Chapter 51: Cavalry Battle (Part 2)
Toru Hagakure repeatedly tapped Yoshikage Kira on the head, shouting in frustration, "Kira, why did you run away!? Don't you trust me? I would have definitely helped you grab their headband!"
To prevent their 'horse' formation from breaking, Kira had Ibara use her vines to tie their hands together. When he had turned to flee, his two teammates behind him were dragged along, forced to run with him.
Kira rolled his eyes. "Were you not listening to what I said before? A head-on clash with Tetsutetsu's team is unwise. Do you really think your hands are harder than his?"
"Besides, even if we did get his headband, the match just started less than three minutes ago. Do you want them chasing after us like a pack of mad dogs until the very end?"
Jiro added, "I don't like it, but Kira is right. For now, we should conserve our strength and wait until the final moments to start reaping."
Toru Hagakure went limp like a dead fish on Kira's head. "I get it, but..." she said, her voice weak, "...running away like that is so embarrassing!"
That statement was so full of holes that the other two were left speechless. First, you can't be embarrassed, Hagakure, you don't have a face. Second, you're stark naked, what do you have to be embarrassed about!?
Speaking of which, what was that thing pressing against his head earlier? Kira forced himself not to think about it.
"By the way... why did the other team run away too?" Hagakure asked suddenly.
On the other side of the field, Tetsutetsu was roaring, "Honenuki, why did you run!? Their rider is just some little invisible girl! She's completely harmless!"
Honenuki was still running, not stopping until he had reached a spot with no one else within several meters. He caught his breath and tried to organize his thoughts. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to clash with Kira's team right now."
Tetsutetsu was completely baffled. "Isn't it just because Shiozaki is on their team? As long as our team qualifies, I'm sure Shiozaki will forgive us!"
It's not about Shiozaki, it's about Yoshikage Kira... Honenuki didn't know how to explain it.
In his mind, Kira had already been flagged as one of the most dangerous people in the competition. The moment their eyes had met earlier, his teeth had started chattering uncontrollably. Before he had even realized it, he had chosen to flee.
He took a deep breath and said, "Tetsutetsu, think about it. Their rider is invisible. If you steal her headband now, her entire body will become invisible for the rest of the match. We'll be at a huge disadvantage."
Tetsutetsu wavered. "That's true..."
Seeing that his hastily concocted excuse was working, Honenuki continued, "I think we should focus on stealing the headbands from the other Class 1-A teams for now. Then, right at the end, we can go after Team Kira. That way, we can prevent them from making a comeback, and we'll get to see the looks on their faces when they fall from heaven to hell at the last second. After all, it would only take you an instant to grab their headband, right?"
"The looks on their faces..." Tetsutetsu imagined Kira's expression and let out a wicked laugh. He clenched his fists confidently. "Great idea, Honenuki! As expected of an honor student! I can't wait to see their faces, but I suppose I can be merciful and let them live a little longer!"
The boy supporting Tetsutetsu, whose name was Yosetsu Awase, suddenly spoke up. "By the way, why is that guy from the General Course still here? And he looks like he's doing pretty well..."
Tetsutetsu turned his head and saw that the guy named Hitoshi Shinso already had two headbands. And at that moment, he had his sights set on them.
"So I'm his next target? This guy's got guts!" Tetsutetsu grinned savagely. "I can't go after Kira just yet, but taking you down won't be a problem... Honenuki!"
Juzo Honenuki turned their 'horse' around. While he was wary of Kira, he had no hesitation in taking on a student from the General Course. Following Tetsutetsu's command, he charged.
Midoriya pressed a button on the jetpack, and they landed smoothly. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "This is an amazing invention, Hatsume-san!"
"Of course! I have complete confidence in my babies!" Mei Hatsume said with a grin. "Midoriya-kun, after that cool maneuver just now, I'm sure some support companies will be interested in my inventions, right!?"
"Hahaha..." Midoriya laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
Mei Hatsume's reason for joining Team Midoriya was simple: she wanted to use the attention he was getting as the first-place contestant to showcase her own "babies." By helping him, she could get the support companies to notice her inventions. Therefore, in her eyes, being surrounded wasn't a crisis; it was a fantastic stage for a demonstration.
After Midoriya had escaped the encirclement, some of the other teams had given up on the fat prize and had turned their attention to the second, third, and fourth-place teams. As a result, Team Midoriya could now breathe a little easier.
But not for long...!
"Wahaha! Midoriya, surrender! Your ten million points are mine!"
"That's Mineta-kun's voice! But where is he?" Midoriya heard Mineta's maniacal laugh, but he could only see Mezo Shoji running toward them from behind, alone. He was momentarily confused.
"DEKU! HAND OVER THAT HEADBAND, YOU BASTARD!" From the front, Kirishima, carrying Bakugo, was also charging toward them, with Bakugo roaring at the top of his lungs.
"Midoriya, what do we do?" Seeing that they were caught between two fronts, Fumikage Tokoyami, from his position under Midoriya, asked calmly, "It's time to make a choice."
Midoriya looked at Bakugo and grit his teeth. "We'll use the jetpack to get out of here!"
A powerful flame shot out from the backpack. They had expected to ascend quickly, but they felt a strong resistance. Uraraka looked down and shouted, "My hover soles are stuck! It's Mineta's grapes!"
Uraraka and Hatsume were both wearing a pair of enormous boots—Hover Soles, developed by Hatsume. They created a repulsive force with the ground during a fast landing, allowing them to maintain their balance and land safely.
"Midoriya, koko da yo (I'm right here)," Minoru Mineta said, his grinning face peeking out from the darkness behind Shoji. "Didn't expect this, did you!? This time, we're the hunters, and you're the prey!"
A long tongue shot out from the shell-like formation of Shoji's Dupli-Arms, stabbing toward Midoriya's headband. Midoriya deftly dodged it. The tongue continued unabated, striking out at Bakugo.
"Tch. A frog?" Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance and slapped the tongue away. He shouted across the distance, "Hey, frog-face! If you stick that thing at me again, I'll burn it to a crisp!"
"That's a very scary thing to say, Bakugo-chan," Tsuyu's head popped out from the other side of Shoji's shell, opposite from Mineta. Although she said she was scared, her expression was as calm as ever.
"So that's where you were hiding! That's a great move, Shoji-kun!" Midoriya said, without a moment's hesitation. "Sorry, Hatsume-san! We're going full power!"
"Oh! My babies!" Over Mei Hatsume's cry of anguish, the soles of Uraraka's boots broke in half, and Team Midoriya shot into the sky.
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