Izuku Midoriya was a hero in training now.
Izuku Midoriya had power beyond anything he could have dreamed of back when he was a kid.
Izuku Midoriya was respected by his peers, as well as several strong heroes like All Might.
But that didn't stop him from being a colossal nerd.
"Ochaco!" Izuku wore a smile that could rival All Might's in his prime. "You're gonna watch the Shiketsu sports festival with me tonight, right?"
Ochaco smiled, looking up from her phone and raising an eyebrow. "Heck of a thing to tell your girlfriend first thing in the morning, Deku." She smirked, watching Izuku's face go from excited to…honestly, still excited, but red from embarrassment. It had been just before the Provisional License exam that Ochaco confessed her feelings to him. Aoyama was ruthless in how often he brought up exactly how red Izuku had gotten.
Of course, he had reciprocated those feelings. However unknowingly it was before then, he had harbored something for the gravity-defying hero in training. And a month later, the comfort they felt with each other was something many men only dream of.
"I-I'm sorry!" Izuku leaned down, planting a soft kiss on Ochaco's cheek. He backed away, just in time to avoid Tenya's gaze – he didn't feel like apologizing to the class rep for yet another PDA violation.
"You don't have to apologize, Deku." Ochaco chuckled, slipping her phone in her pocket. "So, the Shiketsu sports festival?"
"Yeah!" His eyes shone, the way they only did when he talked about heroes. "Shiketsu's is a little different than ours, but it's still just as memorable! After all, thousands of people will be watching it, so they have to make it a little flashy. Not too, flashy, though, that'll turn people away. It's a delicate balance…"
Izuku was on one of his muttering tangents again – more meant for himself than for anyone else to follow. And knowing him, he wouldn't be stopping for a while yet. Ochaco turned to Tenya, who was now setting himself up for the day.
"So what exactly makes Shiketsu's festival different from ours? I would have thought that they would want to keep them similar for the sponsors."
Tenya smiled. "Ah, are you interested in their festival as well?" At her nod, he continued. "Well, there are three major differences in how Shiketsu runs things."
He held up his right hand, putting one finger up for each reason he rattled off. "First off, it's not a live competition. The whole thing is prerecorded."
Aoyama huffed. "I would rather have thousands of adoring fans watching me." He ran a hand through his gelled hair. "Such triste, it is."
"Second, Shiketsu doesn't separate by year. All of their students are placed into the same pool."
"First and third years?" Shoji narrowed his eyes. "That could make for quite the skill gap."
"Finally, Shiketsu forgoes the tiered system that U.A. developed. Instead, they hand-pick sixteen students from the school to participate in a single elimination tournament, on a much larger field."
"Combat only. Just the way I like it." Bakugo smirked, his hand bursting with tiny flares.
Meanwhile, Izuku had been continually muttering to himself, only coming to at the entrance of Aizawa. Everyone took their seats as class began, and Aizawa's usual opening class lecture took place – save for something new at the end.
"Unfortunately, Present Mic is still away on his business trip, so Professor Snipe will be taking his place for your English class." He waved in Snipe, who gave a polite 'howdy'. "Be sure to treat him as you would your normal professor, yadda yadda yadda, and have a nice weekend."
…...
The first-year dorms had been awash with activity an hour before, but as midday turned to evening, many of Class 1-A were heading home to visit family for the weekend. However, the lack of a full class didn't stop Izuku and Ochaco from pitching their newest idea.
"A class viewing of the Shiketsu sports festival?" Todoroki glanced over at the pair, the former raising an eyebrow.
"That's a great idea!" Tenya, as usual, was always ready for class bonding. "Let me just see who all's here." He turned to face Izuku. "Midoriya, Uraraka, could you move some couches to the second floor? With your combined Quirks, it shouldn't be too difficult."
Izuku smiled and nodded. A night alone with Ochaco was great and all, but watching the event with this many people meant outside opinions. And outside opinions meant more information. "Sure thing, Iida!"
Tenya smiled, before heading down onto the first floor. We have myself, Midoriya, Uraraka, and presumably Todoroki. That's a good start.
Izuku worked tirelessly…for about thirty seconds. Thanks to Ochaco, moving a couch was as simple as lifting a finger (quite literally). What was more difficult was convincing Aizawa that Class 1-A definitely needed a large flatscreen TV for 'educational' reasons. Izuku and Tenya thought of it as educational, at least, and that proved good enough in the long run – though Ochaco suspected Aizawa just wanted to not be bothered by it anymore. A little help from Sato's baking skills later (though he was unfortunately headed home soon afterward) and their newly-constructed TV den was complete!
"I have to admit, this is more than I assumed we were doing." Todoroki cracked a small smile. "It feels almost like a theater."
"I know! Isn't it great!" Ochaco gave a wide grin, while Izuku stood behind her, a tad sweaty from what manual lifting he ended up having to do. Before long, Tenya returned with what members of Class 1-A decided to join their little viewing party – including the four of them, a group of twelve people.
"I'm hoping these fights are pretty sweet. Would suck if none of 'em top our sports festival." Kirishima stretched, holding hands with the giggling Mina, who was already partaking in Sato's gift of snacks.
"Pfft, you think they're gonna top us? No way." Kaminari gave a quick thumbs up and a smirk. "Class 1-A's the best!"
"You would think that, Jammingway." Jiro returned Kaminari's smirk with one of her own.
"It should prove interesting to see Shiketsu's sports festival this year," said Ojiro. "After all, we only know a few of their Quirks."
"Like the wind guy! And the dude covered in hair!" Hagakure gave a small squeal. "It's so exciting!"
"You think that anyone we know'll win?" Tsuyu hopped over the rest of them, landing on the couch with a practiced jump. Got the best spot!
"Hey, I'm just agreeing with Kirishima. Hoping for some good fights!" Sero smirked, grabbing one of the cakes from Mina's hand with his tape. "And don't steal all the snacks."
After a quick glare from Mina, Izuku smiled. So many of my friends, and we're able to enjoy a night like this. He flopped down on the couch next to Ochaco, and flipped the television on. Everyone congregated on the couches, waiting for the first announcements for the prestigious school's tournament.
"Good evening, my good listeners! We've got a VERY slick show for you all tonight!"
The students watching had a mix of emotions – mostly shock, surprise, and disappointment – at the very familiar voice belting from the TV. Todoroki was the first to respond.
"Present Mic's business trip…was to Shiketsu?"