Episode 18

Team Mineta has somehow lost its headband despite hiding on Mezo's back, so they abandon defense and charge Team Midoriya. They are not alone in wanting the ten million points, but Shoto's leadership freezes the competition mid-rush and lifts several headbands along the way. Eraser Head notes the refinement: where the Obstacle Race saw raw ice, Shoto now runs Denki's lightning first and freezes afterward.

Turning on Team Midoriya, Shoto meets Dark Shadow, and Fumikage privately warns Izuku of the catch: the Quirk's power scales inversely with light, and a brighter field would have let Denki wipe Dark Shadow out entirely.

Neito, meanwhile, goads Katsuki into attacking, dodges the first blast, and answers with an explosion of his own before switching to Eijiro's Hardening. Katsuki works out that the ability is copying, and then Kojiro's Cemedine pins his whole team in place as Team Monoma escapes with fresh taunts about Katsuki's pre-Festival boast. Furious and pointless, Katsuki stays fixed on winning anyway.

Team Midoriya survives the second half by hugging Shoto's left flank, where any ice would catch Tenya too. Endeavor sneers that his son is foolish for letting the weakness be exploited. With the clock nearly gone, Tenya fires Recipro Burst, and Shoto rips the ten million point headband away in an instant. The engines stall, leaving Tenya immobile long enough to promise Izuku he will beat him.

Fumikage suggests chasing easier targets, but Izuku refuses and Ochaco pushes for a rematch, reminding him that his teammates' trust is his to repay. Team Midoriya charges, Izuku finally taps One For All, and Shoto reflexively defends with the flames on his left arm.

Neito intends to run out the clock and gloat, until Katsuki flies at him on an explosion. Kosei's Solid Air stops him briefly before he punches through and takes two headbands. Neito borrows Kosei's Quirk to repel the other teams, and with one headband left decides fourth place is fine and last place is survivable. Katsuki does not settle: he strings together his teammates' Quirks to shrink the gap, blasts through the air shield again, and strips the final headband. All Might approves of an instinct nobody taught him, that the gap between aiming for the top and settling is the gap that counts, while Eraser Head observes that Class 1-B's plan never accounted for that tenacity. Katsuki still orders a run at Izuku.

Izuku cracks Shoto's defense with One For All and grabs the headband at his neck, only for the celebration to collapse: it is worth seventy points. Time expires mid-clash. Team Todoroki takes first, Team Bakugo second to Katsuki's screaming frustration, and Team Shinso somehow claims third, knocking Team Tetsutetsu out. Then Fumikage reveals Dark Shadow snagged a headband off Team Todoroki during Izuku's attack, worth enough for fourth and a place in the finals. Izuku weeps with relief; Shoto rounds on himself for having reached for his left side. Outside, Ochaco notices Izuku is missing, unaware Shoto has cornered him by the student entrance, as All Might greets Endeavor.

Chapters 29 and 30 supply the material, completing the Cavalry Battle within the U.A. Sports Festival arc.

Three changes stand out. In print it is Itsuka Kendo who orders Neito to lay off Katsuki, while the anime gives that line to Sen Kaibara. Katsuki pounds on Kosei's barrier several times before breaking through rather than punching it once. After the final whistle, the anime adds his team checking whether he is hurt from the fall while he beats his fist against the ground.

The aftermath also sorts out the losers: Team Tetsutetsu chalks their exit up to karma for stealing Minoru's headband, Mina admits she contributed little to her team's showing, and Tenya insists his held-back speed was strategy rather than deception.