Chaos erupted as students scrambled to form teams.
All eyes were on Midoriya, a target painted on his back with ten million points.
Kaito ignored the frenzy. He had his plan.
Kirishima was his anchor. A solid, reliable defender. But they needed more.
"Uraraka!" Kaito called out, spotting her looking overwhelmed.
She turned, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
"We need your gravity. We'll be the team that can't be caught."
She nodded quickly, a determined look replacing her worry.
"Right!"
That made three. They needed a rider, someone light and agile to snatch headbands.
His eyes scanned the crowd and landed on a familiar, petite figure with earphone jacks dangling from her earlobes.
Kyoka Jiro. She was observant, sharp, and her Quirk could be a fantastic sensory tool.
"Jiro! We need a rider with good instincts! You in?"
Jiro looked surprised, then smirked.
"A team with the copycat, the rock guy, and the gravity girl? Sounds interesting. Sure, why not?"
Team "Chimera's Redoubt" was formed. They huddled quickly.
"Okay," Kaito began, his voice low and fast. "We're not going for Midoriya. That's a suicide mission. We're playing defense and targeting mid-tier teams. Our point value is low, so we won't be a primary target if we play it smart."
He looked at each of them.
"Kirishima, you're the front horse. Your Hardening is our shield. Uraraka, you and I will be the rear. Your job is to make us light the moment we need to move or avoid a grab. Jiro, you're the rider. Your job is to identify weak teams and guide us. But your Quirk is also key, you can plug your jacks into the ground and listen for approaching teams. You're our radar."
Jiro's eyes lit up.
"Whoa. Didn't think of that. Yeah, I can do that."
"Good. My role is adaptability." Kaito focused, clearing his slots.
He needed a specific toolkit for this. He first approached Kirishima.
"I need your Hardening back. Just for a second." A quick touch re-archived the sturdy Quirk into one slot. Then, he looked at Jiro. "And I need to understand your hearing. Just a baseline."
Jiro looked hesitant but offered her hand. Kaito touched her wrist.
'Three... four... five.'
The world sharpened again as he archived 'Hearing'. It was a strain, but manageable.
His loadout was set: 'Hardening' and 'Hearing'.
"Alright," Kaito said, activating Hardening. A rocky texture spread over his skin. "I'll be our secondary shield and our ears. Let's move."
The battle began. True to form, Midoriya's team was immediately swarmed. Kaito ignored the central melee.
"Jiro, scan. Find us a target with around 300-500 points. Isolated."
Jiro plugged her jacks into the ground, her eyes closed in concentration.
"Got one! Team of three from General Studies, off to the left. They look disorganized. Point value... 455."
"Perfect. Uraraka, on my mark, lighten us. Kirishima, charge left!"
They moved as a single unit. As they closed in on the surprised General Studies team, Kaito barked orders.
"Jiro, the headband! Kirishima, brace for impact! They've got some kind of glue Quirk!"
The opposing team tried to entangle them, but Kirishima's hardened body broke through the sticky strands.
Jiro, nimble and quick, leaned down and snatched their headband with ease.
"Got it! Retreat!" she yelled.
"Uraraka, now!" Kaito commanded.
Uraraka tapped their formation. Weightlessness washed over them.
Kirishima, surprised but adaptable, pushed off with his powerful legs, and they glided backward away from the confrontation with surprising speed.
It was a flawless hit-and-run. They repeated the tactic twice more, using Jiro's hearing and Kaito's enhanced ears to stay aware of the battlefield, avoiding major conflicts and steadily accumulating points.
They were a ghost team, striking from the periphery.
But they couldn't stay invisible forever.
"Big problem," Jiro said, her voice tense. "Team Todoroki. They're fast. And they're coming right for us."
------
Check out my other novels "Awakening: Starting With The Villain System" and "My Infinite Mana System"