at least one of them?"

"Oh, that?" Asked Kaminari with a laugh. "I mean sure Jirou and Yaomomo are both super pretty girls but they're probably not interested in me like that. I'm pretty sure they've both got eyes on each other if I'm gonna keep it real with you, they're just oblivious about it for now."

Hanta stared. "And you're… fine with that?" He paused when he considered his wording, before elaborating, "Not about girls liking each other of course I mean it's the twenty second century for crying out loud but I meant more about them not being interested in you."

"Dude, do you honestly think I'm so shallow that I only spend time with girls in hoping that they'd go out with me?" Asked Kaminari, slightly offended. The silence was telling. "DUDE!?"

"I'm kidding." Said Hanta with a laugh as he raised his hands defensively. "I can tell that's not you."

Kaminari grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Alright then, how about you? You and Emergency Exit are pretty buddy buddy, I bet you're pretty happy to hear him speak so highly of you."

It was Hanta's turn to be surprised. "What, Iida? I mean sure the dude's built like a Greek God and got more brains than most the whole pantheon put together."

"Not sure that's saying much going off what I've heard about Greek Mythos…" Admitted Kaminari, earning a laugh from Hanta.

He was soon able to continue what he was saying,"But I doubt he'd exactly be interested in a lanky slacker like yours truly." To prove his point he held up one of his thin arms and shook it a little, his wrist hanging limply as he did so.

"You say that, but I think you two complement each other well." Argued Kaminari. "Opposites Attract and all, you seem to have gotten along pretty well as partners during the Battle Trial. Who knows, give it enough time and you two might just be," he then mimicked the limp wrist gesture that Hanta had unintentionally been doing with a knowing smirk on his face, "after all."

Hanta rolled his eyes as he lowered his arm. "Haha, very funny man."

"I'm serious-!" Exclaimed Kaminari, but was cut off when a fifth voice spoke up.

"Enough." It wasn't just Kaminari and Hanta, but also both the Vice Prez and the Class Sect who froze up at the sound of Todoroki speaking up. All four of them turned to face him as he finally made his decision. "We'll be taking Sero."

"Hell yeah!" Said Hanta as he and Iida pumped their fists in victory while Yaoyorozu and Kaminari both slumped in defeat.

"Could I at least ask why?" Asked Yaoyorozu.

"I thought about what you said earlier when it came to the synergy yours and Kaminari's Quirks could provide." Replied Todoroki.

"But then-" Yaoyorozu tried to say before getting cut off.

"And I realized that no one else in our class, likely not anyone in the other classes, has that synergy." Interrupted Todoroki before turning to Kaminari. "Meaning not only do we prevent Sero from being a boon to another team, but Kaminari can serve as an active hindrance to the enemy teams."

Hanta could see the poor guy practically wilt. "Kinda cold, man…" He said with a pained expression.

Todoroki said nothing, simply holding up his right hand which emanated mist as his Quirk met the warm air.

"Right." Said Kaminari with a sigh. "Maybe Bakugou'll take me. Best of luck out there guys."

"Kaminari, I-" Yaoyorozu once again failed to convey what she wanted to say as Kaminari jogged off, her arm outstretched towards him as she watched him go.

Hanta couldn't help but sigh as he looked over at Todoroki, his expression remaining ever unreadable as he simply watched the retreating blond with the same cold expression he always wore.

Hanta shook his head, he couldn't be getting lost Lalaland right now, this was still a contest, regardless of how guilty he felt about Kaminari. Seeing the poor guy struggle as a part of Team Aoyama certainly didn't help either, his Quirk making it all the more difficult for Tokoyami to use Dark Shadow.

He grunted as the other two horses suddenly came to an abrupt stop. He looked over at them in confusion before following their gaze to see who they were staring down. His eyes widened in realization when he saw Team Midoriya just a couple meters away from them.

"Midoriya…" Declared Todoroki, "We're coming for you."

It wasn't just their team either, it seems that various other teams were circling Team Midoriya. They seemed less like "horses" and more like sharks.

"Oh boy…" Said Hanta softly. Something told him that this is where the Cavalry Battle really began.