Izuku leaned back in his seat as the final school day before the Sports Festival ended.
The training of his classmates had been going well for the last few weeks, with his martial arts lessons occurring nearly every day, and from what he knew the others were training their own skills and Quirks very frequently on their own as well. They had all been showing marked improvements in their fighting skills and the usage of their Quirks in combination with them on those times he dedicated a class to making sure they could integrate them well.
The costume discussions had gone nicely as well, even if they wouldn't be of much use during the Sports Festival itself. He had indeed made changes to several of them based on feedback by the people that would actually be wearing them, and while speaking with the students about them he had also discussed potential new ways to utilize their Quirks, which had expanded their repertoire nicely.
Indeed, everything was going pretty well, and Izuku was sure that his classmates were more than prepared for the upcoming festival, including Bakugo and Todoroki, even though they weren't members of the class he taught. From what he knew of them he couldn't imagine them slacking off or not giving it their all.
The only real problem Izuku was having at the moment was coming up with what he was going to say for the pledge he was supposed to give for the Sports Festival, being the one that came first place in the entrance exam. None of his past lives were what he would call great public speakers, though Jesse and Peter had some decent experience with doing so when necessary. And the less said about Izuku himself prior to receiving the memories, the better.
Going through and discarding ideas as he got up and picked up his bag he was mildly surprised when he heard Bakugo bark at someone standing outside.
Glancing out he saw a large mass of students gathered outside of the room, many with confrontational looks on their faces. None of them were Heroics students, unless they were upperclassmen that Izuku didn't know, though that possibility went out the window when the boy in the lead, with tired seeming eyes and gravity defying indigo hair said he was from Gen Ed.
Izuku hung back, listening to the discussion and keeping an eye out in case he needed to intervene, since Bakugo was predictably increasing the hostility level with his abrasive personality. He reminded himself that he really needed to find some way to shock the blonde out of the complexes their upbringing gave him. Izuku had been a teacher as Peter and Ranma, and he could see exactly how the way society had enabled Bakugo had really screwed the boy up.
In spite of everything, including his changes, a part of Izuku wanted to help the other boy become a better person. He didn't want to believe he was a lost cause.
That didn't mean he was going to put up with any of the explosive teen's shit, however, as he'd already aptly demonstrated. There was a difference between trying to help him improve and becoming a doormat again.
His attention was drawn when the purplette mentioned having originally aimed for Heroics but being unable to get in due to the way the entrance exam was set up. When he gave Bakugo his declaration of war to bump one of them from a spot he could take, Izuku smiled, pleased by how fortune had smiled on him.
He knew what he was going to say.
The day of the Sports Festival had arrived, and the stadium the First Years' events would be held in was packed to capacity, far more than was normal. Most years the focus was on the Third Years, as they were more experienced and skilled, and thus more entertaining. This year, however, everyone wanted to see the students that had fought off a villain attack within a week of starting to attend UA. The press in particular was eager for any new drama to use.
The various classes had their own waiting rooms, and Izuku leaned against a wall in 1-A's as he watched his classmates psych themselves up or in conversation to deal with their nerves. His attention was drawn when Todoroki approached him, a serious look on his face, an almost glare in his eyes. "Can I help you, Todoroki-kun?"
"I believe it's safe to say that you're the strongest person in this class, Midoriya." Todoroki said, seeming unhappy to be forced to admit as much.
Izuku raised an eyebrow as his classmates all stopped any conversations they were having to pay attention, Bakugo looking especially aggrieved at Todoroki's assessment. "Perhaps in some aspects, but we all have our strengths, Todoroki."
"I've seen you around campus, talking to All Might." He said, making Izuku frown. They hadn't been hiding their connection, exactly, but they weren't advertising it either. All Might had indeed pulled him aside a few times, sometimes to ask for teaching advice, sometimes simply to talk, interested in his previous lives, or any insights he could give on certain situations due to his unorthodox viewpoint. Nezu had done the same, once or twice, though he was obviously quite busy and thus could make as much time to do so. He refocused when Todoroki continued. "He has his eye on you, and that simply motivates me further. I am going to defeat you and be the winner of this event." The dual toned boy said coldly.
Kirishima approached. "Whoa, a declaration of war against our class rep, huh?" He said with a grin. "That's manly as hell, but you don't need to be so intense about it." He said as he reached out to pat Todoroki's shoulder, only to be shrugged off.
"I'm not here to make friends." Todoroki said harshly. "I'm here to prove myself to…" He hesitated before continuing. "...to everyone."
Everyone was staring at Todoroki for a moment before Izuku spoke, breaking the silence of the moment. "I welcome your challenge, Todoroki, but I advise you be careful." He said lightly, though his eyes were sharp. "Don't tunnel on me and be caught off guard by our schoolmates. I've trained with all of these people, and I can guarantee any of them could give you a nasty surprise, especially if you underestimate them, to say nothing of students in courses like Gen Ed. For all you know they have a Quirk that's a perfect counter to yours and it's just not effective against robots." He pushed away from the wall and gazed into Todoroki's eyes with a steely gaze. "Everyone here is aiming for the top, and everyone is going to give it their all. Dismiss them at your own risk." He smiled, then, and it was surprisingly sharp. "That includes me, of course."
The room was silent for a moment as all the students stared at the tableau of Izuku and Todoroki staring each other down. Then the moment ended when Kirishima whispered 'Manly' and the signal for them all to head out onto the arena came over the speakers.
With that, Izuku and Yaoyorozu gathered the teens together before leading them out of the waiting room, everyone doing their best to steel themselves for what was to come.
They emerged to the roar of cheering crowds that nearly drowned out the sound of Present Mic presenting them, and Izuku didn't need to look to know that some of his classmates were getting increasingly nervous at seeing just how many people would be watching them compete. He wondered how many just now realized they'd be on TV as well.
They stood near the podium that had been set up for whoever would be officiating as the rest of the First Years emerged, the 1-B students getting similar cheers to 1-A's due to being part of the USJ incident as well, which Izuku considered to be a good thing. He'd hate to think of their sister class being shafted due to circumstance, even if such circumstances had been negative. The General Studies, Support and Management got a notably more subdued response, which Izuku could see was irritating to several of them, a sad consequence of current society's focus on heroics.
Once all the students were gathered Midnight stepped out onto the podium, her hips swaying tantalizingly, making more than one spectator sit up more attentively, everybody that was interested in women suddenly much more excited to be spectating the First Years. Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction of all these people at the sight of the beautiful woman. Mineta was practically vibrating in place.
"It's now time for the Athlete's Oath!" Midnight declared with a crack of her flogger. "The student representative is Midoriya Izuku, from Class 1-A!"
As Izuku began to walk towards the podium, hiding his nerves by pulling on Jesse and Peter's memories like a cloak, he heard non heroics students mutter angrily about him only getting it because he had come first in the heroics exam. He agreed with them that it wasn't fair, but he couldn't exactly do anything about it at the moment, so put it out of his mind as he took his place on the podium.
Briefly boggling at the absurdity that UA allowed (too much) leeway in what the student representative said in this situation, he gathered the thoughts he had come up with, wanting to say something memorable and inspiring to all his schoolmates, not just the ones in the Heroics course.
"As an Athlete's Pledge…" He began, as the stadium quieted down in order to allow him to speak. "I vow we will reach out to grasp the outcome we seek, whether that involves Heroics, Support, Management, or something else." He raised a hand and clenched it into a fist. "No matter how remote the possibility, behind how many zeroes it might be, the only time the goal we set ourselves is impossible is when we give up. It doesn't matter what background we come from…" His eyes briefly met Uraraka's, who smiled back with soft eyes. "...what setbacks we have encountered…" His gaze turned to the indigo haired boy's, who seemed startled when he realized that he was being addressed directly. "...Or who pettily stands in our way…" This time he looked at Bakugo defiantly, the blonde's eyes narrowing angrily as he scowled. "...We will seize the future we want with our own two hands, no matter how far beyond the radix point it is."
With that he lowered his fist and began stepping off the podium, the stadium silent for a moment before erupting into applause and cheering. His fellow students clapped as well, even the non-heroics students appearing to be buoyed by his words, small smiles on their faces just from the fact that he'd thought to include them as well.
Midnight stepped back up to the spot Izuku had just vacated, a sexy smirk on her face as she eyed Izuku as he walked away, licking her lips lightly. "Well then, with that stimulating declaration, let's move on to the first event!" She turned to look at the holographic display that appeared behind her, which began cycling through different event options before finally stopping at one. "This year's fateful event is going to be… the obstacle course race!"
The students around Izuku began murmuring amongst each other, making plans and trying to shake off their nerves before Midnight continued. "This'll be a race between every member of all eleven classes, with the course being a four kilometer lap around the stadium itself!" The smirk on her beautiful face widened. "Our school preaches freedom in all things, so as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game!" She cracked her whip once again. "Racers, to your positions!"
The students all gathered by the indicated gate, preparing themselves physically and mentally. Izuku stayed at the back of the mass, right in front of the Management students, who didn't look too enthused for the event, and stretched himself, getting ready for the run. He was going to let the other students go first, already able to see the bottleneck that the relatively narrow corridor would create.
Midnight cracked her flogger once again with greater force, a large, sadistic grin on her face. "START!"
All Might sat with his colleagues in the teachers' booth, watching the race begin with interest. He'd made sure to attend in his skinny form, not wanting to draw attention away from the students, not to mention he doubted his time limit would be long enough to last the entire festival.
As the mass of students became jammed in the starting gate he noticed Izuku walking calmly behind them as the Management students moved away to watch the rest of the racers and make business simulations, having nothing to directly gain from competing. He was unhurried in his pace, relaxedly stretching as he did so, drawing the attention of the audience, who began to murmur in confusion.
"What's Midoriya doing?" Present Mic asked, being the announcer and commentator for the festival. "Was all that talk about grasping all possibilities just hot air? A lot of his classmates have reached the Robo Inferno barrier!"
"Don't be an idiot." Aizawa said gruffly, having been dragged into being Mic's co-MC due to his injuries. He insisted he was entirely healed, but his coworkers were still concerned for him, Mic and Midnight especially, so he agreed to not do his usual festival prep work and commentate instead, no matter how much it irritated him. "Midoriya is patient, smart, and unconventional. He's got something planned."
Even as Aizawa finished speaking Izuku cracked his neck and crouched down in preparation. The next thing anybody knew he was soaring above the mass of students still stuck in the gate's bottleneck, his feet landing on the wall and sticking there as he began to run along it above the stuck students, avoiding them completely and landing on the other side in seconds. By the time two of the zero pointers had collapsed due to Todoroki freezing them over he had already almost reached them, legs pumping rhythmically as he ran with his body low to the ground, Service Weapon in hand to deal with any hostile obstacles. A one pointer moved to get in his way and was promptly decapitated by an expertly placed shot to the head, Izuku barely even seeming conscious of having done so as he used his abilities to perform such a quick dash between a zero pointer's legs it seemed like he'd teleported.
"Well, he's definitely grabbed people's attention." Snipe said as he sat back in his seat, his arms crossed.
"I think that was the point." Power Loader said as he munched on some popcorn. "I've spent time in the workshop with that kid. I'd say he's nearly as smart as Nezu. By hanging back so casually he didn't only avoid the crush of students trying to get through the gate, he also drew everyone's eyes."
All Might nodded. "Indeed. Midoriya apparently remembered that part of the point of the Sports Festival is to draw the interest of potential internship sponsors. A smart yet attention grabbing play will do so, especially when he comes from behind and takes first place."
"I notice that you don't seem to doubt that Midoriya will come in first." Thirteen commented, fiddling with the bottle of water in her hand. "And that you don't call him 'Young' Midoriya unless around other students now." Her tone was conversational, but the question in it was still obvious.
"I do have a personal connection to Midoriya, but I assure you that I am not allowing it to influence my judgment or give him preferential treatment." "All Might admitted mildly as he watched Izuku reach the pit obstacle, not pausing for an instant, simply leaping across the chasm with ease and a bit of help from his levitation power, reaching the other side in seconds and being within sight of Bakugo and Todoroki, who were in the lead. "I don't need to, as his skills and abilities speak for themselves. I would say that if it weren't for government requirements and his desire to have a relatively normal high school experience he could be a top ranking pro already."
"His performance at the USJ was certainly impressive, if unfortunate." Cementoss admitted, drawing unhappy shuffling from Thirteen at the reminder. "Sorry, Anan." He said afterwards, regretting upsetting her, Thirteen waving the apology away with a 'no problem'.
"His thought process during the confrontation with Nomu was that of an experienced pro." Hound dog growled. "Which is… unusual…" All Might did his best to ignore the suspicious glare the animalistic guidance counselor was sending him, though he was unable to avoid sweating a bit.
"There's also the fact that he's been teaching most of his classmates martial arts." Ectoplasm added. "And not just 1-A, either, but 1-B as well. It's too soon to see any real improvement from that, if any, but just the fact that he's doing so and willing to include the sister class says something about him."
"He's a genius inventor too." Power Loader said as he chased down his popcorn with some soda. "Some of the things he's made are ingenious, and he's always willing to help any of the Support students, though it's mostly Hatsume, who is always doing something extra and is a bit… reckless."
"Is it just me, or is he perhaps a bit too perfect?" Vlad King asked gruffly, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Izuku overtake Todoroki and Bakugo at the mindfield, dashing telekinetically through it, barely touching the ground for a second before dashing again, thus either not setting off the mines or getting away from any explosions before they went off, essentially ignoring them.
As Izuku ran through the gate back into the stadium, not seeming to be winded in the least, the teachers all turned to stare pointedly at All Might, who kept his gaze focused on Izuku and the rest of the students that were arriving, pointedly not noticing their piercing gaze, though he couldn't hide the sweat beading his emaciated face.
In a certain rundown bar in a certain city, Shigaraki Tomura scratched at his neck as he watched the UA Sports Festival on television, his gaze locked on the greenette that had come in first.
"So, that is the boy that killed our Nomu…" His sensei said from a screen nearby, apparently watching the festival as well. "He's certainly made an impression."
"When are we going to kill him, sensei?" Shigaraki asked. I want him dead after how he humiliated us at USJ!"
"Patience, Shigaraki." Sensei said soothingly. "That time will come, but for the moment I want to study him. His abilities don't make sense. His Quirk Registry superficially explains the eccentricities, but something about this rubs me the wrong way…"
Shigaraki turned from the screen showing the festival to focus on his teacher. "You think he's like you?" He asked, apparently mulling over that possibility.
"Perhaps. Either way, I want to find out more, and perhaps acquire those abilities for myself." Sensei said mildly.
"And after you take his Quirk, I'll kill him." Shigaraki said eagerly.
"Of course." All for One said in agreement, a smile on his unseen face.
Ugh, I had more trouble than I'd like to admit with this chapter. Part of that is that I finally began my new job, so I'm having to get used to the schedule, especially as it's much more physically demanding than my previous sedentary call center job. I wanted to update Brightest this month as well, but I guess I'm going to have to wait till the next one.
Not too much of actual importance happened in this chapter, honestly. I considered making up my own events to do something different, but in the end I couldn't really come up with anything interesting, and it gave me an opportunity to focus on other POVs. If I ever do another MHA fic I'll perhaps get some reader suggestions for events.
Speaking of other POVs, the teachers are getting suspicious of Izuku. He really is the definition of 'too good to be true' at this point.
And All for One's curiosity means he now has plans for Izuku. This can only end in good.
A virtual pot brownie to anyone who can figure out where I got Izuku's little speech from. It's one of my favorite LNs.
I think that's all to comment on, so I'll go ahead and move on to my usual reminder.
I am, as always, truly grateful for those of you who are willing to send a buck or two my way out of the kindness of your heart. It really helped my transition till I started working. Got my first paycheck last week, so I'd been surviving off what you sent me. I'm no longer in such desperate need, thankfully, but any continued support is still appreciated.
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That said, if a fic hasn't won in a long time, I will take it off the poll and update it anyway, like I recently did for No Good Deed.
So yes, donate to my Pat A Ron, you get a say in what I update. Everybody wins! So that's Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. The current poll ends on April 5th, so go make sure your votes are counted.
I think that's all I have to say. Thank you everybody once again for reading, I truly appreciate it, especially when you review. Till next time!