Midnight: [swinging her whip] "Those at the top will suffer more! You'll hear this many times as you attend U.A... This is what Plus Ultra means!"
The crowd roars. Midnight grins, pointing toward the scoreboard.
Midnight: "Izuku Midoriya, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points!"
Gasps fill the stadium. Deku stiffens, feeling the weight of dozens of stares on him. He mumbles to himself, hand over his mouth.
Midoriya (thinking): The eyes around me... they're different from junior high. [his mind flashes to Bakugo's glare] The top spot I got for an instant... it was just luck. But even so... is this really how heavy it feels, All Might?
Midnight: "Now then! The rules! The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members' points. The rider will wear a headband with that number on their forehead! Your goal: steal the other teams' headbands and rack up points!"
She pulls out a headband, holding it up for everyone to see.
Midnight: "Velcro. Made to be taken off easily. Remember—stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. The more you steal, the harder it is to manage them! And the most important thing..." [she snaps her whip against the ground] "...even if your headband is stolen, or if your team falls—you're not out! BUT—during the game, quirks can be used freely. However, since it's still a cavalry battle, any attack that tries to knock someone off on purpose will earn you a red card! You'll be removed immediately!"
Midnight: "Now—you've got fifteen minutes to form your teams. START!"
All at once, students rush into groups, calling out to each other. Hae-Sil, however, doesn't move. She wanders slowly between the forming teams, her eyes scanning, her expression unreadable.
Hae-Sil (thinking): Ugh... this is the worst. I'm terrible at communication... I don't know anyone, and nobody knows me.
Suddenly—
Kirishima: [appearing with his usual big smile] "Yo! You wanna be on our team?" [he jerks a thumb toward Bakugo standing nearby with mina and others who want to be in his team.]
Hae-Sil blinks at him, deadpan.
Hae-Sil: "...You look like Crimson Riot."
Kirishima freezes, then his eyes sparkle.
Kirishima: "W-wait—was that a compliment?!"
Hae-Sil: [after a long pause] "...I don't think so."
Kirishima's grin twitches, but before he can recover, a voice calls her name.
Midoriya: [looking at the leaderboard, squinting at her name] "Hwang Hae-Sil! Over here!"
She glances back at Kirishima, shrugs like "I've got to go," and walks off. Kirishima scratches his head, chuckling nervously.
Kirishima: "Heh... guess I'll just wait to see your moves against us."
Hae-Sil doesn't acknowledge him and heads toward Midoriya's small circle. Uraraka and Iida are already there with Deku.
Midoriya: "The four of us would be the horses—with Iida in front. If Uraraka uses her quirk to make Iida and me lighter, we'd be able to maneuver more easily. And if we add Hae-Sil's wind pressure on top of that—"
Uraraka: "Oh! I see!"
Midoriya: "It's better to have someone physically strong as the rider, but... I haven't decided who yet. Anyway, this is all I could come up with to just keep running away until the end."
Iida adjusts his glasses, his eyes serious.
Iida: "I expected no less, Midoriya. But I'm afraid... I have to refuse."
Both Deku and Uraraka flinch, gasping. Hae-Sil's face stays neutral, but her eyes narrow ever so slightly.
Iida: "Ever since the entrance exam... I've kept losing to you. You are a wonderful friend, Midoriya. But that is precisely why—if I continue following you, I will never grow." [his hand pushes his glasses up, gleaming] "Bakugo and Todoroki aren't the only ones who see you as a rival."
He turns and walks toward Todoroki's side, where a team is forming.
Iida: "I will challenge you."
Uraraka's face twists in pain.
Uraraka: "...Iida..."
Deku clenches his fists, but says nothing. Hae-Sil watches Iida's back with a hard glare. Inside, a storm brews.
Hae-Sil (thinking): ...People like him. I hate them.
Her mind drifts back—
Flashback:
Middle school. Hae-Sil, hair shorter and streaked with red slits, wearing her usual too-bright smile. Students whisper around her:
"She's always smiling... weird."
"Look at her teeth... those canines, creepy."
She laughs it off every time, even though she hears it all. Then—one day.
Hae-Sil: "Charlotte! Let's team up for the project, okay?"
Charlotte: [nervous smile] "Y-yeah, sure..."
But when the teacher asks for partners, Charlotte picks someone else without hesitation.
Charlotte: "Sorry, Hae-Sil..."
Hae-Sil freezes. The teacher pats her shoulder kindly.
Teacher: "It's okay, Hae-Sil. The project isn't that hard to do alone."
Her smile fades for the first time. She stares into empty space.
Hae-Sil (thinking): ...People will always betray me. Whoever wants me around... it's only because of my quirk. From now on—no more friendships. Just hi, bye, nothing more.
The flashback ends. Hae-Sil's fists clench as she watches Iida leaving. Her chest tightens with anger and hurt.
Hae-Sil (mumbling under her breath): "Betrayer... just like them..."
Uraraka overhears, worried.
Uraraka: "Hae-Sil... are you okay?"
Hae-Sil flinches, then forces a nod.
Hae-Sil: "...Yeah. I'm fine. So... are we done with the team?"
----------------------------------------------------------------
The screen showed: "Cavalry Battle!"
Mrs. Midnight (raising her whip): Now then, it's about time to get started!
Present Mic: After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are lined up on the field! NOW RAISE THOSE BATTLE CRIES! IT'S TIME FOR U.A'S BLOODY BATTLE!
(The camera zoomed in on Deku, clutching the 10 million point headband tightly.)
Deku (thinking, sweating): Carefully... don't lose it...
Uraraka stood at his left.
Hae-Sil stood at his right.
Tokoyami at the front.
Deku himself was the rider.
Deku (firmly): Uraraka!
Uraraka: Yes!
Deku: Hae-Sil!
Hae-Sil (nodding once, steady): ...Mmhm.
Deku: Tokoyami!
Tokoyami: Yes.
Deku: I'm counting on you!
Present Mic (shouting): NOW LET'S GO! COUNTING DOWN TO THE BRUTAL BATTLE ROYAL!
Three! Two! One!
Mrs. Midnight (snapping her whip): START!
(The stadium roared as the students rushed forward, all eyes on Deku's team.)
Tetsutetsu (pointing): It's basically a battle for the ten million points!
Tokoyami (calmly, dark shadow shifting): An attack without delay, huh... the fate of the pursued... Make your choice, Midoriya.
Deku: Of course our move is to run away!
Tetsutetsu: I WON'T LET YOU!
(Suddenly, Juzo Honenuki stomped his feet, and the ground beneath Deku's team began to soften into mud, swallowing them whole.)
Uraraka (panicking): WHAT IS THIS?! WE'RE SINKING?!
Tetsutetsu's team (closing in): We've got them now!
Uraraka (struggling): It's no good—I can't get out!
Hae-Sil (sharply): Uraraka, turn your face away!
(Uraraka quickly turned. A burst of wind swirled violently, Hae-Sil's telekinetic wind hurling their whole team upward, freeing them from the sticky ground. They soared high into the air, spinning away from Tetsutetsu's grip.)
Tetsutetsu (gritting his teeth): They flew?! Thanks for the wind girl, huh?! FOLLOW THEM!!
Toru's team approached.
Toru: Jiro!
Jiro (plugging her earjacks into the ground): All right!
(Earphone Jack's cords lashed out, aiming for Deku's headband, but Dark Shadow lunged and blocked the strike.)
Jiro (frustrated): Tch—Tokoyami!
Deku (relieved): Nice, Tokoyami!
Tokoyami (calmly): Good. Dark Shadow, keep watch over our blind spots.
Dark Shadow: Got it!
Deku (in awe): Wow... that's so cool! The defense we were lacking... You're more than making up for it with your omnidirectional mid-range defense. That's amazing, Tokoyami!
Tokoyami (without turning): You're the one who chose me.
Uraraka (shouting): We're landing!
(Thanks to Uraraka's zero-gravity on everyone but herself, combined with Hae-Sil's controlled wind pushing their descent, they landed safely.)
Deku (thinking): Everyone other than Uraraka is weightless... So our weight is just Uraraka plus our clothes. Landing safely is all thanks to her and Hae-Sil's wind...
Meanwhile, Monoma swiped Toru's headband.
Present Mic (hyped): NOW THEN! EVEN THOUGH BARELY TWO MINUTES HAVE PASSED SINCE WE'VE STARTED, IT'S ALREADY TURNED INTO A FREE-FOR-ALL! FIGHTS OVER THE HEADBANDS BREAKING OUT ALL OVER! IGNORING THE TEN MILLION POINTS AND AIMING FOR SECOND TO FOURTH PLACE ISN'T BAD EITHER!
(Shoji came charging from the left, while Tetsutetsu's team closed from the right.)
Hae-Sil (alarmed): We can't be caught standing still against multiple opponents!
(Uraraka moved, but suddenly her foot stuck to the ground.)
Uraraka (struggling): Huh?! My foot—
Deku (recognizing): That's Mineta's—?! Where did it come from?!
(Mineta popped his head out from inside a cage Shoji made with his many arms, grinning sheepishly.)
Mineta: From here... Midoriya...
Deku (outraged): IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!
Mrs. Midnight (cracking her whip): It is!
(Beside Mineta, a long pink tongue lashed out.)
Asui: I didn't expect any less from you, Midoriya.
Deku (thinking fast): Asui too?! That's amazing teamwork—
Asui: Call me Tsu! Ribbit!
(Suddenly, Mineta's sticky balls and Asui's tongue launched in tandem at Deku's team.)
Present Mic: TEAM MINETA MAKES USE OF THE OVERWHELMING DIFFERENCE IN THEIR SIZE! THEY'RE LIKE A TANK!
Tokoyami (urgent): Hae-Sil, get us away!
(Hae-Sil clenched her fists, summoning another strong gust of wind. It was harder this time, the resistance pulling them back, but she forced it—everyone lifted. Uraraka's left shoe tore off, left behind on the ground.)
Uraraka (panicking): Ah! My shoe!
Hae-Sil (strained): Sorry—I had to! At least we got away!
(Suddenly, an explosion roared. Bakugo blasted upward straight at them, fury written across his face.)
Bakugo (snarling): DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY!!
(Hae-Sil flinched at how close he was; Uraraka yelped too.)
Bakugo (lunging): DAMMIT!
(He swung an explosion, but Dark Shadow intercepted the blast mid-air, shielding the team.)
The crowd (cheering): WOOOOOAHHH!!
Present Mic (screaming over the noise): HE'S GOTTEN SEPARATED FROM HIS HORSES?! IS THAT OKAY?!
Hae-Sil (panting, glaring at Bakugo): What's with this guy?!
Mrs. Midnight (coolly): It wouldn't have been if he'd touched the ground, though.
(Deku's team landed safely again, though still under pressure. Deku exhaled, looking at his teammates.)
Deku: Thanks, Hae-Sil, Uraraka!
Uraraka (catching her breath): It's hard to control with just one foot...
Hae-Sil (nodding quickly): Yeah... agreed.
Deku (thinking fast): Landing like this is inefficient. We can't rely on the air anymore... We'll have to survive this with Uraraka's zero gravity, Hae-Sil's wind manipulation, and Tokoyami's Dark Shadow!
--------------------------------------------
Present Mic (voice booming): NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT EACH TEAM'S POINTS! IT'S BEEN SEVEN MINUTES—HERE ARE THE CURRENT RANKINGS UP ON THE SCREEN!
(The big screen lit up with scores. The crowd leaned forward, squinting. A low murmur spread across the stadium.)
The Crowd (confused): Huh? ...It's kinda...?
Present Mic (stuttering, lowering his voice for a second): What? Wait a minute...
(His tone shifted from hyped to confused disbelief.)
Present Mic (nearly choking): Other than Midoriya... Class A isn't doing so well?!
(The scoreboard clearly showed Bakugo's team with zero points.)
Present Mic (screaming into the mic): BAKUGO?! WHAT THE—?! ZERO POINTS?!
(The audience erupted with laughter, gasps, and wild chatter.)
Deku (thinking, tense but analyzing): Class B... they had a long-term strategy that involved throwing the qualifiers, huh?
(He glanced quickly around at the battlefield—Monoma smirking at Bakugo's team, holding bakugo's headband points that he stole with his teammates in Class B, perfectly calm despite the chaos.)
Deku (still thinking): It's true... They could leave a stronger impression by overturning the mood that favored Class A before the festival even started...
(He clenched the headband tighter, sweat sliding down his cheek.)
Deku (sharp focus): But—based on their way of thinking... it means they won't necessarily come after me.
Deku (panting, scanning the field): Everyone, it'll be easier to run aw—
(Suddenly, the entire team skidded to a stop. Uraraka, Tokoyami, and Hae-Sil planted their feet, making a sharp drift on the ground. Deku's eyes widened as he snapped forward, realizing why they stopped.)
(Directly ahead, Shoto Todoroki's team was waiting— Shoto's cold gaze locked on Deku.)
Present Mic (shouting over the roar of the crowd): LESS THAN HALF THE TIME IS LEFT NOW!
(Deku inhaled deeply, thinking, voice tense): It won't be that easy, huh..?
Present Mic (hyping): THE CAVALRY BATTLE IS ABOUT TO ENTER THE SECOND HALF! WITH CLASS B'S UNEXPECTED RISE... WHO WILL BE WEARING THE TEN MILLION POINTS IN THE END?!
(The camera zoomed in on Shoto, his tone ice-cold, every word deliberate.)
Shoto: I'll be taking that now.
(Hae-Sil stiffened instantly, her eyes sharp. A faint shiver of wind swirled around her fingertips. She lowered her voice, mumbling under her breath—words barely audible, but heavy with resolve.)
Hae-Sil (muttering): ...I won't let you win that easily...
(Her gaze met Shoto's, not backing down for even a second. The tension crackled between them, air and ice clashing in a silent standoff before the storm hit.)
________________________________________________________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED!