"Everyone, are your preparations complete?" cried Iida. "We're set to enter very soon!"

Our class was gathered together in the waiting room of the Stadium. The day of the Festival had finally arrived. Everyone was dressed in the school gym uniform, and I had decided it was time to talk to him.

"Midoriya," I said, walking up to him.

"What is it, Todoroki?"

"On an objective basis, I think I'm above you in terms of practical strength."

He looked surprised, confused. "Wha? Uh, yeah…?"

"You've managed to get All Might's eyes on your, right?" I asked him. "I'm not prying into that, but…I'm going to beat you."

"What's with this belligerence all of a sudden?" asked Kirishima, grabbing my shoulder. I shrugged him off. "Don't spring this on him right before - "

"I'm not here to play nice and make friends," I snapped at him, "but whatever." I turned away - I'd said my piece - but then Midoriya spoke up.

"I have no idea what you want from me, telling me all that," he said slowly. i turned back to face him. He was clenching his fists, and looking downward. "You're definitely stronger than me. In fact, you probably have more potential than anyone in the hero course. Looking at it objectively."

"C'mon Midoriya," said Kirishima behind me, "Don't be so negative…"

"Even so!" Midoriya interrupted - or rather continued… "Everyone, even kids from other departments, are aiming for the top with everything they've got!" Something had changed in him now. This wasn't self-deprecation or false modesty, no…this was something else. He looked up to meet my gaze, and there was no wavering now. "So I can't let myself lag behind. I'll be aiming for the top too."

"Oh," I said, not quite sure how to respond. It seemed he'd at least be putting in an effort…strange….

Present Mic's voice boomed out as we walked into the ring. "Let me guess, you all came to see them, right? The fresh-formed miracle stars that shrugged off a mass villain assault with wills of steel! The Hero department freshman class 1-A!"

The venue for the UA Sports Festival was a gigantic, glittering arena, a circular stadium with seating for cheering thousands and a broadcast geared worldwide. Our fellow students joined us, class by class, until the entire Freshman year stood before the podium.

"Now, now, fair play!" announced the referee for our year, our teacher the R-rated hero Midnight, once everyone had gathered. After she'd rung us in, she called "Now, for your player representative: Katsuki Bakugou of Class 1-A!"

Bakugou, our class representative? Isn't that Iida? I wondered, though I supposed it was perhaps in reference to his skills. He'd been the top of the regular examinees. He stepped up to the microphone on the podium, and said "Sensei, I'm gonna place first."

A massive angry boo of dissent came from the Freshman crowd. Everyone was annoyed with Bakugou's words, and looking at our class as if he spoke for each and everyone of us. In response, he said, "You'll all make fantastic stepping stones, I'm sure," and stepped off the platform. Amidst all the booing, however, I was rather reminded of Midoriya's words. Those two, I thought, as Bakugo bumped Midroiya's shoulder on the way down, are rather more alike than they think.

Midnight said "Aii right, with that we can move directly onto our first event! Onto the Preliminaries as they're called! Lots of fine folk end up choking on their tears here every year! And this year's first round is…" she pointed to a screen, and the words came up. OBSTACLE RACE "This!"

"It's a race between all 11 classes. The course makes a nearly 4km ring around this stadium! We always sing about our freedom on campus. Well, this is what it's all about! You're free to do anything, so long as you remain within the course! So let's get cracking. On your marks!"

Everyone took their stance, headed for the gate. The buzzer rang. "START!"

Immediately, the gates out of the arena crushed half the students inside their walls.

"Our first filter," I murmured, and a plan instantly sprang to mind. My ice extended, easily freezing the entryway and trapping the others, sticking their feet to the ground. And making an easy opening for me to break free and keep running, taking the lead.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Todoroki!" called a familiar voice; I turned around and saw Yaoyorozu, followed by Bakugou and Kirishima, easily evading my attack and flying over the crowd - her with a creation from her wrist, and Bakugou with his explosions, shouting "I won't let you get away that easily!"

"Well, obviously some of them in my class were gonna make it past," I murmured, watching a surprisingly large amount of my fellow students breaking through the ice. "But more of you were able to dodge it than I thought."

"I ain't buying your bluff, Todoroki!" shouted Mineta, my classmate with the sticky ball quirk. "Now why don't ya swallow my killer move, grape ru-"

With a loud bang, he was swatted away and rolled across the ground.

I skated to a stop in front of a near army of robots that towered over us students, a seemingly impenetrable barrier.

"A Robo inferno!" shouted Present Mic's voice over the loudspeakers. "It's the Villain Bot that was worth 0 points in the Entrance Exam!"

"So they use these kind of bots for trials in general, huh," I murmured. Jeez, the least you could have done is throw s something tougher my way. Since after all, my shitty old man is watching.

All it took to fell the robots was a simple swat of ice to tip them over.

"HE stopped them!" shouted some students from other courses. "HE opened the way, we can go through!"

"Don't," I murmured. "I froze them in a precarious position, so they're gonna crash down." Behind me, the faulty quick moves of the others lead to the crashing, breaking sounds of robots falling apart.

"1-A's Todoroki has forged ahead and blocked the others in one fell swoop!" called out Mic's voice. "That kid's HARSH! Incredible, he's removed himself from the rest of the competition! Feels kinda unfair, actually."

It is…you see, not everyone is born with my abilities.