Chapter 56: Sports Festival Part 4

[Third Person's PoV] 

"I should really be kicking you in the shins! What the hell was that for!!" Melissa shouted angrily at Tony.

Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "It's me winning, obviously. No need to be a sore loser about it."

Melissa rolled up her sleeves. "Oh, I'll show you what sore truly means. Come here!"

Tony immediately ran away, with Melissa chasing after him with a demonic expression, both of them kicking up a storm. Tony got behind Momo, using her as a human shield. Momo found it amusing as they bobbed and weaved around her.

"Come on, didn't I say I love you? It was supposed to show that it was nothing personal," Tony said, moving Momo around.

Melissa cracked her knuckles. "Since hurting the one you love while saying 'I love you' is supposed to be okay, why don't I express to you just how much I *reeeally* loooove you?"

"Your love for me is really strong, you know. I can feel it all the way through my human shield. There's no need, really."

"Heyyy," Momo called out, hearing what Tony was calling her.

Melissa scoffed before looking at Momo. "Don't think I've forgotten how you threw that shield at me."

Momo rubbed the back of her head, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Since Tony got first, I at least wanted to get second. Though it didn't go as intended. No hard feelings?"

Melissa grumbled. "I'm surrounded by traitors."

As they continued joking around, the area around them began to fill up with students who had passed the obstacle course. The ones to pass to the next round were the top 50's:

1. Tony Stark

2. Melissa Shield

3. Momo Yaoyorozu

4. Izuku Midoriya

5. Katsuki Bakugo

6. Shoto Todoroki

7. Juzo Honenuki

8. Eijiro Kirishima

9. Denki Kaminari

10. Mina Ashido

11. Kyoka Jiro

12. etc...

With last place, 50th, belonging to Aoyama.

Bakugo bit his lip until it slightly bled upon realizing he came in fifth place and that Midoriya was a place above him. Todoroki had his fist tightened as he released a bit of steam from his mouth, having used too much of his cold side and was freezing.

Midnight, who was still on the stage as she never left, continued with the sports festival. "Those in the top 50 from this qualifying round will move on! But worry not to those that didn't make it, we have other ways you can show off."

"And now is when the main selection really begins! The Press Corps are going to be jumping out of their seats for this one, so give it all you've got! Now onto the second event! I already know what it is, of course." 

Midnight let the suspense build up, something she was really good at. "Dying in suspense, aren't we? But worry not, since the next event is this!" She motioned to the screen behind her, which displayed the words: **Cavalry Battle!**

"Cavalry Battle?" Melissa read with a pondering look.

"I take it we will team up one way or another," Momo figured.

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry though. We'll make a fantastic team," Tony nodded with a large smile.

"Ha!" Melissa scoffed. She turned to face Tony and put a hand on her hip, pointing her finger to his nose. "You can kiss my cute little tush if you think I'm going to team up with you after the stunt you just pulled," she said in English before showing him her hand and walking away.

Tony leaned towards Momo and whispered, "Is it weird that I find it kinda hot when she gets like this?"

Momo looked at him and shook her head. "You are hopeless," she said as she walked away from his side as well.

Tony just stood by himself with a confused look as Midnight went on to explain the Cavalry Battle.

"Participants, on their own, will form teams of 2 to 5 members each and get into a horse and rider formation," she exclaimed as images appeared on the screen behind her.

"The rules are fundamentally the same as an ordinary Cavalry Battle: snag your opponents' headbands while guarding your own. But with one exception—each of you has been assigned a point-based value according to your ranking in the last event.

The point value of your team will depend on the members you have chosen. Your individual point value starts at 5 at the bottom, so the student who took 50th place is worth 5 points, while the student at 49th has 10 points. Capisce?"

Seeing everyone nod, Midnight nodded back in acceptance. Her smile then grew larger and more sinister. "Now here's the twist: the person who came in first is worth TEN. MILLION. POINTS!" she yelled, swinging her whip with every word.

Everyone slowly turned and looked at Tony with bloodthirsty eyes, as if waiting for him to show any signs of weakness so they could devour him.

Tony smiled, lowered his sunglasses, and winked. "Don't stare too hard. I might just blush," he said with a confident smirk, which, although unintended, earned him some points with the ladies in the audience as they found his total confidence attractive.

Midnight continued with her speech. "There's more suffering for those at the top. As you must have heard countless times since enrolling into U.A. High: PLUS ULTRA!" 

Midnight stared at Tony with a smirk. "After taking first place in the qualifiers, Anthony Stark possesses a total of 10,000,000 points!"

Tony felt the aura everyone was giving off intensify as Midnight reiterated. She began posing with her small whip as she continued to explain, not caring for the position she just put Tony in.

"The match will last 15 minutes. Each team's points are determined by its members. The rider will wear a headband displaying the total number of points. Until the end of the match, you'll all compete to grab each other's points and maintain the ones you have."

"Any other headband you grab must be placed on your neck or higher. The more headbands you get, the harder they will be to manage. Most importantly, even if your headband is taken or your horse formation is broken, it's not over until it's over!"

Midnight swung her whip to emphasize, "Quirks are allowed, so it'll be a brutal battle. However, it is still a Cavalry Battle! Maliciously attacking another team with the intent of making them fall will get you a red card. And that means you're out of the game."

Midnight finished off by saying, "You all have 15 minutes to begin forming your own teams, and those 15 minutes start… NOW!"

Without hesitating, Tony began running with a purpose in mind. Tony saw Momo talking to some people but snatched her away. "She belongs to no one but me!" Tony exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Momo's face turned bright red. "Tony! What are you doing!?"

Tony set Momo down and enclosed her hand in his, staring into her eyes. "Momo, I want you to be with me, just me and no one else."

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" she shouted, growing even redder.

"I need you, Momo. I won't take no for an answer. Please be on a team with me!"

Momo was fanning her face with one hand and glared at him. "I want to face off against you and Melissa. I'm in third place after all… I should be forming my own team."

Tony sighed and said, "Then you leave me no choice but to bribe you." He went over and whispered, "I have a way to make you stronger quickly and permanently while being 100 percent safe… It's yours if you agree."

"Wait, seriously?" Momo asked, looking at Tony in surprise.

Tony nodded. "When have I ever lied or exaggerated about a product I've created?"

Momo pondered for a bit, her face scrunched in contemplation before groaning loudly. "Fine! But I swear, Tony, if you are lying I will be seriously mad at you."

"Yes!" Tony pumped his fist. "Come, let's get our next teammate."

Tony ran as Momo followed. Tony found some students crowding around Kirishima, trying to recruit him.

Tony just pointed at Kirishima. "Kirishima, you're with me!"

"No offense, dude, but you're worth 10 million," Kirishima answered awkwardly.

"And to that I ask you this: tell me, what can be any more manly than a man facing an army? It will be us against everyone else. You will be able to show off just how strong and unbreakable you really are!"

Kirishima's eyes lit up, practically aflame at the thought. He wound up his palm, and Tony did the same. "You son of a gun, I'm in! It will be us against the world! That sounds so manly!"

They then followed Tony as he continued finding their next teammate. "Hagakure, I want you on my team."

"Huh!? Me!?" she asked, pointing at herself.

Tony nodded. "Just imagine it. You, the invisible girl, will be in the spotlight, where people will really take notice of you."

"That sounds nice…" she muttered. "Do you have a plan?"

"I do, and I need you for it," Tony smirked.

Hagakure sighed. "Very well, it could be fun."

"Yes!" Tony said, pumping his fist. "Now, come, let's find our last member to tie all this together," he said as he jogged a bit, the others following close behind.

He smiled as he looked at their last teammate. "Mineta, I need your balls."

"Huh!?"

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