Kapitel 6: Soul Crushing Exams (4)

Four bodies hit the ground at almost the same time. Midoriya was the only one standing and, behind him, the hotheads were crawling and grumbling in pain.

"We can't do this nonsense right now! Round one should be over, so we have 25 minutes! I don't care what you think, gear up! I'll hand out your tasks later."

In silence, the guys on the floor got up and joined the others. He took them by surprise but, if he could manage such a feat, he wasn't a pushover. They just wanted to make sure their already low chances of success didn't get lower, so there wasn't any reason to have hard feelings about it. Though, the fact they had their asses kicked by a quirkless dude remained. Instead of blind trust, a feeble sense of respect for him grew in the hearts of the members of that farfetched group, brought together by their dreams and ambition. In the meantime, the captain was tackling his moral boundaries and doubting himself. He wondered what else could he have done to quiet things down.

[Was I too violent? Maybe they hate me now...]

Izuku wore his bulletproof vest over his white shirt and checked the gear. With uncertain movements, he familiarized with the gun. He never saw one in real life, but Jinnai told him to watch some videos online, just to be sure in the eventuality of the Exams involving it. He adjusted the holster on his right leg and put the gun inside with great care. He then put the cartridges, stun and smoke grenades in the pouches on his waist pack and the fake bayonet in the sheath. All of it, with a vacant expression on his face. He browsed one last time his notes. He bit on his lip and took a deep breath. When he turned around, everyone was ready and looking at him.

"Look at these blueprints: the building is huge and three stores high. We have to cover it in a short time, so we are going to split up. It's an obvious tactic, but we don't have a choice. The two main teams will be composed of three members. Team α will enter from the front, Team β from the back. They will see it coming, so be ready to fight. The other teams will have two members each."

He stopped to see their reactions. There were none. Izuku swallowed his saliva.

[Damn, I thought it was good! Say something at least!] But it was too late to stop now.

"Team α will be composed of Ariyoshi, Gakusha, Mutsu. Team β: Ishikawa, Nakamoto, Tokuda"

This time everyone reacted. The most upset were, of course, those he called.

"It's not fair! That's a suicide mission, you're sacrificing us!"

"Shut up! Let him finish," shouted Nakamoto.

Midoriya ignored them. "Watabe, can you carry a person while flying?"

"As long as he's under 80 kg and he stays still." was the calm answer.

He now had all the elements he needed to better define the plan.

"Team γ: Ryuzaki, Onishi. Team Δ: Suzuki, Shimizu. Team ε: Osaka, Soba. Team Ω: Watabe and me."

Nobody said anything on these decisions since each team seemed balanced enough. But they still couldn't understand why the main forces were so weak.

"It's a gamble. There are four entrances, so the Terrorists have to divide their forces too. But, where will they focus the most? We are sending six people to the most predictable locations. That leaves eight teammates. In case they don't take the bait, we have the two main teams free in advantageous positions and the enemies engaged. Worst case scenario: we still have two to six people alive."

Midoriya gave them the time to think about it, as he fixed the radio transceiver on the vest.

"Yes, that could work." Surprisingly was Ishikawa who spoke. It soon became a brainstorming session.

"I can go in from the first floor with Shimizu. This way our odds are higher" said Suzuki.

"Then we'll go in from the second floor." retorted Ryuzaki.

"I suppose we'll fly above and go in from the third floor. That's why you asked me, right?"

"Yes, Watabe. It seems it's all set. Just a few things. This is a Hostage Rescue situation, so don't engage unless strictly necessary. And don't use stun grenades."

The last order was puzzling. Realizing something, Shimizu winced. "That's not needed, I can..." Midoriya cut him out before he could say anything else.

"No, we need you at your best. I won't ask you to take off your headphones but, can you turn down the volume?" Shimizu clenched his fists, then, slowly, pressed the volume-down button.

"Now for the line of command. Directly under me, Ryuzaki and Suzuki. Nakamoto is the third in command. Then, Ishikawa and Tokuda. Osaka is the fifth and lastly Mutsu. If all of us are dead, anyone else has the right to call the end."

At first, he wanted to use drawing lots but, in the end, he made the choice himself. It was probably unfair. He didn't know them, he couldn't decide something like that without consulting them. Voting would be fairer. At least listening to their suggestions would be fairer. But he didn't care about fairness. He just knew this Exam would decide his future, and he didn't want to leave anything to chance. If he was wrong, so be it, but he wouldn't let anyone ruin this for him. Izuku checked his wristwatch. There were only five minutes left.

"It's almost time. Let's go!" A hand stopped him from going out. It was Nakamoto.

"You forgot your helmet, captain." With the other hand, he was giving him a black helmet.

"Oh, t-thank you!"