Y/n's POV:
As soon as Midnight gave the signal to start, the entire gathering of students took off running, crowding for the exit.
"Okay, here's the play-by-play!" I heard Present Mic say. "Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?"
"You're the one who forced me to come." Aizawa replied.
"Let's get started right away, Mummy Man. What should we pay attention to in the early stages?"
"This part right now."
The corridor was absolutely flooded with other students shoving against each other. I trusted that my friends would be able to hold their own within this swarm of students, and took off for the front. I jumped above the rest and ran along the walls of the hallway leading outside.
This is brutal. Knowing this school, this chaotic beginning was meant to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.
Just as I finished clearing over the crowd of people, I felt a blast of cold air come from behind me. Just as I speculated, Todoroki had created a sheet of ice over the floor, hindering everyone else's movement.
Too bad for him, I couldn't be stopped so easily. My clinging powers allowed me to keep my grip, even when running on ice. Several others had made their way out of it using their Quirks as well.
"More people outside of Class A were able to dodge that than I expected..." I heard Todoroki say.
"On your left!" I quipped at him. "Hey, I've wondered if you're capable of slipping on your ice. How's that work?"
I was met with silence. "Good talk." I said, running ahead of him.
I heard Mineta yelling something about a special attack behind us. I turned around only to see him get completely decked by a giant robot hand.
They had deployed the faux villains from during the entrance exam to be our obstacles, it seemed. I looked up to see a large towering figure above us. It was a zero-pointer robot. Not just one though. There were five.
That didn't stop me, though. I didn't want to slow down, so just I kept running forward, even though everyone else had stopped. I'd seen one of these in action before, so I knew exactly what to do to get past it. An imposing obstacle like this would surely put a stop to many students, so this is the chance I needed to get ahead.
I jumped forward towards the robot with great force. One swung its arm at me. I predicted where the strike would go and weaved right between its fingers. I ran up the arm of a second robot and dismounted swiftly. Putting me in a great lead for the race.
A good ten seconds after, a large wall of ice engulfed one of the robots, completely shutting it down.
The hell?! That giant thing, just like that? This could be good, though. With how forceful his quirk is, he'll likely have to recuperate, even if for just a few seconds. And at this point in the race, every bit of a lead counts.
I slowed down just a slight bit, considering the length of this race. Our course was about four kilometers long, and while I could run that distance faster in a normal race, there's no telling what kind of obstacles are being placed in our path. It would be better to pace myself and make a sprint at the very end.
"Todoroki from Class 1-A!" Present Mic announced. "He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant! Amazing! He's the first one through! It's, you know, practically unfair!"
"It seems to me that you need to take a closer look," Mr. Aizawa said. "Another one of our students made it through a bit before him. He did it efficiently without stopping. A head-on confrontation isn't always the best solution to an obstacle."
Heh, I knew he'd warm up to me eventually.
"At any rate, Todoroki's method was logical and strategic; slowing down his opponents while giving himself a major opening is a surefire tactic as well." Aizawa analyzed.
"As expected of someone who got in through recommendations!" Present Mic shouted. "I guess the first barrier must have been a piece of cake; Kids are flooding on through to the next round!"
I heard more explosions from behind me. Could it be Bakugo? No matter who it is, it seemed that Todoroki and I aren't the only ones who're gonna be fighting for first place.
I looked ahead of me to see if I could catch sight of the next obstacle. I couldn't see, but luckily I could count on Present Mic's announcing to give me a heads up.
"Now, for the second obstacle!" He started. "If you fall, you're out! If you don't wanna fall, then crawl! It's 'The Fall'!"
There was a large abyss with other rocky platforms jutting out from below, all connected together with tightropes.
This would be another easy one. I stopped at the edge to guess how much space was between each platform, along with how wide each one was. After I found my mark, I backed up to get a running start and jumped forward. I landed safely on a platform and quickly jumped to the next. Just like that, I made it past the trench and kept running with Todoroki, and now Bakugo close behind me.
I just have to keep up this pace...
Hagakure's POV:
Oh, man! This race sucks! Everyone here has such a helpful Quirk for this kind of stuff, but I'm just stuck being see-through!
I was struggling to keep up with my class, but by the looks of it, I was still keeping pace to at least not be eliminated. Before, I was actually doing fine close to the front of the crowd, but those robots slowed me down a lot.
"Come on, Toru. No pain, no gain." I said to myself out loud. "Hopefully, the next obstacle isn't as ba-" I stopped as I came to the edge of the trench.
Are you kidding me? I guess there's only one thing for it...
I got down and grabbed on to one of the ropes connecting the rock platforms. I wrapped my whole body around it and shifted across each gap upside down, not acknowledging the rather deep cavern that lay below me.
After a long effort, I made it to the other side. I couldn't see them, but my hands felt like they were blistering. I chose to just try and ignore the pain and ran on to the next stage. Taking a quick look backwards, it seemed that a lot of people fell down in the trench, so there were fewer opponents for me to worry about.
I looked up at one of the jumbotrons they had lining the stadium. It looked like Y/n was still sitting pretty in first, but others were catching up a slight bit. Since they did say that anything goes, I really hoped that there would be no attacks from someone like Bakugo. Even if I didn't qualify, I hoped that Y/n would, at the very least. If this race followed a classic rule of three, there'd be only one more obstacle in his path. It wouldn't be long, now.
Go, Y/n! You can do it!
Y/n's POV:
Damn, it's getting hard to keep a good lead. These guys are relentless. I've definitely gotten a bit faster since the start of the year, but if it comes down to a one-on-one race, Bakugo might beat me out for first. My saving grace is that he must've been using his explosions all race, which should take a toll on him eventually. We'll see.
I came to the site of the next obstacle and saw nothing but an open dirt field. I looked closer and saw that some circular patches were darker than the rest of the ground.
"And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier!" Present Mic announced excitedly. "The reality here is that it's a minefield! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! By the way, these landmines are for games, so they're not that powerful, but they're plenty loud and flashy!"
Before I ran out into the field, I kicked some dirt over onto a dark patch to test, and sure enough, a pink-colored explosion rang out from the floor. I steeled myself briefly and took off running. I just had to take a sort of leap of faith. I focused my eyes towards the ground and ran, using my senses to alert me if I was about to set off a mine.
I could hear Todoroki approaching from behind, but it looked like he was moving very slowly through the field. There were tons of explosions going off in the back, but among all of them I heard one that sounded off. This particular explosion sounded more aggressive.
"This doesn't affect me!" I heard Bakugo yell from behind me. "Bastard, don't declare war to the wrong person!"
Shit, this is exactly what I was worried about. And since he doesn't have to touch the ground, he doesn't have to worry about setting off any mines.
I heard more explosions from Bakugo, but they weren't directed towards me. It's likely that he's trying to take care of Todoroki. But soon, he'll pick back up and go for first. I couldn't afford to lose ground.
Just then, an even louder explosion went off in the back. It was way brighter than every other one and I could even feel the shockwave from all the way up in the front. I saw what looked like a person flying out of the smoke.
I'd hate to be that guy. Weird, it almost looks like he's flying right towards me. Wait a minute... that's not just any guy, that's...!
"Class A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!" Present Mic called out. "He's heading straight for first!"
"Deku! Don't go ahead of me!" Bakugo yelled out, accelerating his air speed with even more furious explosions.
Todoroki made an ice path in front of him, so he also started catching up to us. I just kept running forward, trying my best to avoid mines and stay in front.
"The two formerly fighting for second have stopped trying to slow each other down and are chasing Midoriya and L/n!" Present Mic reported. "Now that they have a common enemy, they've stopped fighting!"
I finally cleared the minefield and saw the end of the course just ahead of me. I broke into a sprint and ran as fast as I could, hoping Bakugo wouldn't catch up in time. I heard one more louder-than-normal explosion behind me. A split second later, Midoriya had flown out in front of me and taken the lead.
"Midoriya swiftly blocks those behind him!" Present Mic was losing his mind. "Would you believe it? He cleared the minefield in an instant! Eraser Head, your class is amazing! What're you teaching them?!"
"I didn't do anything." He replied. "They got each other fired up on their own."
"U.A. sports festival, first-year stage!" Present mic continued. "Who could've predicted the developments at the beginning or this conclusion? Right now, the first person back in the stadium is that man..."
The person stepping out of the dark corridor back into the stadium, and instantly showered with praise and confetti, in a competition where everyone uses their quirks to the fullest, had got first place without using his once.
"Izuku Midoriya's made a huge splash!"
I ran in just after he did , putting me in second place for the first round. It's a bit frustrating, and as much as I would've liked to be first, there's hardly anyone I'd rather take second place to than Midoriya. As the other students made their way in, I saw a few tears trickle from Midoriya's eyes.
"Deku! You were amazing!" Said Uraraka, still tired from the run. "That's so frustrating, dang it!"
Iida was over to the side beating himself up for falling behind. Bakugo looked even more pissed than he usually does, and I saw Todoroki walk of somewhere else, probably to brood.
Apparently, even Mineta made it to the end by clinging to Yaoyorozu like a leech. Whatever works, I suppose.
"L/n! There you are!" Hagakure said, exhausted. "You were so cool!"
"Oh, it wasn't all that..." I replied, playing it cool. "I'd say you did pretty good too, considering you technically got through without using your quirk once."
"Hehe, I guess that's something. I just hoped I placed high enough to go onto the next round."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you made it."
We waited a bit for all the other contestants to filter into the stadium. Afterwards, Midnight began to list off the results.
"The first game of the first-year stage is finally over." Midnight announced. "Now, take a look at the results!"
She displayed the results on a projector screen. Hagakure placed 39th in the race. The number of qualifiers was based on how many students were participating, and it was decided that the top 43 contestants would go through to the next round, meaning she got to move on.
"See, what'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about." I said reassuringly.
"It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it!" Said Midnight. "We've prepared other chances for you to shine. The real competition begins next! The press cavalry'll be all over it! Give it your all!"
The press cavalry? That's some odd word choice. Could it be that the next event is a...
"Now then, here is the second game." Midnight continued. "I already know what it is, but what could it be? I just gave a hint, and now here it is..." She pointed at the TV screen in front of us, indicating that our next event would be a cavalry battle.
"Now, let me explain." Midnight began. "The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It's basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but the one thing that's different is based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value."
With this system in place, some teams may be worth more points, and vice versa. This could give underdogs the opportunity to steal a lead, or put the point leaders in a difficult spot. It'll all come down the "point economy", to put it simply.
"And the points assigned go up by five starting from the bottom. So 42nd place has a point value of five, while 41st has ten!"
Quick maths: if the points go by five, starting up from 43, Hagakure has 25 points. And if my math is right, I'm worth 210 points, meaning I'll be a high value target.
"And the point value assigned to first place is ten million!"
...Huh? Did I hear that right? Why would they give such an absurd amount to first place? Whoever can hold control of that ten million is automatically in first! I glanced over at Midoriya, who was now standing as stiff as a board. Everyone else seemed to be glaring at him. It didn't help that he happened to be standing right smack in the middle of the crowd.
"Now, I will explain the rules:
-The time limit is fifteen minutes.
-Each team is worth the total of its members' points. And the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands, and keep as many points as they can.
-Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up.
-If your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you're not out!
During the game, it'll be a cruel fight where you can use your Quirks. But it's still a cavalry battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose! Now, you have 15 minutes to pick your team, starting now!"
This is going to be harder than I thought. As much as I wanna pair up with friends, I have to think about which people would be the most beneficial for a team.
Off the top of my head, what are my options? Uraraka can make us float upwards, which could be good for evading. Iida has all kinds of speed to boot. As much as I hate his guts, Todoroki could be a powerful ally. Mineta might even be a good choice for a rider, since he's so small.
There is something I could try...
"Oi, Bakugo!" I called out reluctantly. "How'd you like to team u-"
"I don't know what Quirks you all have! What do you want?!" He said to the crowd already around him.
I guess not then...
Hagakure could be good. Her invisibility makes it harder to see what headbands we have, if she were a rider. Since her Quirk doesn't have much application outside of that, that's probably where she'd be anyway.
"L/n!" She said suddenly from behind me.
"Gah! Where'd you come from?!" I said, surprised.
"Do you wanna be on a team?" She asked out of the blue.
"Uhh... sure, but are you fine with having such big target on you?"
"I'll be fine. Let's go find some other members."
We walked around the group for a bit, looking for people who hadn't grouped up yet. I thought Shoji would have been a good choice, but he had already teamed up with Mineta, taking off another one of my options.
While we were walking, I accidentally bumped right into Ojiro.
"Whoops, sorry Ojiro. You good?" I asked.
He didn't reply. He stared forward blankly.
"Yo. Ojiro. Hello? Listen, I know I'm not the most interesting guy, but don't ignore me."
"Ah! Sorry. I spaced out for a bit." He said, snapping out of whatever he was in. "Sure, I wouldn't mind pairing up."
"That's not what I asked you though..." I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "But I guess I'm fine with it if you're not already on a team."
"Yay! Now we only need one more person." Hagakure said, already looking around for our fourth.
Something seemed really off with him. It's possible that nervousness is just really getting to him, it's not like him to be so shaken up. I'll ask him about it later since we don't have much time left to choose teams.
We didn't need to look much longer because soon, we were approached by Jiro, who asked to join up with us. This could work out in our favor, I've already thought of a plan of action taking our Quirks into consideration. I'm close with Hagakure already, and I get along pretty decently with both Jiro and Ojiro, so this could be a cakewalk!
Our team was decided, but before I talked over the game plan with the others, I went up and and asked Midnight about one specific rule.
"Ooh! I like the way you think! It doesn't say that you can't anywhere in the rules, so I'll allow it!" She said, rather excitedly. "Mmm, I love out-of-the-box thinking! It gives me goosebumps all over!"
"Uhh, yeah. Goosebumps..." I said awkwardly while backing away. "Thanks, Miss."
I came back over to my teammates so we could discuss our strategy. I would be the one in the front, since I had the most movement, and could give signals when to dodge. Hagakure would be the one riding, because of her invisibility. Ojiro would be on the back right side, while Jiro would take the back left.
We would be playing a more offensive game, but would still have the ability to play passively if need be. We'd also have a hidden card up our sleeves, if we really needed it.
"Will this special strategy of yours work though?" Asked Jiro. "Is it even allowed?"
"Midnight said it was, so we're doing it." I replied. "If we do something they won't expect, no one will know what to do against it."
"Now then, it's about time to get started!" Midnight called.
"After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are lined up on the field!" Present Mic announced. "Now, raise those battle cries! It's time for U.A.'s cavalry battle!"
We got into our places and prepared for our signal to start. I looked back at my teammates and gave them a reassuring look.
"We got this guys. As long as we work together!"
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Umm, not really sure what to put in the author's note this time around. I guess Happy Birthday to Bakugo! Uhh, what else... Nice weather we're having?(I hope)
"I don't know, I didn't think I'd get this far." -Sheldon J. Plankton
Yeah, not much to say here. I'll see y'all next time!
3322 words. finished and published on 4-20-23 (nice)
*made an edit on 4-30-22