As Luke walked inside the Battle Center X, he confirmed his theory behind UA's reasoning for choosing such a vague event like Battle Royale for the Sports Festival.
The place was massive.
Forest, buildings, roads, bridges, mountains, and even lakes.
The Battle Center X had almost everything that could be considered a mini-replica of a city. The different regions weren't segregated, either. Everything perfectly melted into each other, just like a real city would.
Then there were tiny, barely visible drones, flying like insects everywhere, recording even the most hidden corners in the city, perhaps.
Not only does UA want to prepare the children for the real world's worst-case scenario... Luke confirmed, looking around with amazement, just like the others. But… by organizing a Battle Royale, it's trying to confuse Villains, too.
It was obvious that a Sports Festival distributed among multiple stages would give not only the audience, but also the Villains enough time to study the students' individual abilities and personalities.
UA had no choice but to do so with the first-year students.
However, there was no point in continuing with the trend in the case of the second years.
Instead, a Battle Royale would play to the students' strength, as the battlefield, encompassing different regions and rules, was curated for them.
With so many students involved, it would be hard for anyone to keep studying one individual.
Also, the people who would be left in the end would be either too exhausted to go all out or too clever not to realize what UA's plan was regarding the choice of event.
Cunning… Luke nodded within. Nezu is too cunning…
"Alright, listen up!"
All the students turned around and found Erasure Head standing on top of the massive gate of the Battle Center X, a huge holographic image reflecting his face in the sky.
"You will be given five minutes to hide yourself in the city," Aizawa said flatly. "It doesn't matter what you do or how you do it. The end goal of the Battle Royale is to be the last person standing within the laser boundaries. That's it. Feel free to use your Quirks, and your brains if you think your Quirk is not suited for the event. There are no rules, other than what All Might has already shared with you. But…"
Students gulped as Erasure Head's eyes narrowed.
"… purposefully hurting someone with the intent to kill," he said, his voice carrying a chill, "will lead to instant disqualification. Good luck."
Then, without giving the students even a second to steel their hearts, a BANG resounded, the huge screen in the sky showing a five-minute countdown.
Luke looked down and, coincidentally, his eyes met Momo's, most of Class 2-A's students already making a beeline toward the city's insides.
"Good luck," Momo said.
Luke nodded, smiling. "Heard you're working on a new fighting style…"
Momo chuckled. "What new fighting style…" she rolled her eyes. "It's not even been three days…"
"Have a little confidence," Luke said. "I know you're a quick learner."
Momo blushed at the praise.
She had just opened her mouth when they both heard a buzz, making them look up.
A dozen tennis ball-like drones had gathered over them, the screen in the sky showing them chatting with each other.
Luke's lips twitched.
Momo just turned around, picked a random direction, and ran… faster than the time when the Nomu had chased her.
In only a minute, almost all the students had disappeared, some hiding themselves in buildings, some using the terrain to their advantage, planning for future confrontations, and some just outright going for the city's middle, giving an open challenge to everyone.
Only one student remained at the Entry Gates.
Luke was wearing the same Hero Costume that he had named Black. Unlike the others, it had undergone absolutely zero upgradation. First, his fighting style didn't depend on a Costume. Second, the Costume itself was almost… perfect.
In one year, Black had gained several creases, scratches, and smudges that even repeated washing and other treatments couldn't erase. However, other than that, it was still in perfect condition.
Then there was Nyx, just silently pruning her feathers as she sat on his shoulder.
In the stadium, people couldn't make head or tail of the reason behind Luke refusing to rush into the city before the countdown ended.
Also, the screens in front of them were divided into many panels, randomly focusing on different locations, showing where the students were hiding or positioning themselves. The drones, controlled manually by people, could selectively capture sound as well.
So, there was no commentator this time around, either, letting them have the raw experience of the new event.
At this moment, though, the audience would have definitely loved to hear a Pro's opinion on Luke's stillness. The guy was one of the most famous UA students across all three years. So, it was natural that people wanted to know what he was thinking.
To their utter surprise, someone did let them know of it.
And, no, it wasn't a Pro.
It was Luke himself!
"I am giving the children a head start!" he shouted, the drones purposefully catching his voice, which boomed across the stadium. "You know… because I am so awesome and all…"
"…"
Seated in the crowd, Iwao and his daughter Tamao's lips twitched.
Somewhere in the same crowd, Kazuho and Melissa spat out their drinks.
Aina smiled widely, kicking her legs, Rikuya's entire mouth twisting in cringe beside her.
Then, one by one, people began laughing, finding the words utterly shameless and ridiculous.
At the Battle Center X, All Might and Erasure Head looked at Luke and Nyx, the timer finally reaching ten seconds.
"Why do I have a feeling…" All Might said, grinning, "… that young Luke wasn't joking."
"Because…" Aizawa's eyes narrowed, remembering the boy who had singlehandedly changed the fate of the Training Camp incident with his mind. "… he truly wasn't."
The timer stopped at all zeros.
And, ever so casually, as beams of red laser shot out of hundred-meter-tall walls, Luke finally stepped forward with every intention of helping out UA by turning himself into…
… the worst-case scenario!