ʙᴀᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛs || ʙᴀᴋᴜɢᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 12

"The top 42 competitors from the race will move on!" Midnight announces, gathering everyone's attention to the stage, "And now, the main selection shall begin!"

The remaining students stand together in a sweaty group, watching Midnight strut around on the stage as she tries to rile us up for the next event. You feel the heat of someone's gaze burning into your back, but you pay no mind to it. You already know it's Bakugo, probably pissed that you beat him, again.

"Now, on to the second event!" Midnight exclaims, the screen spinning like a lottery machine to determine the next event, "Dying from suspense?! The next match is...THIS!!" 'Cavalry Battle' printed in bold letters appears on the screen, causing some of the students around you to start mumbling in confusion, before being quickly shut down by Midnight.

"If you'd shut up and let me explain, then you'd understand!" She screeches, cracking her whip with a glare, then her smile immediately reappears, "Anyway! Participants will form teams of two to four members each, and assemble in a horse-and-rider formation. The rules are simple, steal the other team's headbands while protecting your own, but with a catch... each of you is assigned a point value based on your placing in the obstacle race-"

"We have to earn points just like in the entrance exam? That's simple enough."

"So the point value of each team depends on its members!"

"SHUT UP ALREADY SO THAT I CAN EXPLAIN THE EVENT!" Midnight snaps, successfully shutting up all of the students before smiling and continuing her explanation, "Anyway, yes. The point value starts at the bottom with five points and increases upward. 42nd place is 5 points, 41st is 10 points, and so on. And with that our first place participant is worth...TEN MILLION POINTS!"

Midnight announces the plot twist with a gleeful smile, cracking her whip against the stage with a devilish smirk slipping onto her face. Everyone's attention veers to Midoriya who looks frozen in fear. The poor boy is sweating, shaking like a leaf, and his eyes look permanently glued open in fear. You're glad that you didn't place first now, you don't want to deal with that extra attention.

"The higher ranked students are the ones to aim for! This is a competition where it's anyone's game! Those at the top will suffer," Midnight tells us, licking her lips like a fucking sadist, "And after winning the Obstacle Race, Izuku Midoriya has the TEN MILLION POINTS!"

You swear everyone turns into demons with glowing red eyes as they turn their targets to him. All attention is on Midoriya now and he is feeling the pressure of being at the top. Toshinori explained it to you when you were younger, and as a full-fledged hero, you know exactly what it's like having to fight just to keep your placing every day.

"The match will last 15 minutes, with each team's points determined by its members. The rider will wear a headband displaying the team's total point value. Until the match ends, you all will compete to grab the other team's headbands and protect your own. Any headbands you grab must be worn from the neck up, so the more you have the harder it will be to manage.

"Most importantly, if your headband is stolen or your formation is broken your team isn't out of the match! It's not over till it's over!" Midnight finishes, dismissing you a moment later to make your teams.

You glance at the screen, seeing that you only have 205 points, even at 2nd place. You aren't even close to Midoriya, but it is still the second-highest score. "Hey (L/n)! Want to partner up with us?" Kirishima calls from the other side of the field, he is also with Bakugo and Sero.

"NO WAY IN HELL IS THAT BITCH GOING TO BE ON OUR TEAM! SHE'S TOO SHORT TO CARRY ME ANYWAY!" Bakugo shouts and curses at you, but you only stare back at him with a neutral expression and blank eyes.