Edit: There were a few spelling mistakes before, most should be gone now.
Tsuyu stood at the front doors of U.A., hands hanging in front as a few students passed her. Class hadn't started yet, so she had decided to stay outside and wait patiently for a friend that she worried for.
Izuku did not look alright yesterday, and neither did he act the part. So she had resolved herself to find out what was wrong, even if it had to be direct. It just saddened her to see Izuku of all people in such a state.
However, her plans were thrown into disarray when she saw him enter the courtyard.
"Kero?"
Gone was the paranoid look of yesterday, instead a small smile could be seen on his face which turned into surprise upon spotting her. "Tsu? What are you doing out here?"
She quickly answered, face vacant. "I wanted to have a talk. Yesterday, you didn't seem alright."
Izuku seemed to freeze at first before lowering his head. "... I know..."
Tsuyu tilted her head, letting out a confused ribbit.
"There was just... a lot going on. After the USJ, I became really paranoid, thinking that danger was lurking around every corner... But..." Izuku lifted his head, "I talked to a few people who were close to me, and they said to me words I needed to hear..."
And then she saw him give a warm smile, his eyes staring directly into hers with a pinpoint precision.
"So that's why I won't let whatever happened at the USJ keep me down. It's what any hero would do after all."
She paused for a second, a strange feeling enveloping on her chest. That smile... was something else...
Izuku then noticed the time, "Um, Tsu, we should probably get inside now. Aizawa Sensei will be arriving soon."
The frog girl blinked, speaking a little bit more quickly than she was accustomed to. "Tokoyami-chan." She then shook her head briefly, "I'm waiting for Tokoyami-chan as well."
"Oh. A-Alright. Then I'll just-" Izuku awkwardly brushed past her.
She kept staring forward, a few moments passing before her cheeks grew red again, the frog girl letting out a singular noise.
"Kero..."
What was going on with her?
Izuku leaped through the air, landing on one of the moving pillars. He took a second to steady himself before leaping to the next.
He missed the mark, letting out a gasp of surprise before sliding off the circular platform and falling into the dark abyss below.
The teenager then reappeared, right beside Onkko as the Quill sat calmly at the edge of the platform. A few moments passed before Izuku let out a sigh, "I was so close! I could have made it..."
"Perhaps." Onkko shrugged, "But even so, you reached that section faster than last time. That is a small victory."
Izuku looked down for a moment, considering what to do next. Time seemed to run differently within Onkko's 'Pocket Realm' so to speak, what felt like hours of training was only minutes of meditating in the real world. To say Izuku put that fact to good use was an understatement, he had been visiting the temple to meditate constantly, and squeezed in as much training as possible. Although it did not bolster his physical abilities, it did give him experience in terms of mobility.
He decided to have a small break, Izuku turning his head. "Onkko, I wanna know more about the Tenno. What are they like?"
Onkko seemed to study Izuku for a moment. "Powerful."
"No I mean-" Izuku tried to find the right question, "What makes you consider them to be heroes."
"Now that is a more interesting question." Onkko adjusted himself, "Back in my reality, some would say that they are heroes because they are noble warrior, others reject that notion and claim that they are merely opportunistic mercenaries. The truth is, they hold a past far more tragic and vulnerable that few hardly know of. Yet despite that, they protect the people of the Solar system and surpasss any hardships they face, growing stronger in the process. That is why I consider them to be heroes."
Izuku sat on those words. Admittedly, it had felt that Onkko was once again, not telling him everything there was to know, that the perfect question hadn't been asked yet. But that was put on the backburner as Izuku realized something. "W-Wait! Solar system? So you're saying that- that there's space travel in your reality?!"
"Indeed."
He asked another question, "Then... what's that like?"
"Space travel?"
"No, no. I mean, I do wanna know what that's like too but I-I wanna know more about your reality. It sounds so... futuristic."
Onkko crossed his arms, "If I were to explain everything, then we would be here for a very long time."
"Well then give me the short version." Izuku reasoned.
The Quill seemed to clear his throat before starting. "Very well then. After the collapse of the Orokin Empire, the Origin system has fallen into complete chaos for centuries."
There was a long pause as Izuku tilted his head, "What?"
"... How about you continue training... And I will tell you what I know about the Old War that acted as the precursor to these events. That way you will learn about the Orokin and such. Agreed?"
There was another long pause before Izuku slowly nodded, "Okay..." He then turned his head, readying himself up before the timer started.
He then bursted into a sprint, sliding below a metal bar and continuing to the next obstacle, the Quill calmly watching.
"Ha, ha! This feels so weird!" Mirio announced as he laid there, flattened atop Izuku's Void barrier. "It's like I'm resting on a massage bed!"
Currently, they were in the Hoth Company Stone Quarry after Izuku texted the senior student, asking if he could help Izuku train. Mirio came within minutes, enthusiastic to see Izuku's 'Quirkless' power in action. Mirio had even thought to bring his own training clothes, made from a special fibre produced by his hair.
Mirio slid down the shell, landing on his two feet as he let out another chuckle.
"Wow, I don't know what else to say. Permeation allows me to phase through any solid object in existence."
That stoked Izuku's curiosity, "Really?"
Mirio nodded, "Yep. So not being able to slip past something for once... feels new but oddly welcoming for a change."
Izuku seemed to acknowledge that statement before clasping his hands down, the shield dispersing. "Well... the Void breaks every single law of physics. It-" Izuku sighed, "-it doesn't make a lot of sense."
"Yeah, no kidding." Mirio turned his head ever so slightly, "Hey, Midoriya. I have an idea." He then smiled, "Why don't we have a race? The Sports Festival is definitely gonna involve some form of running, so it'll be good to see how fast the both of us can run beforehand."
Izuku paused for a moment, admittedly surprised by the invitation before warming up to it. "O-Okay, sure! But where do we start?"
Mirio pointed towards one of the quarry, "How about between those two slabs over there? That looks like a good place."
It took a short moment for them to get into their respective running positions, Mirio turning his head to Izuku. The younger student was already kneeling down, a leg outstretched behind to show that he was ready to start sprinting.
"Alright, we'll race with no Quirks first. Are you ready?"
Izuku nodded as Mirio copied his stance. A few seconds passed before Mirio spoke.
"Get set, GO!"
Mirio expected a few things, of both himself and Izuku. He had known that he was quite the runner, and he had known that Izuku had been training quite a lot ever since the fateful day of there meeting, so Izuku was bound to be a challenge.
Yet he did not expect the younger student to practically shoot past him, flying through the air as he spun in a horizontal clockwise. It caught Mirio off guard as he watched Izuku land into a roll, bursting into a full sprint once he was back onto his own two feet.
"Woah, how did he-?"
Mirio quickly remembered that he was in a race, spurring himself into action as his legs went to work. Izuku was fast, and that acceleration was quite the game changer, but Mirio prided himself with the equalized muscular capacity and stamina, so it came as no surprise that he began to catch up.
"Ha! That was an awesome leap Midoriya! But it's gonna take more than that!"
The younger student wordlessly turned his head slightly before facing frontward, Mirio about to surpass him.
And then came the steep fall.
It was a seemingly dug out part of the quarry, a smooth white stone to the left and a pool of water below. Mirio froze up for a moment, losing speed upon realizing that the track ended up ahead.
Yet Izuku wasn't stopping.
"Midoriya, look out! There's a-!" He tried to warn the younger student, but it didn't matter, as Izuku did the unthinkable.
Izuku jumped to the side, hand planted against the wall as he ran against it with ease. Mirio watched, wide eyed as the younger student then leaped off the wall, similar to before as he performed a perfect landing and continued his run, completely oblivious that Mirio hadn't followed or even try to traverse the chasm.
"Oh my... Oh my..."
A very familiar saying passed on from teacher to student.
"GOODNESS!"
Today was it.
The sports festival.
Izuku was busy putting preparing his bag for today, a thoughtful look on his face as he packed his PE shirt. Two weeks went, but it felt like two months with all the training he had squeezed in within the Void. He finished packing, looking at one of his notebooks.
The Old War
He quickly picked it up, a page flopping out to reveal notes and descriptions, a few baseless doodles here and there. It was only last week when he had began to chronicalize Onkko's world so to speak. From what Izuku was able to make of it, the Quills reality practically screamed a distinct transhumanism. Technologically immortal aristocrats? A war waged from sentient drones, aptly named 'Sentients'? And it was crazier to think that that was only scratching the surface, as the Quill stated that there was many more to cover... which reminded him.
He turned his head to the left, another one of his notebooks peeking out from beneath his bedroom desk.
'Tenno'
Izuku quickly shoved both notebooks into his drawer, shutting the cabinet. The latter was still largely incomplete, as Izuku wasn't sure of what to ask about them most of the time. From what he was able to compile, they were a mysterious order of warriors that used Void in some way and... that was about it. But even so, his inquisitive nature demanded that he formulated something about them, even if he had so little.
"Izuku, come quickly! You'll be late for the event!"
He turned around, leaving his room quickly. His mother was waiting by the doorway, watching him intently as he passed her to tie his shoes.
"Be careful not to get hurt."
Izuku turned his head, "Don't worry Mom. I'll try not to."
She nodded for a moment before continuing, "And I'll record the whole thing, okay? In high resolution too."
"Alright." Izuku responded, finishing his shoes and standing at full height.
Inko seemed to pause for a moment before smiling, two fists raised to show contained excitement. "Do your best!"
He couldn't help but smile, knowing the warmness of a mother's support. "I will."
Izuku left the apartment.
Mirio stretched his arms as he walked forward, already in his PE uniform as Toshinori walked next to him, the hero currently in true form.
The gaunt man turned his head, "Nervous?"
"... A little bit." Mirio responded. "I mean, not because of the whole 'I am here' thing that we were talking about before... I'm pretty sure I already did that when my clothes fell off in the last sports festival."
Toshinori let out a burst of laughter before coughing out a smidgen of blood. "N-No worries. Most have probably forgotten about that by now." Toshinori then straightened himself, "So what are you worried about then?"
Mirio let out a sigh, "It's just that, hiding One for All has been tougher than I thought, even back in Nighteye's agency..." Mirio paused, "Today I'm going to meet my friends again, and I know for a fact they're definitely going to notice a change in my abilities if I use One for All.
All Might seemed to pause for a moment. "Young Togata,-" Toshinori turned his head, "Do you want to know a secret about me?"
That garnered the students attention, turning his head to his mentor.
"I was Quirkless before receiving One for All."
Mirio paused for a moment, "Just like Midoriya..." He then shook his head, "Wow I...- I had no idea."
"Indeed. So you could imagine the shock it must've been for others, and for me to simply play it off as a late bloomer. Some secrets need to be maintained to protect the ones you love." Toshinori put a hand on Mirio's shoulder, "One for All is a dangerous truth, but it's a truth that you are now responsible for... and with great responsibility comes great power."
"Huh..." Mirio then nodded, "Alright. That clears up a lot of things."
All Might looked down the hallway, "I should probably get going. We're approaching the third-year waiting room."
Mirio let out a breath, "Okay, okay... Welp, here I go." He walked a few paces before Toshinori called out.
"Oh, and Young Togata?"
The third-year student turned his head, Toshinori giving a thumbs up.
"Do your best."
Mirio smiled, "I will." They both turned to their separate ways, the student continuing to walk onward before reaching a doorway.
Class 3-B
"... Alright, here goes."
He opened the door, a few of his classmates already milling around. However, only two really stuck out in his mind. One of them, a student with pointy ears who was face to face with a wall, and a girl sporting long blue hair. The latter spotted him, her face lighting up with recognition and excitement.
"Mirio!"
The third-year student smiled, "Hey."
He was floating, surrounded by a perpetual darkness.
Time was a mere concept within this space of reality and illusion. He was nothing but everything, his mind shut off from the worries of the wakening world. It was through this enlightenment that he honed his focus.
Izuku was ready.
The student slowly opened his eyes, revealing a dim teal glow around his body as his legs remained crossed, his body levitating within the air. He let out a breath, uncrossing his legs as he gingerly stepped back down onto the cold floor of the locker room, PE uniform on as he opened the stall door. It was completely devoid of life, a few sinks lined up against a long mirror. Izuku walked up to one of the sinks, holding his hands in front of the sensor as a steady stream of water trickled out. He cupped his hands, splashing some water on his face before looking up at the mirror.
Another Izuku stood beside him, a disturbing smirk on his face.
Ordinarily, he would have flinched, but instead Izuku merely looked on, face emotionless.
"You won't scare me anymore... You don't scare me anymore."
There was a pause before the Man in The Wall began to chuckle, soft and slowly. "Are you sure about that, Deku?"
Izuku turned from the mirror, looking back to see him gone, both from the mirror and the room itself. He let out a sigh, pushing off against the sink to leave.
"Hey, uh... You nervous Midoriya?"
Izuku shook his head at Sato's question, sitting across Fumikage. "I feel like I should be but-" He recalled the past month, all the dangers and trials he had gone through surfacing. "-standing in front of a lot of people doesn't feel like such a big deal anymore... Not after what we've been through."
Fumikage spoke up, "Exactly. Compared to facing off against dangerous villains, this should be nothing."
Sato scratched the back of his head, a worrisome look on the muscular students face. "Jeez... hearing you two sound so confident... Kinda makes me feel intimidated, y'know?"
Izuku stared at Sato for a moment, feeling tinge of surprise from the other student's statement. Admittedly, Izuku didn't know Sato very well, but he did know his Quirk from watching the battle trial. Sugar Rush, a simple yet powerful enhancement Quirk. Izuku had written down what he had seen and heard, that consuming 10 grams of sugar granted Sato 3 minutes of fivefold strength that could be increased for a longer duration. He had seen Sato practically tear open a wall with ease to go after Denki... albeit, Sato was put to a stop after Jiro was able to stun him, and that Sato had fallen asleep due to the drawback of the strength conversion.
Not very heroic but that's why they were all here in U.A., to train and become heroes.
"W-Well, don't be." Izuku responded, Sato's attention garnered. "The sports festival is important as it gives us a chance to show our skills, but that doesn't mean we should be at eachothers throats. That's just not... right." Izuku sat up, "So in the meanwhile, good luck and-"
"Bakugo."
Izuku turned, twisting around to see Todoroki staring down at a seated Katsuki, the ash blonde tilting his head slightly.
There was a pause before Todoroki spoke up again, "Ever since the Quirk apprehension test, I've noticed you've been closely tailing my position..." Todoroki narrowed his eyes, "I just wanted to let you know that, objectively, I am stronger than you."
Izuku blinked at the statement, noticing how highly unusual this was. Shoto rarely ever talked within the class, and the first time he actually did was... this? The red and white haired boy would often just consign himself to isolation rather then interact. Yet it hardly mattered, as Izuku quickly realized the gravity of the situation. Someone had said the 'S' word to Katsuki.
The word 'Stronger'.
This wasn't going to end well.
To Katsuki's credit and Izuku's surprise, the ash blonde hadn't exploded... but the atmosphere changed into a tense solidity.
"... Eh...?" Katsuki merely said, head raised.
Another pause, Denki now commenting. "Woah. Am I seeing this right? The strongest of our class picking a fight with our resident exploder?"
Eijiro stood up quickly, placing a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of the sudden? We're about to go on!"
Shoto rudely shoved Eijiro's hand away, "We're not here to be friends." He then turned around, "So what does it matter?"
The sound of a chair grinding against the ground was heard, Shoto turning back around to see that Katsuki had risen from his seat, slowly walking towards Shoto with a hand in his pocket.
Katsuki then stopped, face to face with the red and white haired student.
"... So... You want a war with me?" And then a wide grin grew on the ash blonde's face, "That's just perfect. I've been waiting for the opportunity to crush you into the ground, you half-and-half bastard."
Shoto gave a cold gaze, "I'm not going to go easy on you."
"And you better fucking not, otherwise it's just not a win for me." Katsuki then opened his hands. "I'll make sure that even your mother won't recognize your face when I'm through with you."
And then Izuku saw it, Shoto's teeth gritting in a barely contained fury. Apparently that had struck a nerve as the room grew cold... Not just with tension now but with temperature as well as frost particles radiated from Shoto's body. Katsuki seemed to notice this hostility, sparks beginning to form on his palms. The two stared each other down, the dangerous atmosphere now reaching levels that shouldn't have been possible as the entirety of class 1-A stared in shock, not a single person moving a muscle in fear that any action would be the catalyst needed.
Surprisingly, Izuku was the first to reach breaking point.
He pushed away his chair, his haste making it fall to the floor as he quickly approached Katsuki and Shoto, body radiating a teal Void as he stepped between the two of them and spread his arms out, separating them with a combat like stance.
"That's enough!"
His assertiveness made Eijiro jump, Katsuki and Shoto backing away in surprise.
Izuku tone was both scolding and seething. "What you both don't seem to understand is that the sports festival is another step to the path of becoming a hero! Yes, we are expected to challenge each other, but-" Izuku gestured to the rest of the room, a few students shivering from the cold to let the consequences sink in."-Not. Like. This."
There was a long pause, the tension now still. Shoto looked at Izuku before looking at Katsuki, turning around to walk to the other side of the room. Katsuki on the other hand seemed to stare at Izuku, the green haired boy returning a hardened glare. For a moment, Izuku had expected his childhood friend to give off a nasty remark. Much to his surprise, Katsuki merely turned his head, letting out a grunt.
"Tch."
Katsuki then went back to his table, pulling open his seat and sitting down in silence.
Izuku slowly let out a sigh, rejecting his combat stance to stand up straight. He then began to slowly look around.
Everyone was staring at him, most of their eyes wide. Even Fumikage and Tsuyu seemed at disbelief, with the bird head's beak open and the frog girl tipping a finger against her mouth.
The door opened, Tenya entering. "Is everyone-" He then seemed to notice the present atmosphere of the room, "-ready?"
There was more people then Izuku was comfortable with.
When they had walked out from the shadow of the stadium, he was immediately deafened with the sheer amount of people and cheering that was going on as Present Mic was on the big screen, hyping up the festival.
"The U.A. sports festival! The one time that comes around every year! When our fledgeling heroes compete in a ruthless gra-"
Izuku drowned out the noise, keeping his gaze forward. His powers were only as good as his focus, and right now he couldn't afford to be-
"Midoriya-chan."
He turned his head, noticing Tsuyu walking up next to him. She peered forward, a few seconds passing before speaking her mind out.
"That was really unexpected before..."
Denki entered the conversation as well, coming up onto his right, the electric student nodding his head. "Yeah! You were really scary! Especially when you were glowing like that."
Izuku shrivelled up, his normal self returning. "E-Er, you think so? I-I just didn't want a fight to break out between Kacchan and Todoroki."
"Heh, there's the Izuku I know." Denki then seemed to shrug, "But you have a point. A fight between those two? In the waiting room? Yeah, we'd all be absolute toast." Denki then began to walk forward, rejoining the rest of the class and finishing his point. "Good thing you stepped in."
Izuku turned to face Tsuyu for a moment before a voice blaired on the speakers.
"Now for the athlete's oath!"
It took Izuku a moment to realize that the umpire for the first year stage was none other than Midnight... the 18+ hero. True to her title, she was wearing the costume of some sadistic dominatrix, much to the awkwardness of the entire class. Tsuyu seemed to share that same sentiment, her vacant eyes now wider than before.
"Kero... Isn't Nezu supposed to be the chief Umpire?"
Izuku stared forward, an awkward expression on his face as the interactions between him and Tsuyu were forgotten. "That's only for the third years..." His thoughts began to drift. "I wonder how Mirio is doing...?"
"Quiet, everyone!" Midnight yelled, cracking her whip downwards to ease the murmurs from both student and audience alike. She then did so again, continuing her speech. "Your student representative is... from class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya!"
Needless to say, Izuku felt as if someone had stabbed his body with a taser, his brain trying to synchronize the newfound info into something viable. It was during this process, that not even a single word could be uttered from his mouth.
Luckily he didn't need to express his disbelief, as Katsuki did it for him.
"What the hell?! Why the fuck is Deku representing the class!?" Katsuki shouted angrily, his head turned directly to Izuku.
Hanta seemed to hold an amused face, "Well, Midoriya did technically finish with the highest sum in the entrance exam. Villain and rescue points."
"Yeah... In the hero course." A girl said with distaste, possibly from General Education as Izuku turned his head to her. "It's like this every year..."
Katsuki clearly did not like Hanta's explanation, but he did seem to accept it, glaring at Izuku as the green haired student slowly turned his head back to Tsuyu, making his nervousness evident. She looked at him before giving a slow nod, prompting Izuku to regather himself as he looked away, breathing in and breathing out to soothe his nerves.
He then walked forward, stepping up onto the platform as he came up to the podium, overlooking the rest of the students as he spoke through the mic.
"H-Hello-?"
Audio feedback occured, prompting the speakers to let out a screech as both audience and student base cringed. Izuku gritted his teeth, eyes looking down. "Void give me strength..." He then stood closer to the microphone, "U-Um, s-so in-" He paused again, his heart rising to his throat as he was suddenly conscious of just how many people was actually watching him right now. "Fumikage must think I'm a huge hypocrite right now... Damn it! What would Onkko say?" His thoughts were a whirl, "U-Uh, pathways are- no, no, that's stupid. C'mon Izuku! Think!"
He quickly peered around to see the various faces within the crowd. There were those of determination of course, as with any form of sporting event... but oddly enough, there were those that looked as if they would rather be somewhere, most of the frowning expressions originating from General Education. The words of that girl from before popped into his head.
"It's like this every year..."
And it was there he realized that there wasn't something that he should say, but rather needed to say.
"The sports festival isn't a playground for the hero course."
Immediately, everyone's attention was garnered, those from all courses alike tilting their heads in confusion. He continued, recalling a past experience.
"I remember before I came to U.A., I would watch the sports festival in my living room, rooting for no particular student, just whoever was in the top... Now that I look back at it, I realize that wasn't what made watching the festival exciting." He then stared forward, "What made it exciting was the spirit itself, and that true spirit is everyone here. Hero course, general studies, support, business, and even the audience itself. It doesn't matter what Quirk you have or where you're from, what matters is that we are all trying and we are all responsible for giving this festival life."
Izuku then held up a hand, palm facing outward to show an oath being sworn.
"So let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. For the festival demands it."
Silence. Both from student and audience alike. And then a singular set of clapping was heard, originating from Tenya as he yelled out. "Bravo! Bravo, Midoriya-kun!"
The stadium then applauded, loudly droning throughout the station. However, what was important was to see if his speech had gotten to his fellow students. Class 1-B seemed stunned, the support course students seemed excitable, business were discussing something amongst themselves, probably not even relating to the speech. Lastly though, the General Studies no longer looked downtrodden but contemplative instead, a majority seemingly in deep thought at his words.
All except for one.
Hitoshi had a disinterested look to him before, but now he seemed downright angered, glaring directly at Izuku. He could only wonder why that was so as he stepped off the podium, walking back to his class as he was greeted by his friends and classmates alike.
Eijiro was the first to speak out, Izuku realizing that the red head was wiping tears from the edges of his eyes. "That was so damn inspirational Midoriya... And manly!"
"Quite!" Tenya said, his hand gestures now barely even controlled. "A stirring speech! You should be proud of yourself."
"T-Thanks." Izuku responded with a blush, scratching the back of his head. "I-I just wish they gave a heads up beforehand-"
"It wasn't necessary." Izuku turned his head to Tsuyu, the frog girl gracing him with one of her rare smiles. "You were really good up there."
A noise was heard at the top of the stadium, Izuku turning his head to see that the big screen had changed, announcing the first game as Midnight spoke up. "Now, without further delay, let's get the first event started."
Izuku heard Ochako speak out, standing right next to Tsuyu. "Everything at U.A. is always without delay..."
"These are the qualifiers! It is within this stage that many are sent home!"
The screen began to shift, like a slot machine as various kanji sped from top to bottom.
"And the fateful first event of this year is..."
Obstacle Race
"-this!"
Izuku paused, looking up. "An obstacle course..." He then recalled, constant times of falling into a dark abyss only to pop up next to Onkko again, ready to try his hand at parkour once more. Was it too coincidental that the Quill introduced Izuku to an obstacle course when the first challenge of the sports festival was an obstacle course?
To that, Izuku merely shrugged.
"-take your places everyone!"
Izuku got into a runners start, the gate already open and ready for the race to start. He peered around to see his other classmates, as well as other students from other courses intermingled amongst them. The atmosphere was still and tense, everyone waiting for the signal.
One of the lights turned off, two green lights remaining. He looked forward, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Just another obstacle to overcome... another step-"
Izuku then reopened them, another light turning off as only one remained.
"-on the beaten path."
The last turned off, Midnight yelling. "START!"
"What do you call it?" Izuku asked, his head tilted.
"A bullet jump." Onkko answered, sitting cross legged. "It's a maneuver that many Tenno use, initiated while sliding or crouching by using your leg muscles to kick off against the ground. Once in the air, they rotate their body, building momentum."
"That sounds really difficult... can I really pull it off?" Izuku mused.
Onkko merely looked up, "You tell me. You must realize that this is not the first time you have done it."
Izuku paused for a moment, "... The Sludge Villain."
"Indeed." Onkko then turned his head away, "Now continue on with your training. I expect to see you master it soon."
And master it he had.
A few students who had started in front of him were surprised to see a green blur shoot past them, Izuku feeling wind whip past his shoulders before he dove to the ground, performing a roll and coming out of it running as fast as he could towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
Izuku turned his head slightly, breathing controlled. Students from both his class and others were on his tail as well, Tenya taking long strides of running steps, Momo keeping a steady pace, and Ojiro using his tail to propel him forward to name a few. But even so, it seemed as if the majority of the students were trickling, mainly because the narrow passage had forced the student base to clump together, getting most of them stuck.
"I see..." Izuku thought, just as he exited the tunnel. "The first gate is already an obsta-"
He wasn't able to finish that thought as a rush of ice was heard.
Izuku's eyes widened, instincts forcing him to fall into his Void form. And just in time, for a blizzard of cold engulfed reality. As incorporeal as Izuku was, he could only watch as Shoto zipped past him, leaving behind a trail of ice and entrapping the feet of other students as they were frozen to the spot. Within Voidform, he could only walk or dash, there was no midground for running as it required too much concentration.
"Damn it." Izuku thought, looking down to see the floor. "The surface is too slippery to reliably run on, and walking would just be too slow... unless..." He then realized something.
Ice had very little friction.
He looked forward, noticing that many others from his class had bypassed the ice, especially Katsuki as the ash blonde sailed through the air using his explosions. Izuku resolved himself before dashing forward, popping back into existence next to a surprised Yuga who was in the process of beaming himself forward
"Quoi?!"
Izuku paid the french student no heed, using the momentum of his dash to smoothly land atop the ice, bending his knees and keeping his soles steady. It worked as he bypassed Mina and Ochako, quickly catching up to Fumikage as the birdhead used Dark Shadows large and long hands as a form of transportation to avoid the ice. He slid through the gap between the Quirks long arm length, much to the surprise of Fumikage.
"Turn... turn, turn, turn!" Izuku's mind yelled, noticing the pathway beginning to steer to the left. He quickly went back into Voidform, dashing leftward as he followed the new direction and gained even more momentum.
"Woah! Surprise, surprise! Izuku Midoriya of 1-A is catching up!" Present Mic's voice could be heard throughout the course, "You'd think he's a professional ice skater!"
He ignored Present Mic's quip from the microphone, focusing on the race instead. The path of ice ended just ahead, Shoto no longer leaving a trail. Izuku transitioned, briefly leaping from the icy surface before running across normal ground once more. Katsuki was just ahead of him, trying to catch up to Shoto as well.
Izuku increased his speed, heart thumping against his chest as he caught up to the ash blonde. Katsuki turned his head, not surprised and not welcoming either, his eyes narrowed.
"Fuck off, Deku! This fight is between me and half-and-half bas-!"
*Boing*
The two turned their heads to the noise, noticing Minoru surpass the both of them by using his Pop Off Quirk. There was a short pause before Katsuki looked downright murderous, springing his hands back before activating his explosion Quirk to propel himself forward. Izuku raised an arm to provide himself cover from the smoke, letting out a few coughs as he continued running. He considered using another dash, but he held off on that notion. He would need to conserve the energy he had for the time being, at least until-
And then Minoru got smacked by a robot, gloriously twirling through the air before cartwheeling against the ground. Izuku froze up in his running, holding a hand out in shock. "Mineta!"
Fortunately, it didn't seem that Minoru was hurt... at least not too badly as the short student face planted against the wall, dazed. Izuku turned his head, realizing that the next obstacle of the race was already in play.
"Multiple targets acquired..." The 1 pointer droned.
Faux villains... A lot of faux villains, ranging from 1's, 2's, 3's, and even the colossal forms of 0 pointers acting as support, brushing up huge clouds of dirt with their monstrously sized treads.
"It's like the entrance exam all over again." Izuku thought as Present Mic blared through the loudspeaker.
"Every obstacle needs obstacles! Starting with the first barrier, ROBO INFERNO!"
Shoto and Katsuki halted for a moment, not from hesitation, but to briefly plan their next course of action. Unfortunately for them, Izuku had only stopped to check if Minoru was okay... Which in turn, had given him ample enough time to discern his own plan to pass the robots.
"They've all stopped. Now is your chance!"
He disappeared, Void dashing forward into the cloud before running. Nobody had noticed him slink away, the exception being the robots as nearby red lenses burned through the dirt fog, moving to intercept him.
"Don't stop. Keep going."
Izuku dashed again, right through the colossal foot of one of the 0 pointers. He briefly witnessed a world of wires and gears as he popped right on the other side. By this point, he could feel the gentle throbbing at the back of his head, stewing his concentration for a moment as a 1 pointer attempted to bash its shield against him. He recovered just in time, avoiding the attack before grasping its arm. He then pulled himself up, clambering atop the shield before using his trained agility to push off against the machinery, shooting out of the dust clouds and between two faux villains, rolling before running.
He had gotten through.
Izuku turned his head, just in time to see one of the 0 pointers turn into a literal iceberg before falling over, brushing up an even bigger dirt cloud as it impacted the ground. His eyes widened before he turned his head back, focusing ahead of him.
Present Mic began to speak, "1-A's Todoroki! Busting through and sabotaging the others in one move! This guy's cold! It's almost unfair, seeing him as leader of the pa-"
Aizawa interrupted, "I would suggest to look more closely."
There was a brief pause before Present Mic exploded. "W-W-WHAT?! Scratch that! Izuku from Class 1-A's leading the way! How did he even get there!?"
"Crap..." While Izuku would be thrilled to know that he was in first place, he also knew that now he was going to have to maintain it. That was hard considering that Present Mic had unknowingly painted a bullseye on his back. Everybody knew he was first, so everybody knew who they needed to surpass, especially when it came to Shoto and Katsuki who were dead set on winning the race.
What a precarious situation.
Present Mic seemed to recover from his shock, continuing on the microphone. "A-Anyways, the first barrier was a piece of cake! But how about the second?!"
Izuku was broken from his thoughts as he approached a ledge, realizing he had reached the next obstacle. A set of expansive canyons that only laid connected through a series of tight ropes.
"T-This is impossible." He simply said, looking at the obstacle before him.
It was a singular tightrope, the strands glowing with a calming blue energy. Below it was pure black abyss, the navy light consumed by the darkness. There was a slight pause before Onkko spoke , appearing behind Izuku as he casually walked past the green haired student. "How can you be so sure?"
"Well, b-because it's a tightrope. I can't possibly hope to get acro-"
The Quill placed a foot on the rope before stepping off the platform, effortlessly balancing himself on the thin line. "Impossible it may seem." Onkko then turned his head, still standing atop the tightrope. "But for that I have this wisdom to share." And then Onkko steadily hanged a foot off the tightrope for a second, as if measuring something, Izuku watching in wonder. "Find your focus, your balance, and you will succeed."
Onkko then did the unthinkable. Putting his leg back up, the Quill broke off into a quickened haste, effortlessly traversing the zipline before jumping at the end, performing a frontflip and landing perfectly.
Izuku's jaw fell as Onkko turned around, now standing on the other side. "Now let us see you do it."
Needless to say, a lot of trial and error would continue. Izuku falling over and over again into the deep dark below. But... that didn't mean he didn't learn from each and every mistake, changing the way he stood atop the line, or trying to establish the perfect balance.
And at some point, he got it. So many times in fact, that he could traverse with ease.
Izuku let out a deep breath before stepping onto the zipline, hanging a foot off of the side of it before doing the same with the other, just as he had seen Onkko do. There was a slight pause before he closed his eyes.
This was just like before. Maybe not as long or as intimidating, but the same nonetheless.
And he was going to pass it.
He reopened them before breaking off into a sprint, legs bunched and shoulders slouched a crouched posture, reminiscent to the way Onkko had done it. Both of his arms were spread closely, giving both of his sides a counterweight. He chose not to look down, instead keeping his eyes on the anchor as he kept on running.
"Woah! Look at Midoriya go!" Present Mic yelled, "Geez, Aizawa! What have you been teaching in that class of yours? Because this kid's on his way to becoming a real ninja warrior at this point!"
"Not from me... He must have been training on his own."
Izuku reached the end of the first canyon, turning his head just as Shoto reached the beginning, the ice Quirked user momentarily pausing for a moment in surprise before narrowing his eyes, jumpin atop the zipline and letting the ice carry him forth.
"Can't let Todoroki catch up to me." Izuku simply thought, twisting around to Void dash. He couldn't afford to conserve his energy anymore, not when a literal force of winter was right on his tail. He dashed to one line, running atop its strings for a moment before dashing again to the next plateau, the familiar dull ache that stirred at the back of his head returning as he began to test his limit.
By the time he had decided to stop dashing, Izuku had already put a sizeable distance between himself and Shoto.
"Okay, that's enough." He wiped a stray droplet of blood from his nose, running onto the next zipline. "But I can't overexert myself. There's still the next obstacle, and the rest of the sports festival to-"
And then he felt his concentration break for no apparent reason, as if someone had doused a bucket of cold water all over him.
"Gah!"
Izuku stumbled for a moment, foot losing balance before tipping to the side. He would have fallen, fallen into the dark netted valleys below if his hand hadn't shot out on instinct, grasping the zipline and hanging off it using his own strength alone.
"W-What the hell was that?!" Izuku yelled, both from shock and the unfairness of it all.
Umbra slowly rose, dirt coming off his skin carapace as it slowly looked up.
It had somehow missed the ledge, falling into the ravine below and hitting the ground. A long pause ensued before it grasped onto the rocky side, quickly climbing back up with an unnatural agility.
Had it gotten slower?
Izuku looked up before looking forward, moving below the tightrope like a child using a set of monkey bars. He quickly reached the end, hooking his arm on the rocky edge and lifting himself up.
He had passed the second obstacle.
Turning around, Izuku analyzed the position of the rest of the contestants. A lot were already in the process of traversing the chasms, his friend Tsuyu was climbing atop the rope, another girl from the support course was using a grappling hook gadget of some sort, Shoji glided through the air with his bunched up arms, and Tenya... was holding his arms out in a balancing T-pose, sliding over the zipline.
However, what was most concerning was the fact that Shoto and Katsuki were rapidly catching up, the ash blonde shooting himself across the air with murderous look and Shoto using his Quirk to literally skate atop it. They had seemingly forgotten their rivalry, now focusing on their efforts to catch up.
He could not afford to give them that chance, turning around to run.
"This should be the last obstacle." He made a turn, "I just gotta keep this pace."
Izuku froze up, sweat beading down his face.
Danger Mines
"And now, we've quickly reached the final barrier! The reality here is... THAT IT'S A MINEFIELD!" Present Mic continued, "A quick glance is enough to reveal the mines locations! So you're gonna have to keep both eyes open and watch your step!" Present Mic then paused, "Oh, and I should mention. Our mines don't pack a deadly punch, but they're loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!"
"Depending on the individual, of course." Aizawa added.
Izuku scanned from left to right, noticing the circular outlines within the dirt.
He began to walk, slowly of course, his focus completely dedicated to spotting any mines. "It's like that racing game me and Mirio played at the arcade. Throw an explosive blue shell that hits the first place, or in this case, a minefield to slow down the lead, and it'll give those at the back a chance to catch up." He paused mid-step, avoiding a mine. "Shit. At this rate, Kacchan and Todoroki are going to arrive."
And he was right. Soon enough, Shoto had reached the gate, eyes staring forward in determination.
Izuku turned his head back, teeth gritted. He was going to have to figure something out, and quick. He began to walk faster, cursing himself as he kicked a few rocks out of the way. "... So many rocks... They must've had to dig up the dirt to put the mines in."
Then it hit him.
This was not a disadvantage, but a boon.
"Did I challenge the wrong person?"
That was the only thing that Shoto could think of as he passed the gate, tiptoeing past a few mines. Although he was behind, he was definitely beginning to make more progress.
"It was already hard enough, trying to keep that explosive one behind me." He then narrowed his eyes, "But if I can get past Izuku here, then the victory will be secured. That'll make the stupid Old Man happy..."
He gained a few paces, now only meters behind Izuku.
And then a mine exploded.
The shockwave rattled Shoto's bones as his eyes widened. He turned his head, "A mine just exploded, but that can't be possible. No one is on the field yet but me. Was it a misfi-?"
Another explosion, this time closer as he Shoto raised an arm in surprise, the pink smoke stinging his eyes.
"W-What the-!?"
And then he realized something.
Izuku had his head slightly turned, a bundle of collected rocks within his left arm as his right reared back, one of the rocks already being thrown as Shoto watched it. Time devolved into slow motion as it tapped one of the outlines in front of him.
"Y-You son of a-!"
Shoto went flying.
Izuku truly felt like a bastard, dropping his collected rocks to the ground.
But the truth was that he was out of options. He didn't want to use Void more than he had to seeing as there was still the rest of the sports festival to get through, and he didn't want to give up the position.
He could almost imagine his mother, sitting and watching the tv, a hand to her mouth at her son's surprisingly ruthless act.
"Oh my goodness!" Present Mic yelled in english, "That was absolutely savage from Midoriya, unheroic even!"
For once, Izuku was liable to agree as he traversed the minefield, attempting to suppress his guilt as Shoto lifted himself up from the ground.
But Aizawa grunted, "I would disagree. Midoriya knew that Shoto would surpass him soon, so he did the only thing necessary to maintain first place. That type of thinking is what defeats villains and saves lives."
His guilt admittedly lessened as he kept on running, the building now in sight.
"I-I'm actually going to make it. I can make it!"
And then a piercing shout rang out.
"DEKU!"
He turned his head, just in time to see Katsuki quickly catch up using his explosive propulsion. The ash blonde then landed right beside Izuku, showing an tempered anger as he avoided most of the mines that came their way.
"WOAH! A surprise turn of events! Bakugo's caught up to Midoriya!"
"Shit!" Izuku thought before avoiding a small explosion as Katsuki attempted to slow him down. He retaliated by reaching his arm out, trying to grapple Katsuki to a stop. The ash blonde did not say a word, teeth merely gritted as he drifted to the left in avoidance. "Kacchan's learned."
They both reached the tunnel.
"You've seen it all folks! Whoever exits that tunnel first is the winner, and it's gonna be either Midoriya or Bakugo who are gonna claim first place!"
If Izuku was running before, he was now going even further beyond, heart literally pounding against his chest as his body put everything into it. Katsuki seemed to be doing the same, eyes facing forward towards the bright light.
"And it's...!"
They both made a leap for it.
Izuku half rolled and half tumbled upon coming into the light before coming to a stop on his behind, legs sprawled. Katsuki was beside him, skidding to a halt as his shoes grinded against the floor. They both came to a stop, both complete messes as a long pause ensued.
"Uh... can we have a replay of that?" Present Mic asked.
Another long pause before one of the giant tvs within the stadium switched to a pre-recorded footage, a camera situated directly over the finish line. Both Izuku and Katsuki looked up, anxious for the results as it replayed in slow motion, it then replayed even more slowly as Izuku realized the difference.
His finger had reached the line first.
Izuku had won.
The stadium exploded into a loud cheer as confetti was finally dropped, Izuku slowly rising from the ground. Shoto appeared at the finish line, followed by a vine haired girl from class 1-B.
However, Izuku wasn't focused on the win, or the newer arrivals. Instead, his attention was diverted to Katsuki, who was still peering up at the tv. For a moment, Izuku expected the ash blonde to explode into anger, or sulk away in hatred. What Izuku did not expect was for Katsuki to simply look down, eyes narrowed in a contemplative fashion as he walked away. Izuku froze for a moment, watching the ash blonde before turning away.
Was this signifying something? A change in Katsuki?
Regardless, it didn't matter. He was happy for once. Happy for the outcome, happy for the race, happy for his friends and the people that supported him to get this far.
Happy that he was happy.
"Hm."
Naomasa waited patiently as he stood by the door, looking directly ahead of him as Kenji sat in front of him, looking through the files that the detective had given the dog headed police chief.
Kenji looked up. "And this is everything we know about this dangerous individual."
The detective nodded, "Yes. Everything I was able to compile."
There was a pause, Kenji lowering the files onto his desk. "Then you'll be pleased to know that this case has had my full backing ever since the start, woof."
Naomasa gave a relieved smile, "Thank you, Sir."
"Of course." Kenji said with a nod, "I trust you Tsukauchi. You've been one of our best detectives for over 10 years now." Kenji then leaned back, perceptive animal eyes staring at Naomasa. "Knowing you, I would assume you already have a plan to deal with this criminal, woof?"
"I do." Naomasa rested both hands on his back, "First, I'll assemble a team. A team of heroes with a diverse set of Quirks that can help take on this dangerous man."
Kenji placed a hand beneath his snout, "Who did you have in mind?"
"Well..." The detective picked up one of the folders from the desk, opening it to reveal a profile already in progress. "I've found my tracker already."
Tracking Hero: Native
Heyo, I'm back from the dead. I'm not gonna write too much, but I am going to apologize for the time length for this chapter to come out. I'll just say the usual shtick of college work... and that I was lazy...
So, Naomasa's putting together a raid team to find Umbra. What'll it's members be? You'll find out once this whole sports festival concludes. I wanted to get a bit into the cavalry race, but I felt as if there was enough already, so next chapter sadly. Another thing I wanted to talk about that some of you guys already pointed out was the Stations of Canon. To be honest, I had no idea that was a thing, but after looking it up on TV tropes, I'm definitely more wary of it now. There's some changes to the canon that I already planned before being told this, and one of them you may have noticed is that the rivalry is kind of against Katsuki and Shoto this time around. There's no reason for Shoto to essentially confront Izuku if he didn't know that All Might is his student, so he'd go for the next threatening thing to his position. Some might disagree, and that's fine, I really want to learn better ways to follow canon without making the story watered down, so any suggestions are welcome.
Question time
Spokesman : Eventually, eventually...
Guest, Oct 30 : Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
CheesusChrist15 : Oh, I meant the Omake with Teshin hiding behind a rock... I don't think I worded that right.
UndeadLord22 : Er... No, sorry. None haven't exactly popped up yet.
Lastly, let me know if there's any spelling mistakes. I proofread my chapters, but somehow at least one or two get past me...
Oh, and an Omake
"Breathe,-" Onkko said, Izuku gathering air in his lungs. "-and breathe out."
Izuku let the air out of his mouth, cross legged as he opened his eyes.
"Hey Onkko, why is meditating and breathing synonymous with the Void?
"That is an excellent question." Onkko then crossed his arms. "Because it pisses off Vay Hek."
There was a long pause, Izuku tilting his head. "What?"
*Meanwhile*
Vay Hek's eyes opened, letting out a REEEE of frustration. One of his lackeys opened the door to his hanger, the Grineer's face hidden behind a mask.
"What's wrong, Sir?!"
"A Tenno... A TENNO, JUST BREATHED MY AIR!"
Vay Hek then shot through the roof of the hanger.
"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"
A pile of rooftop debris was left behind, the Grineer Lancer sighing before grabbing a Corpus broom, brushing the floor of steel splinters and glass shards.
Now I gotta go and take on the Profit-Taker, brb