Katsuki was just waiting for the next stage of the festival to get started when Kirishima walked over.

"That was so awesome dude! Those were some sick acrobatics you pulled in the villain bot section! Not to mention that mine trick you pulled off at the end. You were awesome bro!"

Katsuki smiled back at Kirishima's enthusiasm.

"Says the guy that came in ninth."

Kirishima's grin only got larger at the reference to their first conversation.

A few minutes later as the last of the runners started trickling in Midnight called all the competitors to gather at the stage.

"And with that, the first event of the the first-year stage is finally over! Here are the results!"

The hologram board from earlier reappeared behind Midnight, showing off the the positions of all the top placing students.

Katsuki noted that all of his classmates had managed to place, with Ochaco showing up at a very respectable 12th place.

"The top 42 all make it through to the next round! It's unfortunate if you didn't make it, but we've prepared other opportunities for you to shine!"

Midnight's grin seemed to grow.

"Next up is where things really get started! The press are gonna love this one!"

The wheel behind her began spinning again, waiting to reveal the next event.

"I already know what it is, but I love the suspense. What could it be, what could it be?"

Katsuki kept his eyes fixed on the board.

"Here it is!"

The board immediately stopped, displaying the words 'Cavalry Battle!'

Midnight stepped forward, pulling her glasses down.

"Allow me to explain. The participants can form teams of 2-4 people as they wish. That's basically the same as a regular cavalry battle. But the one thing that's different is that each person will be given a point value relative to how they placed in the last event. The point values go up by 5 for each place."

Then Midnight turned back to the students with a smirk.

"1st place on the other hand, is assigned 10 Million points!"

There was a pause in Midnight's speech to allow everyone to process the words. Moments later, every single student turned to look at Katsuki, greed in their eyes.

Katsuki stayed unmoved in the face of their stares a small frown on his face as he tried to work out a strategy for the event now that he knew what he was worth.

Midnight spoke up again, a smirk firmly in place.

"That's right! It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!"

Midnight turned to the hologram which displayed an animated explanation.

"Now, let me explain the rules more clearly! Each team is worth the sum of its member's points, and the rider will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worm from the neck up, so the more stolen, the harder it will be to manage them."

Midnight turned back to the students.

"And the most important thing is, even if your headband gets stolen, or your team falls, you're not out! So all teams will remain on the field for the entire event.

"It'll be an intense fight where you can use your quirks, but still a cavalry battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that try to make an opponent fall on purpose! You'll be removed immediately! Now..."

Midnight cracked her whip, a 15 minute timer appearing behind her.

"You have 15 minutes to make your teams. Start!"

Katsuki put a hand to his chin as he surveyed the classmates surrounding him, looking for teammates.

After a few minutes, Katsuki worked out what he saw as a reasonable team.

Instantly deciding on one member that would be incredibly useful, Katsuki walked over to Momo who was just starting to look for a team.

Katsuki extended a hand towards her.

"Team up with me."

Momo looked conflicted.

"It isn't that I doubt your skills, but trying to protect the ten million points for the entire round seems unlikely to work."

Katsuki grinned at her observation.

"Exactly. But for this to work, we need more help."

Just then, Katsuki felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, Katsuki found himself face-to-face with Ochaco's grinning face.

"Got an opening?"

Katsuki smiled back, shaking her hand as well.

"Welcome to the team."

Katsuki started scoping out the competition, looking for someone in particular.

Katsuki turned to Momo, who nodded in response.

"I'll join your team."

A moment later, Katsuki spotted Sato.

Walking over to the large-lipped boy, Katsuki extended a hand.

"I could use a horse."

A massive smile grew on Sato's face as he shook.

Midnight called out from the center stage.

"5 minutes left!"

Katsuki smiled and turned to his team.

"Good. Enough time for us to plan our strategy."

Getting in to position as the rider of the group, Katsuki waited for the countdown to begin.

Over the stadium speakers, Present Mic shouted out his commentary.

"All Right! You've made your teams, right? I'm not gonna ask if you're ready or not!"

Katsuki observed the surrounding teams, seeing Shoto staring directly at him along with several other teams.

"Now, let's go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal! Three!"

Katsuki looked down at Ochaco.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Two!"

Katsuki's team got ready to move.

"One!"

Katsuki put a hand on his headband.

Midnight cracked her whip.

"Start!"

Yanking the headband off his head immediately, Katsuki lowered in near Ochaco who used her quirk on it.

"I'm gonna want this back!"

Then with a quick windup, Katsuki sent the headband flying into the center of the field where some of the weaker teams were gathered.

Moments after, almost every single team in the competition rushed towards where the headband was floating, leaving Katsuki's team entirely ignored.

Present mic went crazy at the action.

"In a surprise move, Team Katsuki has decisively abandoned their headband! They just tossed away that massive point advantage!"

At this point Aizawa's tired voice echoed out over the stadium.

"Trying to defend the 10 million point headband for 15 minutes with all the quirks in play would be nearly impossible for any team. Recognizing your limits, and when it isn't necessary to fight all comers is excellent tactical foresight."

Ignoring the color commentary, Katsuki observed the surrounding teams for targets then turned to Momo.

"Bat?"

With a quick flash Momo produced a standard baseball bat and handed it to Katsuki.

Spotting a target, Katsuki pointed towards a nearby team, with a smug looking blondie on top and a decent number of points.

"Lets start with them!"

Sato nodded.

"Got it."

Rushing towards their chosen target, Katsuki noted that the leader was distracted by the 10 million point headband that had been thrown into the ring.

One of the horses however saw them coming, shouting to the rider.

Their expression seemd surprised for a moment before it settled into a smirk.

"Ah, the student that worked so very hard to win in the preliminaries, coming to try and steal 1-B's points when they threw away their own like an idiot."

Katsuki ignored the taunt as he watched for the enemy's counter to their attack.

Winding up, Katsuki let loose a swing at his opponent, making sure to keep it light enough not to break their ribs.

His opponent on the other hand, managed to deflect the attack with an invisible barrier of some kind.

While Katsuki was setting up for another strike, the blondie leaned forward and went for a slap on Katsuki's arm.

Ignoring the ineffectual attack, Katsuki wound up and gave it another swing.

While he was doing so, the boy's face contorted into shock, his eyes almost comically wide.

"You're-"

His exclamation was cut off by Katsuki's bat nailing him in the abdomen and forcing the air out of his lungs.

Before he could recover, Katsuki snatched his headband and the team retreated.

'That's 305'

Running away from the defeated team, Katsuki guided them towards another team that had been staying out of the melee.

"We're going for that team next! Momo, start making a slackline!"

"Got it! Want me to make some caltrops to keep the other team from following us?"

"If you think you can do it without wasting time."

Ochaco spoke up at that point as Momo started making and dumping out spike hazards.

"I'll lighten everyone except Sato and me so we can chase down the other team."

As they closed in on the team, Katsuki noted the rider was a red-haired girl who was fending off attackers with massive enlarged hands.

Rushing towards the team and leaving the team they stole from behind, Katsuki's group slowly got into range where the girl was fending off attackers.

Just when they were getting close however, Katsuki felt a tug on his neck as the headband,now glowing purple, was suddenly yanked off his head and being pulled toward the opposing team.

Sato tried to grab it as well, but it was just out of his reach.

Letting go of his bat with one hand, Katsuki managed to grab the trailing end of the headband before it could get out of arm's reach.

Looking past the band still trying to escape from his grasp, Katsuki noted one of the horses on the opposing team staring at the bandana in his grip.

Pulling the protesting headband back to his body, Katsuki's group continued the charge towards the enemy team, with Sato carrying them forwards.

Just when they were getting in close, suddenly a hand appeared from nowhere and tried to poke him in the eyes. Distracted by the attempt, Katsuki didn't see the other hand approaching and snatching the contested headband out of his grip.

Growling as he watched the headband being pulled towards the team they had been approaching.

Katsuki ignored the screaming of Mic over the speakers.

"Sato, keep charging. Since the splitter isn't the rider, they have to take the bands back to their team and keep them there!"

"Got it."

"Momo, can you make something to throw them off balance?"

"Yes! Just one second!"

As they got closer the rider of the enemy team turned to face them, her hands enlarging.

She used one of her hands as a shield while she used the other to try and knock Katsuki's team back.

Sato braced against the massive hand trying to push their team aside and held firm.

Katsuki on the other hand swung his bat into one of her fingers, getting her to pull the hand back with a wince.

Moments later Momo threw a cylinder at the opposing team, calling out.

"Close your eyes!"

Sato Ochaco and Katsuki followed her advice as the flashbang exploded in a wave of light and sound.

Seizing the opportunity, Katsuki reached past the obstructing hand and grabbed the three headbands around her neck.

Hearing the roaring of the audience, Katsuki's team beat a hasty retreat as the other team began to recover from the shock.

The telekinetic attempted to steal the headband once again, but this time Katsuki kept them in a firm grip.

Momo once more laid out caltrops to keep the enemy team from trying to catch up to them. Just when they were making distance, Ochaco called out.

"From the left!"

Whirling, Katsuki spotted a pair of hands trying to distract him once again.

Knowing what to expect this time, Katsuki swung his bat and nailed one of the approaching hands, hearing a loud yelp from behind as the hand went spinning away through the air.

Once they were safely beyond range, Katsuki put the three headbands around his neck, observing the battlefield.

By this point Shoto had frozen most of the competing teams in place, only a few managing to escape the fate of being frozen in place.

Taking a brief look at the countdown clock, Katsuki saw there were only a few minutes left after the previous couple fights.

"Alright, I think that's long enough. Momo, can you make something to attach these headbands more securely while also making enough spikes to make anyone think twice about heading this way?"

"Yes!"

Momo nodded at the request, the glow of creation lighting up on her exposed stomach as they got ready.

Katsuki grabbed the slack line Momo had already finished making, holding it in his hands.

Finally they were ready. Surrounded by caltrops, none of the nearby teams seemed willing to brave the spikes and try to reach them.

Getting into position, Katsuki lowered a hand for Ochaco to make him weightless as well as the slackline.

Climbing onto Sato's shoulders, Katsuki stayed still as the strong classmate grabbed him with both hands.

Katsuki tied one end of the line around his body, and passed the rest of it to Momo along with the bat she'd made for him.

Looking towards Sato, Katsuki repeated the plan.

"Alright, so I need you to stop me once I reach the other team. Then when I call your name, yank me back like I'm a fish at the end of a line, got it?"

Sato nodded and grabbed Katsuki with both hands, getting ready to throw after downing a handful of sugar made by Momo.

Ochaco still looked a bit nervous about the plan.

"Are you sure about this?"

Katsuki nodded as he kept watching Shoto's team.

When Katsuki noted that Shoto was was finally turned in the opposite direction and not paying attention to them, he finally gave the signal.

"Now!"

With a heave Katsuki found himself spiraling directly towards the Shoto's team weightless, the slack line the only remaining connection he had with his team.

Whizzing through the air weightless, it was extremely hard for Katsuki to avoid getting motions sickness as he approached Shoto's team from behind.

At the very last second, Izuku noticed something was wrong and tried to yell a warning to Shoto.

Knowing he didn't have any time at all before Shoto started icing his limbs, Katsuki quickly snatched up two of the many headbands on Shoto's neck then jumped directly upwards to dodge retaliation.

Before anyone could respond to Katsuki floating upwards near the middle of the ring, Katsuki called out.

"SATO!"

Instantly Katsuki felt a quirk-enhanced pull on the slackline, one that sent his spinning thought the air back towards his team.

Seconds later, Sato and Momo caught him while Ochaco canceled her quirk.

Katsuki shook his head to clear it as Present Mic was screaming over the speakers at the sudden surprise.

Looking down at the headbands he had grabbed, Katsuki noted a 125 and a 420 point headband.

Looking up, Katsuki saw Shoto staring directly at him as a massive buzzer rung out over the arena.

"And time is UP~~~! We have our finalists!"

Katsuki hopped off of his teammates shoulders as all of the teams began to dismount. Ochaco was feeling super excited by their success.

"That last jump move was so awesome! I think I should see if I can get some kind of grappling hook for my costume! It would give me so many more options for movement and combat!"

Momo on the other hand was a bit more subdued in her celebration, still with a smile on her face as she handed the bat back to Katsuki.

"Perhaps we may not have managed to reclaim the 10 million point headband, but it was still an excellent showing by all of us."

Sato on the other hand just let out a relieved sigh that the round was over.

Katsuki kept his gaze fixed on the scoreboard as Present Mic began to announce the winning teams.

"Let's take a look at our top 4 teams right away! In first place, Team Todoroki!"

Katsuki watched out of the corner of his eye as Shoto's teamates all let out a sigh of relief. Katsuki's sudden assault really surprised them after they'd breezed through the brawl on Shoto's strength for the most part.

"In second place, who else could it be but Team Bakugo!"

Katsuki's teammates all wore massive smiles at the cheering from the crowd.

"In third place, Team Kirishima!"

Kirishima and his teammates all celebrated their victory together with a cheer.

"And finally, in fourth place, it's team Tetsute-- Huh? What, it's Team Shinso?"

Katsuki glanced over to see the surprise team all standing off to the side, several of its members seeming dazed and confused. Katsuki watched as the eyebags kid who'd come to see their class walked away from his teammates with a smirk on his face.

Katsuki and all the other competitors started moving towards the resting area as Present Mic continued his announcement.

"Now, we'll take an hour's break for lunch before we start the afternoon festivities! See ya! …Hey, Eraserhead, let's go grab food."

"…I'm going to sleep."

On their way into the tunnel, Katsuki overheard Team Tetsutetsu talking about their loss.

"…What happened? Before I knew it we had zero points, and it was over…"

The girl with vine hair spoke up next, her hands clasped.

"Could it be punishment? For taking the small one's points in such an…Indecent manner."

Incidentally, the stadium screens were playing replays of the previous event.

Katsuki had to admit, taken out of context, the image of Shiozaki sticking her vine into the back of Shoji's tent did look a bit…suggestive.

Tetsutetsu held his head in his hands.

"I can't accept this!"

Katsuki looked between Team Tetsutetsu and the team that had taken their points, Team Shinso. Most of Team Shinso was looking around confused similar to how team Tetsutetsu was.

Deciding that it was worth it, Katsuki walked over to the confused Team Tetsutetsu.

As they saw him approaching, Tetsutetsu stood tall.

"Come to gloat? We have our pride too as 1-B!"

Katsuki shook his head.

"No, you guys were doing great for most of the event right up until the end."

That seemed to throw Tetsutetsu and his team off balance.

Katsuki continued.

"I was just wondering if you guys had any idea what happened at the end. You guys were doing really well."

Tetsutetsu exchanged glances with the rest of his team.

"Uh, we're not actually sure. We were fighting to get more points, when suddenly I heard someone behind us say 'I guess 1A really is better then 1-B!' Then when I yelled back at them, everything got weird."

Katsuki's gaze sharpened.

"Weird how?"

"I felt like I was dreaming, or sleepwalking, or whatever. I thought I heard someone saying something, then the next thing I knew, the round was over."

Katsuki turned to the rest of the team.

"That happened to all of you?"

The rest of Team Tetsutetsu all nodded at the question.

Katsuki pondered what that meant as he walked into the tunnel leading towards the competitor cafeteria.

Why give up the element of surprise when you can just steal headbands sneakily without alerting anyone something is wrong at all? And that comment was definitely trying to push Team Tetsutetsu's buttons…

'Something about talking to people huh?'

Katsuki was sitting down in the lunch area for the contestants with his classmates when he heard a sudden voice from behind him.

"Kohais!"

Ochaco and Katsuki instantly spun around at the voice, finding the smiling face of Nejire right behind them.

"You both made it into the finals! I knew my Kohai's were amazing! I bet it was super hard! And you guys teamed up in round 2!"

Katsuki and Ochaco, used to Nejire's energy decided to just wait it out for the time being.

Just as Nejire was starting to lose steam, they heard a voice from behind her.

"So these are the Kohais you've been telling us about Nejire!"

Leaning over, Katsuki saw a blonde haired upper year student smiling towards them.

Then another student spoke up from the side as well. He seemed oddly nervous to Katsuki.

"Nejire, you're interrupting their lunch. And we need to get ready for afternoon events too…"

Nejire turned around with a pout.

"But I wanted to say hi, besides they have free time too Amajiki!"

The tall blonde one put an arm around Amajiki's shoulders, waving to the assembled first years.

"It's fine! Besides, this lets us meet our Kohai! Hello everyone!"

Everyone else weakly waved back as Amajiki responded to that statement.

"I mean, we could still use the rest time. Especially with how your quirk has been acting a bit weird recently Mirio."

Katsuki noticed that Mirio's smile shrunk a bit at Amajiki's remark.

"It's fine, it's fine. Though I guess we should leave them to their lunch. It was nice to meet you all! We're third year hero students. Do your best! Come on Nejire."

Nejire turned around with a pout, drawing both Ochaco and Katsuki into a hug.

Pulling away she gave them both a thumbs up.

"Do your best!"

Soon after, Katsuki watched as Momo and Jiro walked over to where they were sitting. Momo spoke up, an awkward expression on her face.

"Ochaco, apparently all the girls need to wear a cheer uniform like the group over there for a cheerleading battle in the afternoon. I apparently missed the announcement."

Ochaco seemed shocked.

"Do we? That's not really my thing…"

Katsuki looked over at the group of cheerleaders Momo had pointed out moving past.

"Isn't that the cheerleading group that UA hires for the sports festival every year?"

Momo seemed to freeze at that announcement, processing what Katsuki just said.

Suddenly an exclamation came from the side.

"IT WAS GOING PERFECTLY YOU BASTARD! YOU ALREADY HAD A HOT SENPAI COME AND WISH YOU LUCK! DON'T RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US!"

Looking over, Katsuki spotted Mineta screaming towards him with Kaminari standing next to him trying to avoid attention.

Momo and Jiro scowled and started advancing on the duo.

Exercising a smidgen of self-preservation, Kaminari grabbed Mineta by the back of his shirt and started fleeing the cafeteria, the angry girls in pursuit.

"I choose life!"

Katsuki decided it wasn't any of his business, shrugged, and got back to his food. He had a final event to get ready for.