Chapter 8: The Sports Festival
And I'm back with yet another chapter! If this pace keeps up I'll probably finish the cavalry battle chapter as well today.
I felt bad the entire time, cause Moxie and Hiryu's Quirks both kinda let them cheese the obstacle course. They won't have it nearly as well in the next event, though, so I feel a bit better about it.
Anyways, here it is. Enjoy!
Feel free to review, but don't just rip into me. I'm doing this for fun, not excessive criticism.
It was finally time for the Sports Festival, people were slowly filling the seats of the arena, normally the third-years would be the ones in the spotlight, but this time, it was the first-years who occupied the spotlight. With the well-known Class 1-A from the Villain attack on the USJ and the son of Endeavor fighting, one couldn't afford to miss it. A number of Pro Heroes were watching as well. After all, this was an amazing opportunity to scout out future Heroes for their agencies. Maybe even a personal sidekick, who knew?
Class 1-A was dealing with the pressure in different ways. Some, like Kaminari and Jiro, settled for distracting themselves by browsing social media. Hiryu was just trying to calm her nerves before going out in front of a crowd. Moxie, however, was too pumped up to be nervous.
"Come on, how can you be nervous? We're gonna crush this!" Moxie demanded.
"I don't know, man. It's just… there's a lot of people out there." Kirishima scratched the back of his head.
"I-I wonder what the first round's going to be…" Sato said, shaking with nervousness.
"No matter what comes, we have no choice but to deal with it." Replied Tokoyami.
"Everyone!" Iida shouted, slamming the door open and startling everyone, "Are you ready? We will be starting soon! Remember to be on your best behavior, the whole world is watching!"
"Midoriya." Todoroki called out to Midoriya. Everybody turned to watch.
"Todoroki… what is it?" Midoriya asked.
"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you. More capable." Todoroki told him, "All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he? Now I'm not about to pry into why that is, but I will beat you."
"Ooh! A declaration of war from the strongest in class?" Kaminari seemed surprised.
"Hey, man, why pick a fight now? We're about to go on!" Kirishima argued, laying a hand on Todoroki's shoulder.
"I really don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here." Todoroki replied, shrugging his hand off.
"Todoroki. I'm not sure why you felt the need to tell me you'll beat me. You're clearly stronger and I can't measure up to most of the others here in skill. Objectively speaking, even…" Midoriya trailed off.
"Don't be so negative, Midoriya. No need-"
"But!" Midoriya cut Kirishima off, "Everyone… even the kids from the other courses are aiming for the top. And I'm… well, lemme say this. I'm not gonna fall behind. I'm going for it too. With everything I've got!"
"Todoroki…" Moxie spoke up, approaching the half and half boy. Todoroki turned to look at him, "That's nice and all, but if you forget about me…" Moxie's grin grew even wider, "I'll crush you, and take the top myself, y'hear me? Watch your back, Todoroki!"
"Yeah, you better not forget about us! Otherwise, we'll swipe the victory right out of your grasp!" Kirishima agreed, slamming his hardened fists together.
"Everyone! It's time to begin!" Iida exclaimed, leading the class out of the locker room.
U.A. Sports Festival
"The U.A. Sports Festival! The huge battle where fledgling Heroes sharpen their swords once a year! Anyways, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their incredible strength and hearts of steel! Hero Course, Class 1-A!" Present Mic announced, "They haven't been getting as much airtime, but they're still full of talent! Hero Course, Class 1-B! And next up, General Studies Classes C, D and E! Then comes in Support Classes F, G and H! And finally, here's Business Course Classes I, J and K! All of U.A.'s first years are here now!"
Moxie lead the group, a spring in his step as always. He wore his hoodie with the floppy bunny ears over his uniform. Hiryu was more towards the back of the group, trying not to be the focus of anyone's attention.
"Commentating here with me is the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, Eraser-head!" Present Mic shouted.
"You dragged me up here." Aizawa complained.
A familiar whip crack told the classes exactly who was gonna be running the Sports Festival. Midnight stood upon a raised podium, staring out over the students.
"It's the R-Rated Hero, Midnight!" One audience member exclaimed.
"Where's the principal?" Another audience member asked.
"At the third-year stage, of course." A third audience member responded.
"Man, the other years don't know what they're missing." A fourth audience member interjected.
"Now, everyone!" Midnight exclaimed, "It's time for the player's pledge! Representing the students is Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!"
"Why is he the one giving the player's pledge?" Ashido asked in a whisper.
"He did place first in the entrance exam." Hiryu whispered back, watching Bakugo climb up the steps.
"I pledge… that I'll be number one." Bakugo said.
Instantly, heavy protests rose from the other students, as they cursed him and shook their fists, obviously not appreciating being pushed aside so easily.
"Why are you doing something so disgraceful?" Scolded Iida, livid at Bakugo's pledge.
"At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of." Bakugo retorted flatly.
"If you think you can just brush us aside like that, you've got another thing coming!" Moxie declared, "Just watch, I'll crush you and take home the gold myself!"
"That's enough!" Midnight said, cracking her whip and causing the other classes to fall silent, "Now, let's get started right away!" She exclaimed, "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here! Now, here is the fateful first game! This year, it's…"
Everyone watched as, on the screen, the words 'OBSTACLE COURSE' appeared.
"This! All eleven classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, about four kilometers! Our school's selling point is freedom, so…" A somewhat victorious glint appeared in Midnight's eyes as she spoke, "As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Now, take your places everyone!"
The students gathered around the start of the race, a narrow hallway. Everyone's eyes were on the lights.
The first light turned red, Hiryu spread her wings.
"We won't be able to get through such a narrow tunnel, it'll be packed." She realized.
The second light turned red, Moxie stretched his legs.
"That tunnel will be perfect for me, just bounce off the walls over everyone's heads." Moxie decided
The third light turned red, both of them got ready.
All three lights turned green, and all at once everything began moving. Hiryu took off, soaring over the walls of the stadium as the students jammed themselves into the tunnel. A few other flyers joined her in the sky, a boy with jet flames coming from his bare feet and another with a tornado wrapped around his legs.
Moxie rocketed to the right wall, leaping clear of everyone's heads, and then blasted back and forth, clearing the tunnel quickly. Narrowly behind him came a blast of cold air, freezing everyone in the tunnel as Todoroki rushed out.
"I told you, Todoroki, if you aren't careful I'll steal your victory!" Moxie laughed, keeping pace with Todoroki as he bounced along. Behind them, several Class A students followed, having dodged Todoroki's attack.
"Moxie Usagi and Todoroki Shoto, both of Class A, take an early lead!" Present Mic announced.
"If it's a race, my Quirk is perfect for it! Can you say the same, Todoroki?" Moxie laughed, leaping on ahead.
In front of him, several massive robots rose up, blocking the path.
"And here's the first obstacle," Present Mic announced, "It's the Robo Inferno!" He shouted, as an army of massive robots rumbled into view.
"This shouldn't be too difficult to deal with." Aizawa commented in a bored voice.
Crouching low as he landed, Moxie pushed his Bounce further and leapt into the air, bouncing onto one of the robot's extended arms, then onto its head, and past it.
Todoroki, meanwhile, went under, freezing the lead robot in place. Behind him, the students tried to follow where he went, only for the lead robot to collapse.
"They should've given us more of a challenge, eh?" Moxie laughed, landing next to Todoroki and continuing to bounce.
Meanwhile, in the air above, Hiryu and the other two students flew over the giant robots.
"Don't worry, we brought obstacles for you flyers as well!" Present Mic announced, as several helicopter-like robots took to the air, "They're using rubber bullets! They'll hurt, but they won't kill you!"
Hiryu was forced to take evasive maneuvers as the robots opened fire, the rubber bullets sailing past her.
The other two students similarly took evasive maneuvers. The jet-feet student turned back to face the robots, smashing through them like a missile, while the tornado student kept pace with Hiryu.
"You 1-A kids are too stuck up; we'll take you down a notch!" The tornado student warned, moving forward at a pace Hiryu couldn't match.
Down below, Moxie and Todoroki had just encountered the second obstacle. 'The Fall', Present Mic called it, a number of massive stone pillars connected by wires. This was where Moxie managed to pull ahead, bouncing from pillar to pillar while Todoroki crossed the wires, freezing them as he went.
"Hah! See you at the finish, Todoroki!" Moxie laughed.
"And Moxie pulls ahead! Aizawa, any insight?" Present Mic asked.
"Moxie's Quirk is 'Bounce'. It appears simple on the surface, but he's honed it to an incredible level. He can bounce his feet off of any surface, and doesn't get hurt when he lands, so long as he lands on his feet." Aizawa explains, "His mobility, agility and unpredictability are what truly make him dangerous. In a race like this, he certainly has an advantage."
"And there you have it, folks! This little bunny's perfectly equipped to crush the competition!" Present Mic laughed.
"He won't have it so easy on this last obstacle." Aizawa muttered.
Above them, Hiryu and the tornado student flew over the fall.
"What, did they forget about us?" The tornado student laughed, getting farther and farther ahead.
A net launched from the pits below, catching the tornado student and knocking him out of the sky.
"Woah, hey!" He shouted, watching Hiryu fly past, "Get back here!"
The tornado around his legs expanded, tearing through the net and freeing him. Reorienting himself, he flew towards Hiryu, aiming to know her out of the sky.
Hiryu flapped her wings, dodging upwards, and puffed up her cheeks, letting out a breath of frost which froze the student's back, adding more weight and slowing him down.
"D#mn it, get this stuff of me!" He shouted as Hiryu flew off, slowly lowering to the pillars below, weighed down by the ice.
"And in no time at all, here's the final obstacle!" Present Mic announced, "You'll have to take it slow and steady, it's the minefield!"
"This is an obstacle designed to put the leaders at a disadvantage." Aizawa explained, "The later you start, the less mines there are."
"Wait, minefie-" Moxie was cut off as he landed on the ground, directly on a mine, setting off a chain reaction that knocked him around, giving time for Todoroki to catch up.
Moxie finally stopped exploding and jumped to his feet, forced to take smaller, safer jumps that wouldn't risk landing on a mine. Todoroki had a decent lead on him, but Moxie was slowly gaining as the other students caught up.
Up above them, Hiryu was having her own troubles. The air was full of proximity mines attached to balloons, and her wingspan wasn't helping her make her way through.
"Todoroki has stolen the lead from Moxie! But what's this? Katsuki Bakugo, from Class A, is rocketing towards the first place!" Present Mic announced.
Bakugo blazed past Moxie, nearly knocking him onto a mine, and attacked Todoroki. Screaming about Todoroki's earlier declaration of war. As the two were battling, Moxie continued to catch up.
Suddenly, a massive explosion went off at the back of the field, and Midoriya went hurtling through the air towards first place.
"Incredible! Izuku Midoriya, yet another student from Class A, has soared over the competition, he's gaining on the students in first place!" Present Mic announced.
Midoriya started to slow down as he reached Bakugo and Todoroki, but before he hit the ground, he flipped over, placing his feet on the boys' shoulders and slamming the piece of metal he had into the ground, creating another explosion and launching himself forward again.
"And Midoriya has taken first place!" Present Mic announced, "Bakugo and Todoroki have stopped fighting to chase after him!"
"No time to waste, I'll just have to go!" Moxie decided, leaping through the air.
"And Moxie is quickly giving chase! But how will he avoid the mines?" Present Mic questioned.
"Sorry Bakugo, but I'll be using you as my footstool!" Moxie laughed, landing on the explosive boy's head and bouncing off, jumping after Midoriya. Bakugo exploded after him, rocketing through the air on his explosions, and Todoroki gave chase on a strip of ice, protecting him from the mines.
Moxie entered the tunnel seconds after Midoriya, followed closely by Bakugo and Todoroki.
"And they've entered the tunnel, who will come out in first? I can barely wait to see!" Present Mic shouted.
"You don't need to shout into the mic." Aizawa groaned.
Bakugo pushed past Moxie, a vicious smile twisted on his face as he raced towards Midoriya. Todoroki was closing in behind him. But now, they were in an enclosed tunnel, and Moxie could really let loose.
"Ricochet Riot!"
Moxie's bounced all over the tunnel at lightning speed, outstripping both Bakugo and Midoriya, coming out just barely in front of the green-haired boy.
"And it's Moxie Usagi in first place! He stole it right from in front of Midoriya, who's following closely in second! Next is Bakugo in third, and Todoroki in fourth!" Present Mic announced.
Above the minefield, the jet-footed student had caught up to Hiryu, racing towards her.
"Ha! Slowpoke!" He stuck his tongue out, rocketing through the floating minefield.
Flapping her powerful wings, Hiryu blew the mines forward, forcing one of them too close to the jet-footed student. With the mines grouped closer together, they went off in a massive explosion that lit up the sky.
"Sorry!" Hiryu shouted, soaring through the cloud, smoke trailing from her wing as she broke through and landed within the stadium. In the end, she came in eighth. Not spectacular, but not awful either. She was happy with that.
"They're all trickling in, one by one, now!" Present Mic announced.
"We'll compile an official list after the event."
"Hey, no hard feelings, right Midoriya?" Moxie asked.
"Yeah, you were great! This race was really suited to your Quirk." Midoriya told him.
"Yeah, I had a great chance to show off, right at the start! Hopefully that luck'll hold, eh?" Moxie laughed.
"Good job, Hiryu! Eighth place is pretty good!" Ashido complimented Hiryu.
"Th-Thanks… I nearly got stuck at the minefield, though…" Hiryu admitted.
"But you got past it, that's what matters!" Ashido assured her.
A few minutes later, Present Mic came back over the loudspeaker. Moxie, who had been bouncing laps to keep his blood flowing, skidded to a halt. Hiryu, who was relaxing against the wall with Ashido and Kirishima, stood up as he spoke.
"The first game of the Sports Festival is over! Now let's take a look at the results!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers.
On the screens appeared Moxie's grinning, confident face, along with his first-place ranking. Then, came Midoriya's face, with a much more nervous expression. Next appeared Bakugo, who looked absolutely pissed, then Todoroki, who looked a little annoyed, followed by two students from Class B, Ibara Shiozaki in fifth and Juzo Honenuki in sixth. Then, a very frustrated Iida in seventh, and a nervous looking Hiryu in eighth. And so on, all the way up to Aoyoma in forty-second place.
"This competition was to weed out the extra weaklings. So only the top forty-two made it through!" announced Midnight, "It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine. Now, the real competition begins next! The press cavalry will be all over it! Give it your all! Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be?"
"Press cavalry? What a weird way of saying it." Ashido pointed out.
"I just said it, and now here it is… the Cavalry Battle!" Midnight exclaimed happily.
"A-A team event?" Hiryu exclaimed in a shocked whisper.
"Ah, sh#t… my Quirk won't do any good here." Moxie sighed.
Although for different reasons, they both agreed on one thing: This next round would be tough.
And there's the whole thing, hope you like it!
Enigma, signing off.