Chapter 13: The Cavalry of Misfits.
The adrenaline of the race was fading, replaced by the gnawing hunger of lunch hour and the looming dread of the next event.
Midnight stood on the stage, cracking her whip to silence the murmuring students. Behind her, the massive screen displayed the point allotments.
"The first game was just a warm-up!" she purred. "Now, the real battle begins. The Cavalry Battle!"
She explained the rules. Teams of two to four. Riders and horses. Headbands.
"And the points are assigned based on your placement in the race!"
She pointed to the screen.
42nd place... 5 points.
...
4th Place (Aokiji)... 205 points.
3rd Place (Bakugo)... 210 points.
2nd Place (Todoroki)... 215 points.
"And First Place..." Midnight grinned sadistically. "TEN MILLION POINTS!"
The atmosphere in the stadium shifted instantly. It went from a sporting event to a hunting ground. Every pair of eyes locked onto Midoriya Izuku. The boy turned pale, practically vibrating with fear.
Aokiji looked at the board. 205 points. That's high. Too high. People will want my headband.
"You have fifteen minutes to form your teams! START!"
Chaos erupted.
"Bakugo! Team with me!" Kirishima shouted.
"Todoroki-san! Please!"
Aokiji stood still, hoping that if he didn't move, he would become invisible like Hagakure. He closed his eyes.
"Kuzan!"
He opened one eye.
It was a frantic voice. Mineta Minoru was tugging on his pant leg.
"Kuzan! Everyone is ignoring me! They say I'm too small! Team with me! I'll stick to you like glue! Literally!"
Aokiji looked down at the grape boy. Then he looked at who was standing behind Mineta.
Mezo Shoji. The multi-armed student. He was silent, imposing, and sturdy.
And beside him...
A floating UA sport uniform. Tooru Hagakure.
"We are fourth," Shoji said, his voice deep and calm behind his mask. "Mineta provides trapping. Hagakure provides stealth and light refraction. I provide defense and mobility."
"And you..." Hagakure's arms waved excitedly. "You're the heavy hitter! You can freeze anyone who gets too close!"
Aokiji assessed the team.
Shoji: Good defense. A tank.
Mineta: Annoying, but his quirk is actually great for keeping people away.
Hagakure: Invisible. Hard to target.
It was a team of weirdos. The "Oddball Squad."
"Who's the rider?" Aokiji asked.
"You are, of course" Shoji said. "You have the most points. And you're the tallest. You have the best vantage point."
Aokiji sighed. "I hate heights. But... fine. It beats running around."
The Lunch Break
Before the battle started, there was a break. The cafeteria was packed.
Aokiji sat with his new team. Shoji ate calmly. Mineta was hyperventilating into a paper bag. Hagakure was... well, her food was disappearing, so presumably she was eating. Aokiji was just looking at her wondering.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing at all" he replied.
"So, the plan?" Mineta asked, shaking. "We stay away from Bakugo? He wants to kill Kuzan!"
"The plan," Aokiji said, stirring his iced coffee. "Is simple. We don't attack."
"What?" Mineta gasped.
"We have my 205 points," Aokiji explained. "Plus your points. We're sitting comfortably in the top four. We don't need the Ten Million. That's a target on our backs. We just need to keep what we have. I think this will be enough for us."
"Defensive play," Shoji nodded. "Wise."
"I'll create an ice barrier around us," Aokiji continued. "Shoji, you watch the blind spots. Hagakure, emm just stay safe. Mineta, throw your sticky trash on the floor around us so they can't charge. Is this clear?"
"It's not trash! They're my soul!" Mineta cried.
As they ate, a shadow fell over the table.
It was Rikido Sato from Class 1-B again, holding a tray of beef stew.
"Hey, Kuzan!" Sato grinned. "Mind if I sit nearby? Class B is plotting something weird, and I need a break from Monoma's laughing."
"The muscular boy, come come" Aokiji gestured to the empty chair.
"Thanks! You guys ready for the Cavalry?" Sato asked, digging in. "I'm teaming with Kendo. She's got those big hands. Pretty useful."
"We're going for the 'Turtle Strategy'," Aokiji said.
"Classic," Sato laughed. "By the way, I heard some rumors. The Support Course kids? They're bringing gadgets. Real heavy duty stuff. Watch out for the pink-haired girl. She looks... explosive."
"Thanks for the tip," Aokiji said. He looked at Sato. The guy was nice. Simple. Strong. This guy should be in my class, better than bakugo and the number two hero's son. Those two are like bombs to me.. Aokiji wondered idly.
"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic screamed. "FORM YOUR FORMATIONS!"
They marched onto the field.
Aokiji climbed onto Shoji's back. Mineta and Hagakure flanked Shoji, creating a triangular base. Aokiji tied the headband around his forehead. 545pt.
He looked across the field.
Todoroki's team (Iida, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari) looked like a phalanx.
Bakugo's team (Kirishima, Sero, Ashido) looked like a war machine.
Midoriya's team (Uraraka, Tokoyami, Hatsume) looked terrified but determined.
"Three... Two... One... START!"
Immediately, chaos.
"GET THE TEN MILLION!"
Every team charged toward Midoriya.
"Shoji, reverse," Aokiji ordered calmly.
While everyone rushed forward, Team Aokiji backed up toward the edge of the arena.
"Ice Age: Igloo Mode."
Aokiji didn't freeze the ground. He raised his hands and created a semi-circle wall of thick, jagged ice spikes in front of them. It was a fortress.
"Mineta, carpet the front," Aokiji said.
Mineta threw dozens of purple balls in front of the ice wall.
Now, anyone who wanted to attack them had to cross a sticky minefield and break through an ice wall.
"This is cozy," Hagakure chirped.
They watched the battle from their fortress. They saw Midoriya flying into the sky with a jetpack. They saw Todoroki freezing the other teams. They saw Bakugo flying off his horse like a madman.
"Uh oh," Shoji rumbled. "Incoming."
It was Team Bakugo.
Bakugo had seen them. He had seen Aokiji hiding.
"DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE, ICE SCUM!" Bakugo roared. He tapped Kirishima. "CHARGE! BREAK THAT WALL!"
"Here we go," Aokiji sighed, his hands glowing with cold energy. "Let's cool him off."
.
.
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