_____[POV: Third person]_____
"How do you mean RUN?!"
The screen flickered again, now with a more irritated tone, as if it were about to roll its eyes.
[OH I DON'T KNOW, WHAT ELSE COULD I SAY? DO YOU WANT ME TO INVEST SOMETHING ANOTHER AMAZING WAY TO SAVE YOU? HOW ABOUT JUST TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND GAIN THIS FUCKING POWER FROM A QUADRRILLION SUNS? WANT TO TRY? NO? THEN FUCKING RUN AWAY.]
The man's eyes widened, a shiver running down his spine.
"Y-you gotta be kidding me…"
[NO, I'M BEING HONEST. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, KILL YOURSELF. REINCARNATE, TRY AGAIN IN THE NEXT LIFE, YOU MAY HAVE MORE LUCK.]
The screen kept flickering, now with a tone of pure mockery and exhaustion.
[MY RECOMMENDATION TO ESCAPE WAS JUST TO NOT TRAUMATIZE YOU. BUT DO YOU WANT THE RAW TRUTH? THERE IS NO WAY TO COPY THIS SHIT. THIS SKILL IS ABOVE MY LIMIT. ABOVE YOUR LIMIT. OVER THE WHOLE FUCKING LIMIT. IF YOU WANT TO TRY IT, GO FOR IT. BUT REMEMBER I WARNED YOU.]
The man swallowed hard. He closed the interface with a sharp hand motion, his face as pale as a corpse.
"Moldav?!" The redhead's voice cut through the silence, laden with worry and irritation.
He didn't respond. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his mind racing.
"Moldav!" She called again, this time quickly closing the distance. "What the hell is going on?!"
He blinked a few times before staring at the redhead with a completely paranoid look.
"Going on?! I'll tell you what's going on, Kela…" He laughed, but there was no humor in his voice, only panic. "We're cooked. Literally cooked."
The beast, who had been watching everything with a bored smile, finally showed interest.
"Hah! So he's really holding power, huh? This is getting better and better. It was already interesting that he's stronger than a Kryptonian, but now I'm genuinely excited."
Moldav turned to him with fury in his eyes, pointing a trembling finger at the TV screen.
"SHUT UP, THOKK! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH! THIS GUY IS A MONSTER AMONG MONSTERS!"
Kela furrowed her brow, crossing her arms as she analyzed Moldav.
"Okay, and what does that mean? Are you going to freak out and run away?"
Moldav ran his hand over his face, agitated, and tried to stand up.
"I can't stay here. I have to figure out how to… to…" He shook his head, as if trying to shake off a horrible thought.
Before he could take another step, a skittering noise filled the room. Tiny claws scratched the floor, and the doorway was overtaken by a swarm of dark rats, piling on top of each other, forming a living barrier.
Kela smirked.
"Going somewhere, Moldav?"
He growled in frustration and shot her a murderous look, but Kela didn't flinch.
"I want details. You seem to know more than we do about this Ryuji Fugimoto guy. So tell me… what is he?"
Moldav averted his gaze, restless, his lips tightening. He wanted to scream that running was the only rational option, but… they'd never leave him alone if he didn't explain.
He took a deep breath and muttered a single word:
"Sentry…"
Kela and Thokk exchanged glances.
"Who the hell is Sentry?" Kela asked, confused.
Moldav scoffed, rubbing his face.
"My God, I'm surrounded by idiots who know nothing about comics... Screw this, I'm out of here."
Kela narrowed her eyes, about to press the question, but before she could say anything, Moldav disappeared. His silhouette dissolved into the shadows, vanishing completely from the room.
Silence reigned for a few moments, until Kela took a deep breath and clenched her fists in irritation.
"Damn idiot… my plans for my ship are ruined!"
Her eyes turned back to the TV screen, where the Sports Festival was still being broadcast. Her expression twisted in frustration.
Meanwhile, Thokk simply smiled. He slowly licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"He may be a monster among monsters…" He murmured to himself. "But that just makes me want to fight him even more."
And to him, Moldav's warnings meant nothing.
----------------------------------------
After a good while, other students began to cross the finish line. Izuku came in second, and Todoroki came in third. Izuku arrived tired and sweating profusely, heading toward Ryuji while panting heavily before collapsing to the ground.
"You..." Izuku tried to speak between heavy breaths. "You didn't have to finish so quickly..."
Ryuji smirked and shrugged.
"I needed to secure my spot. Besides, it was a good warm-up, wasn't it?" he said, looking down at Izuku on the ground.
Izuku just groaned in response, still catching his breath. Meanwhile, Todoroki stared intently at Ryuji. His gaze was cold and serious. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to say something, but he just looked away, clenching his fists discreetly.
After a few more minutes, more students crossed the finish line, each with expressions of exhaustion and relief. Gradually, the 42 competitors who advanced to the next round gathered, and Midnight cracked her whip in the air to get everyone's attention.
"Now that the preliminaries are over, let's move on to the final selection! Even the press will be thrilled by this stage!" she announced, her seductive and excited tone echoing through the stadium. "The next event is... HUMAN CAVALRY BATTLE!"
Kirishima furrowed his brow, confused.
"Human what?"
Ryuji crossed his arms.
"A group of three or four people forms a horse and protects the rider they carry. The team needs to keep their rider up while trying to knock down the other teams. Simple and chaotic."
Midnight continued the explanation.
"Each student will receive a band with points based on their placement in the obstacle race! The total points for each team will be the sum of the individual points of its members. And the highest value... goes to the FIRST PLACE FINISHER!"
She paused dramatically before dropping the bombshell:
"FIRST PLACE IS WORTH... 10 MILLION POINTS!"
The stadium fell silent for a moment, but soon tension filled the air. All eyes turned to Ryuji at the same time, as if they were staring at a walking treasure trove.
"Ah, great..." Ryuji sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "This is exactly the kind of attention I love."
Izuku, standing beside him, simply nodded, not seeming surprised.
"Pretty predictable, to be honest."
Ryuji raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways.
"You still want to be on my team?"
Izuku shrugged. "Of course. Choosing you is clearly the smartest move."
Meanwhile, the students from Class 1-B and other classes whispered among themselves.
"This is perfect! He's an easy target now!" one of them murmured.
"We just need to take him down and secure the points!" another whispered, their eyes gleaming with ambition.
"He might be fast, but against multiple teams at once, it'll be impossible to escape!" a third argued confidently.
Midnight, watching the growing tension, smiled amusedly and swung her whip.
"Those who reach the top only face new challenges! But you've heard that countless times... PLUS ULTRA!"
After Midnight's speech, everyone present began to talk among themselves and form their teams. The sound of mixed voices filled the stadium as students ran back and forth, trying to secure strategic allies.
Izuku watched as people grouped up, forming alliances quickly. He looked at Ryuji and sighed.
"It's going to be tough finding someone to complement our team," Izuku commented, crossing his arms. "With those 10 million points on your forehead, anyone with a shred of common sense will avoid associating with us. Besides, I'm sure some of them don't even want to win—they just want to take you down."
Ryuji just shrugged, a small sarcastic smile forming on his face.
"So what? You think I'm just someone with a big number on my forehead?"
Izuku nodded, his gaze determined.
"I know. That's exactly why I said earlier that staying on your team is the smartest choice. I'd rather bet on strength than luck."
Before Ryuji could respond, a feminine voice interrupted them.
"Can I join you?" asked Uraraka, appearing beside them with a cheerful smile.
Izuku was surprised for a moment but soon smiled.
"Of course! You'd be a great help, Uraraka."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Great! I'll do my best! I promise to be as useful as possible!" she said, clenching her fists in determination.
Ryuji just shrugged.
"Welcome to the suicide team, I guess."
But before they could continue talking, Ryuji felt something strange on his back. Something soft and warm, rubbing against him. He turned around only to find a pair of black cat ears and silky black hair.
A soft purr came along with a feminine voice.
"Ahhh... this feeling... yes, this is the feeling of safety... Nyan~"
Izuku and Uraraka froze in place, watching the scene with bewildered expressions. An unknown girl was literally rubbing her head against Ryuji's back, as if he were a giant, comfortable pillow.
"Okay, this is... new," murmured Izuku, exchanging a glance with Uraraka.
"Er... Ryuji?" Uraraka called hesitantly.
Ryuji sighed and looked at the cat girl over his shoulder.
"Look, I get that I'm an irresistible guy and all, but could you not rub your head on me like I'm a scratching post?"
The girl chuckled softly, not moving away.
"Nop~!" she said in a playful tone.
Izuku and Uraraka exchanged glances before trying to intervene.
"Uh... Could you... let him go?" Izuku asked uncertainly.
"Please?" Uraraka added, with a nervous smile.
The cat girl finally sighed dramatically and stepped back with a sad whine.
"Fine... But only because you asked nicely, nyan~" she said, crossing her arms and swaying her tail from side to side.
Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, finally having room to breathe.
"Alright... Now that I can think, who the hell are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
The girl smiled broadly, her black eyes shining with amusement.
"Kurohana Nemuri, general studies!" She struck an exaggerated pose, as if expecting applause. "But you can just call me Nemuri, nyan~"
"Right, Nemuri," Ryuji repeated the name slowly. "Any particular reason for this sudden approach, or do you just like ambushing innocent people?"
Nemuri laughed and took a step closer, tilting her head slightly.
"I want to join your team, nyan~"
The three of them fell silent for a moment. Ryuji blinked.
"And why exactly?"
She smiled even wider.
"Because you're strong, and by being on your team, I can advance without having to put in much effort. Nyan~" Her expression was one of pure lazy satisfaction. "Seems like a great plan, right?"
Ryuji crossed his arms and looked at Izuku, who shrugged.
"Well... at least she's honest," Izuku commented.
Uraraka laughed nervously.
"Ahaha... That's a... valid reason, I guess?"
Ryuji sighed.
"Fine, fine. If you don't use me as a pillow again, I guess I can consider it."
Nemuri smiled broadly, her eyes shining with satisfaction.
"Nyan~! Deal!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.
As soon as the team was formed, Izuku looked at Ryuji expectantly.
"So, will you be the knight?" he asked, adjusting his gloves.
Ryuji brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful, but before he could answer, Nemuri raised her hand with a mischievous smile.
"I want to be the knight!" she said, wagging her tail excitedly. "That way I can rest while you guys do the heavy lifting, nyan~"
Izuku and Uraraka exchanged uncertain glances, but Ryuji just shrugged.
"Fine, but if you fall, don't come complaining," he replied.
"Me? Fall? You guys are the ones who have to hold me properly!" Nemuri retorted, crossing her arms with a pout.
They quickly organized their positions: Nemuri on top, Ryuji in front, Izuku and Uraraka holding the rear. Izuku still looked worried.
"Ryuji, what's your plan?" he asked, glancing at the other teams organizing themselves.
"My plan?" Ryuji smirked mischievously. "Simple. Leave it to me."
Izuku sighed.
"That doesn't reassure me at all..."
When the 15 minutes for team formation were running out, Present Mic grabbed the microphone and prepared to hype up the audience.
"ARE YOU READY, MY DEAR SPECTATORS?!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the stadium. "GET READY FOR THE SECOND MOST INSANE EVENT OF THE FESTIVAL! A TRUE TEAM BATTLE, A FIGHT FOR POWER, A SHOWCASE OF STRATEGY, ENDURANCE, AND PURE SURVIVAL INSTINCT!!!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Present Mic raised his arm dramatically.
"GET READY, BECAUSE THE CAVALRY BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! COUNTDOWN!!!"
The screen began to display the numbers.
"TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN!"
The students took their positions, eyes locked on their opponents.
"SIX! FIVE! FOUR!"
Sweat dripped down some faces, the tension in the air was palpable.
"THREE! TWO! ONE...!"
"STAAAAAART!!!"
As soon as the signal was given, chaos ensued. All the teams charged at the same time... straight toward Ryuji's team. Uraraka's eyes widened.
"They're all coming for us!" she said nervously.
Nemuri, who was holding the point bands on her head, broke into a cold sweat.
"Ah... I think I'm starting to reconsider my decision, nyan..."
Izuku looked at Ryuji.
"What now?!"
Ryuji raised his hand and smiled.
"Room."
A golden aura emanated from him, his eyes glowed, and suddenly, a translucent, golden bubble expanded around the team. All the opponents charging toward them collided with the barrier, stopping dead in their tracks.
"What the hell is this?!" one student shouted, trying to push the barrier in vain.
"A barrier?!"
Izuku sighed and crossed his arms.
"You could have done this from the start, huh?" he said, glancing sideways at Ryuji.
Ryuji shrugged with a teasing smile.
"But then I would have missed the chance to see their faces hitting the wall." He pointed to a boy from Class 1-B rubbing his nose, clearly in pain.
"You're a sadist, nyan..."
Then, a wave of ice advanced toward the barrier. The teams around quickly retreated to avoid being caught in the attack. Todoroki stood there, observing the barrier with a serious expression.
"That guy..." he murmured, clenching his fists.
Nemuri shivered slightly and let out a relieved sigh when she saw the ice didn't penetrate the barrier.
"The two-toned guy is scary, nyan..." she said.
"There's nothing they can do against this barrier. It's just a matter of time before they focus on other targets," Ryuji said dismissively.
Uraraka blinked, processing the information.
"So... we're just going to stand here until time runs out? We have the win guaranteed?"
Izuku nodded in confirmation.
"Looks like it. The other teams shouldn't have underestimated Ryuji from the start..."
While the other teams struggled to find a way to break the barrier, Ryuji noticed a specific group approaching: Neito Monoma's team.
"The coffee jelly killer..." he murmured, a malicious glint in his eyes.
Using his telekinesis, he quickly pulled the band from Monoma's group, making it fly straight into Nemuri's hands.
"Huh?! What?!" Monoma exclaimed, watching the band pass through the barrier.
Before they could react, Ryuji used his telekinesis again to pull the feet of everyone on the team, knocking them to the ground.
"Aaaahh!" Monoma and his team fell face-first, automatically disqualified.
Nemuri held the floating bands and laughed.
"That was cruel and fun, nyan~"
Izuku and Uraraka, however, knew the real reason behind Ryuji's actions.
Ryuji smiled contentedly.
"Rest in peace, my sweet coffee jelly... your death has been avenged."
----------------------------------------
Moldav emerged from the shadows of the ground, his body rising to its full height. He gasped, as if he had just escaped from a nightmare. His paranoid gaze scanned the surroundings of the dark alley, his eyes fixed on every shadow, every dark corner, as if he expected something to emerge from there to devour him.
He still felt his skin crawling, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"This… this doesn't make sense." His voice came out trembling, and he clenched his fists, trying to calm himself. "How is this possible?"
He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth.
"Sentry… I know he has the powers of the Sentry. But… 1 quadrillion suns?!"
He punched the wall beside him, frustrated.
"That doesn't even make sense! Wasn't it supposed to be 1 million suns?! How did he end up with all that?!"
He huffed, rubbing his face with his hands. No matter how or why… that was a clear warning. He needed to get out of Japan.
He began to walk through the alley, the shadows of the night making each of his steps more silent.
"It's over…" he murmured to himself. "My dream… my goal… my harem of lolis... all gone down the drain."
He made a bitter face. He wanted to stay in Japan, he wanted to achieve his goal there… but with a monster like that on the loose? It wasn't even worth trying.
"Maybe another country… yes, maybe I can start somewhere else…" He whispered, trying to convince himself.
But then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the alley.
Moldav froze.
Soon after, a rhythmic sound of clapping was heard.
A voice echoed through the dark alley.
"Ah… there you are."
Moldav spun on his heels, his heart racing.
A graceful figure walked towards him, carefree, almost lazy. His posture was impeccable, his face displayed a confident smile, and his demeanor exuded absolute power.
Lucifer.
He stopped a few meters from Moldav, his blue eyes shining with a mix of amusement and calculated coldness.
"You guys gave me quite some trouble, you know?" He shook his head with a theatrical sigh. "I was already wondering when one of you would come out of your hiding place."
Moldav swallowed hard, his expression tense.
"W-Who are you?"
Lucifer smiled wider, crossing his arms.
"I'm just someone looking for some answers." He tilted his head slightly. "Like, for example…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"How the hell did rats like you infiltrate Japan without being detected by my security network?"
----------------------------------------
The cavalry battle finally came to an end. As expected, Ryuji's team remained untouched from start to finish, letting the other teams fight among themselves until time ran out. As soon as the event concluded, the audience erupted into applause and excited comments, marveling at the display of strategy and power Ryuji had demonstrated.
In the stands, Rosa stood up excitedly, clapping enthusiastically.
"Dios mío! He's so strong! I already knew he was impressive, but ¿eso?" Rosa looked at Josei beside her, her eyes shining with excitement. "¡Ese chico es un monstruo!"
Josei, equally surprised, crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.
"I didn't expect his quirk to be so... strong. I mean, it's not that I doubted him, but that? He made it look like he was playing around."
The two then looked at Aiko, who was watching the arena with a calm but proud smile. Josei raised an eyebrow before asking:
"You don't seem too surprised. Has he done something like this before?"
Aiko glanced at them, chuckling softly.
"To be honest, even I'm a little surprised. I've never seen my son use his powers in combat. I know he can do a lot of things, but seeing him like this... it's a different feeling."
Rosa smiled and nodded.
"I imagine he must have inherited a really powerful quirk from you guys, right? His dad must have been amazing too!"
Hearing this, Aiko smiled, but there was something more in her expression—a hint of contained melancholy. Josei and Rosa noticed the shift in tone and exchanged confused glances.
Then, Aiko finally replied, her voice soft but filled with emotion:
"Actually... I'm quirkless. And my late husband was too."
Her words hung in the air for a few seconds before Rosa widened her eyes in shock.
"¡Espera, qué?!"
Josei blinked a few times before reacting. "Wait, so... how does Ryuji have a quirk like that? If both parents are quirkless, the chances of a child manifesting a power are practically zero!"
Rosa immediately felt guilty, bringing her hands to her mouth.
"¡Perdón, mamacita! I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive topic! And... I'm so sorry about your husband."
Aiko smiled gently, shaking her head.
"It's okay. It's been many years... I've moved on. As for Ryuji... Well, he's always been different. Even as a baby, I felt there was something special about him. So, at four years old, when the doctors said he had a quirk, it was like he defied all odds."
She looked at the arena once more, watching her son down below, relaxed and showing no signs of strain after dominating the event. Her gaze softened.
"I've always wondered how it was possible. How he achieved something neither I nor his father had. But in the end, I realized that maybe Ryuji was born to make a difference. Since he was little, he's always had this determination... this drive to change things around him. Maybe that's it. Maybe he simply decided he wouldn't accept the world's rules."
Josei and Rosa remained silent for a moment, absorbing her words. Rosa, always energetic, was the first to break the silence with a smile.
"So he didn't just defy the odds, he completely shattered them! That boy... es un milagro, Aiko. And you're the one who raised him."
Aiko let out a small laugh, her expression brightening a little.
"Yes... And I couldn't be prouder."
_____[POV: Ryuji]_____
Climbing the stairs, I was quietly enjoying a rare moment of peace, well... I had to avoid a deadly ambush—also known as a conversation with Todoroki. Yes, the emo kid with the two-toned hair who carries more emotional baggage than a Mexican soap opera.
I didn't even need to hear him to know what he wanted to talk to me about, that same spiel about his dad, his troubled childhood, how he doesn't want to use the left side of his body, blah blah blah... Honestly, I'm not here to give free therapy sessions. The Todoroki family drama is the only thing really well-crafted in this world, so I'd rather not meddle.
As I continue on my way, who appears in front of me? Yes, the man himself. The deep web arsonist, the terror of children, the homey who never went to the barber: Endeavour.
And here we go.
The guy stares at me with that look of someone who's had unresolved issues since the 90s. I pretend not to see him and try to walk right past, but of course, he doesn't make it easy. A strong hand grabs my shoulder, forcing me to stop.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asks, with the subtlety of a brick.
I force a smile.
"Cafeteria. Planning to stuff myself with food and pretend this moment never happened. Any problem?"
He frowns. I already know what's coming next, and honestly, I don't have the patience to listen to this speech. Seriously, have these people never heard of sending an email instead of ambushing teenagers in dark hallways? Not that I'm technically one, of course...
"I want to have a word with you," he says, cutting off my response.
Okay, he asked for it.
I activate my super speed. The world around me slows down, as if everything were submerged in coffee jelly (which would be a huge waste, but whatever). I walk up to Endeavour, raise my hand, and aim right there... at his cheek. I feel a tingle of anticipation. This is the moment. The moment I've been waiting for without even knowing I was waiting.
And then—
*SFX: SMACK!*
The sound of the slap echoes for eternity. His little flame mustache shakes from the force of the blow, and in the next instant, time returns to normal.
Endeavour flies backward, crashing into the wall like a sack of flaming potatoes. He slides to the floor, knocked out.
I stand there, admiring my handiwork. Hmm... He's still breathing. Excellent.
Satisfied, I give a half-smile and finally continue on my way to the cafeteria, feeling lighter than ever.
Thank you, slap therapy.
----------------------------------------
(A/N: I finished this chapter in the early hours of the morning, I'm singing and happy to have finished the chapter on time. I hope you liked Kurohana Nemuri, the lazy cat girl who just wants everyone to do their work. I don't have much to say here because I'm very tired and also decided to remain neutral about story details. I'll stop here, see you in the next update.)