The 15 minute preparation phase for the Hero Battleground began. During this period, participating students registered their team with Midnight to get a corresponding scarf with their points.
"Wow! Someone like you- I expected you'd be more popular! Hehehe, that's great! Let's team up, Mr. First Place!"
At the center of the stadium, Hiro was standing boredly with arms crossed over his chest when suddenly approached by an over-energetic pink-haired girl with dreadlocks. The contraptions on her body clanked as she stopped just an inch away from him.
"I'm Mei Hatsume, from the Support Course. I'm sure my babies and I would be useful to you!"
"Is that so? Then sure. Let's do our best, Hatsume-san."
Hiro said, his tone amused as he shook her hand. This was great. He was wondering whether he'd go solo at this event.
While he'd still likely win then, going at it alone would be boring.
If it weren't for his friends and classmates believing they would drag him down, he would have formed a full team of four by now.
"Fantastic! Joining with you means I'll inevitably be in the spotlight. Hehehe, by then, my super cute babies would surely be noticed by the industry big shots!"
Mei muttered, laughing creepily as she stroked the goggles on her hair.
"Hatsume-san, can you introduce your babies to me?"
"I'll be glad to! Look here! I've made so many babies for this event, you'd definitely find something useful! Oh! And my Quirk can also see up to five kilometers, so your surveillance and logistics are all covered!"
Mei said, her body whizzing in motion as she took out several pieces of equipment from her backpack and introduced one by one.
Hiro listened with interest, and in the end, chose to use four that interests him the most.
The Hover Soles, two big metallic boots that have fan-like thrusters inside of them, which allows the wearer to hover above the ground, giving the user greater mobility and jumping ability.
The Jet Pack, a metal backpack with twin turbines that activate when the user presses a hand-held red trigger. The powerful ignition from the turbines enables short distance flight.
The Wire Arrow, a combination of a wire with an arrow-like grappling hook attached to the end, which can be used for grappling. It is attached to the user's waist, and the wire can be freely shot and retracted with a red button.
And finally, the Capture Gun, a complex-looking pistol with a funnel-like muzzle. The gun does not shoot bullets, but instead shoots cartridges that release capture nets with which entangle the foe. In this event, malicious attacks against other participants aren't allowed, so this weapon was just right for a long range option.
Together, they formed something akin to an Omnidirectional Mobility Gear from Attack on Titan.
When he watched that show, his blood always boiled in excitement when Levi and Mikasa skillfully operated the gadget to fly through buildings and easily slay the Titans. Now that he had an opportunity to experience something similar, he'd definitely grasp it.
Of course, he can also help Hatsume show off her babies to the world.
Mei didn't question his choices. She just enthusiastically gave a more detailed introduction of each of them as she helped him wear it on his body.
By the end of the 15 minute period, no one else approached the two of them to join. Class 1A knew they couldn't help him, while the others were wary of being constantly targeted.
Thus, wearing scarves worth 5,000,010 points on their neck, Hiro and Mei were the first to enter Ground Beta due to possessing the highest points.
"You sure you're okay with this?"
"Come on! Let the world see my babies!"
"Hold on tight, then!"
Hiro hugged Mei's body with his left hand as he jumped, her massive assets pressing against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.
Her body reeked of engine oil- something he hadn't smelled from any woman in his life. However, he was just glad there was no sour smell.
The pink-haired inventress didn't seem to care about their ambiguous position. Her attention was more drawn to how Hiro used her gadgets.
He fired the Wire Arrow to a distant building, used the pulling force as well as the propulsion from the jet and hover boots to control his direction, then retracted the grappling hook and attached it to another building.
For this rare opportunity, he loosened a part of his control over his hormones, and laughed loudly in excitement as he swung from building to building. The cute girl in his arms, who was clinging tightly and laughing as well, also improved this thrilling experience.
They traversed 5 miles in this manner in over two minutes, reaching the center of the battlefield without needing to land a single time.
"That. Was. Amazing! I never thought someone could use my babies to this extent!"
As soon as they landed on the tallest building, Mei gushed. She didn't even distance herself. Her body stuck against Hiro as she inspected the Wire Arrow and Jetpack.
"Thanks. Your babies are awesome, too."
Hiro said with a refreshed smile. Although he could have travelled the same distance in half the time or less, it definitely wouldn't be as fun.
At the same time, he didn't forget to restrain his hormones, else he sported a massive boner for all of Japan to see at how clingy this girl was.
"Of course they're awesome! I made them!"
"I see you're not lacking confidence. Anyways, let's get ready. The others have oughta entered by now."
He said, the calm smile returning on his face as his eyes glanced at the direction they came from.
"Hehe, don't worry. With this baby right here, they won't be able to sneak near us."
Mei grinned as she slipped her goggles on. By combining this gadget with her Quirk, she could detect any movement with her vision within a 5 km radius.
With the size of the city battleground being limited to a 5 mile radius, she could practically cover more than half the whole area!
She couldn't see past obstacles though, so the buildings and other structures might allow the others to sneak much closer if they remain hidden.
Thus, Hiro and Mei chatted on the rooftop as they occasionally surveyed the area. It was mainly Mei talking about her babies, and Hiro offering his insights from time to time.
Due to his photographic memory and technological knowledge from the world of MHA and OPM, the ideas he gave made Mei's eyes brighten. At one point, she even clamored about making babies together.
"I dunno about making babies together, but I'd be glad to visit your workshop every once in a while. Oh- the radar just got updated."
Hiro took out a vibrating circular device from his pocket. The screen showed green grid-like lines. And at the center, there was a white dot which was their position.
He pressed a button on the top, and yellow dots appeared on the screen as the vibration stopped.
"Hmm, most of them are already halfway here. But…some are still at the edge."
Hiro pondered, and instantly understood why. In this massive city, gathering in his direction was the most logical choice if they wanted to hunt for points- by either targeting him, or the other teams that similarly approached his location.
On the other hand, if their initial points were high enough, they could sit back and wait to take action near the end.
He clicked a button on top of the radar, and the points on those yellow dots were shown. As he expected, the ones who remained further back are those with relatively higher points.
There were exceptions though. And among them, a dot with 410 points that was one of the nearest made him perk up.
"Tsk, tsk, this guy really never learns."
Hiro chuckled. Idly, a thought entered his mind. If that guy couldn't even make it past the second round, how would he react? Also, he still hadn't forgotten a certain someone who recently put him in a difficult position.
With those two's personalities, they would definitely try to take action against him. By then…hehehe.
A/N: You can access advanced chapters on patreon.com/Ked2002