Yellow Jacket: Chapter 4

Yellow Jacket: Chapter 4

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Word Count: 2513

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Midoriya was in first place, with a headband that guaranteed the victory of whomever defeated him. Taking into account the limited nature of his abilities, despite the fact he had the personal attention of All Might, he needed to be both clever and decisive to win the upcoming challenge. If he squandered all his strength in this upcoming fight, it would be worthless, given the fact he’d win a battle, only to lose.

Though, there was certainly merit in going all-out, and simply blowing everyone away, to collect all their headband’s. 

If he did such a thing, going against everything I knew of him and his resolute, altruistic character, I would both be impressed and wary of any potential Masters. This world didn’t seem to have much of that kind of power, nor were there many Strangers, but it was possible that, without Shards driving conflict and violence, they were already embedded in the government, manipulating everyone and everything covertly and, without a doubt, intelligence agencies all over the world must be staffed by Strangers.

But, that didn’t matter, at the moment.

With Midoriya incapable of overturning the whole competition to his benefit, I had an opening, especially with my two assets. 

My “Horse” is Shouji; a Brute capable of forming new appendages, incredible strength, and impeccable toughness. He can charge at a team, with both his companions in his back, and come out unscathed. Not only that, but he can create an artificial webbing between multiple wings, extending a shield over his back, which protected . In essence, he is a mobile fortress, and his job is to both charge at opponents, and shrug off their attacks. 

Given the fact that the “King” must stay upon the “Horse,” he was a prime contender with the likes of Bakugo. Of course, “intentionally” knocking over the opponent, by breaking thing formation is grounds for disqualification. However, we would have no such intention. If the enemy feel apart, because they were being charged by the largest, tallest man in their year, or scrambled apart when they find bugs flying at them to discombobulate them in conjunction with the charge, that wouldn’t be our fault. 

Getting to the Top 4 would be easier with less people to fight, since making others lose is as good as winning.

Anyway my other ally, standing beside me on two, crossed arms he simply made at his waist, is Tsuyu. She is a human compounded with all the abilities of a frog. While she has many abilities, two of them are prominent. The first is her ability and experience with jumping and landing. Given the fact that being in the air is fine, as long as the King lands back on their Horse, she is the best, possible choice for a King, besides Bakugo. Her last asset is a dexterous, sticky tongue that can extend rapidly up to a handful of meters. Dangerous to utilize in direct combat, but in this situation, it was as good as having an arm that could reach out and grab at any headband from the right positioning. 

I made up the support element of the group. I had a motely of bugs and birds at my disposal. Larger fauna, and even squirrels, weren’t allowed. I didn’t protest to get some unspoken leeway in my tactics. However, beyond my Quirk, I also had my experience. It wasn’t much, compared to what I faced on the field, but… lateral thinking, and careful utilization of resources, has gotten me farther with less than what I had now. Many, many individuals, far more terrifying and less adherent to rules, have lost to me. By treating my opponents as those villains, always being on my guard, and never fighting them head-on, I already had an advantage.

So, with that in mind, and at the start of the competition, I took charge of my group.

…

“Tsuyu, keep your eyes on the front. Shouji you focus on getting us close, don’t bother with any extra eyes, focus on making as many appendages as possible. Don’t hesitate to feign charges.” Authority is something I had in spades. Japan’s school system foisted a lot of responsibility on their students. Elementary schoolers cleaned their classrooms, cleaned their gyms and fields, and handed out lunch via assembly lines. There was less responsibility now, but conditioning to follow orders stayed ingrained throughout one’s lifetime. I spoke clearly, concisely, and with the authority of the class’s elected leader. The results were that, so long as I didn’t push them too far, they’d follow my orders. “I’ll keep an eye on the back. Shouji, if I tap you on the shoulder, you turn around and run, immediately. Tsuyu, if I do the same to you, you jump. Don’t listen to me unless I call for your names, I’ll be using my Quirk.” 

Beyond those simple orders, and my upcoming commands upon reaching our enemy, that was all I’d give them. They knew their Quirks better than I did, and I’d outlined our plan thoroughly. Shouji strikes. Tsuyu takes. When on the defensive, she jumps up, we run, and she lands on us. It was a rough plan, composed in ten minutes, but it was a plan that was open to interpretation. Flexible. They can play to their strengths, which they’ve trained to use, with the loosest of guidelines. They only have to worry about another in two ways: attacking and evading. Given their lack of experience with one another, and the triggers I’ve provided for them, that was enough pressure for two children, even two who’ve trained to become heroes for the majority of their life.

Giving me time to utilize what little I had, while keeping an eye on our rear, and the surroundings. 

“Come out, everyone.” I had seven birds. All crows. They’re a public menace in Japan, easily found anywhere, and they’ll soon outnumber pigeons. I preferred them. They ate and consumed meat, along with various forage, so they were hardier than pigeons. However, I wasn’t addressing them. No, I was talking to the few insects I had on hand. During the run, my centipedes had scared away quite a few, giving men advantage over those easily frightened. However, they weren’t allowed in this next event. I had to do with the next, best thing beneath my jacket. “It’s time to take flight.”

Roaches. 

Shouji, despite focusing on shortening the distance between us and our first target, shuddered.

Tsuyu, meanwhile, drooled.

I was confident that the former reaction was more likely amongst our opponents. 

At least, I hoped that was the case.

But, enough fun.

“Surround me. Ten meter radius. Either fly or walk.” There is a stark difference between commanding through thought and voice. My Shard had allowed me a measure of control, first over insects, then humans, that bordered on complete. Only their bodies and powers limited me. I could, for example, not will a bee to produce more venom, or a human to produce more hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. I had precision and could move hundreds of thousands like puppets with ease. The same was true here, but I needed tremendous amounts of time and planning, and on the short-term, I was at a disadvantage… unless I treated my animals like did Tsuyu and Shouji. “Protect me. Do your best. Do not hesitate.”

My Quirk worked better when I allowed the creatures I have at my disposal a measure of will. It was strange, seeing cockroaches fly about, some staying close or charging straight at opponents, each one interpreting my command differently from another. If I wanted the same range of control over my creatures, as I did when I had a Shard, I’d need to obsessively program one creature after another, cultivating their mind through specific phrases and words. The cost of doing so was astronomical in terms of time and effort. I had neither.

So, I could only trust them to do as they were told, while I did my own duty.

It was grating, but I made do by training myself in other respects.

Primarily in battlefield observation.

Midoriya was taking the brunt of everyone’s attention. Hemmed in from all directions, he was utilizing Uraraka’s power to lessen the weight of his whole composition, before utilizing a jetpack from that Tinker to move the out of the way. Tokoyami, meanwhile, was their answer to any projectiles, or oncoming attacks. Overall, as a group they were focused on evasion. The only mistake I could find in their composition is that Tokoyami should be the King, even if Midoriya was the one who wore the headband. He could protect his head more concisely than Midoriya could, and there was none of them had more experience than the other over operating a jetpack. Even with everyone’s attention on him, he had a good chance of keeping his points, if not for Todoroki. 

Todoroki had a powerful team. Kaminari provided an electrical field that made sure no one could get close. Iida’s Quirk allowed for quick bursts of speed and he was one of the largest, most physically capable of the class. Yaoyorozu, meanwhile, provided them a technical advantage that no one else enjoyed. That was before taking into account Todoroki’s own, sheer power and versatility with his ability to utilize ice, seemingly without limit. My team had no useful ability against them. Time spent trying to strategize against them was foolish. It was better to simply make sure that we were opposite of whatever direction they went. 

Bakugo’s team, meanwhile, had Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido. They were all situated around keeping him in play, a stark contrast to Midoriya’s unified team, and the powerhouses that composed Todoroki utilized to his advantage. Kirishima withstood his attacks. Sero pulled him back onto the horse. Ashido rendered the ground nigh-frictionless, via the variety of acids so they could speed forward with Bakugo’s blasts. It was an aggressive, all-in play, that was focused entirely on chasing down someone with a Copy Quirk from Class B. Given Bakugou’s abilities, and his personality, he’ll be chasing him down until he gets his points back.

That’s three groups.

The top three.

Meaning, fourth place was mine, if I defeated everyone else.

“Kaichou, we’re nearing a group.”

“Kero, this one isn’t backing down, Kaichou.”

At Shouji’s phrase, I took immediate stock of our situation. Team Tsunori was down. Their 70 points was ours. Team Rin’s 125 was also ours. They were the weakest teams. Both with only two individuals who had the lowest scores after the race. Naturally, Tsuyu, Shouji, and my bugs gravitated towards them. One fell over and got disqualified due to the roaches, while Tsuyu plucked the headband of another. I’d batted something aside, while I was analyzing the big fish of the pond, but didn’t pay any further attention than that. Altogether, with all the points on Tsuyu’s neck, we had 615 points. The same amount of points Todoroki’s team had at the start. We are barely in the running, after dispatching two of the weakest groups.

An excellent start, but not enough, especially only the top four proceeding, and one place locked for the one with a million points. 

Ahead of us was Team Kodai. Like our team, they had one Mutant as their horse, with significant size and stature. Of the two riders, one had a speech balloon for a head,  and the other was impossibly the size of a toddler. Bondo, the mutant, had 90 points. The other two had 60 and 15. Meaning, that the main problem was Bondo. At the very least, he had the physique to traverse rapidly, but also some method that could slow down anyone faster than him. The other two, meanwhile, passed the UA test, meaning they had some skill in fighting. The whole team stood fast before our approach. Well, one stood, and the other two stared over each of his shoulders, but that was semantics. 

Semantics I didn’t have time for. 

“Shouji, break left if I grip your shoulder. Go right if I touch your left elbow. Tsuyu, jump if I tap your left shoulder, and go for their headband if I tap your left elbow.” Brutes are never opponents that one faced on. The range of Brutes here varied, but some had downright ludicrous abilities. All Might tops off the end of that spectrum, as Alexandria did on Bet, but a Brute with the right power in the right place is a tyrant on the battlefield. Treating each Brute as the primary obstacle in a fight is a must. Typically, that meant overcoming them tactically. “Everyone! Forward!”

The plan was simple: attack with all my fauna, while I navigated my opponents. Not only would I get a clue as to what my opponents had for defense, beyond simple size and strength, but I bought myself time to think. I hadn’t told Shouji to stop moving, after all. So, even as my crows and cockroaches charged at Team Kodai, I had to carefully husband my resources. Do I go for a flank, to the left or right, or allow the charge to continue? Do I have Tsuyu go for the points, or ensure ours was safe? I could count on my companions executing those orders, but no more than that, as that might burden them with too much responsibilities.

So, I had to break down each second I could, while I expended as little resources as possible.

Thankfully, my fauna elicited the reaction I wanted, and Bondo played his hand.

From his head, a grilled-helmet of some sort, he spewed forth a torrent of some sort of liquid skyward. While Shouji reacted quickly to the fountain of glue, evading patches of it on the ground and those that fell towards him, I caught a sample on my finger. It was an adhesive. No. It was actually glue. A natural form of the adhesive utilized in arts and crafts, spewed forth in massive quantities, via a pressurized stream that had the same output as firefighter’s hose. Combined with his mutant physique, his Quirk’s additional ability to tie down opponents was his ace-in-the-hole. Within moments, the majority of my crows and cockroaches were all grounded, animal minds shaken by the imposing figure, then subsequently overwhelmed by a torrent they couldn’t avoid. 

However, to cover that wide of an area, Bondo had to fire upward. 

Even if he can rapidly lower his head to face us, to slow our charge down to nothing, that meant he could only cover one avenue of attack. 

So, the situation was already settled. 

I had Shouji weave to the right, while touching Tsuyu’s elbow. 

Bondo reacted to the flanking attempt immediately, by stopping his area-denial attack in favor of a concentrated blast that would easily immobilize us.

His attack connected.

To me and my brandished, UA jacket, leaving Tsuyu and Shouji to flank them and take their points. 

As far as sacrifices for a battle went, being struck by a splashes of glue, and losing a jacket, was pretty low.