The stadium buzzed with anticipation.
A tall figure in a wide-brimmed hat stepped onto the central platform.
Snipe twirled his revolver once, casually.
Bang!
He fired into the air.
The crack echoed across the arena.
Silence followed instantly.
"ATHLETES' OATH!" Snipe shouted. "Representative, front and center! Mirio Togata!"
The crowd erupted.
Cheers thundered as Mirio Togata jogged up to the platform with his usual easy grin.
He grabbed the mic.
"To everyone here!" he shouted confidently. "I've got just one question!"
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
A question? Isn't this supposed to be an oath?
Around him, a wave of collective sighs rippled through Sections A and B.
"Oh no," someone muttered.
Mirio raised a finger dramatically.
"What came first?! The egg… or the chicken?!"
…
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Ren blinked.
…What?
The audience froze.
Then Mirio burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Just kidding! Let's have a great festival!"
And he stepped off the platform like nothing had happened.
The stadium remained awkwardly quiet for three whole seconds.
Then scattered applause resumed.
Ren stared at Mirio's back.
He's...
"Don't mind him!" a bright voice chimed beside him.
Ren turned.
Nejire Hado leaned slightly toward him, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"He does that every year! It's like a ritual or something!"
"Ah… I see," Ren replied calmly.
She tilted her head.
"You're the first year, right? Ren Takeda?"
"That's right."
Her eyes widened even more.
"Your Quirk must be amazing if they put you with us! What is it? Is it strength? Teleportation? Something flashy? What is it? What is it?"
"Oh, you'll—"
Bang!
Another gunshot echoed.
Snipe had returned to center stage, clearly trying to lasso the event back under control.
"Ahem!" he announced. "Alright, you bunch of wild stallions, let's rein this rodeo back in."
A few third-years chuckled.
"This first event is a qualifier. And trust me—" he twirled the revolver again, "a whole lotta you are about to get bucked off your horses."
He paused, leaning toward the mic.
"And I ain't talkin' about ponies."
The massive screen behind him flickered to life.
A roulette wheel began spinning rapidly.
Students looked up.
The tension returned instantly.
Snipe lifted his gun dramatically.
"Let's see what kind of chaos we're ridin' into…"
The roulette slowed.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
It stopped.
The screen flashed in bold letters:
PREDATOR'S TERRITORY
The stadium erupted in murmurs.
Snipe grinned under his hat.
"Here's how it works."
The arena floor began shifting.
Metal walls rose.
Platforms elevated.
Bridges extended.
Within seconds, the entire stadium transformed into a massive multi-level combat zone.
Urban terrain.
Collapsed structures.
Narrow corridors.
Elevated sniper points.
"Each of you will receive a wrist device," Snipe continued. "You start with 100 points."
Small digital bands were automatically secured around every participant's wrist.
"Hidden throughout the terrain are capture beacons worth bonus points."
The screen displayed glowing markers across the map.
"But here's the fun part…"
The crowd leaned in.
"You can steal points."
Murmurs intensified.
"If you incapacitate another competitor, their points transfer directly to you."
Gasps.
"And once you drop to zero?"
Snipe fired again.
Bang!
"You're eliminated."
The gates at the edge of the arena opened.
"This ain't a race," he added. "It's a hunt."
The screen displayed the final rule:
Only the Top 32 Advance.
The number of participants flashed below.
Over one hundred.
Meaning more than two-thirds would be eliminated immediately.
Ren's lips curled faintly.
Now this—
Was interesting.
A survival-based elimination.
Mirio stretched casually a few meters away.
Nejire bounced lightly on her heels.
Tamaki already looked stressed.
A loud horn blasted.
"YOU'VE GOT ONE HOUR!" Snipe announced.
"Begin!"
And instantly—
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Mirio vanished underground.
Nejire launched into the sky in a spiral of energy.
Tamaki disappeared into the structures.
Ren stood still for half a second.
Then—
He shot off in the sky, covered in electricity.
To be continued...
***
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Sorry if it was hella short, but I just felt it right to end it here.
Also, do you like the Predator's Territory? I've tried to come up with something since it was never shown what kind of games the third years went through.