"HEYYYYYOOOOO!" Screamed Yamada as he appeared on the giant screen at the side of the stadium. "Make some noise all you rabid sports fans. Get those cameras ready media hoards, because this year we're bringing you some of the hottest performances in UA's festival history guaranteed. I've only got one question for you before we start this show; ARE YOU READYYYYY?!"
The crowd erupted.
Hitoshi winced at the response that followed, the collective cheers almost deafening. Aizawa had said the first year arena had never seen this level of ticket sales before but apparently everyone wanted to see the kids who'd managed to survive an attack against the League of Villains.
How disgusting.
"Master Shinsou."
He turned to see Principal Nezu standing beside Detective Tsukauchi.
"Sir?"
"The police and I have come to an agreement regarding your enforcement bracelet and it has been decided that you would be placed at too high a risk if you were to participate without your quirk."
Hitoshi's heart shattered right there and then.
They weren't going to let him take part. Just like in class he was going to be benched once again.
"And so they agreed that you can take it off for the duration of your time in the competition."
His eyes widened.
"It will go straight back on after you are finished competing and as previously stated all members of staff have a remote for the device, including myself. You are not permitted to use your quirk when not in a festival activity announced by Miss. Midnight and we can still pull you from the festival if we believe that you are acting suspiciously." Detective Tsukauchi spoke up.
Hitoshi had to hold back a growl at the accusations made against him by the detective.
"Do you agree, Master Shinsou?" Nezu asked.
"Yes, I agree."
"Let me hear you scream as our students make their way to the main stage."
The detective uncharged the bracelet and removed it from his wrist.
"I think that's your cue."
Hitoshi fixed a look at the detective's smarmy remark before he headed down the tunnel. He thankfully soon spotted Kacchan and shuffled in alongside him.
"Where the hell have you been?"
Hitoshi held up his bare wrist.
Kacchan's eyes widened.
"Nice."
"Take your places contestants!" Midnight announced.
Hitoshi was lined up beside Kacchan as they prepared to begin the obstacle race.
"We've got this in the bag." He grinned.
Maybe Kacchan did but he wasn't so sure about himself.
"BEGIN!"
The herd of students all raced forward at once creating a crush in the tunnel.
Kacchan, who luckily had had the sense to take hold of his wrist, pulled him next to him once again. He looked Hitoshi up and down in thought.
"You're taller." He muttered to himself.
Hitoshi furrowed an eyebrow.
"What?"
Kacchan maneuverered them to the side where the crowd wasn't.
"Crouch down a little."
"Whyyyy?"
"Just do it."
Hitoshi followed the instructon before Kacchan jumped up onto his back. It was then that he realised Kacchan's plan.
"That's genius."
He took hold of Kacchan to allow him to aim his hands backwards.
"Don't set fire to us." He teased.
"Shut up!" Kacchan laughed. "Ready?"
"Do it!"
Kacchan's explosion blasted them high into the air before the blonde wrapped his arms around Hitoshi's neck for stability.
"Woo hoo!" Hitoshi exclaimed in sheer amazement as they flew out of the tunnel and across wide expanses of the course.
"Is that fucking Todoroki in front?"
"I don't know who that is but sure."
"Is it. Great, we can beat him easy." Kacchan stated.
"Are you sure about that; he seems to be getting rid of those giant robots down there pretty easily."
"Well we're gonna' breeze straight past them. Be careful, don't get burnt."
"Thanks for the advice…" He replied sarcastically before he felt the heat of another blast send them back to their original altitude. "This feels very cheaty." Hitoshi smirked.
"They said use your quirks."
"Yeah but like, you can fly."
"It counts." Kacchan looked at his palms. "We're gonna' have to land I've not got enough sweat left."
"Lovely…"
"Here we go."
Kacchan used the last of his nitro-glycerine to aim downwards giving them a controlled landing.
The guy Kacchan had referred to as Todoroki, who Hitoshi recognised now that he'd seen him up close, seemed shocked by their sudden arrival on the scene and threw out a sheet of ice which froze both of them to the ground.
"Oh fuck you! Dick move, Todoroki!" Kacchan shouted before using a small explosion to burn away the ice, he then moved to Hitoshi and did the same. "Come on."
"Go on ahead, you've actually got a chance of winning. If you lose me you can beat him and I really, REALLY want you to beat him." Hitoshi stated.
"You sure?"
"Don't waste time, go!"
Kacchan grinned before he sprinted off.
"AND OUR FINAL FEW QUALIFIERS ARE CROSSING THE FINISH LINE NOW!"
Hitoshi couldn't be happier to see the inside of the arena as he almost collapsed against the wall trying to get his breath back.
Zuku had beaten Kacchan and Todoroki if the screen was correct but at least he was in the top three.
"You doing okay?"
It was Aizawa.
Hitoshi nodded, still bent double and near hyperventilating.
He walked closer and took hold of his wrist.
"So they did go through with it?"
"You knew?"
"Nezu mentioned what he was trying to do but even he wasn't sure whether the police would agree. Hizashi and I didn't want to get your hopes up just for them to say no so we kept it quiet. I'm glad Tsukauchi came to his senses, even though you shouldn't have to wear something so barbaric at all…" He stated bitterly.
Hitoshi finally seemed to be able to breathe again and righted himself.
"You should be proud of yourself, Hitoshi, getting this far is an achievement in itself."
"It is silly to say that I wanna' win?"
Aizawa smiled.
"Of course not, I mean, that's the outlook I had on it too and I ended up coming second. Just try your best and see where it gets you, okay, kid?"
Hitoshi nodded.
"Oh, I mean, yeah, I will."
He shook his head with a smirk.
"Well go on then, Midnight's waiting."
Hitoshi ran off back to the others.
Hitoshi had a problem.
A problem that made the obstacle race look easy.
Midnight announced the next event to be a cavalry battle… which was a team event.
And no one wanted him on their team.
Stood on his own as everyone else set about finding teammates Hitoshi sighed.
Guess he'd just have to be auto assigned to a team when the numbers thinned out.
Footsteps approached as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Hey Purple Hair!"
Kacchan.
"Come on, you're with me."
Hitoshi smiled and followed.
"You're kidding, right?!"
"You're picking him over us?!"
"Are you insane?!"
Came responses from the other students around them.
"Shut the fuck up and go and find someone else!" Kacchan shouted back in response causing them all to leave before he turned to Hitoshi. "Nobody knows how your quirk works, right?"
He nodded.
Kacchan grinned.
"Then those idiots are gonna' hand over their points to us."
"Bakugou!" Shouted Kirishima as he walked over. "Oh, and Komatsu, right?"
"Shinsou, actually."
Kacchan smiled.
"Oh, sorry."
Hitoshi shook his head.
"It's fine."
"I was gonna' try Todoroki but he already picked a group. So hey, we should team up."
"Hey Dumb Hair." Kacchan called.
"My name is Kirishima; and my hair's not that different from yours."
Hitoshi smirked.
"Come on, you wanna' be the rider, right? So you're gonna' need a strong front horse who won't be hurt by your blasts. That would be me."
"Hmm, I need someone with guts."
"My quirk was made for this; I've got you covered, man. Let's go charging into battle together."
Kacchan seemed to consider it.
"Hitoshi's on my team too, if you're gonna' have a problem with him then I'm not interested, I'll find someone else."
Hitoshi looked embarrassed in seconds at the unexpected defence.
'KACCHAN IT FINE'
Kirishima walked over and held out his hand.
"I think the two of us were both a little in the moment the first time we met but I don't hold anything that happened against you. Sorry I haven't made an effort to talk to you, that's completely on me, and it's totally not very manly, but the fact that you've been in General Studies for most of the year and managed to get to the second round certainly is. So how about we get you to the third round too, as a team?"
Hitoshi smiled with a nod before shaking his hand.
"He hasn't had the training we have so you're gonna' have most of the weight."
"I can handle it!" Kirishima grinned as he demonstrated his hardening quirk.
"So, you're the front defence, Hitoshi's our secret weapon, now we just need someone everyone thinks it gonna' be attacking so that they won't focus on you."
"What about Sero?"
Kacchan can't help but notice Hitoshi's flinch.
Of course, he and Todoroki were the ones who restrained him when he tried to get away during the USJ. No wonder he was a little anxious.
"We don't have to pick him if you're not okay with that, we'll just find someone else."
Hitoshi put on a brave face.
"No, we need him. Let's win!"
Kacchan smiled.
"Sounds good to me."
Trying to keep Kacchan off the ground proved to be a lot harder than Hitoshi had anticipated. However, it wasn't from his lack of muscle, instead it was his insistence on trying to steal Zuku's headband.
"Dude you need to stay here or we're gonna' get disqualified!" Kirishima stated.
"I know that…" Kacchan responded. "It was just a logical ruse, they think I'm the one who's gonna' go for the headband, either that or I'll order Sero to make a grab for it, the last thing they're gonna' expect is Hitoshi."
Hitoshi looked impressed as he gave a nod.
"If you get in close and distract the horses I'll grab the rider."
"Got it!" Kirishima and Sero answered.
"Hey Teeth!" Kacchan shouted.
The three of them traded conversation and insults while Hitoshi leant close to the steel type guy.
"Hey, do you really think you're gonna' win?" He whispered.
"Who do you think you-"
Got him.
"Give me your headbands."
The steel type handed them over without his horses even noticing.
"Thanks, now order them to go after another team away from us."
"Over there!" He complied before they all rushed off.
Kacchan turned to him with the widest smile of admiration as he took the headbands and put them around his neck.
Kirishima looked gobsmacked.
"That was AMAZING!"
Sero didn't look so sold but didn't say anything.
"Who's next?"
"AND TIMES UP!" Midnight's voice bellowed through the arena.
"Oh mannnnn…" Kirishima groaned.
"Damn it!"
Hitoshi quickly looked up at the scoreboard.
"We did it…" His voice was small in disbelief.
Kacchan, Kirishima, and Sero's eyes all widened as they tracked to him then the screen.
"WE BEAT DEKU!" Kacchan shouted in sheer glee before bursting into laughter. He turned to his cousin. "HAHA, SUCK IT, DEKU!"
After lunch it was back to the festival, Hitoshi had to make a quick stop to get the enforcement bracelet removed yet again. Apparently they didn't even trust him to eat lunch without turning evil…
But it was time for the third and final round and Hitoshi was nervous.
Two kids dropped out from illness meaning that the girl with the roots hair and steel guy moved up.
"Take a look at the screen my dears, these are your opponents." Midnight announced.
Hitoshi took a breath before looking up.
'Hitoshi Shinsou vs. Izuku Midoriya'
Oh god.
Meanwhile…
"Next up, the newcomer to Class 1-A Hitoshi Shinsou vs. Izuku Midoriya!"
There was a sharp inhale as…
'Smash'
Pieces of broken mug and spilt tea covered the floor.
"Hajime!"
Hajime sprinted into the room to find his wife almost hyperventilating on the couch as thick tears trickled down her cheeks.
"What's wrong, what happened?" His voice was full of concern. "Mihoko?"
Her shaking hand slowly rose to point towards the TV.
"Our baby…" Her emotional tone responded. "That's our baby!"
Hajime looked to the paused screen to see the purple-haired teenager. His eyes travelled to the name on the graphic before his knees shook as they gave way beneath him, sending him down to the floor.
"Hitoshi…"