Me: Hello everybody, my name Tokusatsu Universe and welcome back to Toku no Hero Academia! Now we are at the Sports Festival, which to tell you the truth I'm very excited to write. Let's begin!
Milarqui: And, once more, tenses, grammar and all kinds of a mess to deal with.
Chapter 7: Sports Festival Part 1
The day was finally here! It was finally the day the U.A. Sports Festival began! A prime source of entertainment for the people all over Japan, it was also a good source of money for U.A. thanks to the many stands that were built all over the campus: not only did they have to pay a fee to the high school for renting a spot, the merchandise related to either U.A. or Pro Heroes also generated an income from a small part of the fees.
The size of U.A.'s campus was such, that they could afford to have three Olympic-sized stadiums, one for each class year. Normally, the event that attracted the most crowds was the 3rd Year tournament, who were the ones with the last chance to show off, but this time it was the 1st Year students who attracted the most crowds, probably because people wanted to see what the students who had managed to fight off a group of Villains were able to do, especially the one who took down the monster that was the Villains' most powerful member.
"Man, I had hoped to be able to do some scouting," Kamui Woods grumbled, walking around the grounds converted into stalls and streets with Death Arms and Mt. Lady.
"We have to work security... so we don't have much of a choice," Death Arms replied. "You will be able to see them in the screens and later at home."
Mt. Lady, meanwhile, was chowing down on the Takoyaki she had managed to get for free by seducing the stall owner in charge.
"Looks like they called nearly every Pro Hero to help cover security this year," She said.
"That reminds me, do you think that kid's here?" Death Arms asked.
"Absolutely." Kamui Woods grinned. "When I can, I'm going to send him an offer to intern."
"You know... we never actually got his name that day."
The Tree Hero stopped for a second before covering his face with his right hand.
"I suppose that we will be able to learn it today, if he got here in the end, that is," Mt. Lady wisely replied. "We should be able to recognize what he can do."
Ever since the encounter they had with the green-haired boy a year before, the three heroes had dedicated themselves to work much harder than before, having taken his well-meaning criticism to heart. Mt. Lady had been the one that had most changed, taking her job as a Pro Hero more seriously: while she still cared somewhat for the attention (and at times could not help but pose or show off) she was quite careful about the amount of collateral damage caused by her Quirk, and used her Quirk and the increased strength it gave her to make herself more capable of fighting both Villains and disasters – and doing so much good always felt good to her, so she kept that momentum in order to not revert to what she was before.
"Class 1-A Waiting Room"
"Man... I really wanted to wear my costume," Mina complained: she was wearing her PE uniform, but she would have rather taken her hero costume to the tournament.
"We have to keep things fair, Ashido-san," Mashirao replied, stretching his arms. "The other classes don't have costumes, so PE uniforms give everyone a relatively fair chance. Not counting the advantage from Quirks."
"I wonder what the first round's gonna be..." Sato wondered, nervously. "The anticipation is going to kill me."
"It does not matter what comes. We have no choice but to deal with what we are faced with," Fumikage stated, his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Indeed. We must overcome every obstacle they throw at us," Mezo added, nodding in agreement.
Just then, the door opened, and Momo and Izuku barged into the room.
"Is everybody ready? We'll be entering the stadium soon," Momo asked. One by one, everyone stood, ready to prove to those who saw them their worth as future heroes. However, Shoto chose to approach Izuku as he stretched his limbs.
"Midoriya."
Izuku turned to look at his classmate, and everyone looked at the two of them.
"Is there a problem, Todoroki?" Izuku asked, curious about what the bi-colored teen would want with him so close to the beginning of the ceremony.
"Looking at things objectively, you and I are the strongest people standing in this room, right now. Perhaps you are stronger than me," Shoto stated bluntly, not caring about the other eighteen people listening in on their conversation. While Katsuki bristled at the comment – although thankfully he chose to keep quite – Izuku's eyebrow rose.
"So... All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?"
Izuku fought to keep the look of shock out of his face. Given Shoto's personality and unwillingness to talk to others, he had not realized Shoto was so perceptive that he had noticed his connection to All Might.
"Relax, I do not intend to pry about it," Shoto said, continuing to stare at Izuku. "But I am going to beat you."
Everyone else in the room was quite shocked at the boldness of the statement, particularly when it came so suddenly from a guy who was quite aloof of the rest of the class most of the time.
"Wow! Is the hermit prodigy making a declaration of war on our Deputy Rep?" Denki remarked, grinning, before getting hit on the back of the head by one of Kyoka's jacks. Eijiro chose to put his hand on Shoto's shoulder, trying to be conciliatory.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you trying to pick a fight now, out of all times? We are about to begin the Festival!" The red-haired said, trying to ease up the tension before two of his strongest classmates decided to engage in a brawl. Shoto pushed the hand away firmly as he continued to stare down at Izuku, who fired back with a confident smile.
"Can't wait to see you try. But don't forget about everybody else, Todoroki. We're all here to prove ourselves to the world. The students from the other courses are going to be aiming for the top by giving their all to get there! And so am I, and you, and everyone, because we cannot afford to fall behind. Plus, looking at it objectively speaking..."
Izuku was not going to back down from Shoto, no matter what.
"Hey, Midoriya, you probably shouldn't take anything negatively," Eijiro stated, once more trying to calm everyone down.
"We're not the only strong ones here, son of Endeavor. This room has twenty people who are strong enough to win this entire thing, and you would do well in remembering that."
Everyone nodded at the words in agreement, while Shoto just quirked his eyebrows before turning around and beginning to walk for the door. Katsuki, who had just listened in on the conversation, turned his head and sucked his teeth.
Soon, they would be walking towards the center of the arena, where they would show the world what they were made of.
"Thank you so much for getting us these seats, Yagi-san," Inko thanked her son's mentor as she sat down in the comfortable VIP stands. It wasn't a front-line seat by any means, but it was close enough to the ground that she wouldn't need to squint if she wanted to see her son.
"Hell, yeah! It's so fucking refreshing to be able to see the action without other people getting in your way," Mitsuki added, grinning, much to her husband's chagrin.
"I think she means to say thank you," Masaru apologized, something he was quite used to.
"Think nothing of it," Toshinori replied, once more marveling at how wonderful life was thanks to his newfound health. Many of his fellow teachers had been quite surprised when they saw his 'new' form, and he had also taken advantage of this to eat things he had not tasted in more than half a decade. "A friend of mine, here at U.A., gave me these seats months ago, and suggested me to invite someone. I had not planned to do anything with them, but since your children were going to be here, I chose to invite you."
"Thank fucking god for those friends, then," Mitsuki laughed while Masaru unsuccessfully tried to control his wife's foul mouth.
'I can see where young Bakugo got his habit from,' Toshinori thought. Sitting in front next to Inko, while the Bakugos sat right behind them, the four watched as the spectacle began.
"HEEEEEEEY!" Present Mic shouted from his booth, causing the crowds to cheer loudly. "Pay attention, audience and mass media! This year's high-school rodeo of adolescence that you all love, the U.A. Sports Festival, is about to begin! Is everybody ready? Because it is time for the first year students to enter the stage!"
"Why did I agree to do this?" Shota grumbled from his seat next to Present Mic, as all the spectators looked towards the tunnel, eagerly waiting for the participants to walk into the stadium.
"The U.A. Sports Festival! The huge battle where our fledgling Heroes sharpen their swords once a year! And HERE THEY COME!"
Inko and Toshinori looked on, thinking of the same green haired boy, as the silhouettes of teenagers began to show.
A few seconds later, the students were walking into the stage, led by Izuku, all of them proudly showing their uniforms and waving to the crowd.
"And these are our Hero Course! Who, in spite of their youth, have managed already to overcome the enemy with hearts on fire and souls of steel! Classes 1-A and 1-B!"
The crowd cheered wildly: after the news of the attack on the school, people had wondered about how those children had fought off those ruffians, and now they would be able to see it.
Down at the stage, the students looked around at the huge crowd.
"Wow, there are so many people!" Izuku remarked.
"Do you think we will be able to give our best performance, being watched by so many people? This is also part of the training required to become a Hero, right?" Tenya said, doing like his classmate.
"I think he's going overboard with the praise! I'm getting nervous! Are you nervous, Bakugo?" Eijiro asked the ash-blond haired boy.
"Nope! I'm just getting more into it!" Katsuki replied, a maniacal grin plastered over his face.
"After them, those who shouldn't be underestimated, because they are but a victory close to join their fellows! They are General Studies, Classes 1-C, 1-D and 1-E! After them, the ones that make sure gears turn and wheels run, Support Course, Classes 1-F, 1-G and 1-H! And last, but not least, the ones who learn the ins and outs of our economy and how to help the Heroes, Business Course, Classes 1-I, 1-J and 1-K!" Present Mic announced as the rest of the freshman classes came through their respective tunnels. While it was true that reception was not as intense as the one that welcomed Hero Course, they nonetheless received the cheering they deserved as pupils of the foremost Hero Academy in Japan.
"Man, I feel like we're just here to make those guys look better," One of the students from General Studies said.
"I'm not really feeling it," Another student replied.
Hitoshi sighed, but chose not to reply. He knew that, had he not been moved to the Hero Course by Aizawa-sensei, he would probably be there saying similar things.
As the first years gathered in the middle of the stage, a loud whipping sound caught their attention.
"Time for the Players' Pledge!" A feminine voice shouted. Pretty much every male in the stadium blushed as they saw the attractive woman on the stand, her whip in hand and a sultry smile on her face.
"And this is this year's chief umpire for the First Year Tournament, the R-Rated Hero, Midnight!" Present Mic presented her, while the people in the stands whispered.
"What about the principal?" Someone asked.
"He's always at the third-year stage, every year!"
Most of the male students were flustered, to say the least: in an affliction common to most male teenagers, the sight of a beautiful woman was not conducive to maintaining a poker face. Even if she was their Art teacher, her choice of costume today was much more revealing than the norm.
"What is Midnight-sensei wearing? Isn't it a bit... revealing?" Eijiro asked, his face turning as red as his hair while he gazed.
"That's the R-Rated Hero for you!" Denki answered.
"Is it really okay for her to conduct the events of this tournament, even though she is not wearing clothes appropriate for the scene?" Fumikage wondered.
"YES!" Denki exclaimed, shooting him a big thumbs up.
"Of course you would say that..." Hitoshi told the electric boy, who looked back at him.
"QUIET, EVERYONE!" Midnight yelled, whipping the air again in order to catch everyone's attention. "Now, representing the students is Midoriya Izuku, from Class 1-A!"
Every eye turned to the green-haired teenager, who knew this was because he had scored the highest during the Entrance Exam, so he was not shocked: instead, he walked to the front of the stage and stood next to the microphone, right next to the teacher, who smiled at him.
"Knock'em dead, kid," She whispered, winking at him as she stepped back.
'Here it goes,' He thought, trying to come up with something good to say.
"I pledge... that not all people are created equally. That is the reality I learned when I was just four years old. I learned that, in reality, the world is not fair at all. The world is not all sunshine and rainbows, but a cruel and unforgiving place. Most people will have a harder life than others. Eventually, I came to realize that I was one of the lucky ones... but others aren't, unfortunately."
Izuku paused: he had already caught everyone's attention, and apart from the usual sounds it seemed as if no one was making noise.
"Reality... isn't what people want most of the time and all you can only do is adapt and keep moving forward in order to survive. As such we all have a responsibility to those who came before us by showing that expectation from the ones who we admire especially if it is a mentor that you look up to, or maybe a parent who might be watching you and making them proud as well. We owe it to them for helping us and making the sacrifices that had to been made in order to get us here, and by not giving it our all is just only letting them down. So that is what we must do even in these rough times in life. It's our duty to ensure that we rise to the occasion and surpass those who came before us here in U.A. and beyond in the world. Why would I say all this to you, you may ask? The answer is simple. It is because we're not here just for ourselves or that life isn't about how powerful one is."
"It is about how hard of a hit you can take, and keep getting up in order to stand up and live by the ideals that you believe in! Because for those of us who have gotten up to this point, to this stage in our lives, let's be honest we're all be here to show the world that it wasn't just our talents that got us here! It was that determination that has given us the chance to help everyone, to serve our society, to protect and save the innocent from danger and misfortune, no matter what you are! Even if most of you are considered weak... everybody that is participating here today is not a coward and they're going to make sure not to disappoint you all! Now, if you know what your worth is, then go out and prove to the world that you are truly worthy of being here! By showing we are all better than what we were yesterday by outdoing and going above and beyond today! That's how winning is achieved and so may the best thrive!" Izuku yelled. His words were hitting home with everybody in the arena, as they kept watching, speechless. Izuku took one final breath before he ended the speech.
"Your dreams can become reality, no matter what they are. You will face obstacles and other challenges in life that you can overcome if you just work very hard for them... then, you will eventually reach them." He took a bow at his classmates and to the public. "Thank you all very much, for your time here, and may we have the best Sports Festival that will be remembered throughout the ages! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!"
Izuku walked down the stairs off the stage and rejoined his classmates.
At the rest of the stadium, first there was only silence, so much that one could probably hear a pin drop. But then, a few seconds later, one person began clapping. Then a second one followed. Then a third... a fourth... a fifth... and soon enough everyone was on their feet, giving a round of applause to Izuku, showing the respect and admiration they now had for his words.
Izuku smiled at the realization that the applause was directed at him, feeling that feeling one had when you achieved something extraordinary.
"That was so manly! I have never heard such wise words before. They were truly inspiring, hitting me harder than any punch I could ever throw! Thank you, Midoriya!" Eijiro said, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"That was so motivating, Midoriya!" Tetsutetsu cheered from the middle of his group.
"Well said, Midoriya," Neito said, smiling as he applauded the speech. No matter his rivalry with Class 1-A, he could not help but admit it had been quite good.
Meanwhile, Itsuka, Mina, Momo and Ochaco were also applauding Izuku, who was smiling as he tried to fend off some of his more boisterous classmates.
"YEEEAAAAAAHHHH! Everybody give it up for MIDORIYA IZUKU! That speech will definitely be remembered in the future!" Present Mic announced, heard even through the wild cheering of the crowd.
"I gotta hand it to you, kid. Respect is given when it is earned, and you have not only impressed me... you have earned my respect. That is something not a lot of people have been able to achieve. So, consider yourself honored, Midoriya," Shota said through the speakers, proud to have a student like him.
Elsewhere in the stands, other Heroes reacted: Vlad King nodded, closing his eyes as he went over what the young man who had saved him said. Endeavor smirked, the fire around him increasing in heat and intensity, making others thankful that they were not anywhere close to him.
And Toshinori, trying to help Inko calm down from her crying outburst with the aid of Masaru and Mitsuki, could not get the smug smirk off of his face.
'Yes, Midoriya! You have done it, my boy! You have officially told the world you are here, and that you are here to stay!'
"That's my son!" Inko yelled in a proud voice.
"Kid's sure something, Inko-chan," Mitsuki remarked, smiling as she dried her friend's eyes, used as she was to it, with her husband nodding in agreement.
And, down at the stage, two students had been remanded silent: Bakugo, whose jaw was now hanging as his former friend was congratulated by pretty much all the students in the year, and Shoto, who knew that Izuku was clearly the real deal.
"Thank you, Midoriya, for that beautiful Pledge. You have certainly inspired the hearts of everybody in this arena, INCLUDING MINE! But now, let's get started right away!" Midnight exclaimed.
"U.A. does everything 'right away', huh?" Ochaco mumbled, a feeling echoed by her friends and rivals, who, like so many other girls around, had their minds occupied by a certain cinnamon roll. They had known he was good, but still it was a shock to hear him give such a heartfelt speech.
'You are certainly an interesting person, Midoriya. Definitely different from the rest. I can't wait to see you in action once more,' Hitoshi thought. That day when he sat with him at the canteen, he had believed Midoriya would look down on him and his Quirk, like so many had before, but instead he had complimented it and outright stated that he would become a great Hero. And then, during the USJ incident, while he let his Quirk loose on the villain teleporter, Midoriya had fought the Noumu on his own and won. And now, instead of pledging to win the festival, as others had done before, instead he had asked everyone to give their best.
That was a feeling many of the other students also had. Used as they were to being overlooked in favor of the Hero Course, hearing such humble and encouraging words from a student from Class 1-A was a surprise: instead of being ignored, Izuku had made sure to include them in the speech, and their views shattered, now they grew a newfound respect for him.
"The first game will be the qualifier! Only a limited number of competitors will be allowed to pass to the next stage! Many have drunk tears at the end! Now, here is the fateful first game!" Midnight announced, whipping the air again to give power to her words, as a giant holographic roulette appeared right behind her and began to spin. Everyone looked intently at it as it slowed down. "This year, it will be..."
Finally, the wheel stopped, pointing at two words.
"OBSTACLE RACE!"
"An obstacle race?" Izuku asked, wondering how an obstacle race would work out in the Sports Festival.
"The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, which is close to four kilometers long! Now, our school's selling point is freedom..." Midnight gave a rather malicious lick to her lips before continuing. "So, as long as you stay on the course, everything goes!"
"Of course, it goes without saying, that you have to run the entire course," Shota piped in. "That means that trying to go out and then back in to reach the finish line, even if they are in the same place, is completely forbidden!"
"Ah, good catch!" Present Mic added in reply.
"Now, then, take your places, everyone!" Midnight yelled, and the crowd cheered as excitement filled the air, as the students began to move to the tunnel that led to the starting line.
As Izuku got ready, the words of All Might reverberated in his mind.
"I want you to tell the world I AM HERE!"
And, as he looked into the eyes of the other students, he could see nothing but the unbreakable will and determination to do their best and excel. He now realized the effect his words had had on his peers: he had lit a fire in their hearts, urging them to go beyond what they would have had if it were not for his pledge. Seeing this brought a smile to his face, as his words had had the effect he had wanted them to have.
The countdown started as the first of three green lights went out.
'Mom and All Might have put all their faith in me. I can't let them down. I have to win. I have to go even further!' Izuku thought.
The second light went out.
Up in the stands, Toshinori folded his hands, anxiously waiting for the race to begin, while Inko had her hands clasping her mouth in anxious anticipation.
'PLEASE, WATCH ME!'
Now, Izuku's eyes glowed with green energy, as electricity began to surge through his legs.
The final light went out.
"START!"
Immediately, all the students began to charge towards the exit of the tunnel: gaining a good lead in those precious seconds was vital.
"OKAY! Here's the play-by-play! Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?" Present Mic asked Shota.
"You are the one who forced me to come in the first place," Shota lazily replied in complaint, something that Present Mic ignored.
"Let us get started right away, Mummy Man! What should we pay attention to in the early stages?"
"This part right now," Shota replied.
Inside the tunnel, complaints aroused as the participants were smashed up together, all trying to run through the tunnel at the same time. It was too narrow and small for all of them to fit, and many thought it had been built precisely to test how they would go through it.
Suddenly, the temperature dropped, and many students felt their feet and legs getting frozen up, just as a bi-colored teen easily ran past them.
"Sorry, but I have to win," Shoto said, leaving a trail of ice right behind him, while those afflicted were left trying to hack the ice apart. Many of them yelled in agony as they couldn't move forward, due to the ice that trapped them, courtesy of Endeavor's son.
"TAKE THAT, STUPID ICE!" Katsuki yelled, using his explosions to jump above the other students and past Shoto's ice trail.
"Nice try, Todoroki!" Itsuka said, blocking the ice with her enlarged fists.
"Naïve, Todoroki," Momo huffed, using two long staffs to jump over the ice.
"Like that's gonna keep me down!" Tetsutetsu said as he smashed the ice with his steel arms.
"Your frost can't escape my sparkle!" Yuga stated, firing a beam that allowed him to jump over the crowd as Eijiro broke through the ice thanks to his Hardening Quirk and Togaru sliced what ice had fallen on him.
"You got me once with that, you won't get me again," Mashirao stated, jumping over the ice.
"Whew, that was close!" Mina shouted, using her acid to melt the ice and skate across towards the exit.
"I can't even use my special move yet..." Ochaco lamented, walking across the ice trail with difficulty.
Meanwhile, Hitoshi had easily 'convinced' four students to carry him across the ice.
"I won't let you get away so easily, you half-and-half bastard!" Katsuki yelled, igniting more of his sweat to get an extra boost.
Shoto looked back and saw that his trap had not been as successful as he had hoped.
"More people outside of 1-A and 1-B dodged than I had expected..." He muttered, before he looked in front of him and struggled not to let his jaw drop in shock.
Izuku had easily averted the ice trap by simply going at a ridiculously fast pace, faster than the ice could spread, leaving behind streaks of his signature green energy. He had just ran past everybody else, and now he was clearly on the lead.
'WHAT? I didn't even see him move! How is he running that fast without tiring?' Shoto wondered.
"WOAH! It seems like Midoriya is already in the lead! I didn't even notice until now!" Present Mic shouted, surprised as were most of the spectators at how the green-haired future hero had, somehow, taken the lead without being seen moving.
"That's what happens when you don't pay attention. If you had been looking carefully right when the race began, you would have seen that Midoriya had already used his Quirk to run past all the other competitors. Clearly, he figured out that the tunnel would be too narrow to fit in all the students and made the rational decision to be the first going through," Shota stated, knowing that his student would not have fallen for Todoroki's trick.
Izuku, meanwhile, looked behind to see Shoto trailing him, and he smirked.
"Nice trick you pulled with the ice over there, Todoroki! But you are going to have to do better than that if you want to beat me!"
Shoto's eyes hardened at the taunt.
"Why, you–"
Before Shoto could finish, he saw Izuku suddenly coming to a grinding halt. As he slowed down, he found out exactly why his classmate had stopped.
"Targets found... Lots!"
Izuku looked up to see a Zero Pointer, identical to the one he had destroyed during the Entrance Exam, as its red eye gleamed down on him, locking onto Izuku as its target.
"Obstacles have shown up suddenly! Starting with the first barrier, ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic announced as more Zero Pointers began to emerge, setting their sights on the participants.
"Holy shit, the Zero Pointers from the exam!" Denki said horrified as the horde of robots approached them.
"The Hero Course had to fight those?"
"This is what they meant by obstacles?"
"There are too many! I can't get through!"
"So, this is what the rest of my peers had to fight in the Entrance Exam," Shoto told himself, looking at the Zero Pointers for the first time.
"Where did they get all the money to pay for these?" Momo wondered, because she was sure they had to be expensive.
Before Shoto could make a move, Izuku shot himself flying towards the closest of the robots, anger showing in his face.
"This is for giving so much grief during the Exam!" Izuku screamed as he cocked his arm back, lightning and energy flowing through it.
The closest faux villain moved its arm to swat Izuku down, but he just swatted it away himself before throwing his attack.
"GOMORA SMASH!" Izuku roared, and his One for All-powered punch right into the faux-villain's body.
The resulting impact sent the Zero Pointer flying backward, crashing into several others, as a domino effect started to blow them one after another.
"What the... Inko, when has Izuku been able to do something like that?" Mitsuki shouted.
"He-he has been working out r-recently," Inko stuttered, "but I didn't think he'd be that strong!"
"It seems to be some sort of secondary Quirk," Masaru noted, causing both mothers to turn towards him. "In the beginning, he was projecting energy from his body, but there were also arcs of electricity wrapping around his body at the same time, empowering him."
'This man... he's very sharp. I guess that's where Bakugo got a good part of his intelligence,' Toshinori thought nervously, carefully wiping the cold sweat on his forehead.
"Yagi-san... did you know anything about this?" Inko asked, turning towards him. "You helped train him during the months before the Entrance Exam... you must know something."
"Um, well, yes," Toshinori replied, willing himself (somewhat unsuccessfully) to calm down. "It was during the middle of training that we realized it was a part of his Quirk. Some kind of hidden aspect within Superpower."
"Really? Then he should've told me that. I'm going to have a word with him when the festival is over," Inko said, acquiring the typical 'Almighty Mom' tone.
'Crud. This is not good. I'll have to talk to Midoriya... and apologize for throwing him under the bus like this,' Toshinori thought, turning back to the screen. 'Still, that was one way to get everyone's attention away from it... for now.'
After destroying the faux villains, Izuku landed gracefully back on the ground, surrounded by scrap, under the astonished gaze of pretty much everyone.
"Tch. I expected more of a challenge," Izuku stated, disappointed, before he once more began to push energy and accelerating to continue the race.
"WOW! And, just like that, Midoriya destroys several Zero Pointers like they were pebbles on the road! What a display of immense strength and speed, as he continues to run, still in the lead!" Present Mic exclaimed, as the spectators, both those in the stadium and those watching from home, became impressed with the display of power shown by the green haired teenager. Many Pro Heroes began to shift their eyes to Izuku with great interest.
Shoto sucked his teeth in annoyance, as his declared rival ran in the distance.
"Tch, I can't let him outperform me!" He growled, frost starting to accumulate in his right hand. "Since they went through all this trouble, I wish they could have prepared something better – since that man is watching."
Immediately, he swiped his right arm upwards, freezing a horde of Zero Pointers with absolute ease, as he created ice under his feet to run forward. The affected Zero pointers stopped functioning as Shoto's ice freezed their circuits.
"Look, he stopped them!"
"We can get through between the legs!"
Many of the participants began to go through the opening Shoto had made.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Shoto said, running in second place behind Izuku. "I froze them while they were off balance for a good reason," he said in a monotone as the Zero Pointers collapsed on the groups of students. Several were injured, but none too grave – but it effectively immobilized them.
"Todoroki from Class 1-A attacks and defeats multiple Zero Pointers in one hit, only to use that to trap his fellow competitors under the ice! He is now on Midoriya's trail, catching up to him from the second place! You know, I think this is a tad unfair," Present Mic stated, with the audience clearly agreeing at how overpowered Shoto's Quirk was, even if it paled in comparison to Izuku's.
"His actions are rational and strategic," Shota said, observing how his aloof pupil advanced towards Izuku.
"As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He had never fought them before, but even Robo Inferno could not survive his elite moves!"
"Like Hell I'm letting Half-n-half and Deku surpass me!" Katsuki yelled, and threw his Quirk into overdrive to blast himself up towards the head of one of the Zero Pointers.
"And Bakugo, also from Class 1-A, clearly does not intend to throw the towel! Since the bottom's blocked, he goes overhead! Clever!" Present Mic announced as Katsuki landed and, with a grin, fired a focused blast right into it.
As he expected, the robot was weak enough to not survive the blast, losing its head while he flew away.
"Now, nobody can accuse me of not taking out one of these!" Katsuki said, smirking as he propelled forward behind Izuku and Shoto.
It wasn't just the power trio of 1-A that made it through easily, though: it was only a matter of seconds before the other students from the Hero Course blazed through the obstacle, either the ice or the robots.
"As expected, 1-A and 1-B are the fastest to make it through the obstacles," Snipe noted from the teachers' cabin.
"The other students aren't bad, either, especially the ones from General Studies who have a chance to get into the Hero Course," Thirteen commented. "It's just..."
"1-A and 1-B are not people who spend a lot of time standing around," Shota mentioned from the booth.
The audience gazed at the screens, at the images streamed by the drones who were filming everything. Showing how the students from the Hero Classes breezed through the first obstacle. Tenya kicking away several robots, Ibara using her vines to launch them against each other, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu ripping them apart and using the remains as ammunition against the others...
"Both classes have experienced firsthand the world before them through the incident at the USJ."
Mina run ahead, leaving behind several robots destroyed by acid.
"Those who had fear planted in their hearts..."
Setsuna split her body in order to attack the robots, destroying them with ease.
"They have dealt with it and pulled through. They have all used that experience to drown out their hesitation," Shota stated, acknowledging what his students and Vlad's had gone through, and he was proud that they were using that experience to fuel and drive them in their pursuit of glory and victory in the Sports Festival.
Multiple explosions were heard as the Zero pointers got dealt with. As the students kept running, a motor was heard, and suddenly many had to get out of the way as a motorized scooter with three passengers sped across the field and forward: Momo, who was driving, had created the scooter in just a few moments, and was even now munching on an energetic bar provided to her by Ochaco, who was sitting behind her and being grabbed from behind by a floating Itsuka, whom Ochaco had used her power on.
Needless to say, the students were gobsmacked as the scooter ran into the distance, soon going behind the trail of the boys ahead.
"She created a scooter?" One random student asked.
"No wonder she got in through recommendations!"
"Less gawking, more running!" Another student said, as the other participants kept running for the next part of the obstacle race.
"During the Entrance Exam, they were seen as enemies to be avoided. If you see them as things to be defeated, they are just dumb hunks of metal, and you soon start to see obvious openings," Snipe said, clearly intrigued about the Hero Course classes.
Izuku took a peek back, and saw that Shoto and Katsuki were quickly pursuing him, followed by... Momo, Ochaco and Itsuka riding a motorized scooter? And Tenya was not far behind, thanks to his Quirk. He then sensed something was in front of him and looked forward, before quickly stamping his legs down to brake, just in time to not fall off a cliff.
"Hey, hey, hey! The first barrier was a piece of cake, huh? Then... what about the second?" Present Mic gleefully stated as Izuku took in on the scene.
In front of him was what seemed to be a bottomless pit. Tall platforms were spaced out between both sides of the pit, but the platforms were so far apart from each other that it seemed like it would be impossible to jump between them. In between each platform were several long, narrow trails of rope, that Izuku honestly believed did not seem to be stable enough to hold the weight of a couple of students.
"If you fall, you're out! And, if you don't want to fall, then you'll have to crawl! It is THE FALL!"
Izuku carefully looked at the obstacle, before deciding he had the means to get through and took two steps back. Running forward, he empowered his jump with his energy, giving himself enough air time to jump between platforms without having to use the ropes, exquisitely timing them to reach each platform with enough speed to be able to continue running and make the next jump, until he was finally across and continued to run.
All that could be seen was as if a streak of green had been bouncing from the platforms like a ball.
"IMPRESSIVE! Midoriya gets through the second obstacle as if it weren't even there and increases his lead!" Present Mic announced, the crowd cheering as the students started to run into sight of the Pit.
"So, you think you can win that easily, Midoriya? Think again!" Shoto yelled, creating an ice bridge connecting the platforms and sliding across.
"DAMN IT, DEKU! Don't think you are going to keep that lead for any longer!" Katsuki yelled, irate at the fact that Izuku did not seem to be even tired. Several explosions lifted him and even more boosted him across, ignoring the pit and the platforms as he made it over the obstacle.
"Wow! I didn't know Dekiru-kun could jump so high!" Ochaco exclaimed, in shock and admiration, as Momo stopped the scooter, also shocked at how the boy she and her partners in crime liked had overcome the second obstacle. The three dismounted and silently agreed to choose their path on their own: Momo made a staff and started to balance herself on one of the wires, Itsuka used her giant hands to swing herself across and Ochaco reluctantly used her Quirk on herself (fighting nausea all the way through) and pulled herself across by holding onto the wires with her hands.
A pink-haired girl wearing goggles and a wide assortment of gadgets arrived to the cliff, smiling.
"Glitter! Here it is! This is my chance to show off! It's time for my babies to be in the spotlight!" she said, manic as she approached the edge. The moment she crossed the frontier, her rocket boots activated, and soon she was on the other side. "WOOHOO! Another Hatsume baby for the win!"
"Damn, that's some misplaced equality," Mina complained as she began to make use of her dancing training to get across the pit, while Hitoshi – now bereft of his "porters" – at seeing that even the kids from Support Course were proving their worth today.
'My older brother is probably also watching, I can't let him see me act so uncool!' Tenya thought, seeing that several of his classmates had already crossed: he could not let himself be left behind in the dust, not when this was a speed competition, so he landed on the closest rope and fired up the engines in his calves to thrust himself forward.
Further ahead, Shoto looked behind him to find Katsuki gaining up on him.
"He is truly getting fired up. Perhaps a slow starter?" He wondered as he kept running forward.
"Damn it!" Katsuki growled, noticing that Shoto was picking up speed even more than before, so he gave more of a boost to his explosions, increasing his speed as well.
"That is definitely uncool!" Present Mic shouted, watching the race for the lead continue, and a good part of the audience agreed with him.
"Damn, those three kids are really gunning for it," Someone commented.
"The one in second place, his Quirk's really powerful, and his natural athletic ability and judgement are a cut above everyone else's," His seat neighbor stated.
"Of course it is! That's Endeavor's son."
"Well, no wonder he's that good! He's got the blood of the Number Two hero of Japan, huh?"
"What about the other two? The kid with the green energy punched out that large robot in one shot! Not to mention, he's just as athletic as him, perhaps more, considering he FREAKING crossed the pit like it wasn't even there!"
"Yeah, and with that power... it was like watching a freaking mini-All Might in action!"
"What about the explosion dude?"
"I don't know, all he's done so far is to play catch up to the other two."
"But, he's very versatile and strong! And, if you haven't noticed, he's been getting faster the longer this race goes on!"
"The leading three keep their position, while the pack remains clumped together! The number of people that will make it through has yet to be revealed so no one can relax yet! Push forward, students!" Present Mic exclaimed, and the competitors continued to rush through the obstacle course, intent on making sure none of them would get left behind.
Izuku, meanwhile, was still running when he saw the last obstacle ahead of him: a large expansion with a sign before it.
DANGER, MINES!
"And now, we have reached the final obstacle! The reality here is... that it is a minefield! Set up so that the runners can tell where the mines are by looking carefully, so you better make good use of eyes and legs, children! And don't worry, the landmines are not that powerful, just powerful enough to make a lot of noise and flash, enough to make you wet your pants!"
"That last part depends on the person..." Shota commented, clearly not thinking they could make someone pee themselves.
In the racing ground, as Shoto kept approaching, Izuku looked around.
'I see. This obstacle course has been designed to put those in the lead at a disadvantage, trying to make it entertaining for everyone watching?' Shoto thought, looking as Izuku made a choice and began to jump around the mines, trying to avoid them.
That was when Shoto heard a yell from behind him.
"This shit doesn't affect me!" Katsuki screamed, exploding his way above the minefield, passing Shoto – who felt the surprise taking a hold on him – and immediately gunning for Izuku. "Don't you fucking dare get ahead of me, Deku!"
Katsuki threw an explosion at Izuku, who immediately dodged the attack and retaliated by firing an energy bullet. Instinctively, Katsuki managed to dodge the bullet and began to pepper the ground with explosions, trying to knock Izuku out, but the latter was more than capable at the art of avoiding being struck.
"OH, MY! We now have a new competitor taking second place! Rejoice, mass media, it's the kind of development you guys love!" Present Mic yelled through the speakers as the crowd cheered loudly, finally getting to see two students duking it out for a place, head to head.
With Izuku and Katsuki busy fighting each other, Shoto was able to get closer and closer to them, slowly, taking advantage of their distraction and waiting for the right opportunity to strike. When Izuku blocked a blast from Katsuki, Shoto swooped in.
"Sorry, I need to prove a point," Shoto stated, letting his ice loose on the two.
Before the giant glacier could encase them, though, Izuku noticed the sneak attack and immediately gathered dark green energy all around himself.
"GIANT ROBO WRECKER!" He shouted, releasing the energy in a massive flash. The pulse wave caused the mines within its blast radius to start blowing up, creating a huge dust cloud that covered the obstacle course from the spectators as the glacier itself seemed to break apart.
"Ooh, would you look at that! Midoriya causes a chain reaction with the mines and covers everything under a dust cloud while averting Todoroki's attack!"
"WHAT THE FU-" Mitsuki shouted, only for Masaru to cover her mouth before she just cursed loud enough to be heard all across the stadium.
"Izuku!" Inko exclaimed, worriedly looking at the large dust cloud."
"Do not worry, he will be fine," Toshinori said, placing a hand on her shoulder, although he kept glancing at the cloud with worry.
'Come on, Midoriya! Don't let it end like this!' He thought, willing the cloud to disperse or for something to happen – and then his frown turned upside down as he saw what happened next.
After a few seconds of nothing, suddenly someone sprinted out of the cloud – Izuku, now running like his life depended on it, nothing holding him back from his goal.
"Look at this, listeners! Midoriya has cleared the minefield in an instant and now there's only the goal ahead!"
"Clever thinking," Shota stated. "Even though he essentially got rid of all the obstacles his opponents had ahead, making their path much easier, he in turn managed to get a really big lead that, unless something else happens, will get him the first place in the race. Very rational choice, he will make it far as a Pro Hero."
Out of the cloud came then Shoto, using his ice to propel himself as fast as possible, followed but a second behind by Katsuki and his explosions.
"ERASERHEAD, YOUR CLASS IS AMAZING!" Present Mic shouted into the microphone, almost deafening the teacher, who promptly turned to glare at him.
"Hey, I heard that!" Vlad King shouted from the teacher's box. "Don't you dare discount my class, Hizawa!"
Present Mic ignored his fellow teacher as he kept his commentary.
"What are you teaching them, that they are doing these things?"
"The usual, but I'm afraid I cannot take credit for this," Shota said, sighing as the cameras focused on the three teenagers now running first, second and third, as they finally reached the tunnel that led into the stadium, the finish line.
"And here they come! This is the end of the line! Who could have predicted the developments at the beginning, much less this conclusion?" Present Mic exclaimed in wonder, with the audience now eagerly waiting on who would come through the tunnel first.
Peeking above his shoulder, Izuku turned around and began to run backwards, whistling to get Shoto and Katsuki's attention.
"Hey, Bakugo!"
Katsuki went completely livid at seeing Izuku pretty much mocking him, and he kicked in a higher gear, trying to reach Izuku fast, while Shoto's eyes widened in shock at what he was seeing: Izuku closing one of his eyes while sticking out his tongue right at Katsuki.
Taunt finished, he turned around again and put even more energy into his legs, crossing the tunnel at the highest speed, so fast that the cameras barely had the time to catch him before he entered the stadium.
"And Midoriya makes a huge energetic splash as he wins the Obstacle Course!"
Rainbow-colored confetti dropped as the crowd cheered furiously, as Izuku crossed the finish line and stopped running, turning his movement down to a fast walk. He was slightly burned out, but still standing and grinning, and as he took a moment to look around and observe everyone that was cheering and applauding for him, he stuck a fist into the air in victory.
Outside the stadium, Death Arms, Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady heard the announcement and went to the closest screen, already keeping the name in their minds, which was quite easy to discern due to how loud Present Mic was screaming it into his microphone. Then they saw who had won the race and the three of them smiled.
"Midoriya Izuku, huh?" Mt. Lady mused.
"Looks like we were right," Death Arms said, grinning as he nudged Kamui Woods. "He got first place in the first event."
"It's been... what, a year since we saw him destroy that sludge villain, right?" The Tree Hero said.
"And he's even stronger than he was back then, if the fact that he got the first position says something," Death Arms added.
"Well, now it's only a matter of who gets him," Mt. Lady stated, shrugging as she ignored the ravenous fans that had started to congregate around her, eager for autographs and photos, being more focused on the green-haired boy shown in the screens. "Even if he loses at the finals, that kid's going to get swamped with offers."
Death Arms and Kamui Woods nodded in agreement, before excusing themselves to the fans and going back to their security patrol.
In a dark room, a certain young man who happened to be the leader of the League of Villains was watching the Sports Festival from a computer.
"That damned brat is..." He growled, as he began to viciously scratch his neck.
In another building, a man in a business suit was watching the Sports Festival from the TV screen in his office.
"Well done, Midoriya," Omocha muttered, lamenting his lack of success at convincing the boy to sign. This would have been quite the boon to the company.
"IZUKU!" Inko cried out in happiness, tears starting to geyser out of her eyes. Mitsuki, used to her friend's ability to cry that way, immediately set out to help her before she dehydrated while her husband patted her in the back.
"There, there, Inko-chan, let it all out," She said, waving at both Izuku and her son – who was now glaring at Izuku. She needed to have another talk with the boy sometime soon.
Toshinori, meanwhile, was clapping and smiling down at Izuku, proudly looking as he turned around, his fist high in the air, until he turned at him and pointed it towards his idol.
'That's how you make a statement, Midoriya! Great job! Show them why you are worthy of the mantle of being the next Symbol of Peace and Justice!' Toshinori thought, barely able to contain his excitement for his successor, overjoyed at seeing how he was slowly becoming more mature as both person and Hero. 'This Festival is a competition for the top, even if it means defeating friends and classmates. Right now, Heroes depend a lot on their popularity, so they need to have that desire to be above all others. At your core, you are a True Hero who wants to help and protect others, and that's why I chose you, even when I thought it was a weakness. I worried over nothing. But, well, at least you aren't crying your eyes out.'
Then, his ears perked up when he heard wind of Izuku's name from below him, near the arena floor.
"So, what do you think?"
"Midoriya's stock is going to climb really fast."
"That's certainly true. His Quirk looks to be quite powerful! Such a display of power, enough to destroy one of the faux villains in one shot... If you took on his agency's management, how would you market him? Opinions?"
"What about you?"
"He is slightly above average in looks, although he still distills that feeling of innocence, no matter what. He definitely has a strong and defined muscular frame, and from what I have heard, he has a very brilliant mind! We could easily highlight those parts, but we would need a lot of raw material to work with..."
'Business Course. They never change, don't they?'
While the Business Course students participated in the Festival, for the higher years it was less about the participation per se and more about cultivating their instincts by selling merchandise or doing marketing simulations – they had a lot of free time coming in on the Festival, so they had no qualms in considering how to apply their skills to the up-and-coming Heroes.
Meanwhile, Shoto and Katsuki – who had arrived second and third a few seconds after Izuku crossed the finish line – were now panting, trying to regain their breath from the enormous effort they had made in running the entire obstacle race. Shoto was fairly calmed down, staring at Izuku and wondering how he had done everything, while Katsuki clutched his arms, trying to stop them from shaking after so many explosions in such a short time.
"Again... damn.. damn it! Damn you, Deku!" Katsuki cursed, gritting his teeth.
"And now, they are finishing one after another! We'll show the list of the results later, but for now, good work, and congratulations to all of you!" Present Mic announced as the pack started to filter into the arena. Shoto began to walk back to the locker room, thinking about how to deal with Izuku.
Itsuka came in next, closely followed by Momo, who reached the line a second before Tenya, and after them came Ochaco. All of them had taken advantage of the path Izuku and Shoto had carved across the minefield, and had just averted the problematic obstacle.
"Dekiru-kun! You were amazing!" Ochaco cheered joyfully, hopping over to him and jumping into his arms. Izuku noted that she had small bags under her eyes, showing that she had slightly overworked her Quirk. "First place is amazing!"
"Indeed. I offer my congratulations to you," Momo said, bowing.
"I knew you could do it!" Itsuka said, smiling as she also gave Izuku a quick hug. "Pity that I couldn't catch up to you fast enough, though."
"Damn, with a Quirk like mine and I was only sixth? I can't believe it," Tenya mumbled, depressed.
"Hey, look at it on the bright side, Tenya-kun. You still beat a lot of people, and you are a shoo-in for the next stage," Izuku complimented Tenya.
"But, even with the obstacles, this should have been my area of specialty." Tenya sighed before looking up. "I'll just have to try harder in the next round, then!"
Izuku nodded with a grin, looking at his hand.
'I am going to put my real ability to test after this...'
"The first game of the First-Year Tournament is finally over!" Midnight announced as the last of the students trickled in. "Let's take a look at the results!"
1st: Midoriya Izuku
2nd: Todoroki Shoto
3rd: Bakugo Katsuki
4th: Kendo Itsuka
5th: Yaoyorozu Momo
6th: Iida Tenya
7th: Uraraka Ochaco
And so forth, going all the way to Aoyama Yuga, who had managed to place 42nd and was currently clutching his stomach in pain. Glancing at the board, he noted that everyone in the Hero Course had made it to the top 42, the only students outside being Hatsume Mei from the Support Course, who had managed to arrive ninth, and a guy named Agoyamato Tsutsutaka, who had taken the thirty-fifth position.
"The top 42 make it to the next round! It is unfortunate that not everyone can make it in! The next competition begins soon, and the press will be all over it! Give it your all!"
With another swipe of her whip, Midnight welcomed once more the holographic spinning wheel as it turned at high speeds, ready to show the next game.
"Now, this is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? Here it is..." Midnight taunted as the wheel stopped turning, landing on the words 'Cavalry Battle'
"A cavalry battle? Man, I'm bad at those," Denki mumbled, clearly unexcited at what was going to come over for the next event.
"Since it's not an individual event, how will it work?" Tsuyu asked, confused, much like everyone else, about what they were going to do in this time.
"Allow me to explain! The participants may form teams of two to four people, as they wish! It is basically the same as a regular cavalry battle," Midnight explained, as a screen showed an image of Thirteen holding up All Might as the horse rider and Present Mic supporting him from behind. "The main difference is that... based on the results of the first game, each person will be assigned a point value!"
"A point-based system, like the Entrance Exam? That's easy to understand," Sato said, nodding as he got the point of the game.
"So, each team is worth different points depending on who is in the team!" Ochaco concluded.
"I see!" Mina said, also getting the gist of it.
Midnight violently swiped her whip, getting a tad too close to the speaking students.
"I am still talking! Weren't you guys trained not to interrupt someone when they are talking?" She stated, playfully glaring at them all and causing most of the students to instinctively shrink to avoid drawing in her wrath. "But, yes, that is completely correct! The points assigned go up five, starting from the bottom, so the 42nd place gets five points, the 41st gets ten and so on!"
"Oh, then, it's pretty simple. Since I got first place, that means I have 210 points, right?" Izuku said, calculating his score.
Midnight chose to give Izuku a sadistic smirk that made him dread what was about to be revealed as she pointed the whip at him.
"Not quite, Midoriya! You see, there is one key exception to this rule. The point value assigned to first place is... TEN MILLION!" She announced.
He wished he had remembered that particular rule from previous years, because now he was looking like an idiot, as everything went completely silent.
"What," Izuku said, his mind trying to register what Midnight had just said.
"In other words, if you take down the first place player's team..."
"... you stand at the top, no matter where you began with!" Everyone said in unison, setting their target seekers on one person... Midoriya Izuku.
"That's right! It is survival of the fittest, where even those at the bottom can overthrow the ones at the top!" Midnight exclaimed, as Izuku remained unresponsive for a while... but Midnight realized that he did not seem to look scared or nervous.
After thinking about the event parameters, Izuku could not help but smirk and start to laugh, clearly excited at what was going to happen.
Those who were close enough to see and hear him started to realize that maybe it would not be as easy as they believed.
"So... this is going to be everyone against me? Then, bring it on, everyone! Because I won't go down without a fight!" Izuku cried out to the 41 remaining participants.
Even Midnight shivered in fear, wondering what kind of monster she had let loose on the other teenagers.
Soundtrack: Clash! Passionate Fighting Spirit from River City Melee between Izuku telling Shoto that anyone can be the winner to when they begin to move into the stadium. Nekketsu March from River City Melee when the students begin to come out. End Credits from Godzilla x Mechagodzilla during Izuku's Pledge and ending at 1:43. First Kiryu Launch from Godzilla x Mechagodzilla from the reveal of the Obstacle Race to its beginning. Last Straight Course from River City Melee from the beginning of the race until the first obstacle is reached. Fighting Theme -Strong- from Ultraman Dyna while Izuku destroys the Zero Pointers. Fighting Theme -Miracle- from Ultraman Dyna as the students begin to get through the second obstacle. Result Screen from Bakugan Defenders of The Core when Izuku reaches the goal until the Business Course students begin to talk. Sisters' Theme 2 from River City Melee when the Cavalry Battle is revealed.
Me: And that wraps things up. Another chapter in the books. I'll tell you this part was fun for me to write. So I hope you guys enjoy this.
Izuku left an impression on the three pro heroes! Shoto confronts Izuku in the Waiting Room! Izuku gave a rousing speech to the stadium which earns him more respect! The first obstacle course begins! Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki are going neck to neck for 1st place! Mei makes her debut! Izuku has a huge target on his back for getting 1st place!
Izuku's Super Move shown.
Gomora Smash- One of Ultraman's most famous kaiju.
NO FLAMES, RANTS, NEGATIVE COMMENTS!
That's all for now folks and thanks for reading everybody, I'll be seeing you in the next chapter, buh bye!