For the Cavalry Battle, the students would need to pair up in two to four, with at least one student acting as Rider and at least one Horse, Midnight informed.
Each team would also be given a Headband, displaying the total number of team members' points as allotted to them depending on their first game's results.
The Rider of each team would then be needed to wear the same headband on their head.
These headbands were designed to easily come off, facilitating the game design.
The students would have 15 minutes to snatch a rival team's headband, trying to score as many points as they could, as only the top five teams would be selected for the next stage.
But there was a catch!
Midnight grinned. "Once you snatch a headband," she told the students, "you will need to tie it at a place above your neck.
"However! Hehe… Those who have lost their headbands aren't out of the game. You will have the rest of the time to make up for it."
With so many Quirks involved, Luke thought, looking around, it will be hard to maintain distance even if there are only 10–14 teams on the ground. Hmm…
"There are two ways you will be forced to leave the game," Midnight informed. "First, if a team's Rider falls, touching the ground. Second, if you deliberately try to make people fall, you will earn yourself a red card.
"Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams! Start!!"
The moment Midnight said Start, standing next to each other, Luke and Midoriya looked around and saw all the students distancing themselves from each other.
Luke's lips twitched wryly.
On the other hand, Midoriya finally felt the true weight of the words All Might had said to him. This was the price, he realized, of declaring himself to the world!
…
Meanwhile, in the staff's break room outside the stadium, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and Mount Lady were having snacks — Rikuya Saionji seated with them.
As the students began deciding teams, Death Arms let out a puff of smoke.
"Can you not do that when I am here?" Rikuya asked, both he and Mount Lady putting their hands on their noses.
"Wait, why are you here again, kid?" Death Arms asked. "This is only for staff…"
"He is my intern," Mount Lady cheerily said. "I just scouted him outside…"
Kamui Woods stared at his colleague. "Instead of letting him participate in the Sports Festival, you brought him here?!"
Mount Lady shrugged. "That's the point of the Sports Festival, no?"
"Why him?" Death Arms asked, smelling something fishy.
"Haha…" Mount Lady smiled wryly, looking away. "… funny story."
"I will pay for all her meals outside the agency," Rikuya told them.
"…"
"…"
Mount Lady's jaw dropped. "You weren't supposed to tell…"
…
After analyzing it thoroughly, Midoriya found that he only had a few people he could go to.
Coincidentally, the first person was standing right next to him.
Facing Luke, Midoriya had just opened his mouth when Luke shook his head.
"The best strategy is splitting the crowd between us, Midoriya," Luke said, noticing the hungry gazes directed toward them. "Imagine you on my back—with a twenty million-worth headband on your head."
Midoriya's face fell. "But we can use Nyx to go up…"
Luke again rejected the possibility. "There's a time limit," he almost whispered. "I can't maintain her Gigantification for more than 5–6 minutes.
"Sooner or later, we will have to come down. Don't forget that using her Quirk leaves both me and Nyx breathless… So, I will be trying to balance my time between going up and staying on the ground."
Midoriya looked down, balling his fingers into fists.
He was being too ignorant, he realized.
He is right, Midoriya thought, remembering Nyx, who couldn't even properly fly in the tunnel after exchanging positions with Luke. That's how he had secured the 1st position, to begin with. We can't depend upon remaining in the sky… and on the ground… twenty million…
Midoriya gulped.
"Let's go find someone," Luke said, smiling.
Suddenly, someone came to them by herself.
It was Ochaco Uraraka!
"Guys!" Uraraka said, smiling. "Let's be a team!!"
Midoriya was moved so much, his mood shifting from an all-time low to high instantly, that he began crying.
Meanwhile, from afar, Mina was about to run over to ask Luke to be on his team.
But the moment she saw Luke, Midoriya, and Uraraka together, she pouted, going over to Bakugo's side to ask him instead.
Over to Midoriya's side, Luke explained the same reasoning to Uraraka.
Surprisingly, she laughed. "Anyway, it's better to team up with your friends, right? It will be alright…"
Luke frowned inwardly.
He didn't have any impression of this girl from his previous life.
Before he could think more about Uraraka's cheery personality, though, one more person ran up to them, not thinking as much as Mina had.
"Team up with me! First places!"
"Oh!" Uraraka gasped. "I saw you… You were so awesome during the second barrier! Deku, you should have seen her!!"
"Haha! I am Mei Hatsume!" Mei introduced herself, taking off her tech goggles. "From Support Course."
Mei Hatsume had a round, cute face with pink hair.
From head to toe, she was covered in high-tech gear designed by herself.
"Oi, you!" Mei pointed at Luke and Midoriya. "Let me use you two. With everyone watching you guys, my babies will shine the most in big companies' eyes! Haha!"
Then, hurriedly, she threw open a trunk full of mechanical parts.
"Select anyone!" Mei said, winking. "I am sure one of them will suit our needs!"
Midoriya was about to lunge at the trunk with his eyes shining when he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Luke…"
Luke turned around. "Guess you already have a team. Nyx should be coming with mine as well…"
"Are you sure?" Midoriya asked. "If you don't find someone, come back to us…"
"Don't forget what you told me during lunch," Luke said, looking over his shoulder.
Midoriya looked at Luke's back as the tall boy walked away and nodded. "Let's find one more," he told the girls, going in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Luke casually kept walking, other students giving him a wide, greedy berth.
Then, just as the fifteen-minute time limit was about to be over, Nyx returned… with someone who made Luke's brows shoot up.
****************
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