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…
After integrating the pink-haired girl into the team, or rather Hatsume Mei as she introduced herself, the three of them proceeded to begin planning their strategy for the upcoming event.
With Suzaku being the main target, all of them knew that they would get swarmed by the other teams the moment the event started, and although Suzaku usually wasn't very fond of planning things out too much, preferring to go with the flow most of the time, he agreed quite readily when the two offered to create a plan.
Probably because he knew that, as amazing as he was, getting ganged on by everyone would be a bit too much even for him unless he prepared thoroughly while he still had time.
As such, the three didn't waste any time and quickly began assessing their own strengths and weaknesses, with both Arata and Mei explaining the items they had made, and thinking of how they were gonna be using them.
Suzaku was the main focus of their discussion due to being the one who was gonna be carrying the headband, and therefore, the main objective of everyone's attacks.
Since their team was already worth 10 million points from the get-go, they only needed to avoid getting their headband stolen and they would maintain 1st place without problem.
That was easier said than done, sadly.
Considering the opposition they were gonna face, with everyone in the competition most likely aiming to take their headband, escaping successfully was gonna be a troublesome matter.
Mei had a big stash of support items that were mobility-oriented, and so did Arata, who had designed a few like those in case he ever needed them, although they weren't as advanced as those items he had focused on like his spider-harness and some of Suzaku's request. So, although they were in a disadvantageous position, it wasn't like they were feeling helpless.
However, even if they could move swiftly through the battlefield and avoid most opposing teams, if they were to get surrounded with nowhere to run, the matter of how to protect Suzaku became more important than ever.
Mei had a jetpack, which could have helped them escape into the air if such a situation ever arose, but since it couldn't carry more than one person, it wasn't an option for them.
They were truly in a pinch.
Suzaku, however, put an end to their dilemma when, confident as ever, he assured them that he would be in charge of protecting the headband.
As to how… he just said he was gonna start throwing hands if the situation got serious.
He still asked Arata for his spider-harness though, as it would give him more arms to defend himself with.
Although, whether the mechanical hands would be able to keep up with his peerless skill, Suzaku had his doubts.
But still, it was better than nothing.
After they were finished with their preparations, the three of them began waiting patiently for things to start while getting to know each other… And by saying "getting to know each other" it meant Suzaku getting to know Mei, as Arata being her classmate already knew her.
She… was a peculiar character, at least in Suzaku's eyes.
She was particularly obsessed with being in the spotlight, even if it meant going through hell and back, to catch the attention of the big companies that were watching the festival. Hoping they would notice her genius and sponsor her.
She also seemed to feel a deep affection for her creations, calling them "babies" as if they were her offspring, and boasting constantly about them like an overly doting parent.
All in all, a complete nutjob in Suzaku's opinion.
But nowadays, who wasn't? So it didn't particularly bother Suzaku.
-Whip!-
Their talk was interrupted midway when Midnight appeared once again with her whip and warned them that only 3 minutes were remaining.
Since the three were already prepared, they didn't react much to the warning, aside from becoming a little more tense.
However, the remainder of the time depleting reminded Suzaku of something, causing him to give his surroundings a look with a raised eyebrow.
Aside from Mei and her opportunistic nature, no one else had tried joining his team after the time to form teams began.
Still, Suzaku had expected it somewhat.
He had put himself in a difficult position as he desired to make his win over the first place more meaningful. However, he didn't expect others to do the same as him.
He didn't expect it, nor did he want to.
He was the type that preferred to either triumph alone or go down alone.
Although, with Arata and Mei by his side, and this competition being a team battle, such a view no longer mattered.
Still, because of that he didn't blame any of his classmates for not offering to team up with him. Even those whom he was friends with.
Though, one thing that caught his attention was that Tetsutetsu did not even spare him a glance.
He didn't think his friend would ask to join him, he was too competitive for that. However, because of that exact trait of his, Suzaku had anticipated Tetsutetsu to declare his intentions of beating him or at least do something Tetsutetsu-like.
However, weirdly, the rowdy metallic teenager was completely silent and still at the moment, simply standing in the distance by his team with a calm expression.
At first, he just thought the dude may just be focused or something. But when he saw him being on the same team as the weird purple-haired guy from the Department of General Education, he had a faint suspicion that something else might be happening.
Still, seeing that none of the teachers were doing anything about it, Suzaku decided to discover it later.
Whatever the guy was doing, it shouldn't be too horrible if they weren't doing anything.
And if it was, then he would simply take care of teaching the guy a few lessons after the festival ended, much like in his old days of glory back at school.
Plus, the event was about to begin, and since he was about to get jumped on by everyone, he wasn't exactly in a position to get distracted.
"One minute remaining!"
… Now more than ever.
As Midnight announced the remaining time, Suzaku nodded at his team members, who smiled in response.
After that, the three of them began gearing up.
Arata and Mei began putting on different items to boost their mobility, while Suzaku was handed the spider-harness and given a brief explanation of its uses by Arata.
The AI of the harness had been upgraded since the last time, and as a result, Suzaku was surprised to learn that the thing could actually learn his movement pattern to a certain extent.
With that new functionality, Arata advised Suzaku to teach it a few movements with the time they had remaining so that it could perform better in helping him defend the headband, to which the redhead agreed without problem.
Although, with one minute remaining, there wasn't much he could teach it.
But still, it was better than nothing.
Suzaku would have also liked to have with him the extensible staff that Arata had made for him, as it would allow for much better defense, and also could be used for the offensive with its long reach.
Sadly, since it would be Arata and Mei the ones carrying him on their shoulders, he decided not to, as its weight added to his own could be a bit too much for them to bear for the entire duration of the event.
His friend wasn't exactly the most athletic one either.
The more chances he wouldn't collapse mid-game, the better.
'A'ight, I think I got the hang of it'
As Suzaku played a bit with the spider harness, teaching it the important stuff so it wouldn't be useless when it mattered most, his eyes unintentionally landed on the huge screen that had the countdown displayed on it.
Only twenty seconds remained.
When seeing that, Suzaku's body tensed, as if ready for the action.
And, as if following his readiness, his eyes then darted to his surroundings, looking at all his competitors to get a gist of what he would be up against.
The first thing he noticed was that most teams seemed to be composed of classmates, as no one wanted to team up with people from other classes. Be it because of rivalry, or simply because they didn't know about the others' Quirks.
The only exceptions were his team and the purple-haired guy's, which had Tetsutetsu in it, and a burly guy from class 1-A whom his brain couldn't bother to remember.
As for everyone else, including Itsuka, they had just stuck with their friends, or with those whom they had a good synergy with.
However, his focus didn't remain on them for much, as his eyes set on a specific bunch for the next remaining seconds.
The three who seemed to be his main competitors for this festival. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki.
Bakugo had teamed up with Kirishima, surprising Suzaku, who hadn't expected them to team up.
It wasn't like he knew much about them though, so his surprise only lasted for a second before he shrugged it off.
Next was Todoroki. He had gathered quite a colorful bunch composed of Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, and Ida… the latter being the only one whose name Suzaku actually remembered.
As he glanced at the team, he thought a little bit about their Quirks and how troublesome they would be to fight. However, with his memory screwing him over once more, Suzaku shrugged the matter off and just decided to make a plan for dealing with them as the event went on.
And finally, his gaze went to the protagonist of the show, Midoriya.
He had made a team with Uraraka, Ojiro (the tail guy), and Tokoyami (the crow/raven-looking guy)
The team composition didn't surprise Suzaku much, as he had a gist of what the Quirk of the two first ones did and he didn't feel very threatened by them, the only one whose Quirk Suzaku couldn't remember was Tokoyami's, but being a bird-looking guy he just assumed he had some Quirk related to flying and shrugged it off. Although he still made sure to put them on his list of people whom to be cautious of, as being the team of a protagonist from a shonen, he was sure that the less impressive they seemed, the more chances there would be of them making some kind of underdog comeback with the help of Midoriya's shounen protagonist aura.
-Hoooonk!-
Unfortunately, that was as far as Suzaku was able to observe others, since soon the countdown reached the dreaded number, and Midnight began instructing the students.
"Now then, it's about time to get started… students, form your groups and take your positions!"
With those instructions given, everyone began to get on the move.
This time, each team had been given a spot from where to begin, so there was no need fight for them like in the previous event.
Thanks to that, it didn't take long for everyone to get ready. In less than a minute the preparations were done, and now the only thing left was to wait for the game to begin.
As the crowd bellowed in anticipation, Present Mic's and Aizawa's recurrent narration resounded once more through the stadium.
["Come on, wake up Eraser!"]
["... I am awake"]
["After ten minutes to form teams and plan strategies, twelve cavalry teams are lined up in the field!"]
["I can see that… There are some very interesting teams out there"]
["Right? I knew you had it in you Eraser! Now, raise those battle cries dear crowd, it's time for UA's bloody battle!"]
In response, the shouts from the crowd turned even wilder.
["That's what I like to see… As for our dear participants, you've made your teams, right? I'm not gonna ask if you are ready or not!"]
Immediately after Present Mic said those words, the giant screen above them all began displaying a countdown of only three seconds, making each student's eyes immediately become glued to it.
["Now, without further ado, let's begin with the countdown for this brutal battle royale!"]
["Three…"]
As the countdown began, Suzaku got on top of Arata and Mei, who carried him by interlocking their hands to lessen the burden.
At the sudden skin contact, Arata smiled a little bit, although, his face crumbled instantly at the next second.
"Suzaku… You are heavy…!"
["Two"]
"Good grief, I guess I'm just too swole for you guys" Suzaku shook his head while looking melancholically at the sky, passing a hand through his hair dramatically. "This is my gift, my curse…"
["One…"]
Mei smiled faintly at the two's antics, speaking enthusiastically as he glanced at the items she had given Arata and that she was carrying herself. "Don't worry you two, my babies can handle this weight… Probably"
"What do you mean probably?"
"I mean—"
-Whip!-
-Hooooonk!-
Unfortunately, they didn't have any more time for idle chat, as the next second, the event began.
"Start!"
The moment Midnight's words reached everyone's ears, the rumbling sound of dozens of people running in a single direction began being heard all around the vicinity.
And Suzaku knew where they were headed.
How could he not? He could see the fuckers running straight towards his team.
Even his trusted classmates were looking at him with greedy looks.
"Anti-Suzaku-Squad… CHARGEEEE, AHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Monoma and his team seemed to be enjoying the whole situation.
Suzaku didn't mind them much, however.
"Alright, get on the move!" He shouted, making Arata and Mei immediately begin running in the opposite direction to avoid getting swarmed by the stampede of students.
As they ran, they activated their items, and using the pair of boots Arata had made in his spare time, they increased their speed and successfully managed to escape the encirclement they were about to be trapped into.
However, they did not relax just yet. After escaping, Suzaku's eyes moved swiftly through their surroundings, looking for any particular danger near them, and more specifically looking at those he had made sure to pinpoint as the biggest threats in this event.
His main focus at the moment was his classmate Juzo, who could soften the floor and make it similar to quick-sand with his Quirk.
If they got trapped under his Quirk, then there would be almost no chance of escaping anymore. They would probably get surrounded the instant they became immobilized.
And Suzaku did well on paying attention to him, as it didn't take him long to spot the guy and his team following after them fervently like a pack of dogs after a cat.
Fortunately, they either seemed to be too fast for Juzo to aim properly his Quirk, or were out of his reach, so they weren't being attacked for now.
Sadly, that's as far as their luck went.
The next second, three teams appeared in front of them, blocking their escape.
One was a guy with multiple limbs from 1-A who seemed to be carrying his midget classmate and the frog girl, covering them with his huge bat-like wings made purely out of limbs that sprouted from more limbs.
It was a weird Quirk, but cool nonetheless.
The other was a team composed of Yui, a silent girl from his class, and Kojiro Bondo… Another silent guy from his class.
'I wonder how they even teamed up' Suzaku sneered at the thought of both classmates nodding at each other without words.
The other team was another batch of his classmates.
This time, it was Togaru the mantis-like guy, and Pony the English girl who could shoot the horns on top of her head and control them remotely.
Although they certainly weren't on his list of potentially threatening guys, he was still quick to react.
"Dodge!" Suzaku shouted, making his teammates startled for a moment before they jumped away from the spot where they were.
Thanks to that they managed to avoid a barrage of purple balls plus a shower of glue that fell on where they had been standing.
Kojiro's and the most likely the midget's Quirk, Suzaku noted.
Still, he knew better than to relax just then.
The next instant, a pair of horns and a long tongue were sent in his direction, which Suzaku dodged calmly by tilting his head slightly, before grabbing the horns and tossing them away while making sure the tongue wouldn't approach his headband.
That was just the beginning, however, so he didn't waste any time and quickly instructed his teammates to move.
However, just when they were about to get on the move again, an almost invisible barrier materialized in front of them and blocked their way, almost causing them to stomp onto it, if not for Suzaku's quick reflexes, having already seen the Quirk in action before and noting in his mind to be careful around it, as it was a Quirk hard to notice.
'Air barrier, huh?'
Suzaku immediately clicked his tongue once he realized whose Quirk that was.
He turned his head slightly, and soon saw Monoma and his team just a few meters away from them smiling slyly as they approached, along with many other teams who had their eyes set on Suzaku's headband as well.
The barrier was a byproduct of Kosei's Quirk, another of Suzaku's classmates, and someone who could solidify the air he breathed out and shape it in whatever form he wanted, be it platforms to walk through the air, or barriers/walls like just now.
However, whether it had been him or Monoma after stealing his Quirk who had created the barrier, Suzaku didn't know.
He didn't plan on discovering it either.
"Hey, let's use that thing!" Suzaku looked behind him and shouted at Mei, who nodded with a wide smile on her face.
"Alright, help us escape my baby!" Mei shouted enthusiastically, and the next second, two metal pipe-like extensions were shot from a backpack she was wearing, sending her along with Suzaku and Arata high into the air, and helping them escape once again successfully.
Unfortunately, even in the air, the group couldn't afford to relax.
Suddenly, as Suzaku was quickly deciding on how to proceed while he and his team descended at high speed, his eyes caught sight of yet another bother coming in search of his headband.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!"
"Not this guy again…" Suzaku cursed with a deadpan as he saw Bakugo's distant figure swiftly approach through the air, using his explosions to stay airborne.
His hand was stretched out, and judging from his crazed grin, it was obvious that the guy was looking for a fight rather than aiming for his headband.
Or maybe he was aiming for both, but Suzaku had no way of knowing with that psychotic grin etched on the brat's face.
He had his reasons to have his doubts as well. They were still high in the air, falling, and any sufficiently strong attack could easily turn them over and cause their team's cavalry formation to collapse the moment they reached the ground, thus disqualifying them.
In Suzaku's head, this was the perfect opportunity for that kid to get at him for all the taunting he had done before and take him out of the competition.
"DIEEE!!!"
His maddened cries didn't help to think otherwise either.
So, he prepared for the worst.
And thank Sus he did, as the moment Bakugo got within reach, he retracted his hand back for a moment, before swinging it at Suzaku and company, evidently planning on releasing an explosion that would inevitably throw them all off.
Suzaku wasn't having any of that, however.
"Nuh-uh"
Without batting an eye, he stood up as much as he could while still being carried by his classmates, and with a swiftness that was barely visible to the naked eye, caught Bakugo's arm just a second before it would release the explosion, and redirected his arm along with the explosion so that it wouldn't hit them.
-Boom!!-
"T-this guy…?!" The moment Bakugo realized his attack had missed, his expression turned to one of shock.
Suzaku didn't plan on letting him go just like that, however.
With great dexterity, he used Bakugo's still remaining momentum to his advantage and spun him forcefully in the air as the irascible teenager continued to fly past his team without having achieved anything.
The violent motion disoriented Bakugo, making it difficult for him to maneuver mid-air using his explosions to come at them a second time, or to stay airborne, causing him to immediately begin plummeting to the ground, where he would be disqualified if he were to touch it.
Of course, Suzaku didn't forget to take his headband during the whole process as well. If he had come to take Suzaku's headband, then it was only fair Suzaku would take his as payback.
"Damn it…" As Bakugo fell, he gave Suzaku one last look of anger, realizing he had utterly failed in his attack, to which the redhead responded with a mocking grin.
Fortunately for him, however, soon a tape-like fabric caught him in mid-air, and returned him to his team, avoiding his disqualification. It had come from one of Bakugo's teammates, the guy who could create tape from his elbows.
As Bakugo somehow avoided disqualification, Present Mic's commentary addressed the situation.
["Hey, he got separated from his horses! Is that allowed?!"]
"It is..." Midnight, who was watching the event unfold from the sidelines nodded while giving a thumbs up. "... He would have only been disqualified if he touched the ground"
["... It's that so?"]
["Didn't you say you had read the rules before all this?"] Aizawa's voice spoke accusingly to his friend.
["... O-oh, look at team Suzuki, they are falling!"]
As Bakugo returned to his team, Suzaku and his team fell back to the ground, enduring a rather forceful landing, but managing to stay in position in the end.
-Thud…!-
However, not everyone on the team was having a good time.
"Fuck, Suzaku, why don't you slim down a little…?" Arata cursed in a low voice that only his good friend was able to hear.
"Can't do mate" Suzaku grinned and patted his friend's shoulder, making this one look at him begrudgingly.
Sadly, their conversation had to be cut short, as they began getting on the move immediately after.
The other teams were already on their way to them, if they allowed themselves to rest, it would be a matter of time before they would find themselves surrounded by others.
As such, after a second or so, the Spectacular Team Suzaku began getting on track again, doing their best to avoid any other teams that would try to engage with them, and doing their best to preserve the headbands.
As they continued running away from the swarm of teams that were still looking for Suzaku's headband, Arata's voice emerged amidst his tired breaths.
"Huff… Hey Suzaku, what if we give up the million headband, but take theirs instead…? We should still be able to get a good place with all of them… There's no need to maintain this target on us, don't you think?"
"No can do, Arata, we didn't come here to be losers, did we?" Suzaku shook his head, before smiling mischievously and speaking loud enough for a certain pink-haired girl behind him to listen. "... Besides, what would the sponsors think if we dropped to second or lesser places?"
"Indeed Morikawa-kun, we can't let the sponsors down!" Mei seemed to perk up at hearing Suzaku mention the venerated sponsors, causing her to address his classmate with a wide smile that discouraged the big-brained kid from trying to take the easy path.
"Hrgh…" In the end, he let out a groan of dissatisfaction and just continued running without looking back, hoping that the competition wouldn't have many minutes remaining.
They continued like that for a bit longer. Avoiding most teams, and seeing satisfied as some teams gave up on them and began targeting others so that they could achieve at least second place or similar.
However, as their team continued on their endless escape, at one moment Suzaku noticed something.
"Fuck"
"What's up?" Hearing him curse out of nowhere, Arata looked at him a worried look.
Mei also looked at him confusedly.
However, Suzaku's next instructions baffled them even more.
"Stop"
"What are you on about now?" Arata raised an eyebrow.
Although they were confused by Suzaku's instructions, they still stopped in their tracks. So far, hearing him had only saved them from being trapped, so they didn't hesitate to act accordingly.
Still, the moment they stopped running, they shot him weird looks... Only for their eyes to widen when they saw what happened next.
-Shhhhhaaaa!-
The next second, a huge wall of ice too high to go over it appeared in front of them and blocked their path.
The wall didn't stop there, however, as it continued advancing until Suzaku and company were trapped in some sort of ice circle with only one exit.
An exit... From where their next opponent emerged.
When he saw him, Suzaku smiled wryly.
'Well, I was wondering where this guy was all along... I suppose he was waiting patiently to capture us when we least expected it...'
It was Todoroki.
The instant both teams met face to face, they stood still for a bit, almost as if enjoying while they could the calm before the storm.
Suzaku grinned faintly as he and Todoroki stared off while atop their teams.
"Don't you have to go sing Let it go or something…?"
Todoroki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know what you are talking about"
"I suppose you are still not exiled from your kingdom... Was that how the movie went?" Suzaku scratched the back of his head with a troubled look.
Todoroki squinted his eyes but didn't say anything. "..."
That was as far as the conversation went, since after that, Todoroki's hand got covered in an icy mist, and both teams seemed ready to go.
-Crash!-
-Booom!-
However, just as the tension in the air was about to reach its peak, with both teams being just a single second away from lunging at each other, one of the ice walls was suddenly destroyed and took their attention from one another.
"...?"
"...?"
"Thank you Tokoyami-kun!"
As the ice mist cleared up a bit, a familiar green-haired figure along with his teammates soon entered the ice circle and joined the battle, locking gazes with both Todoroki and Suzaku.
"Everyone, let's take that headband!"
""Oh!"" His team cheered in response.
However, just when the tension was reaching its peak once again, and the three of them were about to begin with the most intense clash so far, yet another explosion stopped them on their spot.
-BOOOOOM!-
"You red-haired bastard, I swear I'll kill you!!!"
Now, it was Bakugo who joined the party.
"Huh?!" As he entered the circle and saw the three teams facing each other, Bakugo let out an angry groan of confusion when he saw the three teams facing each other.
His eyes set more specifically on the three whom he considered the biggest pebbles on his way at the moment.
"Deku..."
"Kacchan...!"
"Half-and-half bastard..."
"Bakugo..."
"Red-haired bastard..."
"Who were you again...?"
"I'll kill you!!!"
After that, the four teams stared at each other, ready to go at any moment.
They assessed the others' movements, waiting for anyone to make the first move so that they could respond accordingly.
Due to that, no one moved, having reached a stalemate.
However, they all knew it was only a matter of time before they clashed.
And, as the four teams' eyes nervously darted left and right, similar to a certain cowboy movie standoff scene, Suzaku's annoyingly loud sigh and words soon cut the tense atmosphere in half.
"Being popular sure has its demerits…"
…
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: The cavalry battle event finally begins! To be honest, this was quite an annoying event to write considering I had to think constantly of what other teams would do, and how Suzaku would deal with being ganged up by all the teams.
By the time I finished it in the Patreon, there ended up being a lot of teams left aside.
But well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not about to write an action scene for every one of them.
Also, you may or may not have noticed it, but Monoma's obsession has moved from class 1-A to Suzaku. What do you think about it? I think it makes sense, considering there's no reason for him to hate them anymore.
Anyway, that's it for this chapter, maybe I'll upload one more mid-week, or maybe next Sunday as always, I'll see what I can do, seeing that I have pending to do a university project.
Bye bye)
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