𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀 | bnha oc.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖: ua sports festival (2)

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     "THE TOP 42 from this qualifying round will move on!" said Midnight. "But for those who placed lower, don't worry! We've got another way to show your stuff."

"What place did you get, Koemi?" Uraraka whispered, huddling close to the taller teen.

"I got fourth. What about you?"

"I got fourteenth!" she replied with a grin.

Koemi scanned the remaining students, noticing how significantly smaller it was compared to what it was before the first round. Most were from their class or Class 1-B, but some of the participants were from the other courses as well.

She then smiled back at Uraraka. "Do you still have enough energy to last the next two rounds?"

"Yep, I've got plenty!" Uraraka placed her hands on her hips.

"... And now the main selection really begins! The press corp's going to be jumping out of their seats, so give it all you've got!" Midnight turned toward the screen. "Now on to the second event... This!"

'A cavalry battle?'

"Participants will, on their own, form teams of two to four members each and get into a horse and rider formation! The rules are the same as an ordinary cavalry battle—snag your opponents' headbands while guarding your own—but with one exception...

"Each of you has been assigned a point value based on your ranking in the last event!"

The students immediately began to mutter among themselves again.

"So the point value of each team depends on its members!" Hagakure happily pointed out from afar.

"We'd have to grab the points from the team with the most points then, huh?" Ojiro added.

Midnight stomped her foot. "I'm about to explain it, so SHUT UP already!" she yelled. Once the group fell quiet, she continued, albeit with a bit of exasperation. "Anyways, yes! And your individual point values start at five, at the bottom! So the student who took 42nd place earned five points, 41st is worth ten... get it? But our first place participant is worth...

" Ten million points! "

Without a doubt, the boy in question was absolutely shell-shocked to hear that.

"The higher ranked students are the ones to aim for. This game is a chance for a comeback. It's anyone's game!" Midnight smirked. "There's more suffering for those at the top. As you must have heard countless times since enrolling into U.A., this is Plus Ultra!

"After taking first place in the qualifiers, Midoriya Izuku has got ten million points!"

All eyes turned to him—some with pity, some with surprise, and many who looked ready to covet his points for their own.

'That's terrible,'  Koemi thought, looking on at the display in resigned silence. 'He'll have to carry that burden all on his own if no one wants to be on his team...'

Midnight continued to explain the rules of the event before she told the group of students that they had fifteen minutes to form a team.

Koemi and Uraraka exchanged knowing looks...
Until Uraraka burst out into a fit of quiet giggles.

Koemi's face was (unsurprisingly) brimming in determination. Her lips formed a thin somber line, eyebrows were scrunched together, and her eyes were sparkling.

"Let's help Midoriya-san," she said, solemnly.

"Without a doubt!" Uraraka finished, hooking the girl's arm with her own and dragging them both to the shaken freckle-faced boy.