In the end, following Yaoyorozu Momo's proposal, the trio decided to let Uraraka Ochaco take the role of the rider.
Thanks to her persistent training over the past few weeks, Ochaco had gained the ability to briefly apply her Quirk to herself. In other words, she could float for short periods of time. According to the rules, as long as the rider didn't touch the ground, the team wouldn't be eliminated—making this rule extremely advantageous for her.
"In that case," Yaoyorozu said calmly, "our strategy should be defense-oriented. As long as we protect our score, we're guaranteed to advance as first place."
She immediately began assigning roles, and this time, Igarashi Masata followed her instructions without complaint.
Beautiful, gentle, virtuous—and frighteningly intelligent.
Masata watched her serious expression and couldn't help thinking that way.
As if sensing his stare, Yaoyorozu suddenly turned her head and met his gaze head-on. Her cheeks flushed instantly.
"Focus! Don't think about strange things at a time like this!"
Flustered, she reached out and grabbed Masata's face with both hands, forcing him to look away to hide her embarrassment.
"Ow—okay, okay," Masata said through distorted cheeks. "But honestly, do we even need tactics? If I surround us with magma, no one could get close, right?"
"Idiot!"
Yaoyorozu pinched harder. "You're immune to heat, but Ochaco and I aren't! If you flood the area with magma, we'd be the first ones to suffer!"
Masata scratched his head. Because of his Quirk, he really was resistant to heat—one of the reasons he rarely wore more than a sleeveless top.
"Fine. I'll handle defense," Yaoyorozu continued. "Masata, you focus on movement and intercepting attackers. Ochaco, your job is to protect the score. If things get dangerous, float upward immediately to avoid attacks."
Their roles were quickly finalized.
"Everyone—GO!"
Midnight's whistle pierced the air, and the battlefield erupted into motion.
A large number of students who had been "victims" of Masata earlier immediately locked onto his team's headband. As long as they took that score, promotion would be guaranteed.
Class A scattered across the field. Although Bakugo Katsuki desperately wanted to charge Masata immediately, he was a rider and couldn't move freely, forcing him to grit his teeth and follow his teammates instead.
"Take it down! Damn Class A freak!"
The first attacker came almost instantly.
A red-eyed boy charged forward without any tactical sense whatsoever—it was Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, the loudmouth who had once challenged people outside the classroom doors.
Seeing his momentum, Yaoyorozu quickly created a hardened shield and passed it to Masata.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out.
Masata blinked, surprised.
"Whoa—your Quirk is hardening? That's actually pretty solid."
The shield dented slightly under the impact.
"Don't lump me in with those old-fashioned Quirks!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "My name is Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! My Quirk is Steel! Remember it!"
His roar carried across the field, catching Kirishima Eijiro's attention. Kirishima immediately committed the name to memory.
"Steel, huh? Not bad," Masata said, cracking his knuckles. "Alright—let me try something."
With one arm firmly supporting Ochaco and the other free, Masata stepped forward. Yaoyorozu quickly generated another shield and handed it to Ochaco to guard against sneak attacks.
"Hah? You're gonna punch me?" Tetsutetsu laughed. "Try not to cry!"
Masata didn't reply.
He simply threw a punch.
BOOM!
This time, Tetsutetsu was sent flying.
His body arced through the air before slamming heavily into the ground several meters away.
"…What?"
The entire field froze.
Less than a minute into the match, someone had already been blown away.
"How is he this strong?!"
Tetsutetsu staggered to his feet, staring at Masata with a face full of disbelief. He had gone all out—and still got knocked away in one hit.
"Hey, isn't that a foul?" Monoma Neito from Class B shouted. "He just took down another team's horse!"
Midnight responded instantly, her ruling clear and firm.
"Igarashi did not initiate the attack—he was defending. This is within the rules. On the other hand, Tetsutetsu touched the ground. His team is eliminated!"
After that display, no one else dared to approach the Masata trio casually.
Tetsutetsu had ranked tenth in the qualifiers—his strength was undeniable. If even he was sent flying so easily, charging Masata head-on was practically suicide.
"So Steel only hardens the body… I thought it would boost strength too," Masata muttered, glancing at the faint red mark on his knuckles. "Kind of boring."
"Masata, that punch was super cool!" Ochaco said excitedly. "Like—half insanely handsome!"
She had been tense the entire time, ready to defend, but the opponent was eliminated before she could even react.
What followed was… strange.
Under Yaoyorozu's defensive strategy, the trio stationed themselves near the edge of the battlefield, quietly watching as other teams clashed and stole headbands. Whenever a fight drifted too close, both sides would instinctively retreat.
"No one's coming at us at all," Masata complained. "This is kind of dull."
Yaoyorozu gave him a flat look. "You just sent someone flying in one punch. Of course no one wants to come near us. This is perfect—we hold first place and advance safely."
Still, despite her conservative approach, Yaoyorozu had prepared numerous small grenades. Their power was limited, but the shockwaves were enough to force enemies back if needed.
As the minutes passed, the battlefield grew more chaotic.
The horseback battle had fully entered its fiercest phase.
...
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