Now… Midoriya climbed onto the back of his teammate, tying a band around his head—on it, a massive number was boldly displayed.
Present Mic stirred, nudging the person beside him.
"Hey! Eraser! Wake up! Their 15 minutes are up, and all thirty cavalry units are lined up on the field," he said.
Aizawa remained silent, his eyes focused downward, analyzing the scene below—his gaze resting on one particular figure who still wore that innocent, unwavering smile. Slowly, his lips curved ever so slightly.
"This is going to be interesting," he murmured.
Present Mic cleared his throat, rising from his seat and stretching his arms wide.
["ALRIGHT… NOW!!! DECLARE YOUR WAAAARRR!!!"]
["AND THUS… THE DEADLY U.A. CAVALRY BATTLE BEGINS!!"]
Midoriya's eyes sparkled with determination, his expression steady and full of resolve.
"URARAKA!" he called out, voice ringing with confidence.
"Present!" Uraraka replied brightly.
"TSUKASA!!" he called next.
I stood up with the same innocent grin, looking up at him.
"Aye Aye!!!" I answered.
He continued, voice strong.
"And… TOKOYAMI!"
The one bearing the heaviest burden—Tokoyami of Class 1-A, the dark, brooding figure with a bird's head and a shadowy creature lurking from within.
"Yes," Tokoyami responded with calm stoicism.
Midoriya smiled with satisfaction, drawing in a deep breath.
"I'M GLAD TO BE WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU!!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
***
[3... 2... 1... START!!!]
The signal had barely sounded—and already, our cavalry unit was surrounded, targeted from every direction.
"Whoa… Guess we're popular," I said with a completely guiltless grin.
Meanwhile… Midoriya's face was filled with panic. "W-What do we do now?" he asked.
"Midoriya!!! Brace yourself!!" a voice shouted from the Class 1-A chariot in the distance.
Suddenly… our feet began to sink, as if the ground beneath us had turned soft and sticky. We all jolted in surprise. I turned toward a figure—his face looked like a skull.
So it's him… I murmured inwardly.
"This is bad!!" Midoriya cried.
Without warning, I thrust my hand forward.
"Hakujoudai!" I shouted.
From my shadow, Hakujoudai emerged—a black orb of an eye—and unleashed a powerful gust of wind, lifting us into the air and saving us from the ambush.
Something shot toward us—thin, tentacle-like, but oddly resembling an earphone cord. Before it could reach us, Takoyami intercepted it with ease.
"Well done, Dark Shadow. Keep an eye on our blind spots," he said to the creature emerging from his body.
As we prepared for landing, the ground rushed toward us—
—but thanks to Uraraka's Zero Gravity, the impact was effortlessly nullified.
"Great work, Uraraka!!" Midoriya praised her.
She smiled in response, proud and pleased.
But just then—from another direction—something shot toward us.
"Kakujoudai!" I yelled.
Kakujoudai materialized instantly, deflecting the attack with ease.
What came into view made me recoil almost instinctively.
A bizarre structure—almost like a shell—emerged, and from within it...
Ugh. Disgusting... I thought.
It was Shouji, using his strange Quirk to create a grotesque outer casing.
"Shouji? Why are you alone? Isn't this a team battle?" Midoriya asked, puzzled.
Without a word, Shouji dashed forward—fast.
From a narrow opening in his shell, a sticky tongue shot out, aimed directly at Midoriya's headband.
"Dark Shadow!" Takoyami shouted.
Answering his call, the shadowy beast deflected the tongue with precision.
Then, peeking from inside the shell, we saw her.
Our eyes widened in unison.
"T-Tsuyu!!"
She was hidden inside Shouji's armor all along.
Suddenly, my feet refused to move. I looked down—and saw something purple sticking to them. It wasn't just me—the others were stuck too.
"This is bad!! It's Mineta's Quirk!!" Uraraka shouted.
Even Takoyami… was sweating, his calm composure cracked.
From the shadows emerged another student—a tiny figure with a smug grin.
"Feel that? Sucks, doesn't it?" Mineta said, smirking.
I clicked my tongue in irritation.
"Hakujoudai!!"
Responding instantly, Hakujoudai released a dark aura around us—lifting us freely into the air once again.
"Midoriya! What now?! Are we supposed to just keep dodging?!" I asked.
Midoriya hesitated for a moment—then gave a small nod.
"Listen," I said. "We can't stay airborne forever. I told you already—Hakujoudai and Kakujoudai are complex. Their power depends on the user's imagination… and trust."
Midoriya nodded quickly, understanding the limitations.
But before we could even plan our next move…
BOOM!
Bakugo suddenly appeared behind us, a flash of sparks in his hand, his eyes wild with fury.
"TAKE THIS, YOU DAMN DEKU!!" he roared, lunging forward with a violent blast.
He was too close. I barely had time to react.
"Haku—!" I began, but before I could finish, Dark Shadow wrapped around us, shielding us from the full force of Bakugo's explosion.
"Tch," Bakugo scoffed.
In the next second, a strand of tape pulled him back—Sero's Quirk—reeling him in and returning him to his chariot.