The Second Stage

A/N: The Cavalry Battle!

-x-X-x-

In the end, Izuku can't bring himself to cut Mei or Itsuka loose. Even if they might have an easier time of things without having his target transferred to their backs, it would still go against everything he'd said earlier in his opening speech. He'd already decided not to make himself everyone's villain, though by winning the first event and earning a headband worth ten million points he'd certainly made himself everyone's target.

Could Izuku and Momo dominate the Cavalry Event with just the two of them? Absolutely. Even with Izuku stuck in the rider position thanks to his high-point total, Momo could easily have carried him on her shoulders using her Quirk to summon some support structures. But there was no point in forcing such a scenario when they could have a full four person team instead.

Smiling softly at the hopeful-looking Mei, Izuku nods and thrusts out his hand, his decision made.

"Sure Mei. We'd love to have you on board."

The pink-haired Support Hero takes Izuku's hand with a squeal, giving it a solid pump as she shakes it up and down hard for a moment.

"Woohoo! Now let's get you all outfitted with my babies!"

That's exactly what happens by the time the Cavalry Event is set to start. Izuku winds up with the Jetpack in case he, as the rider, needs to get out of some truly sticky situations. Meanwhile, Momo and Mei wind up supporting him on their shoulders at the back of their formation, and thus wear one of Mei's hover soles apiece. Finally, Itsuka is in the front as her Quirk allows her to be both a shield and a battering ram for all of them.

"Alright everyone! Get in your positions! The Cavalry Battle will begin soon!"

Midnight's voice causes everyone still in the arena to tense up, Izuku included as he finishes putting his ten million point headband around his head. While he knows for a fact that he's the strongest person in this arena, that doesn't mean much when surrounded by multiple enemies. This is technically a Free For All where anyone can attack anyone… but since he has ten million points on the line, they can expect everyone to come after him and his teammates first.

"READY?! BEGIN!"

With Midnight's hand coming down, things abruptly turn to chaos. Izuku trusts his teammates though, and they don't let him down. The first thing that happens is the ground beneath them turning to Quicksand, but with the hover soles and his jetpack they're able to blast out of that obstacle and take to the air.

Of course, in turn everyone is coming their way. Katsumi and Shouko have both managed to form their own teams as well, and they're aiming for Izuku right off the gate. He's actually quite pleased by that… he wouldn't want them to be intimidated by the prospect of fighting him, after all. Well, maybe he wouldn't mind if Katsumi was a little intimidated, given their history.

As a matter of fact, the explosive young woman does seem slightly intimidated… after all, if she wasn't, she'd be screaming his name right now or calling him Deku. Instead, as her team and Shouko's team both converge on him and his girls at the same time, Katsumi is quiet but determined, her eyes on the prize.

Of course, it's not just the two of them either. Everyone wants Izuku's headband. Everyone is aiming to topple the King from his throne. If he were truly a smart man, Izuku would just take the headband off, toss it to the ground, and watch the hyenas ravage each other over it. Retrieving it before the time ran out for someone of his skill level would be child's play.

But as tactical as that might be… Izuku Midoriya still had his pride. And his pride dictated that he be in control of the ten million point headband for the entirety of the Cavalry Battle. Sure, he might have decided against an overwhelming victory in the first event, but he didn't like the idea of letting anyone have him here.

That's why, even as everyone targets them… Izuku doesn't let anyone get close. All sorts of Quirk Effects are thrown their way of course, including some truly underhanded tricks that manage to take even his teammates off guard. Both hover soles, for instance, do not last the entire event thanks to Mineta Minoru's Quirk, with one of his purple sticky balls managing to connect a hover sole to the ground to the point of destruction.

At the same time, after a certain amount of seemingly preternatural dodging on Izuku's part, tilting his head from side to side where need be, twisting his entire body this way and that as necessary, some of the teams actually peel off of him, recognizing trying to take his or his girls' headbands as the lost cause it is. Indeed, some teams actually go so far as to prove opportunistic enough to go after headbands from the others that finished so far in the lead.

When Katsumi gets her headband taken by some Class 1-B asshole that Izuku doesn't have the time to place, things actually start to calm down for Izuku and his team, with her pulling her team off and characteristically raging as she makes them all chase the dude down.

In the end, despite the Free For All nature of the event and the complete chaos all around them, Izuku finds himself facing off against just one team now… Shouko Todoroki's. The icy young woman has recruited Tenya, Denki, and Ochaco to her team, a strong mixture of movement, offense, and utility to back up her own incredible combination of all three.

A true powerhouse of a team… but Izuku just smiles at them and tilts his head to the side.

"Shouko."

The young woman stiffens up, narrowing her eyes at his familiarity.

"Midoriya."

Izuku's smile grows into a savage grin.

"You know, if you don't use your full power here, you might not advance. You're banking a lot on managing to take my headband."

And it was true. Technically, Shouko and her team might advance anyways simply off the strength of her own headband from finishing second in the Obstacle Race and the headbands of her teammates. No one on their team had lost their headbands yet, after all. And yet, if they lost to him and his team here, then he might take their headbands, lowering them to zero points and leaving them up shit's creek without a paddle.

Izuku can see the nervousness in Tenya and Ochaco's faces at that recognition. They don't necessarily want to be here and wind up knocked out of the tournament completely as a result. Denki is more reserved, seeming almost confident in their ability to triumph. Shouko, meanwhile, is as intense as ever, even as she glances towards the stands… towards her father, before glancing back.

"I will never-!"

Only, Izuku had acted the moment that she glanced over. Distraction could be lethal out in the field… what sort of quasi-mentor to his fellow students would he be if he let Shouko get away with it here on this battlefield? A prearranged signal sees his entire team taking off the moment she glances away, and as they charge forward Shouko's eyes widen and her team panics a little bit.

"What?! Did you think just because I had the most points tied to my headband I couldn't be the aggressor, Shouko?!"

Izuku laughs, even as Denki throws out his hand and tries to electrocute all of them. Unfortunately for Denki, Momo comes in clutch there, having produced insulated materials ahead of the event for exactly this moment. Even then, while the effect is lessened, the electricity still makes the rest of his team falter. But that's fine, because thanks to Momo, Mei's jetpack is protected from Denki's Quirk, allowing Izuku to blast off right from his seat and into Team Todoroki's formation.

Landing among them, Izuku can't help but give the four wide-eyed faces he's receiving a wild grin.

"The ten million headband is right here."

Immediately, Shouko goes for it, while also applying her ice quirk to try to freeze Izuku midair as well as freeze up the rest of his team in their tracks. But Izuku is already leaning heavily on One for All, pushing it just a little past the furthest he'd ever pushed it before. As a result, the very air around him is heating up, evaporating Shouko's ice before it can even truly form. Maybe if she had water, but with only air to work with, Shouko was handicapped.

Though it was a purely self-made handicapping and they both knew it. If she used the Fire side of her Quirk, it would be much more responsive in this environment, especially with the air already statically charged from Denki's Quirk. Izuku can see that realization in Shouko's eyes, even as he reaches out for her headband. He can see the moment she understands that she's about to lose everything.

The air around them ignites in an instant as Shouko's fire side activates and Izuku is blown away. Or rather, he lets himself be blown away, a wide grin on his face, as he easily dodges her flames and leaps backwards, landing with his team. While he's been busy, they haven't just sat idly frozen either. With Momo's help, Mei had quickly made a gadget that melted the ice, and Itsuka had used her Quirk to protect them from grasping hands all the while.

His team hadn't gotten a single headband, but at the same time neither had they lost a single headband either. For a moment after the reset, Izuku and Shouko exchange looks from atop their formations. He can tell that he's enraged the young woman, making her break her word even before he won their wager. But at the same time, he can tell she's angrier at herself than anything for this failure.

"Let's play keep away girls. Anyone who wants to come after us from this point on though… should expect to be knocked out entirely."

Izuku's voice is cheerful, even as he directs his formation back from Shouko's. He's also loud enough that plenty of teams either fighting or skulking nearby hear what he says, including Team Todoroki of course. Of course, his confident boast doesn't stop everyone from trying their luck, but it does deter the smart ones… including Shouko's team.

Though Izuku can't help but wonder, even as his team takes a few low-point headbands here and there… is Shouko refusing to engage again because she's worried about being knocked out of the event, or is she worried she'll instinctively use her Fire again? Either way, the Cavalry Battle eventually comes to a close.

"That's it everyone! The Second Event of the Sports Festival is over! Only the top four teams will advance to the Final Stage so listen carefully!"

Everyone tenses up at that… though this time, Izuku is all smiles and completely relaxed. After all…

"Having kept their ten million point headband and scored a few more besides, Team Midoriya takes First Place! Coming in a distant second is Team Todoroki! In Third, Team Bakugo! In Fourth, Team Shinso! These will be our Final Stage contestants!"

Interesting. So not only did Shouko's team manage to keep their headbands and gain some more from others, but also Katsumi had managed to get her headband back from that Class 1-B guy… and knock him out of the Festival in the process. Heh, good for her, Izuku supposed.

But… Team Shinso? Izuku has to look around for a moment for the team in question and when he finally figures out who they are, he has to do a double take. He recognizes Yuga Aoyama and Mashirao Ojiro of course from Class 1-A. He even recognizes Nirengeki Shoda from Class 1-B. But why would they be teamed up with that fourth guy? Hitoshi Shinso… was a General Ed Student.

"Itsuka…"

Blinking, the Class 1-B Representative looks over at him, still thrilled but looking curious at his alarmed tone.

"Hm? Yes, Izuku?"

"You know Nirengeki, right? Over there… is that man Hitoshi his friend or something?"

Itsuka begins to nod at the first part, before looking over and furrowing her brow at the second.

"Yes, I know Shoda quite well in fact… he's my second in command in Class 1-B. But… no, he's never mentioned that other guy before. I don't know how they know each other."

Hm. Strange. Very strange. Izuku's eyes remain narrowed, even as Midnight's voice rings out over the stadium again.

"With the end of the Cavalry Battle and the finalization of the roster for the Final Stage, we'll be taking a break for lunch and reconvene in a few hours! Everyone enjoy this time to regroup, recharge, and refuel… especially those who will be up here soon enough for the final tournament battles!"

Midnight is nothing if not a show-woman, but curiously enough, it's what happens afterwards that draws Izuku's eye. One moment she's commanding the audience, the next she's not. Everyone begins moving out of the stands towards the food court and numerous food trucks no doubt, while everyone in the stadium also starts moving off to either wallow in their defeat or prepare for the final stage.

But Midnight… there's a moment, once all of the attention is off of her, where she meets Izuku's eyes and makes a great big show of looking him up and down. Her eyes linger on his crotch for perhaps a moment too long, and her tongue trails out to lick her lips. Then, she gives him a wink before turning and leaving the stage with a distinct sway in her step and a swing to her hips.

… If that wasn't an invitation, Izuku honestly didn't know what was. But could he really afford the distraction right now?

"Midoriya. I wish to speak with you."

Ah, and then there was this. Distracted by Midnight, Izuku looks to see Shouko has walked up on them while he wasn't paying attention. Izuku tilts his head to the side as he considers the young woman. She doesn't look as enraged as earlier, but she does seem rather intense as she glares him down, as if daring him to refuse. Then again, maybe he SHOULD refuse.

As things stood, he only had a limited amount of time here. And so many things were vying for his attention. Did he go after Midnight? Did he let Shouko drag him off for a talk? Did he go hunting for information on this Black Horse fellow Hitoshi Shinso? Or did he spend the break with his teammates, celebrating their victory?

It was possible he might have time for another of those options afterwards depending on what he chose to do first. It was equally possible that a couple of them might fill up his time all the way to the Final Event. Hm… such tough choices.

He was on top of the world two events into the Sports Festival. Literally nobody could deny that fact. But even still, did he dare risk letting himself get distracted, upping the chance of being toppled right at the finish line?