MHA: Harder Better Faster Stronger

"Forty-two of you have qualified for the next round," Midnight announced. "Let's see what fate has in store for you."

The screen above us started shuffling through random event names. Then it stopped.

"Cavalry battle," Midnight said. "That'll be round two. And guess what? The higher you placed last round... the worse it is for you now."

She turned her gaze toward me.

"Kogane Reiji, since you came in first… you'll be worth ten million points."

Every pair of eyes turned to me.

Great. Ten million points painted a target on my back.

Midnight started listing the rules. "Each of you will get a headband showing your point value. You'll wear it on your forehead or around your neck—nowhere else. One person on the team has to carry the others on their back, and that person wears all the team's headbands. If they fall off or hit the ground, your whole team's disqualified. You have twenty minutes to form teams."

The second she finished, the crowd scattered. Everyone started rushing toward the strongest players. Me, Bakugo, Todoroki—we had people lining up to ask.

Iida came up first. "Reiji, if you haven't chosen yet, I'd like to offer myself as a valuable teammate."

Before I could answer, Kirishima jumped in. "My man, Reiji! That was sick how fast you cleared the course! Got space on your team?"

Then came Tokoyami. Then Momo. Even Jirou. People from other classes started circling in too.

I looked at all of them. Good options—some of the best here. But I'd already made up my mind.

"I've decided. Iida, Kirishima, and Momo. That's my team. Sorry, guys—I can't take everybody."

Some looked disappointed, but they knew their chances were low anyway. One by one, they all started breaking off and building their own teams.

Once the twenty minutes were up, Midnight's voice rang out again.

"Let's begin the cavalry battle. You have fifteen minutes to protect your headbands—or steal others'. Ready?"

A beat passed.

"Three... two... one... go!"

I was on Iida's shoulders. Kirishima and Momo backed me up from behind.

The second the round started, almost everyone turned toward me. I could hear their boots hitting the ground, feel the tension cutting through the air.

Of course they'd come after me.

"So... you guys are approaching me," I muttered. "Instead of running away."[TL:- Had to do it.]

Bakugo, Todoroki, Monoma—all of them, and more were moving straight toward me.

Ten million points was too tempting.

Bakugo reached me first.

"Tch. Don't get cocky, Reiji," he growled, lunging for my headband. His hand lit up, Quirk charged, ready to blast right at my face.

I smirked. "Harder Better Faster Stronger"

Daft Punk appeared from just as Bakugo leaned in.

The blast never landed.

Daft caught his wrist mid-swing and yanked him clean off his team. In a blur, Bakugo went flying—launched through the air like a ragdoll.

He would've hit the ground if Sero hadn't acted fast. His tape shot out and caught Bakugo mid-air, dragging him back into position just in time.

But that moment of recovery gave another team the opening they needed.

One student swooped in and snatched Bakugo's headband before he even noticed.

"The hell—!?" he shouted, looking around. "Who stole my damn headband?!"

He caught sight of the blonde kid who taunted him mid-swipe. The guy gave a little wave before bolting.

Bakugo lit up with rage. "Get back here, you bastard! Sero, go after him! We're getting it back!"

And just like that, their team broke into a high-speed game of cat and mouse.

Meanwhile, as I launched Bakugo into the air, I felt movement behind me.

A tongue came whipping in fast—Tsuyu. I caught it with one hand and yanked hard.

But Mezo was already in position. His multiple arms wrapped around Tsuyu, anchoring her so she didn't fly off. He came charged in to break my grip on her tongue.

Then Todoroki made his move—ice raced in from the side, trying to trap us in place.

"Daft punk!" I shouted.

Daft Punk intercepted the attack, punching through the forming ice wall before it reached us.

Still holding Tsuyu's tongue, I braced and focused. Breathed in—then out.

I sent a burst of Hamon straight through the tongue.

Tsuyu flinched. Her body jolted. She wasn't unconscious, but she wasn't using that tongue again anytime soon.

From behind me, Momo called out, "Reiji! We're surrounded!"

Kirishima added, "We can't hold 'em off like this forever. We gotta break out!"

"Iida—straight ahead!" I yelled.

Daft Punk kept Todoroki busy while our team surged forward through the chaos. A few other class teams tried to block our way. I caught one rider's wrist mid-swipe and yanked his headband clean off before tossing him back into his team. Another tried a side grab—same result.

They got the message quick. They weren't knocking me off without someone stronger leading the charge.

The opening cleared. We broke through the encirclement.

I called Daft Punk back in.

Behind us, Todoroki finally realized we were gone.

He dropped his defense and tried moving forward… only to find himself still boxed in.

Except now, the other teams weren't just targeting him—they were fighting each other too.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes.

"…Great."

Reiji's team stood in the far corner, watching the rest of the battlefield unfold. Compared to the chaos everywhere else, they were chilling.

Eijiro laughed. "Did you see Denki's face when he realized we weren't there? Man turned into everybody's target, ha!"

I smirked as I watched the mess play out. It'd been ten minutes already. Five more to go.

While we were watching, a blonde guy came charging toward us, fighting off Bakugo along the way. They were clashing close to our position.

I kept watching that blonde dude—the copy Quirk guy from 1-B. Smart, and kinda dangerous. Thought to myself, Can he copy Daft Punk too?

Just to be safe, we pulled back, putting more distance between us and their fight.

A few seconds later, Todoroki's team emerged from the chaos—carrying extra headbands. Looked like they'd cleaned up while everyone was distracted.

They were heading our way.

Before anyone could move, Present Mic's voice boomed over the stadium.

"Time's up! That's the official end of Round 2! Let's see who made it through to the next stage!"

[TL:-Hey everyone, Let me know if anything felt off or didn't land right. Open to any thoughts appreciate the feedback.]