"AND WE'RE BACK AFTER THAT EXCITING FINAL BATTLE, EVERYBODY! YOU'VE ALL SEEN WITH YOUR OWN EYES! AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, IT'S TIME TO SHOW YOU-"
"-The top three students!" Nejire exclaimed.
The audience cheered as the place where the arena once stood opened up, and from there rose three pillars. Hatsume, Midoriya, and Yaoyorozu stood on the pillars, landing at first, second, and third place.
Hatsume stood dumbfounded, Midoriya waved his hand with a little smile, and Yaoyorozu folded her arms and looked at the ground, a saddened expression on her face.
"Yaoyorozu doesn't look too happy," Melissa remarked.
"She was so close to winning the festival, but Midoriya and Hatsume's teamwork proved to be too much," Uraraka explained, resting her chin on her palm. "She even managed, for the briefest of moments, to use both her Quirk and her wings at the same time, and it still wasn't enough."
"That's no reason to be a crybaby about it, though," Bakugou argued, scratching his head. "Besides, she's still got two more tries to win this thing."
"But what she cared about was winning this year's festival, and she failed," Uraraka argued back, leaning closer with a stern expression. "If you ask me, I'd say she has every right to be upset."
"Fine, fair point, but if she stays depressed for too damn long, I'm definitely complaining."
Melissa quietly wondered why she was stuck in the middle of this argument.
"And now," Midnight spoke as she walked to the pillars. "To deliver the medals..."
A booming laugh echoed across the stadium, causing everyone to look up as a familiar, muscular shadow appeared. Melissa, Midoriya, and a few other people smiled wide as the figure leaped from its spot, and landed right next to Midnight.
"I AM-"
"All Might!"
Everything went quiet for a second as the smoke dispersed, revealing All Might with his mouth open. He closed it and turned to a sheepish Midnight.
"S-Sorry, I talked over you."
"It's okay!" All Might flashed a thumbs up. "After all, I am All Might!"
The number one hero laughed some more as he stood up, then stopped just in time to begin the medal ceremony proper. He took out a medal, and walked up to the third place pillar.
"Young Yaoyorozu!"
Yaoyorozu perked up. "Y-Yes!"
"You did the best you could do, Young Yaoyorozu. I'm sure wherever they are, your parents are very proud of the progress you've made," All Might put a hand on Yaoyorozu's shoulder. "Just as I'm proud to have you as one of my star students."
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened. "I'm one of your star students?"
All Might laughed. "Of course! Why wouldn't you be? Smart, athletic, studious, and honest to a fault!"
The number one hero put the medal on Yaoyorozu's neck.
"You've earned your place in the hero course, Young Yaoyorozu. You've proven that today."
Yaoyorozu looked at the medal, then back at All Might's wide smile and his thumbs up. With a feeling of joy emanating from her, the girl took a deep breath and held back tears as she answered.
"T-Thank you, All Might."
"Your welcome," the hero walked to the next pillar. "Now, Young Midoriya!"
Midoriya straightened up. "Yes!"
And he almost lost his composure when the muscular hero hugged him.
"The first day I saw you, I had a feeling you would give it your all in order to make up for being a late bloomer, and I'm happy to say, you've surpassed all of my expectations!" All Might patted Midoriya's back. "I'm glad to have you as part of the hero course, Young Midoriya."
Midoriya hesitantly hugged back. "And I'm glad I didn't disappoint you, All Might."
All Might tightened the hug and whispered, "And I'm also glad you opened my eyes the first time we met. If you hadn't told me about that powerless thing, I may've kept a close-minded look at my successor. So, once again, thank you, Young Midoriya."
All Might separated from the boy and handed him the medal, which he accepted graciously.
Then the man jumped into the first place pillar and landed in front of Hatsume, who snapped back to reality immediately.
"All Might, sir!"
"You were certainly the biggest surprise of the festival. But one that was most definitely welcomed!" All Might put a hand on Hatsume's shoulder. "You truly embody the motto of U.A."
"I... I do?"
All Might laughed and explained as he put the medal around her neck:
"You were blinded by the Hero Killer Stain, and you got up! Young Ashido bothered you through the semester and the festival, and you got up! And more importantly, you stood in the arena with two other opponents, both star students, and you didn't just stand with them! You fought them, and came out victorious!"
All Might pounded his chest.
"That is to go beyond! That, is to go..."
All Might eyed Yaoyorozu and Midoriya, who gave him a nod before he turned back to Hatsume. The gadgeteer smiled, gave a nod, and raised her arm as the entire stadium exclaimed with excitement:
"PLUS ULTRAAAAA!"
"We were this close, Midoriya!" Monoma cried. "We were literally only inches away from winning the sports festival, and you collapsed right then and there!"
"Monoma, stop it, you know it's not Midoriya's fault that he collapsed!" Kendo argued, jabbing the crying boy. "His Quirk basically upgraded itself out of nowhere; sudden transformations like that never last long!"
"I know, but it's so frustrating!"
Midoriya took a deep breath as Kendo and Monoma kept arguing. He was currently sitting on a table with Tokage and a couple other classmates, namely girls.
"So, that form you unlocked was quite something, Miroidya, but on more important matters," Tokage spoke, then leaned closer to the guy. "Geez, you never told us you were hiding such sweet abs!"
Yanagi took over Shiozaki's role and slapped Tokage, though she frowned after doing so. "It doesn't feel the same."
"No, it doesn't. And to answer your question, Tokage, I trained my body real hard during the ten months before the entrance exam," Midoriya explained, twiddling his fingers. "Since I had no idea I could do anything besides summon wings, I thought training my body was the most logical choice."
"Still, you don't just get abs like that from simple training," Tokage remarked. "What did you do, meditate? Break logs? Suplex a mountain?"
Midoriya smirked. "That's a secret."
Tokage pouted and folded her arms, causing Midoriya to chuckle as he stood up, then winced in pain.
"Whoa, hold it there, cowboy!" Tokage said as she and the girls helped the guy sit back down. "You're not in any condition to move! Where are you even going? Gonna go see your girlfriend?"
"I was planning to go meet Hatsume, but not now," Midoriya shook his head. "I was actually planning to go see Yaoyorozu."
Kendo and Monoma seemingly heard this, since they were up in Midoriya's nose soon after. "You wanna go see Yaoyorozu? Really?!"
"I know it sounds crazy, but once you ignore the fact she wanted me to become her mate, Yaoyorozu wasn't that bad," Midoriya scratched the back of his head. "And I don't want her to think that just because I won't be her mate, doesn't mean I don't want to be friends."
"So you're gonna friendzone her after she came close to winning the festival, only to fail in the end," Monoma folded his arms. "I didn't know you could be this cruel, Midoriya-"
*SMACK*
"Nevermind him, Midoriya." Kendo frowned. "However, you have to admit, maybe you're taking things a bit too fast, Midoriya. Give her some time to think about what happened and, when she's feeling better, you can tell her about it."
"Perhaps, but," Midoriya lowered his head. "I can't help but feel worried about her..."
"Melissa, is something wrong?"
The bespectacled inventor flinched and turned to her side to see Shimura standing next to her. She then glanced back at the sight she was absentmindedly looking at before: Uraraka comforting a frowning Yaoyorozu.
"Oh, well, I'm just worried about Yaoyorozu," Melissa answered, resting her cheek on her palm. "She got so far, and yet, she was soundly beaten-"
"Then go comfort her yourself."
Melissa turned back to Shimura, and after throwing a baffled look at him, she silently agreed with him and stood up. She walked over to the duo, and sat to Yaoyorozu's free side.
"So, Yaoyorozu," she began. "Third place, huh?"
"If you don't have anything to say that will make Yaomomo feel better, don't bother, Shield," Uraraka remarked. "She's not feeling well right now."
"Yeah, I clearly noticed, and I wanted to help," Melissa stood up awkwardly. "But, I can't really think of anything to do, so I guess I'll leave you alone-"
"Wait, please."
The blonde inventor stopped and turned back to see Yaoyorozu twiddling her fingers as she turned to look at her. "How... do you get through this?"
Melissa raised an eyebrow.
"I-I mean, how do you... continue with your life... knowing that you failed to do what you set out to do?" Yaoyorozu frowned. "I-In my case, get Midoriya as a mate, and prove to my Dad that I can keep my wings without them hindering my Quirk, and... well, you know."
Melissa shrugged. "That's simple, I just stand up and keep moving."
Uraraka lowered her eyelids. "Care to be a bit more specific?"
"Okay, well, think about this: for as serious as we took this event, it was just a school event; nothing more, nothing less," Melissa argued. "You lost in the end? Sure. You didn't get Midoriya as a mate? Fine. Neither means the end of the world for you."
"But-"
"The point of the sports festival is to show the current pro-heroes what we can do as the next generation. And believe me, your shower of feathers alone probably impressed several dozen pro-heroes."
Yaoyorozu blushed. "W-Well, t-that's good, but-"
"And about Midoriya not being your mate, both classes have literally over a dozen guys: even if we were to take out Class 1-B, which we might as well do considering what you did, you could still go for one of the guys in 1-A, like Tokoyami."
Yaoyorozu scratched her chin. "Now that you mention it, I have been hanging out with him more often-"
"Good! Then try taking the next step with him! And if that doesn't work out, you still got several guys to try out." Melissa took a deep breath. "Finally, don't leave the situation with Midoriya as it is. Try to stay friends with him."
"I definitely have to agree with this bit," Uraraka remarked. "As heroes, we need to try and get a good network between our fellow hero students, and if you leave the situation with Midoriya as it is, you might close off potential partners: if not Midoriya, then the rest of 1-B."
"I see..." Yaoyorozu frowned. "Guess I messed up harder than I thought, huh? I'll be sure to fix it as soon as I can." the black swan girl flashed a smile. "Thanks, Melissa."
"No problem! Glad I could help!" Melissa adjusted her glasses. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm curious as to where Hatsume is right now..."
She still couldn't believe it. She was looking at the medal that was proof that she was the winner of the entire sports festival, and yet, she still felt like the world was pulling a prank on her.
Especially because she was currently sitting on a room with All Might's deflated form, and Principal Nezu.
"Alright, thanks for coming at quick notice, Hatsume," Nezu remarked. "There's something we'd like to discuss with you."
"If it's about keeping All Might's true identity a secret, it's a bit late," Hatsume scratched her head. "Midoriya and I have been keeping our mouth's shut."
"No, that's not it-"
"And if Melissa seems about to spill the beans, Midoriya and I will make sure to stop her."
"That would actually be vastly appreciated, thank you," Nezu put his paws together. "But that's not it. Let me get to the point: Mina Ashido has been expelled from U.A. after her arrest due to delinquent behavior."
"About time! Seriously, I was starting to worry how long it'd be until-" Hatsume winced. "Wait, if she's out, that means there's a vacant spot in Class 1-A, right?"
Nezu nodded. "And I'm offering you that spot."
Hatsume dropped the medal. Now this had to be a dream, it just had to be: winning the sports festival was one thing, but being given the chance to join the hero course? That was unbelievable!
Not unwelcomed, though, just unbelievable.
"W-Why me, though?" Hatsume blurted. "S-Surely you have over a dozen other students who're more worthy than me!"
"Perhaps, but today, you were the one to show the potential to become a hero," All Might argued. "And like I said before, you did so with a disadvantage."
Hatsume moved her hand over her empty eye socket. "Still, I... I can't accept-"
"It's perfectly alright if you decline the offer, Hatsume, we just wanted to let you know about the vacant spot," Nezu got an idea. "In fact, if you have any suggestion for who could take the spot, we'd gladly hear it."
Just then, Hatsume remembered a certain insomniac-looking boy.
"Well, if you're willing to consider it..."
After a little argument with the principal and All Might, Hatsume walked out of the office... only to be met with Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, and Melissa outside.
"Oh hey, guys," she remarked, rubbing her arms. "What are you doing here?"
"We were told you were with the principal and All Might and we got a little worried," Midoriya explained. "Did something happen?"
"No, they just told me that since Ashido was arrested, there's a vacant spot in Class 1-A," Hatsume scratched the back of her head. "And, thanks to my performance, they gave me the choice to take that spot."
Midoriya's eyes widened and he gained a big smile, before Hatsume added:
"I declined."
He frowned immediately. "Why?"
"I'm just not cut out for the hero stuff, Izuku," Hatsume smiled. "Besides, they gave me the option to suggest someone else could take that spot, so I did, we talked a bit, and they're going to consider my suggestion."
"Still, it's a bit disappointing you declined," Midoriya smiled back. "I think you could've made a great hero, Mei."
Hatsume blushed as she formed a wide, slightly awkward smile.
"Okay, Izuku? Mei? You two are on first name basis now?" Melissa giggled. "Okay, spill, what happened while I was away?"
Hatsume and Midoriya put their fingers on their mouths. "That's a secret."
Melissa nodded with an amused smile. "Well, if you're wondering what I'm doing here, I'm accompanying Yaoyorozu: she wants to give you something."
The duo turned to the black swan girl, who took a deep breath before she reached for her stomach, and created... a pair of matryoshka dolls. Both resembling the images of Midoriya and Hatsume.
"Oh, cool, matryoshka dolls!" Midoriya chirped as he grabbed the doll based on Hatsume. "I've seen pictures about these things online, but I've never seen a real one before!"
"They're, gifts," Yaoyorozu explained. "Apology gifts. And a peace offering. A bit of both, really-"
Melissa nudged the black swan girl's side. "They're gifts, first and foremost."
"Okay, but, why?" Hatsume asked as she inspected the Midoriya-styled doll. "Is this your way of congratulating us?"
"Partially; it's also my way to ask someone to be my friend... and my way to apologize for this whole deal between us," Yaoyorozu blushed and twiddled her fingers. "You know, the whole "make Midoriya my mate" thing."
Midoriya lowered the doll. "Well, Yaoyorozu, now that you bring it up, I just want to let you know... we could still be friends."
Yaoyorozu nodded. "I think so too. I'd like to be friends with you."
"Just friends?"
"Just friends."
"This is the nicest friendzoning I've seen my life," Hatsume blurted. "Winning the festival was worth it just for this moment."
The quartet shared a short laugh before Yaoyorozu went back to the Class 1-A break room. Shortly after, Present Mic came with an announcement:
"ATTENTION, ATTENDERS AND ATTENDETTES! THE FIRST YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL IS ABOUT TO CONCLUDE! IF YOU DON'T WANNA END UP BEING KICKED OUT, PLEASE FORM A LINE AND GO BACK HOME!"
"You heard the man, it's time to leave," Melissa extended a hand forward. "Wanna head back home together?"
Midoriya and Hatsume held hands and exchanged looks and nods. Hatsume was the one to accept Melissa's offer.
And so, a trio of winners left the sports festival that day.
.
.
.
