"AND THEY'RE OFF!" Present Mic shouted as the students all began the race. "Who do you think will win this, Sho?"
"Hard to say, there's a lot of potential in a lot of the students...that is if they can get through the first unofficial obstacle."
Sure enough, the mass of students got wedged in the narrow gate. The students of Sanctuary couldn't help but find amusement in the spectacle they were witnessing.
"Hey, quit shoving!"
"I can't see! Gah! I'm being trampled!" A General Ed student groaned.
"Mineta, I know that was you who pinched my butt!" Tooru snapped.
"Sorry, not sorry!" The grape haired midget smirked.
Suddenly, Shoto created a massive wall of ice in order to block the other students and get an early lead on them.
"A bold move from Todoroki, it seems. Not bad." Lady Nagant noted with a hum.
"FUCK YOU, YOU ZUKO ASS-MUNCHER!" Katsuki roared like the vicious beast he was as he exploded through the ice wall like it was made of cheap glass.
"Don't go underestimating us, Todoroki!" Momo said, propelling herself with a long pole she produced from her wrist.
"Son of Endeavor..." Inasa said, his normal jovial tone gone as he glared at Shoto while propelling himself on jets of wind.
"So, Togeike, want to show them what you got?" Hitoshi asked while riding on some brainwashed General Ed students who he had heard badmouthing his classmates earlier.
Chikuchi took a deep breath, steeling herself and then, with a determined look on her face, leapt upwards as high as she could.
Shoto suddenly sensed another person behind him and looked up to see the newest member of his class pulling herself out of his ice.
"Um….Hi?" She waved.
"THE NEWEST MEMBER OF CLASS 1-A: CHIKUCHI YOGEIKE!" Mic announced. "HER QUIRK: FRICTION MANIPULATION! SHE CAN MANIPULATE THE FRICION OF ANY SURFACE TO MAKE IT SMOOTH AS CAN BE, OR ROUGHER THAN A DRIED DONKEY'S HIDE IN THE DESSERT!"
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"Whoa, that's a pretty good Quirk!" Masato exclaimed as the class watched from their own booth.
"Such style, I'm actually quite jealous!" Nui giggled.
"Okay, I got to say it…" Luz said, taking in a deep breath. "HOW?! IN THE NAME OF SANTA MARIA AND ALL THAT IS SACRED?! IS SHE ONLY IN A HERO CLASS NOW?!"
"Possibly a mix of so many possibilities overwhelming her in situations and overreliance on certain Stands, which is a darn shame cause while everyone loves Star Platinum, Gold Experience, The World and all the other leads, the enemy Stands could be of great help in surveilence or certain sutuations. Then again, it could also be the fact that such powers tend to be harder to perceive, and most Stands don't really have robot destroying strength…"
Muttering was heard as everyone turned to see Izuku having pulled a notebook out of nowhere and was now scribbling feverishly.
"Uh...Izu?" Spinel asked nervously, slightly scared at just how focused her friend was.
"Such a deep hyper-focus..." Ulquiorra noted with intrigue, Lucy nodding in agreement.
"Oy, snap out of it!" Akira snapped as he lightly slapped Izuku upside the head, which did the trick as the draconic boy blushed and bowed his head.
"S-Sorry..." Izuku whimpered.
"Don't worry about it. We're used to it at this point." Emi sighed, shaking her head with a shrug, she then shot Akira a look.
"Sorry, Izu. Pudding?"
Izuku's eyes glistened as he took the treat. Akira then smirked to everyone else and revealed he had made pudding for everyone; all their individual favorites.
"A thought occurs to me;" Nazuna mused. "We should have Rikido and Akira work together in baking sometime."
"YES!" Was the resounding response.
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"Hahahaha! Todoroki has left himself wide open!" Minoru said as he was making his way along the track by trampolining off his hairballs. "But you won't have a snowball's chance in hell of escaping my next move! GRAPE RU-!"
Before Minoru could make his move, a giant metal fist punched him hard, sending him tumbling across the track like an out-of-control spinner wheel from The Price is Right.
"That's gotta hurt..." Chikuchi winced.
"What the hell are those?" Lady Nagant asked from the announcer's booth in disbelief.
"Zero-Pointers!" Present Mic laughed. "They were an obstacle during the practical portion of the Entrance Exam! What do ya think, huh?"
"IS THAT FURBALL SERIOUSLY TRYING TO GET STUDENTS KILLED?!" Nagant snapped in a mix of fury and rage.
"Don't ask me, he writes my paycheck, I do what he says..." Aizawa sighed.
'And he wonders why his ratings are so low…' Nagant sighed, returning to watching everything unfold.
"I can't let these slow me down. Not with dear old dad watching." Shoto said as he conjured a massive wave of ice that froze over most of the robots.
"Hey! He cleared us a path!" One General Ed student said but Shoto shook his head.
"Sorry, but I froze them in just the right way that they'd fall down afterward."
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Katsuki roared as he backtracked to get some of the students out of the way of the falling robots.
"Dammit, Todoroki! Anybody but me could have been killed by that!" Eijirou shouted, having hardened himself to resist getting crushed by one such robot as Tetsutetsu came out beside him.
"Yeah! What the hell is up with him?!"
"I swear Kirishima and Tetsutetsu are twins separated at birth, I'm calling it now!" Present Mic said.
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"Yeah! I can see it!" Luz beamed, her voice becoming dramatic as she entered 'Fantasy mode.' "Twins born with similar powers, but fate, unable to handle the raw manliness that would come from such a brotherly bond, conspires! Misplaced papers, muscle memory from the doctors and soon, the parents think they have lost one, as another family later adopts the other. But fate miscalculated and soon they reunite, ready to take on evil with raw, manly, unbreakable muscles!"
Izuku, Spinel, Yuno and Roriomiya were spellbound.
"You my dear, read and watch too much anime and manga." Emi mused.
"…I'd read and or watch that." Seras confessed, 21 nodding in agreement.
"Oh, I hope that's not the case; I don't know how to deal with such a change in my friends' backsyoires…" Crona whimpered.
"…Better than my brother." Akira mused.
"Is it weird to say that Luz's fanfic felt awfully personal to me?" Nui asked, getting everyone to look at her in shock before grimacing in awkwardness.
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Katsuki had managed to rescue those in danger of being crushed before catching up with Shoto to reach the second obstacle; a canyon that had to be trekked by walking on ropes.
"AND HERE'S OBSTACLE NUMERO DOS!" Mic smirked as he explained."IF YOU FALL, YOU'RE OUT, SO YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CRAWL; IT'S THE FALL!"
"Where do you come up with these things?" Lady Nagant sighed.
Aizawa just slumped his head forward. "You DON'T wanna know..."
"My brother is watching. I must make sure I don't slip up here!" Tenya said as he balanced himself on one of the wires and used his engines to boost himself forward.
Shoto glided across the ropes with his ice while Katsuki simply flew across the cavern with his explosions. Behind him, Mei Hatsume was cackling like a madman as she flew after him with what looked like rocket boots.
"You think you can pull a stunt like that and leave us all in the dust, Son of Endeavor?!" Inasa snapped as he flew across the canyon himself with his wind.
"Sorry, but I'm taking the first place!" Pony said as she rode on her own horns as if they were a flying surfboard.
"Not if I take it first!" Setsuna laughed as she detached herself into several flying pieces.
Tenya yelped as he lost his balance and almost fell into the pit. Thankfully, it had foam cubes at the bottom to cushion any potential falls but the younger brother of Ingenium had nothing to worry about as Inasa had noticed him and swooped in to carry him across.
"Whoa there, just because we're in separate classes doesn't mean our hot-blooded run should end here!" Inasa said.
"Thank you..." Tenya breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm in your debt, Yoarashi."
"No problem! Keep showing that hot-blooded passion!"
Insana then flew off, determined to win or at least be in the single digits.
"Yeah, in hindsight? I think we should have taken into account that some of our kids could fly." Present Mic dryly noted.
Aizawa simply smirked at his best friend while Nagant covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.
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The students of Sanctuary were also sharing in their teachers' amusement.
"Kaachan really is amazing..." Izuku said as Himiko beamed and nodded in agreement.
"I'd expect nothing less than the boy I love." The blonde shapeshifter mused, her mind going to some rather….'adult' thoughts as to how to show Katsuki how proud she was when this was over.
"Man, your Support Course friend is really something, huh Melissa?" Hana said as Melissa watched Mei fly across the canyon and noticed how hyper-fixated she was. "Uh...Melissa?"
The One for All User was awestruck; Mei was not only as smart, if not smarter than her in terms of engineering, but she wore a grin on her face like Uncle Toshi's and had come very well prepped for the Sport Fest. This filled the blonde girl with hope that, if given the chance, Mei could be promoted to 1A or 1B. Plus, the goggles added a steampunk look to her red dreds, which looked amazing as they blew through the air….
"Your heart rate is raising quite exceptionally whenever you look at Friend Hatsume. Is something the matter, Friend Melissa?" Penny asked her friend.
Melissa snapped out of her daze, turning beet red as she waved her hands in panic.
"A-Ah! It's nothing! I just really admire how passionate she is about her inventions, that's all!"
"Keep telling yourself that..." Michiru said with a teasing grin as Nazuna giggled in agreement before a raised brow from their class President made them stop. "Sorry."
"…I don't get it." Lucy mused. She went ignored as Amity made her way over to a now steaming and blushing Melissa.
"Speaking from personal experience?" Amity added. "I say go for it. I did and…."
She took Luz into a hug.
"Things are going great."
Melissa, still red in the face, took a deep breath and then smiled in gratitude. First chance she got; she'd be asking Mei Hatsume for a coffee date….maybe at that Tech Expo that was coming up….
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Unbeknownst to the kids, someone was listening in; a small drone that had been recording the class and transmitting everything back to a hidden room on I-Island.
In that room, David Shield's eyes widened and his glasses fell off.
"Wait…So, it's a girl?" He asked, wanting to confirm. Once his brain processed this, he let out a sigh. "Oh, thank God, that makes this so much easier!"
"Professor?" Sam asked, knocking on the door. "Everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh, um, yes, Sam! You can go home now. And take the next two days off; you've earned it."
Sam, not thoroughly convinced of his employer's change but also not one to turn down a few days off (he was getting old), grabbed his coat and headed out, wishing David a pleasant night.
Meanwhile, David recalled all but the drone that was listening in. While he didn't have to worry about some filthy, lustful, objectifying, possessive boy taking his daughter's innocence, he wasn't just about to assume she was safe just because she preferred the fairer sex. He would need to know more about this girl before sleeping peacefully.
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Shoto scowled as Katsuki, Inasa, Momo, Tenya, and Mei had managed to all overtake him.
"What's wrong, Two-Face?!" Katsuki taunted as he blasted past the two-toned boy. "Didn't think we'd get past you, huh?!"
Shoto let out a furious growl as he slammed shoulders with Katsuki, who grinned viciously as she pushed back, everyone about to make it to the final obstacle.
"Alright, our kids are coming up to the final obstacle!" Present Mic announced. "THE MINEFIELD!"
"A minefield?! Seriously?!" Nagant was quite clear in voicing her displeasure.
"Relax, they are specially made with baby powder and special cushioning to prevent any risk of shrapnel. UA may be irrational at times but we're not out to completely kill our students." Aizawa reassured.
"I don't know if that makes me feel any better..." Nagant sighed, quickly shooting Ippan a text:
'Going to need a cuddle and soak after today.'
Ippan smiled and mentally went over what she'd need.
Katsuki grinned evilly as he developed a very risky idea in his mind. But then again, a Bakugou never backs down from a risk.
"Oy, Icy-Hot! Hope you have a blast with what I got planned for ya!"
Shoto's eyes widened when Katsuki boosted forward with explosions from his feet before spinning in the air and then aiming both of his palms downward as he landed on the ground.
"LAND MINE BLAST!"
Forcing his explosions through the ground, Katsuki detonated all of the landmines at once, creating a massive explosion of purple baby powder dust mixed with the stench of napalm sweat.
"Holy crap is Bakugo insane?!" Setsuna gasped as she saw this along with Pony.
Shoto, who was right near the epicenter of the explosion was sent flying back and tumbling across the ground. Coughing in pain, he struggled to get up as he saw several of his classmates already overtaking him, even frickin' Minoru!
"Smell ya later, Todoroki!" The grape-haired midget taunted, taking the chance to mock the so-called 'strongest student'.
"A dazzling display of destruction if I ever saw one!" Yuuga said as he couldn't help but be impressed by Katsuki's risky move.
The blonde-haired explosive blonde grinned as he positioned himself so that the resulting blast would propel him forward. Using his explosions to further boost himself, he crossed the finish line and tumbled across the ground, laughing triumphantly all the way.
"EAT SHIT, ALL OF YA! ESPECIALLY YOU, ICY-HOT!"
"WE HAVE OUR WINNER FOR THE OBSTACLE COURSE!" Present Mic cheered. "KATSUKI BAKUGO OF HEROICS CLASS 1-A!"
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The applause and cheering was carried over to the Sanctuary bunker as everyone let out cheers.
"THAT'S MY MAN!" Himiko beamed.
"I KNEW KA-CHAN WOLD WIN! THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND THERE!" Izuku cheered.
"KNEW THERE WAS A REASON I LIKED THAT GUY!" Ragnarok suddenly manifested through Crona and let out a cheer of his own. Crona smiled but said nothing else.
"HELL YEAH!" Seras and Akira beamed together.
But the most unexpected response came from Masato.
"…He's mine."
All turned to face the class pretty boy.
"Masa?" Velvet asked.
"I want to… no…. I NEED to fight him." Masato said. "Full disclosure, his friendship with Izuku and being Himiko's boyfriend aside, I always thought he was just a talker. Hell, even his speech earlier? All I saw was hot air. But after that? His speed, his tactics, his tenacity….Himiko, Izuku, I know how much he means to you guys, but…He is the only one in the other classes that I feel can give me what I've been missing for so long; an actual rivalry."
Masato's normally calm face took turn that belonged on Himiko and Lucy's face: A grin of eagerness to fight. Masato knew that he was nowhere near as strong as say, Hana, Lucy, 21 or Izuku. He had long accepted this to be okay; he never really wanted to stand out too much. But something in Katsuki awoke something in him: A need to be better.
He had all the powers of his favorite series at his beck and call, but rarely used them in full, even against the powerhouses in his class, mostly cause he saw them like siblings who he had to defend. But Katsuki brought no such baggage and WAS going all out from the get-go, unlike Shoto.
The reactions of Himiko and Izuku were both not and yet in sync to reactions he had been expecting:
"Katsuki knows how strong both Iuzku and I are. Go nuts." The Smiling shapeshifter smiled. "Sides, I kind of want to spar with Ochako."
Izuku smiled and placed a hand on Masato's shoulder.
"He won't make it easy for you, just so you know."
"I'm counting on that." Masato smiled, but then his regular demeanour returned. "But what about you?"
Izuku smiled and announced his choice, which both shocked and made sense.
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Naturally, all of Class 1-A and 1-B had passed the Obstacle Course Race, Midnight strutting onto the podium in order to announce the next event.
"Alright, kiddies, we've got a special treat for you all; You'll now be participating in a set of recreational activities! After all, this IS a school sports festival, after all!"
"Sweet! This'll be so much fun!" Mina cheered along with Tooru.
Shoto was a different story. His wounds from the explosion caused by Katsuki weren't too severe, but he was absolutely floored by the fact that just about almost everyone in his class had overtaken him, even the likes of Minoru, Tooru, and Kouji.
"Bakugou...I won't let this insult go unpunished..." The heterochromatic teen growled inside his head darkly. Katsuki seemed to notice and smirked as he glanced over his shoulder to flip Shoto off, further infuriating him.
"After these recreational games, we'll be moving on to the Big Event that we've been saving for some very special kiddies of ours!" Midnight said. "Who are they? Well, you'll all see soon enough!"
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"Alright, gang! This is it! After the recreational games are over, we're gonna get out there and show them what we're made of!" Luz said to her class as everyone nodded in excitement.
"I already know what I'm going to do..." Lucy said with a soft gentle smile on her face. She wasn't focused on fighting, for once, she was focused on helping...and she knew who she was gonna help when she made herself known.
"Izuku, are you going to be okay?" Masato said as Izuku perked up before nodding nervously.
"I'm ready...I don't care if they hate me. This is my chance to prove I'm not the monster they think I am."
"That's the manly spirit, Izu." Akira smiled, putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm a little nervous...let's hope I make people happy..." Crona muttered.
"YOU? Make people happy? That last poem made everyone almost lose the will to live!" Ragnarok scoffed.
"T-That's not true! T-This nice old man read my poem and h-he gave me a hug, t-telling me that there are lots of people who care about m-me!" Crona retorted, remembering the kind old man who had read her poem and offered them a shoulder to cry on as well as an ear to listen to their problems.
"Yeah, and Tokoyami-Kun loves your poems as well!" Michiru pointed out. "So quit bullying Crona, Ragnarok!"
"Alright, alright, sheesh!" The Sentient Quirk groaned as he receded back into Crona.
"Okay, let's all get ready and be sure to let the world know who we are!" Amity said to her class, who all cheered in agreement before a loud growl was heard.
"Can we get lunch first?" Roromiya asked calmly, her stomach being the one that killed the mood.
"Sure thing, Roro-Chan!" Nui smiled, unperturbed.
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Jinko Wangei was whimpering as he found himself behind the wheel of his car, his assailant having finished all the preparations for what was to come next.
"You know what you must do...now DRIVE." The Riddler growled menacingly, forcing Jinko to slam his foot on the pedal and drive through town.
Riddler smiled behind his mask, by his exact calculations, the soon-to-be-former HPSC President would arrive at UA's Sports Festival grounds at just the right time.
Looking down, the killer noticed Jinko's Tiger Ring and picked it up before chuckling as he pocketed it. He already knew who Jinko was affiliated with and to be honest, he originally had no intention of dealing with Humarize...but perhaps things could be spun to work in his favor. Kill two birds with one stone, as they always say.
"Game on..."
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The recreational games had been quite thrilling as Katsuki stretched his back out, preparing to head to the cafeteria to get some grub. However, it was then he saw Shoto waiting for him.
"The fuck do you want, Icy-Hot?"
"Bakugou...we need to talk..."
Unbeknownst to the two of them, Izuku and Himiko just so happened to be walking by and, worried for Katsuki, followed after them.
Devil Dragon Stand Knight A/N:
Yeah, we're cutting out the Cavalry Battle and getting straight into the action in the next chapter! How will Katsuki react to Shoto's backstory? How will Izuku and Himiko react? And what does Riddler want to do with the Sports Festival? All of this will be revealed in the next chapter!
Also, the kind old man Crona mentioned is someone who saw the good in a lot of people. The kind of man who always gave an ear to listen to and whose heart was out there for everyone, no matter their race, background, or circumstances.
He was the kind of man we were all happy to call our Neighbor.
I've said my piece, take it away, Mrotrax!
Mrotrax A/N
A blast to read and an even bigger blast to write! This chapter is shaping up to be one of the best yet! Especially the nice old man bit. We're hinting at big things to come here, and not all the things will be all that bad. At the same time, don't expect things to go down smoothly either; we've got BIG plans.
I again apologize for taking so long with my updates these days; I hope this made up for it.
Next chapter will be emotional and exciting as the kids are revealed to the world…and they won't be alone; you can expect to see some familiar faces in the Sanctuary's kids' lives popping up for an appearance next chapter.
Until we meet again…stay safe!
