Chapter 27: The Ten Million Point Bounty and the Two-Person Army.
The massive holographic screen above the stadium flickered, cycling through the results of the Obstacle Race. The crowd was still buzzing from the sheer spectacle of the finish, but the air was about to change.
Midnight, standing on the central platform, cracked her whip to silence the murmurs.
"And now, for the main event of the qualifiers!" she announced, her voice echoing with theatrical flair. "The points have been assigned! The higher you placed, the more points you are worth in the next game!"
The screen displayed a list. The students at the bottom were worth 5, 10, maybe 20 points.
"But..." Midnight paused, a sadistic smile playing on her lips. "For the one who stood at the top... the one who defied gravity and logic..."
The screen exploded with a digital fanfare. Next to the image of Natsu Dragneel grinning with his cat, a number materialized. It wasn't a hundred. It wasn't a thousand.
10,000,000 Points.
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. It was the silence of a predator spotting prey.
Slowly, every head in the stadium turned. Hundreds of eyes—from Class B, General Studies, Support, and even his own classmates in Class A—locked onto Natsu. The look in their eyes wasn't admiration anymore. It was hunger. It was greed.
Natsu blinked, looking at the screen. Then, slowly, a wide, toothy grin spread across his face.
"Ten million?!" Natsu laughed, the sound booming in the quiet arena. Smoke began to leak from the corners of his mouth. "I'm a wanted man! Just like a criminal with a massive bounty on his head! Ha! This is getting exciting!"
"Natsu..." Happy whispered, hovering near his shoulder. His fur was standing on end. "They don't look friendly. They look like they want to eat us."
"Let them come!" Natsu roared, throwing his arms out wide. He turned to face the sea of hostile students. "Come and get it! I'll take on every single one of you! Me and Happy will crush you all!"
"Objection!" Midnight's voice cut through his declaration.
Natsu froze. "Hah?"
"You cannot form a team alone," Midnight stated, pointing her crop at Happy. "And that cat... while adorable... is not an enrolled student. He cannot be a rider or a horse. He is technically equipment."
"Equipment?!" Happy's jaw dropped. "I'm a partner!"
"Rules are rules," Midnight shrugged. "You need at least one human teammate, Dragneel. The minimum team size is two. You have five minutes."
Natsu stood there, scratching his head. "One human, huh?"
He looked around. The moment his eyes met anyone's, they looked away or glared.
"Hey, Iida!" Natsu waved at the bespectacled boy. "Be my legs!"
"Absolutely not," Iida said instantly, adjusting his glasses and backing away toward Todoroki. "Being on your team is a death sentence. You are the target of the entire school. I intend to win, not to be a martyr."
"Cheapskate," Natsu grumbled. He looked at Ochaco. She was already being pulled away by Midoriya. He looked at Bakugo, who just growled and made an exploding gesture with his hand.
"Nobody wants to team up with the Raid Boss," Happy sighed.
"Fine," Natsu huffed. He scanned the immediate area. His eyes landed on a girl standing just a few feet away. She had short, dark purple hair and earphone jacks dangling from her earlobes. She looked hesitant, unsure of who to approach.
Natsu didn't hesitate. He stomped over to her.
"You there!"
Kyoka Jiro jumped, startled. She looked up to see the Dragon Slayer towering over her, grinning like a maniac.
"M-Me?" Jiro pointed at herself.
"Yeah! You're close by!" Natsu pointed a thumb at his chest. "Team up with me!"
Jiro blinked, her face flushing slightly. "Are you serious? You have ten million points on your head. If I team up with you, literally every student in this stadium will be attacking us at the same time."
"So what?" Natsu asked, tilting his head as if the question confused him.
"So what?!" Jiro exclaimed. "We'll be crushed!"
"No, we won't," Natsu said. His voice dropped an octave, losing the playfulness. He looked her dead in the eye, his onyx gaze burning with absolute, unshakable confidence. "Don't worry about who is looking at us. Whoever steps into our ring... we'll just wipe them off the map."
"Aye!" Happy cheered from above.
Jiro stared at him. She felt her heart skip a beat. It wasn't romance, exactly—it was the overwhelming force of his charisma. He didn't see the danger; he only saw the victory. It was terrifying, but... it was also magnetic.
"You... you're crazy," Jiro muttered, looking down to hide the red on her cheeks. She sighed, plugging one of her jacks into her other hand nervously. "Fine. But don't blame me if we lose."
"Alright!" Natsu cheered, high-fiving Happy. "We have a team!"
The timer was ticking down. Around them, other teams were forming rapidly. Todoroki had secured Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari. Bakugo had grabbed Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido. Midoriya had formed a defensive shell with Uraraka, Tokoyami, and Hatsume.
"Okay, let's do the formation!" Natsu said. "I'll be the rider!"
He walked behind Jiro. Before she could process what was happening, Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders and attempted to jump up.
"Wait, what are you—?!" Jiro shrieked.
Natsu put his full weight on her shoulders. Jiro was slim, built for agility and sound attacks, not for weightlifting. Natsu was a dense bundle of muscle and dragon power.
Wobble.
"H-Heavy!" Jiro's knees buckled instantly. Her legs shook like jelly.
"Steady! Steady!" Natsu yelled, flailing his arms to keep balance.
"I can't... you're too... heavy!"
CRASH.
They collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs on the grass.
The audience erupted into laughter. Even the announcer, Present Mic, snickered. "Oh dear! The Ten Million Point Team can't even stand up! Is this the end for the Dragon?!"
Across the field, Midoriya watched them and slapped a hand over his face. "What is he doing...?"
"Is he mocking us?" Iida asked, adjusting his formation with Todoroki. "He has no plan."
"Get off!" Jiro groaned, pushing Natsu's arm off her face. She sat up, her face burning with humiliation. "I told you! I can't carry you! You're like a boulder!"
"My bad," Natsu laughed, sitting up and dusting off his pants. "I forgot humans are squishy."
"You're human too!" Jiro yelled.
"Natsu," Happy floated down, shaking his head. "You have to be the horse. You're the strong one."
"Oh! Right!" Natsu slammed his fist into his palm. "Good idea, Happy!"
He stood up and extended a hand to Jiro. She took it, still grumpy.
"Hop on," Natsu said, crouching down and patting his shoulders.
Jiro hesitated. "Are you sure? A girl riding on a guy's shoulders... isn't that...?"
"Hurry up! The time is almost up!"
Jiro sighed. She stepped behind him and climbed onto his broad shoulders. Natsu stood up effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. He didn't even wobble. He stood like a solid tower of iron.
"Woah," Jiro whispered, gripping his spiky pink hair for balance. "Stable."
"Here," Natsu said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden headband with "10,000,000" printed on it. He handed it up to her.
"Tie it on your forehead. I need my hands free to fight."
Jiro took the headband. Her hands trembled slightly. This piece of fabric made them the enemy of the world. She tied it around her forehead, securing it tightly.
She looked up.
The atmosphere in the stadium had changed completely. Every other team had finished forming. Every single one of them was facing inward. Facing her.
Bakugo was grinning like a demon. Todoroki was staring with cold intensity. Midoriya looked calculating. Dozens of other students looked desperate.
They were all looking at her forehead.
"Natsu..." Jiro's voice shook. "They all look like monsters."
Natsu adjusted his stance, digging his boots into the grass. He cracked his knuckles. He didn't look scared. He looked thrilled.
"Hold on tight, Jiro," Natsu said, his voice low and vibrating with power. "I'm counting on you to watch my back."
"A-Aye..." Jiro stammered, unconsciously adopting Happy's catchphrase.
"START!" Midnight screamed.
"HERE THEY COME!" Natsu roared, igniting his fists. "LET'S GO!"
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