31 Chapter 30

Once everyone had gathered around, Midnight revealed what the second event would be, surprising everyone but Izuku as she explained, "As some of you have very clearly realized, teamwork and a spirit of cooperation are among the most important traits of a Pro Hero. As such, the second event is one of the favorites of the UA High Sports Festival, the heart-pounding Human Cavalry Battle!!"

From her position next to Izuku, Tsuyu's eyes widened as she remarked, "I guessed correctly..." in a disbelieving tone. As Midnight had pointed out, the Human Cavalry Battle was one of the more common events at the UA High Sports Festival, but Tsuyu was still surprised since it meant she had won her bet with Izuku and Ochaco.

Hearing Tsuyu's utterance, a teasing smile developed across Izuku's face as he whispered, "Just don't request anything inappropriate..."

Opening her eyes even wider, Tsuyu was about to assert she would never do such a thing but stopped when she noticed Izuku wasn't staring back at her. He, like most of the other students, was paying close attention to Midnight's explanation, so Tsuyu swallowed her 'grievances' and did the same...

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Much like the canon he was familiar with, Izuku was given a headband with a point value of 10,000,000. Unlike the original, however, Izuku wasn't lacking in people who were willing to team up with him. Rather, the moment Midnight afforded them fifteen minutes to find up to three team members, Mei asked the obvious, "I guess that means the four of us will form a team...?"

Though he didn't mind forming a team with the three girls, Izuku pointed out, "That's fine by me, but it might be better if we split up for this leg of the competition. Working together during multiple events could make the Scouts believe we're a 'packaged deal.' If that doesn't bother you, we can have Tsuyu-chan as our rider. With how skilled she is with her tongue, she should be able to snatch multiple headbands with ease."

Hearing Izuku comment on her 'tongue skills,' a potent blush developed through Tsuyu's cheeks. Her expression didn't change, but she pulled the usually dangling tip of her tongue back into her mouth with a 'fwip.'

Appreciating Izuku's choice of words, Mei held her stomach and laughed heartily before remarking, "I always knew we were kindred spirits, Izuku-kun!"

Feigning ignorance, a bewildered look marred Izuku's face as he asked, "What? Did I say something strange...?"

Intruding on the conversation before any of the three girls could respond, the towering, six-armed Shoji appeared rather abruptly, directing his gaze to Tsuyu as he said, "If the four of you have yet to form a team, would you mind joining mine? With my arms as a shield, we should be able to protect and snatch headbands easily."

Not expecting someone other than Izuku to approach her, Tsuyu found herself in a difficult position. She didn't like disappointing others, so she hated being placed in situations where she had to choose between two or more people.

Instead of directly responding to Shoji's request, Tsuyu shifted her gaze to Ochaco, asking, "What will you do, Ochaco-chan?"

Blinking in surprise, Ochaco pointed to herself and asked, "Me? I'm going to team up with Izuku-kun. I mean, we still have two more years to prove ourselves to the Scouts. I don't mind if I don't stand out much right now. I just want to give it my all alongside my friends."

"Kero..."

Turning her attention to Shoji, Tsuyu adopted an apologetic expression as she said, "Sorry, Shoji-kun. I'm going to continue teaming up with Ochaco and Izuku-chan for this Sports Festival, ribbit."

"I understand," replied Shoji. Then, with a wave of his right hand and tentacles, he turned to leave, adding, "I wish the four of you the best of luck during the remaining events," as he returned to his other teammate's side. When Tsuyu saw it was Mineta, goose pimples spread across her body as she imagined being trapped in Shoji's arms alongside the Class pervert...

"Then it looks like everything's decided!" exclaimed Mei. However, before she could suggest distributing her gear across their team, another person showed up, Toru in her gym uniform.

Sounding audibly nervous, Toru bent forward slightly, her hands behind her back as she asked, "Umm...if it isn't too much to ask, can I join your team?" while staring up at Izuku.

Sparing Izuku the need to respond, at least for the moment, Ochaco smiled apologetically as she expressed, "Sorry, Hagakure-san, but our team already has four members. You could try asking Koda-kun or Sato-kun if they need a fourth."

"Oh, I see..." replied Toru. She already suspected the four had formed a team when she noticed them together, but a part of her hoped that Izuku would make a concession for her sake. It was 'really' difficult to stand out with a Quirk like Invisibility, so attaching herself to a high-profile team like Izuku's was one of her only options.

Catching all four girls by surprise, Izuku exhaled a faint sigh through his nose before saying, "Sorry, Mei-san, but can you please let Toru-san take your place? I promise to make it up to you later."

While Toru was surprised to the point of tearing up, Mei didn't hesitate to respond, "Sure thing!" in a chipper tone. "I mean, the only reason Support students participate in events like this is to attract Sponsors. I can do the same during the School Festival a few months from now, so it's no sweat off my brow. Besides, I already have a sug–I mean, I already have you to Sponsor me."

Without waiting for Izuku to respond, Mai followed Shoji's example by abruptly leaving the moment she was finished speaking. There were only ten minutes left until the second round started, so she needed to find a few teammates(suckers) to help promote her Support items.

After following Mei's departure with his eyes, Izuku turned to Toru, his smile tinged with a certain 'gentleness' as he said, "Be sure to thank Mei the next time you see her, okay?"

As she was too busy covering her mouth to stifle her faint sobbing, Toru just nodded in response to Izuku's words. Ochaco and Tsuyu both noticed this abnormality, but instead of drawing attention to it or asking what was wrong, they politely feigned ignorance...

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Though Tsuyu was indisputably their best option for their rider/headband snatcher, she relinquished the role to Toru without needing to be asked. It was obvious to her why Toru needed to be on a team like Izuku's, so she and Ochaco served as the back-end supports while Izuku functioned as the 'horse.'

To make it more difficult for their opponents to snatch their headbands, Toru did the same thing she did in the anime, removing her top and bra so that her upper body was invisible. While this seemed incredibly risque, it actually provided two benefits. The first was that the enemy couldn't see her hands, allowing her to snatch headbands more easily. The second, far more significant benefit was that most of the male participants wouldn't even attempt to grab her headband. After all, if they missed and touched something they shouldn't, they risked being labeled a pervert...

Despite feeling something occasionally graze the top of his head, Izuku's expression was a mask of intense focus as he eagerly awaited the start of the match. The rules prohibited participants from deliberately attempting to trip or knock down other teams. Because of this, Izuku had positioned his team near the very edge of the area, intending to stand his ground and 'crush' anyone that came their way. After all, with 10,000,425 points, they weren't exactly hurting for more.

With similarly intense looks on their faces, virtually every other team in the second event's Cavalry Battle had their eyes on the 10,000,425-point headband around Toru's head. This was especially true for the teams led by Bakudo and Todoroki, both enthusiastic, maybe even a little desperate, to show their worth.

"Now, without further ado, let the final countdown begin! Three....two..."

As Midnight started the final countdown from three, Izuku's expression hardened as he muttered, "Remember, our goal is absolute victory. We will not give a single centimeter..."

"Right...!" replied the three girls, albeit with varying degrees of excitement and nervousness. Ochaco had proposed they avoid combat by flying into the air, but Izuku insisted they remain on the ground. Toshinori had asked him to exhibit his power, much like he had petitioned 'Deku' in the original series, so Izuku didn't have the option of running. Not because it was a request from Toshinori but because he refused to lose to a bunch of brats when monsters like All-for-One awaited him in the future...

"One...!"

"Back off, you extras! That ten-million headband is mine...!"

The moment Midnight finished her countdown, Bakugo abandoned his team and charged at Izuku, propelling himself through the air with his explosions. His actions could be seen as a violation of the rules, but so long as contestants didn't touch the ground or purposely knock off their opponents, pretty much anything was allowed.

Narrowing his eyes, Izuku said, "Tsuyu-chan, don't let Toru fall..." as he began channeling energy into his right leg. In response to his words, not only did Tsuyu wrap her tongue around Toru's waist, the latter sat on the two girls' shoulders for support, allowing Izuku a greater range of motion as he raised his foot in a faux Muay Thai pose, waiting until Bakugo was within his range before extending his foot like a spring.

Though Bakugo was among the students with the highest Level, his Quirk was an emission type. It very clearly enhanced his body when in use, but compared to Izuku, whose attributes could briefly exceed 10,000, there was an incomprehensible gulf between them. If Izuku didn't arrest his foot's momentum mere centimeters away from Bakugo's face, repelling him with pure wind pressure, he might have kicked the boy's head clean off.

"What the hell...!?" screamed Bakugo, barely gaining control of his body after flipping several times through the air. Once he had, a mixture of fear and anger reflected in his crimson eyes as he looked at Izuku, unable to understand how a boy that had once followed him around like a homeless puppy was so powerful.

Lowering his foot, Izuku's voice was loud enough that everyone paying attention to him was able to hear as he borrowed a page out of Toshinori's book, declaring, "You will not get your hands on this headband? Why, you ask? Because I. AM. HERE...!"

Realizing that Izuku was mimicking his Hero, All Might, Bakugo's explosion-like hair became noticeably spikier as he shouted, "Dekuuuuuuuuu...!" in a blind rage.

Propelling himself forward like a rocket, Bakugo looked like he was ready to blast Izuku directly with his Quirk. Instead, just out of range of Izuku's kick, he performed an abrupt spinning maneuver, creating a 'smokescreen' with his explosions before propelling himself through the wall of flames in an attempt to get his hands on the 10,000,425-point headband. Doing so left him with slight burns on his face, but he wasn't phased as he shouted, "This belongs to me...!" in furious triumph.

Instead of trying to block Bakugo's 'attack,' Toru left the ashen-blonde speechless by dodging backward, effectively rolling off of Ochaco's and Tsuyu's shoulders, trusting that the latter wouldn't let her hit the ground. As a result, Bakugo flew clean over her, his hand momentarily following in the direction of her movement before he clicked his tongue and retracted it. After all, while he was known for his explosive temperament, he wasn't a pervert...

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(A/N: I could somehow feel Izuku cringing through my keyboard when he said that quote...)