"NOW THAT THE FIRST TEST IS OVER, HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL RESULTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Present Mic's booming, exaggerated voice resonated with boundless enthusiasm through a large television screen, announcing the eagerly awaited outcome.
In a place resembling a dark, yet surprisingly clean and meticulously tidy, apartment, a lone woman sat intently in front of a vast holographic screen. Her gaze was fixed with unwavering focus on the U.A. Sports Festival, displayed in vivid detail. Her hands moved quickly and almost instinctively across a sophisticated interface, meticulously noting down various pieces of data, intricate theories, and possible applications of the participants' Quirks. Her mind, sharp and analytical, was dissecting every movement, every display of power.
A moment after Present Mic's dramatic words, a detailed table abruptly appeared on the large computer screen, vividly showcasing the results of the first event of the Festival: the grueling Obstacle Race.
...
Oxton Lena --- 1st place Midoriya Izuku --- 2nd place Todoroki Shoto --- 3rd place Bakugo Katsuki --- 4th place Yaoyorozu Momo --- 5th place Shizoka Ibara --- 6th place Jiro Kyoka --- 7th place Tokoyami Fumikage --- 8th place
...
"IN THE LEAD, SECURING A PHENOMENAL FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE THE INCREDIBLY TALENTED YOUNG OXTOON! WHO PUT ON A TRULY GREAT SHOW, WINNING AT THE VERY LAST, DRAMATIC MOMENT, A CLIFFHANGER OF A RACE!!" Present Mic bellowed, his voice filled with admiration.
"IN SECOND PLACE, DEMONSTRATING REMARKABLE SKILL AND UNYIELDING DETERMINATION, WE HAVE YOUNG MIDORIYA IZUKU!!! WHO SHOWED GREAT PROMISE, SECURING A WELL-DESERVED SECOND PLACE THROUGH SHEER FORCE OF WILL!!"
"AND LASTLY, GRABBING A SOLID THIRD PLACE, WE HAVE TODOROKI SHOTO! THE SON OF ENDEAVOR HIMSELF, GIVING A GRAND DEMONSTRATION OF HIS INNATE STRENGTH AND THE LEGACY HE CARRIES, A TRUE POWERHOUSE!!"
"WHO WILL BE THE UNDISPUTED WINNER OF THE SECOND TEST?! LET'S FIND OUT, HERO FANS!" Present Mic's voice climbed to another crescendo, teasing the next event.
"Turn that insufferable noise off, Sombra," growled an irritated and profoundly annoyed voice from behind the red-haired woman. It was Reaper. "I simply cannot stand that idiotic shouting."
"Why should I, Gabriel?" The woman, Moira O'Deorain, replied, turning her head towards the voice, a look of sick amusement playing across her features, her eyes glinting with a malicious satisfaction. "It's genuinely amusing to witness the 'best mercenary in the underworld' whimpering and crying like a spoiled bitch over some petty screaming, isn't it?"
"If you do not turn that unholy racket down immediately, Moira, I swear on everything I despise, I will personally rip out your eyes, cut out your tongue, and then slowly torture you for days until you beg for death..." Reaper said, his voice a low, guttural snarl, emanating a palpable wave of murderous intent that filled Moira's lab. Curiously, the woman didn't even flinch at Reaper's terrifying threat; rather, she seemed even more amused than before, her smile widening.
"It's hardly my problem, Gabriel, that you foolishly requested an 'upgrade' to your sensory perceptions, enhancing your ability to endure your 'haters.' Do you even comprehend how incredibly difficult and precise it is to operate on you, a being whose very cells are in constant flux?" Moira said disdainfully, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she turned her face back to her computer screen, her attention intently focused on the U.A. Sports Festival. "You should be kneeling and kissing my feet right now for my efforts, you ungrateful brute."
"Why do I perpetually have to put up with this shit...? It's insufferable..." Reaper muttered, sighing deeply, and letting go of his murderous intent, the raw anger slowly dissipating from his form.
"Just accept that you're not very intelligent, Reaper, and move on," Moira sighed, a hint of weariness in her tone as she leaned back in her chair. She then turned slightly, her gaze fixed on Reaper, her expression serious now. "Are you ready for your next assignment, Gabriel?"
"Affirmative, Moira. I'm merely awaiting Sombra's signal, and then we will commence the flight to I-Island," Reaper informed, letting out a condescending snort, a subtle arrogance in his demeanor. "It's undeniably fortunate that the entire world is currently watching this trivial Festival... it will undoubtedly make our infiltration far easier, a perfect diversion."
"Then make the absolute most of this opportune moment, Gabriel. Do not, under any circumstances, fail me, or I will not hesitate to turn you three into mindless, obedient puppets, completely devoid of free will," Moira threatened, her voice devoid of any emotion, a chilling indifference as she looked back at the holographic screen, her eyes gleaming with cold calculation. "Ah, by the way, the Biotic Alteration Process has been unfortunately delayed. I have not yet come up with a stable, foolproof way to effectively stabilize the liquid without either irrevocably destroying the patient's existing cells or severely altering their biology in an uncontrolled, unpredictable manner. In moderate, carefully controlled amounts, however, I have tentatively found that it can indeed alter cellular tissues to bring the subject's body to astounding superhuman levels, manifesting as dramatically increased reflexes, unparalleled flexibility, and significantly heightened neural activity. However, these subjects invariably present a profound, unsettling change in their core personality, rendering them completely unresponsive, in both the literal and figurative senses of the word. They become mere shells."
"..." Reaper was silent for a moment, his masked gaze fixed intently on Moira, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her every word. "...Why are you telling me this, Moira? What is the relevance?"
"No special reason at all, Gabriel," Moira shrugged casually, an ecstatic, almost triumphant smile spreading across her face, her eyes gleaming with a hidden amusement. "I just thought you needed to know that your new partner, Sombra, can be a bit of a sadist when she's particularly bored."
"All right! With the forty-two deserving winners of the first grueling test, let's swiftly move on to the second exhilarating event!" Midnight shouted, her voice booming with boundless energy as the giant roulette wheel on the screen spun once again, its vibrant colors blurring into a dizzying kaleidoscope. "And the next incredible test is...!"
The students had been generously given a fifteen-minute intermission to refuel and recuperate, something Lena was profoundly grateful for. If she had been forced to immediately start the next event without any break, she would undoubtedly have been in serious trouble, her energy reserves dangerously depleted.
Suddenly, the massive roulette wheel slowly, dramatically, came to a halt, and displayed the title of the second major event of the day.
-Human Cavalry Battle-
'Well, it could certainly be worse, I suppose,' Lena thought, a wry amusement coloring her thoughts as she mentally reeled off countless other games and challenges that had crossed her mind, some far more terrifying.
"Human Cavalry Battle, ladies and gentlemen, prepare for an unparalleled spectacle of teamwork and strategy!! The rules are simple and straightforward! You will form teams of either two or four participants. If your designated 'Unit,' the rider carrying the headband, is knocked down, causing their headband to fall to the ground, your entire team will be immediately disqualified!" Midnight explained, her voice echoing with dramatic flair, detailing the core mechanics of the chaotic battle.
Lena's eyes widened in profound puzzlement, a sudden surge of apprehension. She immediately thought of several individuals in her class who could easily knock others down or immobilize them without giving them a single chance to react or defend themselves. 'Forget it, it suddenly got a lot, lot worse than I initially thought...'
"But... there's one more crucial thing, aspiring heroes! Participants will be given a bandana with points, and the value of these points will be meticulously based on their individual performance and final position in the First Event, the Obstacle Race! Depending on who they choose to team up with, they'll naturally receive more or less points, influencing their overall score!" Midnight added, her voice building anticipation.
'That certainly changes the plans a bit, introducing a strategic layer... but nothing too far-fetched or insurmountable,' Lena thought, nodding subtly to herself as she mentally began to assemble potential teammates, considering their Quirks and their individual point values.
"There is one monumental exception, though! The participant who secured first place, our very own Lena Oxton, will be awarded an astonishing, unprecedented ONE MILLION POINTS for her headband!" Midnight shouted, her voice reaching a crescendo of dramatic emphasis, briefly leaving the entire stadium stunned into a collective silence before they all, as if on cue, collectively turned their gazes towards Lena, who was looking at Midnight with wide, deadpan eyes, utterly bewildered by the sudden, overwhelming attention.
'Man...'
"...I think, for the very first time in my entire life, I sincerely wish I had secured second place instead of first..." Lena muttered under her breath, taking a sharp intake of air, trying to calm her rapidly fluttering nerves from the thousands of intensely murderous stares now fixed directly upon her. The pressure was immense.
"ALL RIGHT, HEROES! NOW GET YOUR TEAMS TOGETHER!! YOU HAVE PRECISELY TEN MINUTES!!!" Midnight's voice boomed, signaling the start of the team formation frenzy.
<10 minutes later>
Well... this certainly wasn't what I had originally planned for the Cavalry Battle, but I suppose it will have to work, one way or another.
Getting anyone to join my team quickly became a colossal 'no no' for everyone else. Simply approaching someone, even with a friendly smile, was enough to make them visibly flinch and run away from me as if I had contracted the black plague itself. My million-point headband had turned me into a pariah, a target too tempting and too dangerous to be associated with.
'This is incredibly annoying and frustrating...'
At first, I naturally wanted to form a group with Kyoka, but...
"Lena, I'm not stupid. I'm genuinely flattered that you want to be on a team with me, but I'm absolutely not going to become an extra-large steak with extra sauce and fries, just waiting to be eaten. If I'm going to win this test, it will be by my own means, not by being a target on your team!" Kyoka stated firmly, her small, fiery pride seemingly kicking in, coupled with her usual logical, pragmatic reasoning.
Cute. But ultimately, unfortunate for my team formation plans.
Then I tried Momo, my other close friend, but she was already on a team with Todoroki. I didn't quite understand why Toru was laughing so hard at seeing Momo and Todoroki on the same team, but whatever, I figured it was just another one of Toru's invisible quirks.
In the end, after much deliberation and failed attempts, I reluctantly decided to form a two-person team.
Why?
There was no particular, logical reason for this two-person setup. It was a bet. Yes, again, another one of my spontaneous bets.
But this time, I had a surprisingly good, albeit unconventional, basis for this peculiar wager. If I could make this specific two-person dynamic work, then winning the test would truly be a piece of cake, an effortless victory!
If you're wondering who my incredibly brave partner is, the one who will save me from my current misfortune and help me achieve this audacious victory?
It is none other than... (trumpet sounds please, for dramatic effect)
"Are you ready, Oxton?" Shoji Mezo asked, his deep voice muffled slightly as he completely covered Lena with his multiple, powerful limbs, creating a protective, mobile fortress around her.
It was none other than the Class 1-A giant! Shoji! My new teammate!
"Always, Shoji!" Lena said, a predatory, almost gleeful grin spreading across her face, her eyes gleaming with renewed determination. "They're going to regret leaving me out of their plans now!!!"
"THE CAVALRY BATTLE BEGINS, HEROES! MAY THE BEST TEAMS WIN!!!" Midnight's voice boomed, signaling the chaotic commencement of the battle.