Chapter 13: Calvary Battle

"Tenth place, Kirishima Eijirou! Eleventh place, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"

"Tatsumori! That was…. crazy, man! I thought Midoriya was crazy, but… you—you did the same thing!" Kirishima gives a hardy laugh as he pants. He has his hands rested on his knees, hunched over. I gently pat him on the back but don't say anything in response.

"Wait. How are you not tired? You're barely sweating!" Kirishima exclaims.

I only ran for around thirty minutes. My normal morning jogs were around an hour long, half the distance I ran during the obstacle course. I was sweating, but not as much as Kirishima was, and this was something I accepted early on in my life. When I was younger, many girls would note how pristine I looked after P.E. They said it was as if I never worked out in the first place. My uniforms were never drenched in sweat, and my breathing always looked controlled.

Part of it was because I trained, making me more fit than my peers, but the lack of sweating was definitely an anomaly. I had my theories about my unique circumstance, and how that may have affected my genetics. I may be sweating less since my body was used to an increase in temperature thanks to the heat side-effect of my quirk. Though, this was all mere speculation.

The broadcasting crew leads us back to the center of the stadium, and one by one, participants make their way past the finish line, each name announced by Present Mic.

"-Twelfth place! Awase Yosetsu! Thirteenth Place! Asui Tsuyu!"

I recognize a name and see Yosetsu walk up from a distance. I raise a hand and wave, and he does the same, walking up to me.

"Your…class is insane! Yurin! What the hell… was all… of that?!" I only give him a short laugh, patting his back as he tries to calm his breathing.

"Everyone is crazy strong. I feel… humbled—but motivated," I agree with him. "I'm glad to see you make it Yosetsu."

Yosetsu only shakes his head in disbelief, as if he was still processing what happened during the obstacle course. I couldn't blame him. If I was in his position, I would be overwhelmed too. Among the top ten, only two students were not from Class 1-A. Our class completely dominated the obstacle course.

We have a short conversation about the obstacle course race and what we did to get past the chaos. I tell him about my escapades with the robots, my time ziplining across the tightropes, and even the tactic I had stolen from Midoriya, using the explosions to get ahead of those who passed me.

He tells me about disabling all the robots, his struggle to get past tightropes, and carefully walking over landmines. He curses several times as he recalls the events and even exaggerates (at least, I think he's exaggerating) his story of getting bombs blown up in front of him. He points at his soot-covered uniform.

I introduced him to Kirishima, who warmly welcomes him. They exchange a firm handshake, and then Yosetsu is called over by his classmates. I hug him before he leaves, and see him off.

It wasn't long until the top forty-two contestants were rallied together. They gave us no breaks, starting with the explanation of the second trial immediately.

Midnight takes the stage and speaks.

"The forty-two at the top have earned the right to advance! We will not continue to the post-preliminaries, the final selection! From here on out, the press will earnestly join in the heat of the moment, so go all out!"

She gives a hardy laugh and a brief shot of the press comes into view. They're situated all across the stadium, with cameras and devices ready. A particularly eager cameraman gives a thumbs up.

Midnight continues to speak, finally introducing the event.

"Now then, onto today's heart-pounding second event! I already know what it's going to be, but the suspense is killing me….

BEHOLD!" The white screen displays the words, Human Calvary Battle in bolded text. There is a series of confused murmurs all around.

"But that's not a game that works with players playing as individuals. How will it work?" Asui notes.

Midnight carefully explains the exercise. For this trial, we're required to get into groups of two to four people. There is one designated rider who wears a headband with the team's collective points, determined by our placements in the obstacle race. The rest of the team will act as human cavalry, hence the name, carrying and protecting their respective rider.

We have until the end of the timer to collect as many points as we can. This means that even if your headband gets swiped, there's still an opportunity to obtain points, so long as the timer hasn't ended yet. Only four teams will advance to the next round.

Oh… And she mentions that Midoriya, who won first place in the obstacle course, is worth ten million points.

The crowd bursts into surprise, and everyone stares at Midoriya, who suddenly becomes the center of attention. He shrinks away, as the cameras point toward him menacingly.

"Those who reach the top merely encounter fresh new hardships. Plus Ultra!" With a parting word from Midnight, we're dismissed to form our groups.

We have fifteen minutes to do so.

I scramble to find anyone familiar, but panic to see that my classmates and the rest of the contestants are already huddling around, forming their groups. I seek out Yosetsu, knowing full well that our quirks are well suited for this type of thing.

But when I seek him out, I find that he's already formed a team of four with several of his classmates. There was a girl with green, vine-like hair, who I'm sure I've seen briefly passing by in the obstacle course, a boy with teeth across his face, and another with a very intimidating expression, feather-like hair surrounding his eyes.

It was no one I recognized, though I'm glad he isn't hanging around those people I met last week.

I push through the crowds and feel slightly disappointed at my struggle to find teammates. Surely I was capable enough to be sought after, right? Of course, I'm sure Jirou, Hagakure, and Mina would team up with me. But if I wanted to get through this trial, I needed to find people who could use my quirk to its full potential.

A good team would be composed of an offensive rider who takes initiative in stealing headbands, and a calvary that supports the rider with mobility, a sturdy defense, and some sort of zoning quirk to deter stealing.

While I'm not too keen on the mobility aspect of this strategy, I'm sure I'll be able to fill in for the rest of the spots I mentioned. Iida-san is ideal when it comes to mobility. For a quirk that zones off enemies, Todoroki-san was a perfect fit. Ideally, when I think of a sturdy defense, there is only one person that comes to mind for a reliable cavalry, Kirishima.

And sure enough, I spot the familiar red hair jutting out of the crowd. I vaguely hear the conversation as I walk closer.

"Todoroki's already got himself a full team, so team up with me, Bakugou!" Kirishima proudly declares, raising his hand in the air.

Bakugou stares at him blankly, apparently just barely recognizing him.

"Hair-for-brains," Bakugou acknowledges his presence.

"It's Kirishima! Remember my name dammit!" he exclaims, I laugh when he points out the similarities in their spikey hairstyles and I couldn't help but agree.

"You wanna be a rider, right? So your front horse better be someone who can take all those explosions! And who'll do that for you?"

…someone not afraid to die," Bakugou replies blankly.

"Nah, man! It's me! With my hardening quirk!" Kirishima proudly puffs up his chest, beating it with his fist like a drum, proudly and confidently. "You want to take Midoriya down, right? This horse definitely won't break. I'll be a horse that never wavers. You can count on it!"

His heart-warming words were enough to melt even Bakugou's stone-cold heart. I smile at the scene—and even Bakugou cracks a sinister grin. I couldn't help but think that Kirishima's positivity perfectly balanced Bakugou's rough exterior. I'm glad to know that even the unlovable Bakugou has someone willing to back him up.

I don't think I'm needed here.

"...hey."

A finger taps on my shoulder and I turn around to see an unfamiliar face. Slightly curled and spiked-up purple hair is the boy's most distinctive feature. It surrounds his head like a lion's mane. However, the next thing I notice is the heavy, dark circles under his eyes. Though he was the first to reach out, his expression wasn't the least bit friendly. His lips were pursed straight, and eyebrows knitted closely to his eyes, as though he was annoyed to interact with me. His demeanor reminded me of a certain raven-haired home-room teacher–but with a very unsettling undertone.

"Do you have a team?" he asks me.

I blink at the question.

Oh… so he's in the same predicament. Perhaps I shouldn't have been too harsh in judging him by his appearance alone. If he was someone from class 1-B, maybe he was willing to set aside their distaste for my class to ask me to team up with him.

But if I were to follow my instincts, something very clearly tells me not to talk to this guy.

I shake my head to set it aside. Surely he was just someone who was looking for people to join his team. I raise my hand to reply, eager to team up with anyone willing to have me, but I'm roughly pushed aside by my collar.

"Oi! Old hair!" I panic when I realize I'm being dragged against my will by the heels. I see an annoyed expression on the stranger's face and feel sorry for him. I try to give him an apologetic glance before completely disappearing from his sight, but he completely misses it.

When I turned back to the person dragging me away, I notice it was Bakugou. He didn't seem too happy about dragging me along with him, though from what I could tell, this may be his attempt of recruiting me to his team… without asking I might add.

"Don't think I forgot about you pathetically clinging on me last round." I frown, "You can make it up to me by winning."

I'm brought to a space with Kirishima and Sero waiting. Kirishima perks up when he sees me being dragged along by the collar.

"You're gonna be with us, Tatsumori? That's so cool! We'll definitely win this now!" Though I couldn't really say my presence would assure our victory. By the looks of it, this was a very good team.

Bakugou was obviously the rider in this context. He was the best offensive option we had, and there was no doubt in my head that he was the best person for the job of taking points away from other teams. On the other hand, when I look at the team that would make up his calvary, I'm pretty impressed at how our composition fit my ideals.

Kirishima was our stone-hard defense and impenetrable wall that could withstand Bakugou's explosions without batting an eye. Sero adds to the team's mobility. I saw immediately the reason why Bakugou wanted him on the team. It was possible to reel Bakugou back to the calvary after he flies without facing repercussions using his tape. In essence, Bakugou wouldn't have to worry about his team going fast, because he could do all that work without us.

I didn't exactly fit the bill as a zoner, but I'm confident I can ward off approaching enemies from my side of the calvary. When I think about the situation carefully, keeping in mind the temperament of my groupmates, they're really... not that smart, battle-wise at least. That's okay though. I think I can make up for it. All I had to do was call out the shots-which in hindsight, is easier said than done, with Bakugou in the picture.

It's not that I wasn't confident in their abilities, but the combat intelligence and spacial awareness of the cavalry… not ideal. Kirishima was as close to a meat-head as it could get, and well I couldn't really blame him, since he probably doesn't ever need to dodge anything that comes his way. He tanks everything with his quirk, and that's respectable, but that mindset isn't good when it comes to protecting.

Sero didn't have much combat prowess. His fighting style in class consisted of high mobility—getting out of the way and getting to places quick—as well as restraining an enemy. It was a straightforward style, but again, it wasn't suited for fighting against multiple people at once.

And Bakugou…he was smart, sure. His combat sense tops everyone in the class. He knows how to use his quirk, and he knows how to use it well. But because he's constantly stuck in his own ass, he's reckless and inconsiderate. It's an independent style of thinking that wasn't well suited for team exercises. I was worried about covering for a man that didn't want to be protected, or worse, a man who puts himself in precarious situations.

And he'll drag everyone down with him, and we'll have to work twice as hard to make up for his blunders.

"You've fought icy-hot before, right?" Bakugou asks. I blink, as I'm brought out of my thoughts. I didn't expect him to actually talk to me.

"Yeah. I did."

"And you can break his ice or something, right?" he says, impatiently.

I think about my quirk and come to a realization that he probably doesn't know what I do, as I'm probably the last thought on his mind when it comes to competition.

"Yes. I can do that with my quirk," I sigh, exasperatedly. He doesn't need any other explanation and turns to the rest of the group.

"Listen here extras, I'm not gonna say this twice," he says gruffly. "I'm gonna win this. You guys just need to do your job and support me like your life depends on it, you hear me?" He growls the last part out.

That was quite the motivational speech.

Though it was a little insulting to know that the only reason why I'm on this team was because he saw me as a counter-measure to Todoroki's ice. The funny thing is, I know he doesn't know what my quirk is. He probably just saw me in our exercises and assumed that I can hold my own against Todoroki because my quirk had something to do with melting ice.

I'll make sure that I'm a little bit more useful than that.

Bakugou claims our team's headbands. We are one of the highest cumulative points of the ten-or-so teams in the stadium. As a team, we placed third, eighth, ninth, and tenth, adding up to a total of 710 points. Of course, Midoriya's ten million points was the exception in this case, but even with Todoroki's scary-looking team, we were almost a hundred points above them.

This meant that defending Bakugou was the most important thing in this game. After Midoriya's team, we were the number two target for getting stolen from.

"FORMED YOUR TEAMS? MADE YOUR PLANS? WELL TOO BAD IF YOU HAVEN'T! HERE WE GO! THE COUNTDOWN TO A BRUTAL BATTLE ROYAL!"

Present Mic makes his voice known once again, riling up the crowd into cheers of anticipation. The cameras zoom in on the competitors, and a brief second of Bakugou is on the screen. Our team readies our stance. Kirishima at the front, Sero in the back left, and I'm on the back right. I place my left hand on Kirishima's shoulder to hold up Bakugou as he sits atop everyone.

I have my shield sheathed. Since I only have one hand to defend, I chose to use my bo staff because of its range. It's easier to zone from that side.

Present Mic counts us down.

"THREE!"

"We go for that damn Deku!" Bakugou declares for us to hear.

"TWO!"

I roll my eyes at his predictable behavior.

"ONE! STARTOOOOO!"

At the timer's end, all teams make a mad dash towards Midoriya's calvary. We were no exception. I take on my and carefully watch my opponents' movements.

I ward off wandering hands, and plant blows on unassuming students as they pass. A particularly sturdy girl with huge arms takes a blow, then a passing blonde-haired, horned girl takes a hit, hunching over.

"TAKE IT!" I shout.

Bakugou scoffs and takes the band from the hunched-over female: 110 points added to our tally. We continue to go about the crowd. With Bakugou's careless charging, I'm given a lot of work fending off for him. As the attention is drawn away from Midoriya, teams are now scrambling to take the headbands of other groups to secure a spot in the top four.

And of course, 820 points was juicy enough to get to the top.

I take the training I had with Hagakure in mind. It's hard to see what's behind me, but as I close my eyes, I could feel the wind shift on my skin. I can hear gentle wooshes and shouts and footsteps.

I open my eyes and change my stance, my left shoulder and torso twist to find a floating hand amidst the chaos. A large swing of my right hand and it's sent flying back.

Then several projectile horns also make their way towards our calvary. I spin my staff and successfully deflect them, but they quickly turn back and pursue us again.

They carefully avoid my side of the calvary, and I scowl.

"Bakugou! Your left!" He listens and wards off the horns that come for his headbands. It was the quirk of the team we got earlier. They were still close on our tails, and they were corralling us towards a larger crowd.

"Kirishima! We need to turn back, we're being led to a crowd!" I don't wait for his reply and yank on his shoulder with my left hand to guide him away from his path.

"NO! THAT DAMN DEKU IS THERE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

"SHUT UP! We need to wait until the crowd clears. It's too dangerous to go there right now!"

"OI! OI! OI!" Our rider bashes on Kirishima's thick skull as he realizes that things aren't quite going his way. Against Bakugou's will, I lead Kirishima to face the pursuing calvary, getting a clear view of the multitude of projectiles heading our way.

I fend against projectiles like hitting back pitches in a baseball game. I close my eyes again to hear the sounds of footsteps and feel the shifting winds on my skin. I pick up the stampeding footsteps on Sero's side. My eyes widen.

"Sero. Lean back!"

Responding to the urgency of my calls, he leans his head back, met with the thrusting motion of my staff directly in front of his face. It hits the rider straight to his stomach. A black-haired boy hunches over, his braided hair flies forward with the blow. Bakugo once again snatches his opponent's headband, grinning maniacally. An explosion covers our tracks as we run away.

With an additional 195 points.

"Bakugou! We're on the leaderboard!" Kirishima exclaims excitedly. "We'll definitely make it to the next round at this rate!"

Though the same excitement doesn't extend to the boy with absolute victory in his brain.

"WE'RE NOT DONE YET! WHERE'S THAT DAMN DEKU?!" he growls in frustration.

This was the moment when we all realized exactly why we can't find Midoriya anywhere on the field.

He wasn't on the field.

Midoriya and his team were in the air, expertly avoiding the competition with Uraraka-san's quirk. His team was a sight to behold, as Tokoyami-san expertly defended his group from various projectiles. Midoriya's other, unfamiliar groupmate held weird inventions that directed the movement of their unit. It was a genius plan.

And it worried me to my stomach.

I can't protect Bakugou when he's in the air, pelted with projectiles. It's so hard to even get him to listen to me, and there's nothing I can do from preventing Bakugou from rushing into dangerous situations.

"FOUND HIM!" Bakugou doesn't wait to launch into the sky, detaching from his calvary. It was exactly like I feared. I take this moment to observe my surroundings and see that Bakugou and our headbands were also… quite in danger from looming projectiles.

I sigh.

"Sero-san. Do you mind taping this rod?" I ask him, taking out a smaller stick from its sheathe. I take some tape from his elbows and wrap it around the bottom of the stick, making sure that it's secure.

I see the expression on his face light up, recognizing my idea. I give him another stick to do the same thing as the other one. I carefully assess the situation in the sky and prioritize the more dangerous moving targets. I remember the training from my past week, trying so hard to make up for my weaknesses in the past with long ranged fighters.

I reel back my shoulder and use my whole body to launch it in the air towards the hand sneaking behind Bakugou. It hits the floating hand, and Sero expertly reels the tape back.

"This is awesome," he grins, a crescent of pearly white teeth pushing aside his cheeks. I smile back. But I can't rest easy. We do our best, but two rods aren't enough to cover everything around Bakugou. He expertly evades many of the horns and limbs, but as soon as he sends them away, they persistently follow him.

We continue the process, covering for Bakugou so he can focus on his pursuit of ten million points. Sero reels back the projectiles as I throw them, and we get into a good rhythm. I keep an eye out for the people around me as I survey and aim at the sky. Sero keeps an eye on Bakugou, ready to reel him in at any time.

Bakugou finds Midoriya in the air, but Tokoyami's shadow blocks his explosive blow before it can reach him. Sero and I watch him nervously.

"I think I need to reel him back," Sero tells us. "Get ready to catch him."

He hands me my rods back, but I shake my head, taking only one from his hand.

"Keep it. I can't be the only one defending Bakugou. Get some good hits in, will you?" Sero's eyes are trained on Bakugou's falling form, but he nods to let me know he's heard me.

Sero expertly reels in the falling Bakugou, and we catch him as he lands.

"Nice catch!" Kirishima exclaims.

Though the annoyed expression on his face tells us that he was unsuccessful in his attempt to get ten million. It looks like Midoriya's team is a tougher nut to crack than we had originally expected.

We adjust Bakugou's position on our calvary and run forward, anticipating the next place Midoriya's team would land with our rider's incessant nagging.

"Sero, eight o'clock. Kirishima, this way…"

Sero grins as he hits away several hands and projectiles that come his way, and I do the same, covering for our right side and back. Kirishima veers as I pull him away from Yosetsu's touch. Our cavalry narrowly misses the touch of his cylinders. Vines snake towards us after his failed attempt.

"Bakugou, from—"

"I SEE IT OLD HAIR!" Bakugou fends against the vines, setting off explosions that scorch and block us from their view. I quickly lead everyone away to a safer clearing.

Our group was making enemies. With two additional headbands, we were targets of revenge for those we have stolen from. The unfamiliar students of Class 1-B supported each other against the students of our class. We were struggling to keep up with the increasing number of pursuers.

I didn't particularly care about getting ten million, but I sure as hell cared about getting to the next round. I thought about this whole trial as a good exercise in protecting a charge. Don't get me wrong, I didn't care much for Bakugou, I just took this as a learning experience.

While Bakugou was reckless and mindless in his pursuit, I more than made up for it in my carefulness. Though I had a feeling our rider wasn't thinking too deeply into what I was doing. I hadn't known the boy for long but, I got the impression that he didn't care much about what his calvary did, so long as he could do whatever the hell he wanted and got Midoriya's ten million points.

It must be nice.

"Bakugou. We're getting surrounded. We need to pull back and find another way to get to Midoriya. If you go out by yourself again, we'll all be in danger," I advise him.

"I don't need to listen to you, old hair. We're going for ten million, now." he growls, not too happy about what I just said.

"I can't protect you if—"

"Who says you need to protect me? Do your fucking job and I'll do mine. Don't get in my way!" I hold back the bubbling anger in my stomach, and breathe to calm myself.

Before I could speak out again, I feel a shiver run down my spine, as a particularly strong gust of wind blows past.

"BEHIND US! BAKUGOU!"

The second I swung backward, feeling them directly behind me, my stick was met by a transparent wall. I don't stop and reel my right arm back to hit him again, but this time, aiming for the rider, a very familiar, blonde boy. He holds a hand up to block the hit, and it hardens the same way Kirishima's hand does.

Bakugou reels away from Monoma's swiping hands. A domineering scoff made my insides boil in mild annoyance, adding to the anger of dealing with a very childish Bakugou. When our rider creates an explosion, I use it to cover my next move

I go in for a third hit putting all the pent-up anger towards my swing. I aim for the space where Monoma's solar plexus would reside. My swing cuts through the smoke and barely grazes the side of his torso. His team stepped back to avoid the blow.

Monoma narrows his eyes, launching forward. He grazes Bakugou's shoulder when I swat him away. I'm too slow to react to his next move.

I see his hands grasp at my shoulder, and the sparks fly as I realize the attack wasn't aimed at our rider, but at me.

"He—" I was cut off before I could speak—before I could push Kirishima forward.

Pain explodes from my right shoulder. The sound deafened my ears, sending a high-pitched ring.

I heard the distant incoherent shouts of my calvary-mates and felt my vision blur for a moment.

I hold on tight to Kirishima's shoulder as I try to keep myself from falling. Warm liquid oozes from my shoulder and forehead.

On a passing frame, I see the blurs take bands from Bakugou's head.

And hear the villainous laugh fade from the distance.

A/n: I have a lot to talk about for this one, so strap in, as I'm about to justify all the choices I've made in these three thousand or so words! For this chapter, Yurin has replaced Mina in the calvary battle. Of course, it was difficult for me to think about what group Yurin would make. I dissected the strategies Todoroki, Bakugou and Midoriya utlized when picking their groupmates. In particular, Bakugou's criteria for picking Mina was extremely underwhelming—he needed someone to counter Todoroki's ice, and as I read the manga, I couldn't help but be disappointed at how little Mina actually contributed to the Calvary Trial. I figured that Yurin could do the same thing, and contribute more to the team. The hardest part of this chapter is reeling myself back. I'm always inclined to make Yurin a badass character, but I'm also bound by my promise of not making her too strong and overpowered without proper justification. My brother has helped me a lot by defining what exactly Yurin is good at in the moment, but also what skills she may be lacking in the situation she's placed in. Yurin has great battle sense and spacial awareness due to her Krav Maga training, she is in her element when it comes to battle royale style fighting. I wanted to highlight her strength there with her ability to shot-call and keep note of multiple enemies at once. But she is not superhuman, and it shouldn't be perfect the whole time. My motto for this season, as my brother eloquently put it: "Yurin is an above average athlete with sticks." I hope to highlight that weakness next chapter! I intended to complete the whole calvary battle this chapter, but I reached fifteen pages, and was still not close to finished. The calvary battle was promptly split into two chapters, so sorry for the cliffhanger! Here is the question of the day: You've seen Yurin fight with Sero, Bakugou and Kirishima this chapter. What are some creative ways Yurin can use her skills/quirk to synergize with her team? Asking for me too :)
Spider's Note: Hsss…. Hello everyone Spider-san here! I'm sure you are wondering why Editor-san is not here, thats a very good question… A question that I'm not going to answer in too much detail. Editor-san did some pretty bad things to our colony and now, I don't think he can do his job anymore. As an old friend of his it's unfortunate to see him fall like this. Anyways, enough with the sad talk stuff, back to the topic at mandible. I've taken responsibility for making sure this story is edited down, and although it seems Mili's writing is already pretty edited, I've still been able to make changes here and there. In order to respect my fallen friend, I will continue to manage and edit these stories for the foreseeable future. This chapter is pretty interesting, I wonder how well Yurin could handle Bakugo's explosions. Speaking of which, Monoma is an incredibly charming guy, I hope to see more of him in the future. Hope you enjoyed it! - Spider-san

"The spiders—... Don't listen—... its to– ate– for– me…"