Disclaimer: neither I or bunnyscribe own Mob Psycho 100 or My Hero Academia

Go! Fight! Begin!

By: bunnyscribe (AO3)

Midoriya keeps throwing worried glances back at Mob all the way up until Cementoss finishes teaching. Hanta heavily doubts the other boy even notices, the main reason Hanta even notices was because he was throwing worried looks at the both of them.

Mob stares out the window even after Cementoss leaves and everyone starts gathering together into little cliques, excitedly chattering about the sports festival.

"Man, I am so fricken pumped!" Kirishima says. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

"A true chance to reach for conquest and demonstrate our skills," Tokoyami says. "We should all attempt to do our best."

"This our chance to prove ourselves to our educators and add our names to the ranks of heroes!" Iida says, pulling his arms into his sides. "We should all be thrilled at the opportunity!"

"Speaking of educators," Hanta says, standing up from his chair and staring at Mob meaningfully. "Was Aizawa asking you about the sports festival Mob?"

Mob finally turns away from the window to face him. "Oh, yes," he says, voice entirely dead. It's an obvious tell to Hanta that he's dreading whatever he's going to say next, and not for the first time he wonders how someone so stoic can be that expressive. He, however, immediately stops questioning it after what Mob says next.

"He said he's going to expel me if I don't do good at the sports festival."

Uraraka gasps, having moved close enough to hear their conversation, "He can't do that!"

Midoriya goes pale, bringing up a thumb to his mouth to bite on, a nervous tic. "Yes, he could, remember? He threatened to expel us all on the first day."

"That was just a ruse!" Iida says, also having moved towards their group. His arm comes up and down in a chopping motion. That one isn't a nervous tic, Hanta notes, just an Iida one. "Underperformance at a school event is no means for expulsion!"

"Yeah man," Hanta says, leaning back and putting a hand on his hip. "Are you sure you've got things straight? Maybe he was just trying to encourage you in some weird, twisted way?"

Mob shakes his head. "No," he says. "He was serious. Even if he wasn't, it doesn't matter, I think."

"Why would you say that?" Iida asks.

Mob's neutral expression shifts into a contemplative frown. "I don't know if I want to be a hero still."

"What?" Hanta asks, truly baffled. He thinks of Mob saving him during the exam, the remains of the robot that could've crushed him lying mere meters behind them. He thinks of USJ and the Nomu. "How can you say that man? You're already a hero!"

Mob shoots him a blank look that Hanta can't interpret this time. "No, I'm not," he says, "I'm a student."

"Well," Uraraka says, slamming a hand down onto Mob's desk. An uncharacteristically intense look covers her face. "This is all the more reason," she says, "for us to crush this!"

Mob blinks at her and then studies her face. Hanta watches as his gaze softens. "Yeah," he says. "I think you're right."

With the matter seemingly settled, their little group exits to the hallway and heads towards the lunch room. It's about halfway there that Midoriya asks Uraraka why she wants to be a hero.

Hanta raises an eyebrow at her answer. "For money?" he echoes.

"I know!" Uraraka bemoans, lifting up her hands to her cheeks, fingers poised carefully so all five tips aren't touching her face. "It's not really noble reason…"

"Nonsense!" Iida says. "There is no shame in wanting a more comfortable lifestyle."

"Yeah," Midoriya says, tilting his head curiously. "It's just unexpected that's all."

"Well, you see," Uraraka says, face flush as she rubs the back of her neck. "My family is broke. I mean, we're really poor. We run a construction company, and I offered to help but…"

"They said no," Hanta finishes.

"Yeah," Uraraka says, hands falling back to her side. "They wanted me to follow my dreams instead, so." She stares down at her feet for a second, expression thoughtful. When she looks back up, determination ripples across her features. "I'm gonna become a hero so I can give my family an easier lifestyle."

"You can always come to my house Uraraka," Mob chimes in suddenly after a beat of silence. "My mom makes good food."

At first, Hanta's not sure of the connection between what Mob is saying and the new information on Uraraka's financial status. But then Uraraka face flushes and it clicks.

"O-Oh!" she says, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm not skimping on meals or anything! We-Well, I mean sometimes, a little, but I get plenty to eat here!"

"Dude," Hanta says, "That's not good. Is that why you pack away so much food at lunch?"

"Are you getting enough calories for hero training?" Midoriya asks. "You might pass out if you're not and that wouldn't be good, though you eat so much at lunch and that's right before hero training so you might be good. But still, there has to be a better way than that…Are there soup kitchens around? Me and my mom used those for a while when I was younger. I'll have to look into that again…" His voice trails off into something unintelligible, mouth hidden behind the clenched fist he's raised to cover it.

"I wish you would've told me this sooner Uraraka!" Iida says. "The Iida residency is always open to you."

Uraraka blinks, her lips quivering. Hanta can see the sheen of tears forming behind her eyes. "Guys," she says, voice watery. She wipes her eyes with a hiccupy laugh. "I don't...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, I don't think," Mob says. "You just have to reach out to us if you need help."

"Oi, Young Midoriya!" All Might says, appearing around a corner. All of them jolt, Uraraka spins around to face him.

"O-Oh," Midoriya says, looking puzzled. "What is it?"

"Wanna," All Might holds up a bento box wrapped in a floral handkerchief, "eat lunch with me?"

Hanta snorts.

.-.-.

Mob winds up meeting Reigen early in the morning on the day before the sports festival, his master taking him out for breakfast at a small restaurant right up the road from his office.

It's raining that morning, water dribbling down from the cracks in the ceiling and landing in the buckets on the floor. A waitress in a tee-shirt for some obscure band comes and takes their order before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"So," Reigen says, leaning back in his chair. "How are you feeling?"

Mob hums. He takes a couple minutes to really turn the question over in his head. His master's fingertips restlessly drum against the table, a rhythmic and comforting sound.

"I feel...nervous," he finally says.

Reigen snorts. "I'd be more surprised if you didn't."

Mob hesitates on his next question, opening his mouth and shutting it as he tries to collect the words. "Master," he says.

Reigen raises an eyebrow.

"Does my quirk give me an unfair advantage in the sports festival?"

An expression Mob can't understand ghosts over Reigen's face, disappearing as quickly as it came. It replaces itself with something contemplative as he leans forward, resting his chin on his hands. "I-" he says, and then stops.

Mob waits patiently.

Reigen sighs, rolling his head over to his right hand so he can gesture with his left. "Mob, I've told you before that your power is a part of you, right?"

Mob nods.

"Then the same goes for everyone else," Reigen says slowly, the words gaining more conviction as they come out of his mouth. His left gestures wildly, pointing at Mob and swaying every direction. "Everyone else in that festival will be coming at it with everything they've got, and that means you should too. You've trained your quirk with guidance from me, one of the greatest heroes of all time, and you've gotten good at controlling it." His reaches towards Mob, patting his hand before retracting his own. "I believe you should go at it with all of your ability, as long as you are careful with it. That's what your friends will be doing too, right?"

Mob thinks of Uraraka's face when she said she wanted to give her family a better life, the determination in her eyes. He nods.

Reigen smiles at him. "I believe you'll make the right choices, Mob. After all," the smile turns smugger, "You've had an excellent teacher."

"Yes, I think Aizawa has helped me a lot so far."

Reigen purses his lips, processing the sentence before gasping dramatically and putting a hand on his chest with an overly offended expression. "How could I have raised such a disrespectful pupil?"

Mob gives him a small smile, and Reigen's expression slowly changes to mimic it.

The food comes after that, the waitress carrying an obscenely large amount of it with her and obviously struggling with it. When it wobbles, Mob grabs it with his quirk, gently lifting it from her arms and placing it on the table. She smiles at him, looking relieved. "Thanks, sweetie," she tells him, "I really appreciate it."

Mob blinks, "Of course." When she leaves, he turns his attention to all of the food. "This is a lot," he says eventually, glancing between the eggs and the pancakes.

"Yeah!" Reigen says, already digging into some waffles. "Think of it as a celebration! For getting into U.A. and for doing your best."

Mob pauses before taking a tiny bite of his eggs. He takes another. "Thank you," he says.

They eat in silence for a few minutes before Reigen says, "You're probably going to be popular after this, what with the festival being broadcasted nationwide and all." Then he snorts after a beat, bits of food flying out of his mouth. "Hey, just like you always wanted to be for Tsubomi, hun?"

Mob gives him a sharp look. "I don't think that's what I actually wanted," he says.

That same expression Mob couldn't register before appears on Reigen's face again, this time sticking there. "What do you mean?"

"When Tsubomi rejected me, she said she hoped I found something I really wanted," Mob says, placing his fork down. He looks down at his hands, contemplative. "I think I'm starting to understand what she meant by that now."

Reigen stares at him, then huffs out a breath. "You know Mob," he says, leaning over his food with a chuckle. "You really have grown."

At the end of breakfast, Reigen has wound up eating most of the food. He pays the same he normally does, with a ton of coupons and a huge tip. Then they walk to together to the nearest Spice City train station, chatting the entire way there. Well, Reigen mostly chatting the entire way there.

The train rolls in with their arrival, and Reigen walks with him all the way up to the open doors. He claps Mob's shoulder, and Mob is pleasantly surprised to find he doesn't flinch. "You've got this," he says. "I believe in you."

Mob pauses, and then nods. "I will make you proud, Master," he says quietly.

Reigen's grin softens into something gentle that Mob has only ever seen directed at himself. "I know you will Mob," he says. "I know you will." Then his body language shifts into something more energetic, ushering Mob onto the train. "Now go! Get home before the train leaves you behind!"

The doors hiss closed behind Mob and the train steadily begins moving down the track. He turns and watches out the window until Reigen disappears into a blot in the distance, feeling lighter than he has in a while.

Ten.

.-.-.

Class 1-A is giving an entire preparation room right before the sports festival, big enough that Izuku is impressed even through his enormous amount of nerves. "Just keep calm," he whispers to himself, hand pressed against his racing heart. His mouth feels dry. "Keep calm."

"You look like you need this."

Izuku jolts and turns to face Mob, who's holding a bottle of water towards him. "Oh!" Izuku says, taking it from him with gentle hands, as though it might disintegrate underneath his touch. "Thank you!" He struggles with the cap for a second, almost ripping it off before downing the bottle in one go.

When he finishes, he finds Mob staring at him impassively enough that his some of his nerves fade into embarrassment. "Sorry," he says automatically. "I guess I was thirstier than I thought."

Mob tilts his head. "You don't need to apologize," he says. "It's just a bottle of water."

Izuku opens his mouth, unaware of how he's going to respond to that when a sharp voice interrupts him.

"Midoriya."

Izuku spins to find Todoroki staring at him, gaze intense. This would have normally thrown him off and sent him into a stuttering reply, but Mob has intense stares down to an art form, so instead, he just says, "Yeah?"

Todoroki hums, looking him up and down. "Objectively speaking, I am stronger than you. More capable even."

Izuku jolts, shocked at the bluntness of it all. "I-I mean, sure, but what's that got to do with anything?"

Todoroki goes to reply, but Mob intercepts him off before he gets the chance. "You shouldn't say that," he says, voice firm.

Todoroki narrows his eyes. "Why not?" he asks, "It's only the truth."

"M-Mob," Izuku says, waving a placating hand towards the other boy. "It's ok. He's right."

Mob only hums, face going even blanker than it normally is. Izuku can just tell he's trying to hide whatever he's thinking, whether he knows it or not.

Todoroki shakes his head like he's physically brushing away the interruption. "Anyway, Midoriya," he says. "All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he?"

Another wave of surprise hits Izuku smack in the face and he can only hope it doesn't show through that clearly. "I-I...Well, I really don't-"

"I'm not prying," Todoroki says, "In all honesty, I don't really care. But, know this, I will beat you."

There's a heavy pause in the preparation room, everyone's eyes on the two of them. Kaminari breaks the silence with a whistle. "A declaration of war from the strongest kid in the class," he says. "What'd you do to earn that Midoriya?"

"Hey, y-yeah man," Kirishima says, reaching to put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. He shrugs it off. "Why pick fights now of all times?"

"I don't care," Todoroki says. "I'm not here to pretend to be anyone else's friend."

Bakugou tchs in the background.

Izuku stares down at his hands, shoulders hunched as he gathers his resolve. He clenches his fist. "Todoroki," he says. "I don't know why you felt the need to tell me this." He raises his head, meeting the boys stare head-on. "But I need you to know, I am going for it too, with everything I've got."

"...Right," Todoroki says.

Izuku feels Mob stare weighing on him heavily.

A buzzer rings overhead. "Class 1-A!" a cheerful robotic voice chimes. "Please head outside now!"

There's a beat where everyone stares up at the ceiling, collectively whiplashed from such a cheerful voice following such a stressful interaction. "Is it already time?" Uraraka asks quietly.

"It seems like it," Tsuyu says with a croak. "Let's do our best everyone."

That seems to help steel everyone's nerves enough and they all gather up together, exiting the room and heading towards a light at the end of the hallway. Shouts of excitement echo in Izuku's ears alongside his rapid heart rate. He thinks of All Might's request to tell the world he's arrived and stands a bit taller.

"...the first years of the hero course have arrived!" Present Mic's voice screeches over the speakers. "It's Class-A!"

The screams that follow them to the center of the stadium are deafening.

"Whoooaa," Izuku says, lips quirked up in a trembling smile as he looks around at the sea of faces. "This is...this is so many people."

"Ahh," Mob hums, frowning and bringing a hand up to cover his ear when the crowd gets particularly rowdy. "They're too loud."

"I have some earplugs if you want them Mob," Tsuyu chimes from behind them.

Mob turns his head to face her, blinking. "That would be really nice," he says, "thank you."

Izuku has to hide a smile behind his hand as Tsuyu shows Mob the proper way to put the earplugs in. She gently pushes them into his ears and Izuku can almost see the moment the sound eases for Mob, tension Izuku didn't notice was there relaxing.

The rest of the student body gathers with them, wrapping around Class 1-A like a snare. Midnight is on the stage, looking obviously impatient. A wide grin spreads across her face as her eyes roam over the students.

"And now, the student who placed first in the hero course exam will come up to make a rousing speech to kick us off!" Midnight says when everyone finishes moving about. She lifts her arm and throws it back down to point into the crowd, her whip cracking with the movement. "Kageyama Shigeo!"

Izuku turns to Mob and finds him pale as a sheet. A glistening sweat drips down his forehead, his face entirely blank.

"Mob?" Izuku asks, "Are you alright?"

Mob doesn't respond, obviously not alright, and begins moving towards the stage. The crowd parts for him, watching in various degrees of surprise.

"Is he really going to be ok?" Uraraka asks quietly, lifting up a hand to bite at her nails.

"Well, he did place first in the entrance exam, a task like this should be trivial in the face of that," Iida says, but even he looks unsure as Mob takes his place on the stage.

Mob looks almost frozen up there beside some slight twitching in his fingers. Izuku finds his nerves growing for the other boy as he watches Mob lean towards the mic, making a noise that hisses like air out of a balloon that is amplified by the speakers. Some people in the stands cover their ears.

"Do…" Mob says, voice tiny. "Do your best."

Then he leans back and mechanically starts moving to leave the stage. All eyes follow him. Izuku winces in sympathy.

The crowd is completely silent until Mob reaches his spot by Izuku's side, looking like the small speech had knocked the wind out of him more than any fight ever had.

Midnight looks gobsmacked. "Well, I-" she says and then cuts herself off, glancing around at the equally baffled crowd.

"Is this some kind of joke?" a girl from the business department asks.

"This kid's really the representative of our class?" another student asks. "Just because he placed first on the hero exam?"

Mob stares down at his feet, clearly embarrassed, and Izuku feels his temper flare at the other student's jeers. He puts a hand on Mob's shoulder and opens his mouth the say something.

"Ehhh?" Sero says, beating him to it. He steps in front of Mob protectively. "Come on man, don't kick someone when they're down, it's obvious he's nervous."

"Yeah!" Kirishima chimes in, throwing a fist into the air. "It was a good speech! Short, manly, and full of sportsmanship!"

"Yeah, it was a great speech!" yells a boy with white hair and angry eyebrows from class-B. "Don't knock it!"

The shouting of the students seems to jolt Midnight back into herself. "Ye-Yes!" The confident demeanor clicks back into place immediately. "An excellent and concise introduction from Kageyama," she says and then spreads out her arms with flourish, "Now onto the main events!"

She gestures to the holographic screen that appears behind, buzzing as it cycles through different words and letters faster than Izuku's eyes can comprehend. "These are the qualifiers! The stage where so many are send home crying when victory slips from their grasp. And the first fateful event of this year is…this!"

The holograph finally settles on its choice of words.

Obstacle Course Race.

.-.-.

Mob gets separated from his friends almost immediately when the race begins, crammed against others bodies in the narrow tunnel. He feels uncomfortable, yet he thinks of the resolve on Midoriya's face and keeps pushing forward.

Ice starts to crackle underneath his feet, forming around his shoes and, without thinking, he finds himself floating upward in a haze of purple. The students beside him freeze in their places, shouting in confusion.

Mob hesitates, surprised by his use of his own powers.

Fourty-nine.

Then Bakugou blows past him, a manic grin on his face as fire erupts out of his palms. "No way you're getting in front of me that easily, half and half!"

Mob stares after him, hovering. He looks down and finds a tuft of green hair, steadily moving itself forward. He moves his hand and finds himself flying out of the tunnel.

Immediately after he bursts out of it, he is almost shot down by the blast of a laser. It flies past him, vanishing before it can come close to the crowd.

"Multiple targets acquired!" a one-point robot Mob recognizes from the exam hums.

"The first barrier!" Present Mic voice calls as Mob looks up towards at least seven zero point robots towering above him. "Robo Inferno."

Mob's first thought is about how unfair this all is, adding robots the hero course students weren't even expected to beat to a competition between the entire student body.

Yaoyorozu echos his second thought from somewhere to his left. "How'd they find the money to pay for this?" she asks.

Todoroki freezes the robots, creating a straight line for him to slip past them. Mob watches him go, watches other students moving to follow him.

There is a crackle and suddenly the robots start tipping over, the frozen metal collapsing due to being unstable. Mob is struck by the realization someone might be crushed. Someone yells.

Fifty-five.

With a sweep of his hand, Mob obliterates the path wide open, knocking the robots away from the students and clearing a path for them.

"1-A's Todoroki busts through the first obstacle and sabotages the others in one move!" Present Mic says over the speakers. "But it looks like Kageyama has also swept in to help the others and get ahead at the same time! What a twist!"

Mob blows through the path he's created, speeding towards Todoroki.

"Amazing!" Present Mic shouts, "They're getting way ahead of the pack! Almost feels like it's unfair!"

Mob hesitates only for a second at the word unfair, before propelling himself forward, pushed by the memory of his master's words.

The next obstacle is a giant pit with ropes going across it. Todoroki's already about halfway through by the time Mob reaches it, but it's obviously not as easy for him than battling off all of the robots.

As Mob darts over towards him, gliding through the air, he finds himself looking towards the darkness below with concern for the rest of the students. There's no time to dwell on it though. Not if he wants to make his master proud.

"You're taking this too seriously," Mob tells Todoroki when he catches up to him.

Todoroki glances up at him in surprise. Then his eyes narrow and he grunts, breath becoming more labored as he strains himself to run faster across the tightropes.

Mob just stares at him for a second, matching his pace and just floating besides him. He hums and looks forward.

Would it be unfair to pass Todoroki? Mob finds himself uncertain.

"Everyone else in that festival will be coming at it with everything they've got, and that means you should too."

His resolve heightens. He pushes past Todoroki, racing forward.

"Not so fast, Bowl for Brains!" Bakugou yells, suddenly appearing from behind them. He's closing in on Mob, and Mob tries to push himself forward faster.

"Our leaders are reaching the final obstacle now! Which is to say…" Present Mic says, voice drenched in tangible excitement. "This minefield!"

This is dangerous , is all Mob has time to think before Bakugou detonates a bomb behind him, launching himself to Mob's side.

"You think you can beat me, you dumbass?" he asks, sneering at Mob.

Todoroki's also closing in, and though Mob is still in the lead, he feels the pressure in his chest rising.

Sixty-seven.

When Mob's about halfway through the minefield there's another deafening explosion from the start of it, and then Midoriya is flying in front of Mob on a large metal plate.

Seventy-nine.

Mob can feel his heartbeat in his chest, slamming against his ribs as he realizes Midoriya is diving head first towards the ground. He reaches a hand up and rights him, pushing him forward and creating a gust of air in his wake that pushes him, Bakugou, and Todoroki backward.

Then Midoriya lands at the end of the minefield, stumbling off of his metal plate. He makes a mad dash towards the exit, Mob, Bakugou, and Todoroki hot on his heels.

They all go into the darkened hallway at almost the same time.

"What an incredible turn of events right at the end folks!" Present Mic says over the speakers. "And it appears like the one to make it out of the obstacle course race first is no other then…

"Midoriya Izuku!"

To be continued…

I just wanted to let you guys know that I made a discord for SATSS! If you like the fic, MP100, and BNHA and wanna chat about it, you're welcome to join!

It also came to my attention that one of the fanart links are working, so I'm reposting it here, so go check it out!