"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, these are the teams that have been formed for the intense Human Cavalry Battle!" Midnight announced, her voice filled with a dramatic flourish as she pointed a slender finger towards the large screen, which vividly displayed the eleven teams comprising the participants. It was immediately noticeable that there were only two two-person teams among the many formations, a clear deviation from the norm.
The vast majority of the participants in the festival had chosen to team up with people from their very own class. This was primarily due to a palpable lack of trust between the various classes, a sentiment that had been brewing since what happened at U.A. before the official start of the Festival. During that incident, the other Classes had openly accused Class 1-A of being arrogant, cocky brats with inflated egos, simply because they had managed to defeat some lowly villains.
This widespread animosity was entirely due to the deep-seated jealousy felt by the other Classes towards Class 1-A, given their public exposure and early hero work. While most of the other Classes merely looked down on them with disdain, they didn't harbor outright hatred. However, Class 1-B, in particular, nurtured a profound, almost venomous hatred originating purely from envy and a sense of perceived injustice.
Their collective, internal thought process seemed to be: "Why can't we fight against Villains, too?! Why do they have preference for the other Class?! U.A. clearly doesn't favor us at all in this competition!"
'A childish and utterly silly thought process, entirely suitable for arrogant, short-sighted fifteen-year-olds,' Aizawa Shota thought with profound disdain and derision, his perpetually tired eyes scanning the commentary booth. 'If they truly knew the psychological and physical damage the USJ incident inflicted upon each and every one of my students, they wouldn't, for a single second, think that way...'
All of the U.A. staff were acutely aware of this irrational hatred on the part of the other Classes, this simmering resentment. However, they were not about to intervene or move to explicitly help Class 1-A. After all, a Hero's life was not merely about facing formidable Villains; it was also, perhaps more brutally, about surviving in a relentlessly competitive business where the weak and the overly merciful invariably lost, and the strong, the tenacious, and sometimes the rancorous, ultimately won. It was a world where those who should, by all rights, be your allies might actively try to bring you down, to sabotage your efforts, merely to gain a little more fame, a little more riches.
This ruthless competition was especially true within the intricate network of Hero Agencies, which were constantly sabotaging each other, engaging in cutthroat tactics in order to gain even the slightest advantage over rival Agencies. After all, unbridled greed could, and often did, drive humans to make truly atrocious, unethical decisions.
Returning his focus to the ongoing Human Cavalry Battle, Aizawa had to reluctantly admit that his Class 1-A was, indeed, in significant trouble.
To everyone in the stadium, it was quite obvious that Class 1-B was remarkably more cooperative and organized than Class 1-A. This cohesion immediately gave them the distinct advantage of superior teamwork and collective unity as a group.
Meanwhile, Class 1-A was in a state of internal turmoil, effectively competing against itself and the other Classes at the very same time. The most serious, most problematic aspect of this chaotic situation was that their "Three Idiots"—referring to Bakugo, Todoroki, and Lena—actively sought to destroy each other, their intense rivalries overshadowing any sense of immediate cooperation.
This internal conflict was a monumental disadvantage, as Class 1-A was currently operating in a state of disarray, mainly because of the glaring lack of true, decisive Leaders within its ranks. As much as he hated to admit it, Class 1-A simply didn't possess many students who were natural-born leaders, or individuals with the necessary courage and clearheadedness to calmly issue orders and strategically think under pressure.
A prime example of this pervasive chaos was Sero Hanta's team, where Kyoka Jiro was inexplicably placed as the "Head of the Horse," the designated rider. This, in Aizawa's professional opinion, was a big tactical mistake. Primarily because Kyoka didn't possess a particularly strong physique, which made her inherently easy to take down, not to mention her relatively short height, making her a vulnerable target. It would have been far more logical and effective to place her as the "Horse's Back," a support role where she could swiftly give quick, tactical instructions, utilizing her auditory Quirk.
And despite all the self-inflicted mess that was their Class, Aizawa conceded that they might still possess a very good chance of winning due to their sheer individual experience from the USJ incident and the fact that many of them possessed stupidly powerful, overwhelmingly destructive Quirks.
'I wonder who will ultimately win this chaotic battle,' Aizawa thought curiously, his gaze fixed on the starting line of the Cavalry Battle, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips.
"BEGIN!" Present Mic shouted, his voice igniting the stadium as he announced the start of a fierce, chaotic battle between the eleven teams.
Immediately, Lena ordered Shoji to completely cover her with his multiple limbs, creating a mobile, protective fortress around her. Shoji efficiently executed the command, forming additional eyes on his limbs to watch all the surrounding movements with heightened awareness.
"OXTOON!"
"GIVE ME THAT MILLION-POINT BANDANA!"
"YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, GIANT GIRL!"
As expected, the bulk of the participants, a ravenous horde, immediately went after Lena and her two-person team in a desperate, frenzied attempt to snatch the coveted million-point bandana. The smarter, more calculating teams, however, decided to strategically go after the distracted, less prepared teams, attempting to steal their headbands without them even noticing the subtle theft.
'Let the game begin, you fools...' Lena thought, a predatory glint in her eyes, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
Midoriya Izuku was having an incredibly hard time.
While he was acutely aware that most groups would instinctively go for Lena's million-point headband, he also knew that, being the second-place finisher, the "scavengers" would undoubtedly mark him as a high-priority target, a secondary prize.
What he didn't expect, however, was that Katsuki Bakugo, his explosive rival, would be one of those very scavengers, actively hunting him down.
"Tokoyami, now!" Midoriya shouted desperately at Fumikage Tokoyami, his voice strained, when he saw Bakugo aggressively attacking him from the air with his powerful blasts and a murderous grin plastered across his face. Fortunately, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow Quirk was able to effectively repel Bakugo, pushing him back, although the intense light from Bakugo's explosions made Dark Shadow cower slightly, weakening its effectiveness. "Let's move, Tokoyami, before he gets another chance!"
"Shit!" Bakugo exclaimed in frustration as he fell from a great height after his attack was repelled, only to be swiftly saved by his team, who managed to perfectly time his fall and catch him before he hit the ground with a painful thud. "Grr... Damn it!"
"What are you, a rabid dog, Bakugo?" Neito Monoma, from Class 1-B, suddenly appeared behind Bakugo, a smug, mocking expression on his face, quickly removing the chamois headband from Bakugo's head with a taunting flourish. "It's like taking candy from a baby, isn't it?"
"Who the absolute fuck are you, and how dare you steal from me, you insolent bastard!" Bakugo shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes bloodshot with uncontrollable rage as he glared at Monoma with pure, unadulterated hatred. "DIE, YOU CHEAP IMITATION!"
"Good job, Oxton, truly excellent," Shoji Mezo congratulated his partner, his deep voice calm and steady. Thanks to Lena's quick thinking and strategic 'Acceleration,' they had been able to effortlessly dodge all the initial teams, leaving them sufficiently confused to begin fighting amongst themselves, effectively thinning the herd. "That was incredibly smart, Lena."
"I told you to just call me Lena, Shoji, no need for formalities. And yes, it was a good win for us, securing our initial lead," Lena said, her voice relaxed as she settled more comfortably on Shoji's broad back. There was ample room, enough for two more people, so Lena had plenty of space to stretch out and get comfortable. "Now, just make absolutely sure no one gets close to us, and we'll win this easily. If anything truly dangerous happens, or if we get attacked by two teams at once, let me know immediately, and I'll get us out of there, got it?"
"Yes, Lena, understood," Shoji nodded, confirming her instructions, his multi-limbed body remaining steadfast.
Lena's master plan was deceptively simple, yet brilliantly effective: run and hide.
Lena knew, instinctively, that she was a juicy steak, an irresistible target for all the other teams, and that the vast majority of the participants would be relentlessly coming for her million-point headband. So, taking full advantage of this predictable pursuit, she meticulously sought out a teammate who was strong, tough, and resilient enough to take the vast majority of incoming attacks head-on, effectively serving as a human shield. And, to her profound relief and delight, she found Shoji Mezo.
And, surprise, surprise, he was not only strong but also surprisingly willing to team up with Lena, despite the enormous target on her back.
For Lena, it felt like winning the lottery, hitting the jackpot. Only instead of being given millions of dollars, she was given the invaluable chance to win this highly competitive event easily, with minimal direct effort.
How?
With her Quirk, 'Acceleration,' obviously. While she was undoubtedly tired from the recent battles and could feel her energy subtly draining more quickly than usual, and the residual temporal 'waves' whipping at her from time to time, she still decided to make the concerted effort and implement something she had diligently learned over the past two weeks during her intensive solo training.
She had learned how to unfreeze things from her 'Acceleration' state, a new, intricate layer of control over her temporal abilities. This meant she could selectively return certain objects or individuals to normal time while she herself remained in her accelerated state.
Now, Lena was rolling some good dice, taking a calculated gamble, as she had never actually tried this 'unfreezing' technique on anyone else before... but it worked! It worked flawlessly!
With Lena's perfected time-stop ability to effortlessly flee from danger, combined with Shoji's formidable defensive capabilities, they possessed a damn impregnable defense! They were, quite simply, an unstoppable force, a mobile fortress.
Some might, perhaps, label this strategy as cowardly, a less heroic approach. But for Lena, the important thing was simply to win, no matter what the mode, no matter the perception. Victory was paramount.
'I should definitely take a break after this test is over... I'm getting pretty tired, both physically and mentally...' Lena thought, letting out a soft sigh, her body already craving rest. 'Maybe I should grab something substantial to eat before the very last test... a good, hearty meal would do wonders.'
"Do you see anything through your eyes, Shoji? Any teams approaching?" Lena asked, feeling that everything had suddenly become too quiet, too still, an ominous calm before a potential storm.
"Teams are struggling, but everything appears normal, so far," Shoji reported calmly, his multiple eyes scanning the expansive arena. He stood perfectly still for a moment, apparently needing a few extra seconds to process all the complex visual information his eyes were relaying, a process that sometimes took a while for his Quirk. "Oh."
"What's wrong, Shoji? What did you see?" Lena asked, her posture tensing, preparing herself to use another 'Acceleration' at a moment's notice. But suddenly, she felt everything around them shaking violently, a deep, pervasive tremor originating from the ground.
'Holy crap! Who just used the Nuke?!' Lena thought, a surprised giggle escaping her, a strange mix of fear and amusement. 'I'm going to bet it's either Bakugo, Kyoka, or perhaps someone from one of the other Classes going all out.'
"Don't worry, Lena, I can take the impact. My body is resilient," Shoji said as calmly as he possibly could, his voice unwavering despite the shaking. He immediately began running off at high speed in search of a safer, more stable place, as the ground continued to shake violently beneath them. "I just fervently hope the ground doesn't literally break apart and swallow us whole..."
'Truly an impregnable defense, indeed!' Lena thought with a wide, triumphant smile on her face, feeling a surge of confidence in their chosen strategy.