"We want you to become an Avenger, Peter."

Peter blinked in surprise and had to fight the urge to let his jaw drop. Here was Captain America, the living legend of World War Two and Uncle Ben's favorite superhero, offering him something Peter had never expected in a million years.

And why would he? Sure, he had the occasional team up with the Avengers and was a reserve member, but that was like getting a store membership card. You got the thing, but never really expected much out of it.

Plus there were all the times he fought with the Avengers and other superhero teams back when nobody knew him that well. He also acted like a bit of a tool back when he was a teenager and knew that his jokes sometimes got on his fellow heroes' nerves. Sam Wilson didn't like him much for that exact reason.

So this offer was about the last thing he expected.

"Um, wow. Okay..." Peter let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, this is a great joke Cap but me wearing a mask sorta ruins your plan." He raised his voice. "You hear that, Tony? You can come out now!"

"This isn't a joke, son."

"Yeah, I expected as much." Peter sighed. "And, Cap, you don't have to call me 'son'. I'm almost thirty. I know I'm not that old compared to you but..."

Steve Rogers cracked a smile. "Sorry. I'm told that calling everyone 'Son' was part of my charm. Clint and Tony seem to think so."

Well, that explained more than a few things. "I'm... wow. I'm really grateful, Steve. But I gotta ask, why me?" Peter pointed at himself. "I mean, for most of my career I've been kinda a solo act. Sure, I've had a team up or two but I've always been kind of a lone wolf."

Steve walked to the edge of the roof and stared out into the Hudson. "So what was that over in the Raft? You seemed to take to working with the others well."

Just a few days ago, his old enemy Max Dillion, Electro, got hired to break out all the superpowered criminals stored in the maximum metahuman containment facility known as the Raft. Peter had shown up mostly by coincidence. He was on patrol and saw a massive bolt of lightning erupt out of the prison complex, so he hitched a ride on a helicopter and found himself working alongside the Avengers, Luke Cage, Jessica Drew, and Matt Murdock to contain the prison riot.

Things got a bit crazy when the Sentry showed up to take care of Kasady, but in the end they managed to contain the breakout save for a few guys that were currently being hunted down by the police and costumed community.

"I was only at the right place at the right time. Nothing amazing about that. Honestly, if Squirrel Girl had been there instead she probably would've done a better job than me."

The living legend chuckled at the name of their mutual acquaintance. "I'll let her know you think so highly of her." His face turned serious as he continued. "But that's the reason why I want you to be in this latest incarnation of the Avengers, Peter. We need someone like you there."

"Cap, I told you..."

"Many other superheroes would've done the same. I know that. But few would've taken the lengths you did to get there." He shook his head. "I'm sure you've noticed this, but many in our field are reactionary and chose to be isolated to their 'turf' as Luke called it. They would've noticed Dillion's attack, sure, but most would have stayed in their usual haunts to guard against a wave of escaped convicts. Some would have judged the distance to be too great and leave things to the 'local heroes' despite having abilities or technology that allow them to transport themselves there instantaneously." He turned to look at Peter. "You, however? You decided that you needed to assist in containing the violence. Despite the overwhelming odds, much greater than what you usually face on a daily basis, you decided that you needed to act."

Peter couldn't deny that. Hell, a part of himself had been screaming how much of an idiot he was. That he should've just stuck around by the shore and waited to see if the guards could contain the situation.

But he had made a promise.

"I had the power to get over there and help. So... it was my responsibility to do so." Peter clenched his fists. "I couldn't just ignore it. Not when so many people would have gotten hurt if I did."

"And that's why I want you on the Avengers." Steve walked closer to Peter. "Clint wants to spend more time raising his son, Jack of Hearts wants to work on developing Zero Fluid into an alternative energy source, Jennifer thinks that her hours as an Avenger are interfering with her law practice, and both Vision and Wanda want to focus on their marriage."

A part of Peter couldn't help but feel a little bitter. He and Mary Jane were married and happy, but he could feel the tension that was beginning to develop. She understood his responsibilities, but he always felt guilty about leaving her alone to punch out some muggers or a costumed idiot. Meanwhile, others in the costumed superhero business were deciding to cut back a bit to focus on their own lives.

So, even if Steve didn't mean it, he was offering Peter a spot because he apparently put his costumed life ahead of his personal one.

"I want this Avengers team to be different. One that focuses on the big problems while also keeping an ear to the ground." Steve was now five feet away and smiling at Peter. "I offered Luke and Matt memberships because they have been fighting on the streets longer than most. I offered Logan a position because we need to be able to help the Mutant community far more than we had. Especially in the wake of Genosha."

The mood turned somber at the mention of the massacred island nation. Millions of people wiped out all because of Cassandra Nova's hatred towards her brother and his dream. By the time the Avengers and X-Men got there, it was far too late.

Even Peter had cried because of the senseless loss of life.

"And Bob, well... he needs friends to help him through his issues."

Peter felt his mood pick up a bit at the mention of the Sentry. "Plus it pays to have a Superman around that can break Thanos' jaw?"

"I won't deny that. But that brings me to you. Like Luke and Matt, you have years of experience helping the 'little guy' regardless of how it affects you." Steve's smile could practically melt a glacier as he said, "And you're a good man. And we need good men in the Avengers. We need this team to be better than it was before. To do more together than what we could do alone. So..." Steve reached out and offered Peter his right hand. "...What do you say? Are you ready to become an Avenger, Spider-Man?"

Part of Peter wanted to say no. He had always been alone. Being part of a team... It felt like cheating. Like admitting that he couldn't atone for what happened to Uncle Ben alone.

But maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe that part just wanted to shirk this opportunity off because of his pride.

The same pride that got Uncle Ben killed in the first place.

Taking in a deep breath, Peter Parker reached out and shook Steve Rogers' hand.

"Please tell me you guys have money."

"We have money."

"Thank god, because a substitute teacher's salary isn't all it's cracked up to be."

For the first time in a while, Peter felt like he wasn't alone.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Peter groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He turned his head to the right to see La Brava glaring back at him.

"Those rings around her eyes make her look like an angry raccoon…"

"Five more minutes…" He muttered while trying to turn around, only for the diminutive girl to slap his shoulder.

"Heck no! You've gotta get up! It's almost nine!" Peter groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes while La Brava continued. "The Sports Festival is going to start in half an hour, and we've gotta get ready to watch it!"

He yawned and smacked his lips. While his morning routine would've consisted of bemoaning how awful morning breath tasted and going over his daily patrol routes, now it consisted of getting his butt into a sitting position and testing to see whether he could stand or not.

Well, he could stand but the problem was staying that way. After a couple of minutes walking around his wounds would start hurting like no tomorrow. He couldn't get back on the streets in this condition, let alone fight off the superheroes probably still pissed at him and the police along with any supervillains.

"Just like old times."

Peter's musings were interrupted when a cup of tea was brought to his face. "A morning cup?" Gentle asked from behind him, and Peter turned to see the older man smirking. "I find that it helps get rid of any aches, pains, or worries."

"Thanks." Peter took the cup and sipped its contents. It amazed him how Gentle knew the perfect amount of honey to put in. Peter was sure he never told the man the amount he found acceptable. "I'm surprised you guys aren't wearing your team colors."

"We do not have children attending U.A, so there is no need to show pride in one class." Gentle didn't seem to notice La Brava was blushing up a storm. "Besides, it is not one's association to a 'team' that makes them elegant. Rather, it's their actions and how they perform!"

Gentle gave a theatrical wave of his hand towards the television.

"Each one of these students is a member of a new generation of Heroes! This is the event that will show those who truly exemplify the amazing daring-do that Heroes should! In a mere couple of minutes, we shall see who will grab the attention of the famous Gentle Criminal!"

"Oh, Gentle!" La Brava swooned as she looked up at him with stars practically glittering in her eyes. "Any Hero would be lucky to have your respect!"

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be so happy to have your stamp of approval." Peter muttered as he stared at the screen.

His mind wandered back to his dream. That had been the first time that he had become part of something bigger. When he stopped being that one guy who dropped into a brawl on the street or the person the Fantastic Four called when She-Hulk wasn't available.

Peter had never expected it to happen. Hell, if Cap hadn't been the one offering it he probably wouldn't have accepted. But he had been a member of the Avengers since.

"And Izuku's experiencing that from the get-go. No lone wolf career for him. Hell, he's a part of his school's sports rally."

He didn't really get the Sports Festival. Maybe all watching the X-Men play baseball had numbed him to the novelty of watching a bunch of superpowered kids play games. But it made Izuku and his classmates part of a community. Something Peter hadn't experienced until he was well into adulthood.

"Plus it's letting them work together and have friendly competition instead of getting into slug matches over misunderstandings." Everyone had felt kind of stupid when those happened. Thankfully the Avengers, X-Men, and other superhero teams had long since learned their lesson. But it was still embarrassing for everyone involved. "Have to admit, I'm kinda jealous."

Not just for the lack of misunderstanding fights and the subsequent team-ups.

But because the school was teaching Izuku that important lesson.

It had been something Peter wanted to have a talk with Izuku about. He would've used the Superhuman Registration Act's fights as an example and probably went on a whole spiel about trust and needing to spend five minutes before throwing punches actually talking.

But no. The school seemed to be on the ball with that.

"Hell, they seem to be teaching Izuku more than I am."

Well, no matter. He can find some other life lessons for Izuku when he healed up.

Right now, it was Izuku's moment.

Peter grinned as he watched the television with interest.

"Let's see what you can do, kid."

"Mama! Papa! Look at the birdie! It's so cute!"

She always knew that her definition of 'cute' wasn't something that most people agreed with.

Blood had always fascinated her. Blood was pretty. It was like a river of liquid rubies, so warm and colorful. Every time she drank a bit of it from something she loved, she felt closer to them.

"Stop that! What do you think you're doing?!"

"It's dead! Stop smiling, damn it! You look like some sort of deviant!"

Mama and Papa thought she was strange. Too strange. They didn't understand her. Never even tried. Instead they just took her to a doctor that specializes in people like her.

She was to become their problem.

"Now Himiko-chan, you need to understand that your actions aren't normal."

"But… But I just want to love people!"

"And you can! All you need to do is hug them and kiss them. That's what expressions of love are supposed to be. What you see as love is more than a bit strange to regular people. So you must try and act like them so that everyone is comfortable. Think of it like playing pretend."

That was how she tried to handle herself. She played pretend all day, every day. She met with the doctors who said the same thing under the cover of darkness. Mama and Papa didn't want to be embarrassed with how they were taking a child to a psychologist. That she needed something called 'Quirk Therapy', which was something most people didn't need.

She hated playing pretend.

"It's not working! She's always smiling!"

"Toga-san, our process takes time…"

"How much time does it take, damn it!? The neighbor's dog just disappeared, and she always kept staring at it from her window! She called it cute!"

"Lots of children find dogs and animals cute."

"BUT NOT WITH THAT DAMN SMILE!"

She tried so hard to play pretend for their sake. She kept pushing her love down, deeper and deeper until Saito-kun…

NO! No, that wasn't how it happened! She… she was happy! She had been happy for a time!

Yes… yes, the memories were coming back to her. Mama and Papa didn't want her. So they sent her to live with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. She went to them by… it was by plane, right? She had to take a plane because they lived so far away.

"Oh, look at her Ben! Such a sweet little girl."

"How are ya, Himiko? Was the plane ride tough on you?"

They took such good care of her. Aunt May always baked her those sweet wheat cakes, always nice and warm. Uncle Ben always woke her up to go to school so she wouldn't be late.

"Here you go, dearie. Another helping of wheat cakes!"

"Thank you, Aunt May!"

"Don't fatten her up too much, May! Soon I won't be able to out wrestle her!"

She was happy. Those were the happiest days of her life. They understood her. They didn't try to force her to play pretend. They didn't call her a deviant and couldn't stand the sight of her. They were just happy to have her around.

She was even doing great in school! She found her true calling after years of just going through the motions!

"Keep up the good work, Himiko! You're on the fast track to a scholarship!"

"I will, Warren-sensei!"

But it wasn't all fun. There were still those who didn't understand her.

"Hey! We need another chick for the dance! What about Himiko over there?"

"Are you kiddin'? That bookworm with the creepy smile?! She'll just step on everyone's toes!"

"Toga Himiko? She's Midtown High's professional wallflower!"

Flash and his friends always made fun of her. Always said she was creepy and had her nose in books. She tried to smile and get along with them, but they didn't care. Flash, Liz, Kenny, and Carl just called her names. Creepy girl, deviant, stalker, pet killer…

It was like being in Japan all over again.

"Hey, why don't you leave her alone!?"

Except for one thing.

"Huh? What do you care, Saito?"

"She's just a girl! And she's not creepy! She's nice once you get to know her!"

Saito-kun… her first love always came to her aid. He was always running around school helping people. Teachers, students, the faculty… no task was too small for him. He even fought against Flash when he tried to bully her.

It was the first time her heart beat so fast.

The second time was when she saw Mary Jane with her red hair and kind smile…

Wait, was Mary Jane there? Then why didn't she and Saito meet before… before…

No, it didn't matter.

Saito had tried to comfort her when Sally cruelly rejected her offer for a date. But she instead ran away to the exhibit at the science hall. Tears were coming down her face, memories of her home rushing back.

"I-I'll show them! Someday, they'll be sorry! They'll all be sorry for how they treated me!"

That was the day she had gotten her powers. A spider that carelessly got itself irradiated had bit her, and she went off to try and use her new powers.

She used them to try and repay Aunt May and Uncle Ben. To get them out of the financial hole they dug themselves by taking care of her. She became Spider-Man, the media sensation!

But as she performed, the craving for blood returned. So many people loved her and she wanted to love them back. To leap into the audience and bite and suck. Let the red flow and stain her red and blue costume…

She never did it, of course. She always kept playing pretend.

"Hey! He stole the money!"

"STOP THAT GUY!"

Until that fateful day…

"Bad news, kid. Your uncle has been shot. Murdered!"

"What…? No… NO! Not Uncle Ben!"

Her heart had shattered into a million pieces at the news. Someone she loved… was dead?!

"Where is he?! Where's his body!? I need to… I need to save him!"

"We took him to Mount Sinai, but it's no use."

"NO!"

What's worse was that she couldn't be one with him. Couldn't feel his warmth anymore.

Uncle Ben, one of the two people that cared for her more than Mama and Papa ever did, was gone.

"Who did it?! WHO SHOT HIM!"

"All I've gotta do is hold them off until the moon goes down and… WHAT THE?!"

"There's nowhere for you to run, MURDERER!"

"G-Get away from me!"

"You took someone I loved! I couldn't even make him one with me! Now I'll have to make do with YOU!"

"P-Please…!"

"That face…! No, it can't be! You… you…!"

And as she kept stabbing the burglar, over and over again with her trusty knife while crying, she learned two valuable lessons.

With great power, there must also come great responsibility.

And the greater she loved someone… the sooner she had to seize it.

Himiko's eyes opened as the dream faded away. "Wow. I didn't think I could have dreams like that anymore…"

Sure, from what she remembered, the dream with the burglar was something no amount of therapy could take away, but all the stuff before? She hadn't thought about high school in years!

"Wait, did I go to high school?"

She groaned and put a hand to her forehead. When she felt the sting of her palm on the exposed muscle she moved it more to the right.

"I… I know I was in middle school before with Saito-kun. That's where we became one and…"

No… No, that didn't happen yet. She did go to high school! She had a normal, happy high school life despite those bullies. She had happy years with Aunt May and Uncle Ben before she got her powers. That had to be the truth.

It had to be.

Toga got up from the bed and stretched. Dressed in only her panties and a loose-fitting shirt, she walked barefoot to the kitchen to prepare her snacks for the Sports Festival broadcast.

She had to give credit to the family. They knew how to pack their fridge and freezer. Frozen chicken wings, shredded cheese, jalapeños… that and the nachos she found in the cupboard made for the perfect game day meal!

"Relax, girl." She chuckled to herself as she took out the wings and began placing them in the air fryer. "Can't eat too much. Not unless I wanna lose my figure again."

She heard the sobs again and sighed. God, she'd thought they would stop with that crap. It was seriously starting to get annoying.

"But I can't kill them right away. It would be a waste of test subjects and Aunt May always told me to eat slowly."

Thinking about Aunt May and Uncle Ben comforted her. Unlike her parents, they were a real family to her. They loved her and did everything for her. Sure, she screwed up sometimes but they always forgave her.

"Then why couldn't I remember them until recently?"

Himiko bit her lip and hissed, "Don't think like that…"

They were real. They were her Uncle Ben and Aunt May. She remembered the grief she felt when they both died… Those couldn't be lies!

They were her memories! She needed to remember that and squash that voice in her head.

"Wonder how Izuku is doing." She took the remote off the counter and turned the television on. The light illuminated the dark and web-filled room as well as the tear-streaked faces of the mother and daughter. "He's going to look so cute in his tracksuit!"

She remembered Izuku Midoriya well. She had been worried and sad about him not seeing her or her other half in a while. But she ultimately decided that it would be better to surprise him when she absorbed back her missing half. After all, a girl shouldn't visit a boy half-dressed! MJ had said that wasn't right for a first date!

She rolled her eyes when another sob was heard. "Okay guys, you seriously need to stop crying." She walked over to their restrained forms and put her hands on her hips. "I promised, remember? I'm not going to kill you right away! So long as you play by the rules and don't make a fuss, you get to live longer! And I always keep my promises." She leaned forward and grinned. "You wanna know why?"

Himiko Toga chuckled when she watched both women shake their heads. She leaned between their heads and gave a low whisper.

"Because I'm a superhero."

"Ah, Togata-kun! Glad to see you out and about!" Toshinori Yagi shouted while raising his hand in greeting. "And with friends as well!"

If he were in his muscled form, everyone would be focusing on him. Reporters and fans would be running up and asking for an interview or an autograph, sometimes both. Being All Might, the symbol of peace, made having a social life difficult. Trying to have a friendly relationship with his chosen successor without it looking like favoritism made things even harder.

But not when he returned to his true self.

Everyone just saw him as a sickly man. A skeleton who needed to be in a hospital rather than the grounds of a sports festival. People were giving him one glance before turning away, feeling self-conscious about staring at an obviously ill man.

It certainly made getting around a lot easier… at least until his body decided to send a sharp bolt of pain to remind him he's missing several important bits.

Mirio flashed him a wide grin while waving. "Hello, Yagi-san! It's great to see you here!"

Mirio Togata had his two friends by his side. Nejire Hado had her ever-present smile as she looked at him from head to toe, obviously curious. However, she was standing perhaps more closer than usual to the recently discharged Tamaki Amajiki.

The boy had been let out of the hospital only a week ago. Toshinori knew from his talks with Mirio that Amajiki didn't get out that much. U.A had been understanding and gave him some time off from regular in-class lessons, but Mirio had been worried about his friend's crushing feelings of guilt. He and Nejire had been visiting Tamaki regularly to keep him from being too depressed, and it seemed their visits were bearing fruit if the young man was visiting the sports festival.

"The young man is lucky to have friends like these…"

"Hi! My name is Nejire Hado, but you can call me Nejire-chan!" The girl shouted cheerfully before cocking her head. "Say, why do you look like a skeleton?"

Both Mirio and Tamaki practically choked when that last sentence exited Nejire's mouth.

"H-Hado-san… Maybe you shouldn't say stuff like that to someone you just met…" Tamaki muttered softly, causing Nejire to pout.

"Come on, Amajiki-kun! I was just curious!"

"It's quite alright. I do get that question a lot." Not that he ever gave any straight answers. "I was just hoping that I could borrow Togata-kun from you for a while"

"Why?" Tamaki asked, his expression gaining a slight twinge of fear. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, it's cool. Yagi-san has just been helping out with developing my Quirk!" Mirio laughed while scratching the back of his head. "I mean, if you want me to stick around with you guys…"

"Wait, is he the one who helped you smash robots and stuff?!" Nejire beamed as she shouted, "That's so cool! I mean, when those robots invaded you went zip and smash before going all POWER!" She mimicked each word with a wave of her arms, childlike glee practically rolling off her. "Who knew a guy that looks like a skeleton could make you even cooler, Togata-kun!"

"Hado…"

"Come on, Amajiki-kun!" Nejire went back to Tamaki's side and wrapped her arms around his left and dragged him away. "Let's go find some cotton candy and squirrel bread! We gotta get some snacks before the show starts!"

As the two began to disappear into the crowd, Toshinori turned to Mirio. "You have some good friends, Togata-kun."

"Yeah, I know." The two began walking, keeping in pace with each other. "Are you sure you should be here? I mean, I'm glad to see you, but shouldn't you be with the other teachers and Heroes?"

"They don't expect to see me until the last minute. It's a bit of a tradition for these types of things." Toshinori chuckled before coughing. Mirio looked at him with worry, but Toshinori raised his hand to gently assure him. "I-I'm fine. Just a little flare up."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. And I wanted to talk to you because I wanted to know if you were up for training after the festival."

Mirio looked surprised at the offer. "W-Wow, really? I mean, I'm grateful but it's not part of the regular schedule."

Right… the schedule until now had been Mirio taking his regular lessons while training twice during weekdays and all day on Sunday. This was done because Nighteye had handled a majority of Mirio's training.

"Well, I need to get more involved with your training from now on." Toshinori looked down. "Especially now that Nighteye is gone…"

He still missed his former sidekick and felt guilty for how things turned out. There were nights where he had dreams of being there when Nighteye needed him most. Saving him at the last second like those superheroes of old.

But that paled in comparison to what Mirio had lost.

He'd lost a mentor and an idol. Someone who believed in him. Enough to name him someone worthy of being All Might's successor and the next holder of One For All.

Mirio bit his lip. He took in a shaky breath before letting it out. "All Might, you don't owe me anything. I'm just grateful that you chose me to…"

"No, I want to do this. For too long I…" Toshinori sighed. He hated to admit this, but the boy deserved the truth. "I felt like I needed to keep my distance from you."

He could see the shock in the boy's eyes. He couldn't really blame Mirio for that. How often did one hear their heroes say they wanted to stay away from them?

"I believe I should be honest, my boy. You… weren't my first choice to become the next Symbol of Peace." He sighed and shook his head. "In fact, I hadn't made any choice. I was just trying to put it off as much as possible. To continue to be the Number One Hero until my body gave out. Nighteye… he saw the stupidity in that. He tried so hard to push you as the obvious successor. And I can see why."

Mirio was strong, brave, willing to go to extremes to save people, and would always smile in adversity. The two of them were so alike that he could be Toshinori's clone.

"I gave in, eventually, after seeing you. You were the obvious choice. Even I, in my own stubbornness, could see that." He looked at Mirio. "But I couldn't help but feel… I wouldn't say ashamed. You are a true Hero in every way. But I felt uncomfortable because it felt like Nighteye had made my choice for me. My own agency had been taken away because he somehow knew best like always."

It had been why he had taken such interest in Izuku Midoriya. The boy truly would've been his choice had he met the boy before meeting Mirio.

And Midoriya would've been his choice. Not Nighteye's. He would've found a true Hero and a worthy successor to One For All.

"But that was just my stubborn pride. That's why I hadn't been teaching you as I should've been." He put his hand on Mirio's shoulder. "That isn't going to happen anymore. I won't disrespect Nighteye's memory by treating you as some reluctant choice. That Quirk…" He poked Mirio on the shoulder. "Is yours. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you are ready to be the Symbol of Peace."

Mirio was silent for a moment, likely mulling over Toshinori's words. He knew the boy wouldn't hate him for them. It just wasn't the kind of person Mirio is. Still, he wouldn't blame the boy for having his opinion on All Might be shaken.

He didn't get that.

Instead, Mirio gave him a beaming smile and said, "Thank you, sir! You have my word that I'll give it my all during training! The last thing I want is to disrespect Sir by slacking off!"

Toshinori blinked before chuckling. "This boy really is something, Nighteye…"

"Attention all attendees!" A loud voice came from the speakers. "The Sports Festival is about to start! Everyone, please make your way to the stadium and in an orderly fashion take your seats…"

"Sounds like our cue!" Mirio motioned Toshinori to follow him. "Come on! We don't want to be late!"

"Yeah…"

This was going to be an experience that All Might would cherish just like all the other Sports Festivals.

It wasn't great because Izuku Midoriya was going to be there.

Rather it was because he was going to see the next generation of Heroes in action.

"I wish you could've seen them with me, Sensei. All those young men and women who will help bring a world of smiles."

"Welcome back to the U.A Sports Festival! It's here where upcoming Heroes will fight for the chance to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity status! All these kids are no strangers to the spotlight, but only one class has fought Villains and made it out to the top! Introducing… Hero Course Class 1-A!"

"Present Mic is laying it a bit thick!" Izuku's jaw clenched as he marched with his class. The sound of hundreds, of cheering upperclassmen, visitors, and even Heroes were ringing in his ears along with the distant popping of fireworks and the marching band playing to the sides. He could see the glares of flashes of cameras recording him… watching him…!

It was enough to make him queasy.

"Okay, be cool! I just gotta be cool!" He just needed to breathe in and out. It was the only way to calm his frantically beating heart!

"Well, this is to be expected." Yaoyorozu said as she walked beside him. "Tickets for U.A's Sports Festival always sell out. I just hope we can meet their expectations…"

"Yaoyorozu sounds nervous." But that was to be expected. While everyone knew that they would have all of Japan's eyes on them, experiencing it was something completely different. He glanced over to the rest of his friends. Jirou was looking cooly forward, not so much glancing at the audience. Uraraka, meanwhile, was making awkward turns of her head and chuckling nervously to herself. Sero however was just continuing to grin and give small nods to the onlookers.

Then there was Kacchan…

He was looking forward, a confident grin stretched from ear to ear. The crowd, the stadium, and even the Sports Festival itself didn't so much as faze him.

"He's been ready for this."

"You've seen them on the news too! These up and coming rookies helped their fellow students in fending off an army of evil robots! They might not have been Villains, but you can count on these kids to have your back! Give it up for… Hero Course Class 1-B!"

Izuku looked back at the class to see the second Hero Course students walk out. He hadn't actually interacted with the other members of the Hero Course, something that he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious about. After all, shouldn't a Hero get to know all his future colleagues?

"But it's not like I've had much time to become a social butterfly."

But his eyes focused on one member of the class. A blond guy with ice blue eyes and a smile that just screamed smugness.

"Do I know him from somewhere?"

As Izuku and his classmates walked to their section, Present Mic continued to introduce classes from the other courses. General, Support, Business… it just reminded Izuku of just how big U.A was.

And despite not being a part of the Hero course, they were all able to work together to fend off the Living Brain's drones.

"HAHAHA!"

The familiar laugh snapped Izuku out of his musings and he looked up to the sky.

"Holy crap! Is it a bird?!" Kaminari asked while pointing up.

"No!" Ashido shouted as she shielded her eyes and squinted. "It's a plane!"

Kacchan glared at them and shouted, "It's All Might, you dumbasses!"

Ashido puffed out her cheeks just as the Number One Hero handed on the stadium. "You're no fun, Bakugou!"

"Fear not, everyone!" All Might got up and with a flourish of his cape and a smile with teeth that shined in the sunlight, he shouted, "FOR I AM HERE! To announce the introductory speech!"

The stadium, somehow, seemed to explode with even louder cheers and applause. "I can't believe he's here…!" Izuku squealed as his classmates whooped and hollered at All Might. Even though they had gotten used to seeing him in class, it didn't diminish his presence. Just hearing his catchphrase electrified the atmosphere around them!

"Yes, yes! It is great to be here to introduce you all to another wonderful Sports Festival!" All Might then raised his right hand and pointed his finger up to the sun. "Now, to give you all the school pledge…!" He then pointed down and directly at Izuku's class. "Katsuki Bakugou!"

"Wait, what?" Izuku turned to Kacchan, who had lost his smirk and was just walking forward with a neutral expression on his face. "Oh… right. He did finish first in the entrance exams."

"Only for the Hero course!" He turned to see a girl from the general course glaring at him. "But that should be expected. The school sure does love putting you Hero Course students on a pedestal."

"Man, this is awkward…" Sero muttered. "I mean, I guess I can see their point but…"

"Don't let it bug you. Just focus on what's important." Jirou huffed back while crossing her arms. "Let's just hope that Bakugou doesn't screw this up."

Izuku gulped as Kacchan got onto the stage and was handed the microphone by All Might. He didn't think his childhood friend would do anything bad. In fact, he might just say the school pledge since All Might was literally right next to him.

"But that didn't stop him from kicking the stuffing out of me during the Hero versus Villain exercise…"

Kacchan cleared his throat and brought the microphone to his face. "I just wanna say… I'm gonna win."

Everyone was silent for a second, as if trying to register the declaration. Izuku and his class, however, seemed to have a moment of simultaneous horror and exasperation. They also said, practically in unison…

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY THAT?!"

Almost the entire field went into an uproar. Everyone was booing at Kacchan, and even All Might's grin seemed to be strained. As Bakugou turned to leave the stage, All Might was already at the microphone and put his hands up in a pleading motion. "P-Please calm down, students! I'm sure what Bakugou-kun means is…"

"Means nothing! I thought Setsuna was exaggerating what an asshole that guy was!" Izuku saw a grey-haired student that looked a lot like Kirishima clenching his fists. "But this settles it! We're kicking his ass during this thing!"

"Bakugou-kun! What were you thinking?!" Iida waved his arms as Kacchan returned to the class. "How could you disrespect our fellow students like that?! You're representing us all!"

"They don't matter." Kacchan clicked his tongue and glared at the other students. "I'm stating facts. All these losers are just stepping stones to my victory."

"Man, I should've seen this coming…" Jirou sighed while slapping her palm against her forehead. "If only you got more Villain points, Midoriya. We could've avoided this bullshit."

"Yeah…" Izuku's shoulders sagged. This was pretty in character for Kacchan. But he couldn't help but notice something. There were no loud declarations of how awesome he was. No laughing in the face of everyone's disgust with his words.

Kacchan, as per usual, believed in his words. It was a promise both to himself and the other students.

"But did he really have to make us all targets, too?!"

"W-Well… that was a colorful introduction!" All Might laughed as the jeering died down. "But, that's all behind us! Let us focus on why we are here! To see these young Heroes show their stuff!"

With a dramatic turn, All Might pointed at a hologram of a spinning slot.

"And our first competition will be…!"

As it slowed, Izuku gulped a mouth full of saliva and leaned forward in anticipation.

Then, it stopped.

"AN OBSTACLE RACE!"

As All Might explained the rules of the four kilometer race, Izuku let out a small breath of relief. Ever since he had gotten his powers, his problems with cardio exercises had since disappeared. He wasn't a string bean who passed out at the end of gym class anymore!

"But I can't get complacent. This is supposed to be an obstacle race, so there must be some crazy stuff to trip us up."

"Alright, did you get all that?!" All Might pointed to a single door. Right on top of it was a small traffic light with the red light shining brightly. "Good! Now it's time to get started! Everyone get into position!"

"Good luck, Deku-kun!" Uraraka smiled and gave him a small wave before walking with the rest of the class.

"Y-yeah. You too…" Izuku reached down and began untying his shoelaces. He suspected he would need to ditch them soon enough. "I need to remember that I can't go easy on her. Or the rest of my class. I have to think of this as my one chance to show the world what I've got."

To show the world that he was Spider-Man.

His hands clenched into fists.

"I need to remember what my classmates can do. I need to outdo them all…"

The red light turned off and the yellow light flared to life. Everyone's bodies tensed as they each got ready.

"Peter… I hope you're watching. Because this is the day…"

The yellow light began to blink on and off.

"…that I show what you and U.A have helped me to become!"

Time almost seemed to slow as the yellow light died.

Then the green light turned on.

"BEGIN!"

All Might's shout might as well have been a gunshot. Everyone broke into a sprint, bursting through the gates as a rushing tide of blue and white.

"Okay, I need to think! What can I expect U.A to use as the first obstacle?"

Robots? No, too easy. U.A. probably didn't want to show that stuff off after the Living Brain either.

A moving hallway? That would be simple and…

"Wait… is everyone going slower?"

As he was a quarter of the way through the entrance, the crowd of students ahead of him seemed to grow denser. Everyone was shouting and struggling against each other. A few were even trying to turn around, only to be blocked by those moving forward behind them.

Izuku's Spider-Sense was beginning to hum, and it didn't take long to understand why. Soon he would be trapped too!

"The walls! They must be slowly growing narrower to make it harder for us to get through in a large group!"

It was a pretty effective and simple obstacle.

"Still… it won't be a problem for me!"

Izuku bent his knees and leapt forward. As he sailed over the crowd, he kicked off his shoes and planted his feet on the wall. "Sorry!" he shouted at the students who got a faceful of his footwear.

He was running as soon as his footing was secure, quickly overtaking the struggling crowd. He could already see the light shining at the end of the tunnel. He was in the lead! "At this rate I'll get there in no time!"

"EAT SHIT, DEKU!"

Izuku had barely finished his thoughts when Kacchan rocketed past him with a rapid stream of miniature explosions.

"Kac-!" Izuku began when his Spider-Sense went wild. He sprang off the wall just in time to see a wave of ice cover it and the floor below, rooting almost everyone in place.

"What the…?!"

"Shit, I can't move!"

"Hey, where do you think you're touching!?"

"Sorry!"

"Who's the bastard that did this!?"

"I think I know who…"

Todoroki was sailing on an ice sled just behind him. "Apologies, but I can't let you hold me back." he said half-heartedly as he hopped off at the mouth of the tunnel and took off.

Normally, Izuku would've been able to clear the exit with a simple leap and overtake Todoroki before trying to catch up to Kacchan.

Instead, he was already sailing down just a few feet from the edge of his fellow racers!

"What the…?!" Izuku's feet slammed against the ice and he hissed, "Cold! Cold!" Damn it, he really should've kept his shoes!

What was going on? He shouldn't have landed this early!

"Come on, Midoriya! We won't win this thing if you just stop like this!"

The closeness of that familiar voice made Izuku look over his shoulder. "Mineta?!"

The diminutive boy was on his back. A quick glance confirmed Izuku's suspicions. Mineta was hanging onto his back by two sticky balls. "When did he get on?!"

"I was thinkin' about doing this with Yaoyorozu, but I decided that you had the best chance of getting through that crowd! Plus with your crazy strength, me being on here wouldn't be too much of a problem." At least Mineta had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry man, but I gotta do what I need to win!"

Before Izuku could protest, he saw Yaoyorozu landing next to him and running. "Nice try, Todoroki!" She shouted, her classmates right behind her. Aoyama was flying past with his naval laser, Ojiro was hopping along the ice with his tail, and Ashido was using her Quirk through her shoes to skate along the ice.

He was beginning to fall behind!

"We gotta move! Can't fall behind them!" Mineta began to chuckle. "Though I wouldn't mind the view if we are just behind Yaoyorozu or Mina…"

"Oh god…!"

His safest bet was to begin leaping along the course walls and floor to make up the distance. But as long as Mineta was on his back, he would still fall behind!

He needed to get rid of his classmate and fast.

"That's the ticket, Midoriya! Time to pay that jerk Todoroki back for…!"

Izuku hopped up softly and turned around in mid-air with his back facing the floor.

"Huh?!"

"Sorry, Mineta!" Izuku fell hard on the floor, but Mineta was the one sandwiched between him and the ice. Mineta screamed as they hit every little rock and crag as they slid along the ground. "But I can't have a stowaway in this race!"

He slammed his hands down on the ice and vaulted up towards the tree branches overhead. His Spider-Sense flared as he approached two forked branches that were thick. He could fit through them no problem, though. Peter had taught him how to judge 'close shaves' like this and keep his body straight and loose enough to slide right past them.

Mineta, on the other hand…

"GAH!" Izuku felt the weight on his back vanish. He glanced back to see Mineta clinging to the branches with a red mark on his face and a bleeding nose to go with it. "Midoriya! You jerk!" He shouted while shaking his fist and kicking his dangling little legs.

"Sorry!" He didn't feel too sorry, though. Mineta had hitched a ride without asking.

As he descended, he kicked off the wall of the course and leaped to the other side. He continued to jump off the walls of the track, zigzagging above the heads of his classmates to make up for lost time. He also took the chance to unzip his jacket and fling it to the wind. Mineta's balls were still on it and he couldn't risk getting stuck on something.

Izuku had to drop to the ground when the track ended and opened to a wide, empty dirt field. No problem. He could pull ahead of Todoroki in a matter of minutes with his Spider-Sense warning him of any incoming ice.

"Sorry, Todoroki… but it's going to take a lot more than that to stop me!"

Then his Spider-Sense reminded him that it wouldn't be that easy.

To Be Continued…

Notes: Yo! Here's the newest chapter in the Amazing Fantasy saga once again edited by reppuzan!

Now, this chapter was meant to be longer. I'm pretty much a guy whose chapters top off at most 17K. However, lately I've become a bit self-conscious about the length of these things. I've always had a bit of a thing with word bloat. Originally, this chapter was going to be one-and-done with the first part of the festival… but then I got to the end of this chapter and realized I've still got a bit to go after 8K. So me and reppuzan got talking and decided that it would just be best to end things here and then continue next chapter.

Hope you guys like it!

Well, anyways I hope you're liking the developments! Be sure to leave a review!

Also be sure to check out the TV Tropes page!