I don't own My Hero Academia or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
Please enjoy this story to your heart's content!
Chapter 14: To Be Loved
"And we're off to a racing start!" Present Mic announced enthusiastically, his voice ringing throughout the stadium, barely rising above the earsplitting roar from the audience as they all watched the students of U.A. practically leap across the starting line. "For those who are just tuning in, I'm you're gracious host, Present Mic! Joining me for some live commentary are my two humble cohosts, the Eraser Hero, Eraserhead, and the Cowboy Hero, Mountain Tim! So how about some colored commentary, my mummy men?!"
Aizawa let out grunt as he shifted his bandaged arms, his eyes boring through his mummy-like bandages to stare down at the scrambling students. "How did you talk me into this?"
"Oh stop being such a stick in the mud, Eraser," Mountain Tim grinned underneath his wrappings. "The kids out on the field are showing off their guts and determination. The least we can do is take a page from them and go PLUS ULTRA with our commentary!"
"Well said, my Zombie Cowboy!" Present Mic agreed with a face splitting smile. "So with introductions out of the way, let's get back to the free-for-all happening as we speak! The first event of U.A.'s Sports Festival is an obstacle race! It's a lap around this stadium made just for today! However there are two routes! The main route and the secondary route, the latter of which is longer! According to the rules, anything's fair game as long as our contestants stay with bounds and not stray from both tracks! In short, it's a harsh game of chicken! And all the action is brought to you by the camera robots at each location! So, my mummified cohosts, what should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the race?!"
"The doorway," Aizawa said simply.
Indeed, nearly every eye in the stadium was glued to the main route's gate entrance, where most of the student body of the first years were cramming their way through the narrow opening. It didn't take less than a second after the official start did the entire doorway was jammed packed with flesh, bone, and whatever bizarre Quirk that each student had to their name. They pushed and shoved slowly down the hallway, crying out as many a foot was stepped upon or an elbow haphazardly slammed into someone's face with little regard. Not that any of them actually pay attention whether they bruised someone or got bruised themselves. All their focus, all their hopes and determination was solely on the exit and getting the first advantage to the race.
"Well, well, it looks like they are in quite a pickle!" exclaimed Present Mic. "With so many students jammed together, they look like a can of sardines!"
"True, but it's only a matter of time before someone takes the initiative and pushes for the lead," commented Mountain Tim, ideally slipping a finger underneath his bandages to scratch his recovering wounds. "After all, fortis fortuna iuvat: fortune favors the bo—!"
Suddenly a plume of cold mist erupted from the narrow gateway, cutting off the cowboy as freezing ice quickly following after it, trailing up every side of the walls along the exit. It quickly spread to the floor, freezing whatever or whoever was caught in its cold grasp. Dozens upon dozens of students exclaimed in shock as they were now glued to the floor, but most of their indignation was directed to the one who caused their predicament and swiftly stole the lead.
"Well… Speak of the devil and he shall appear…"
"What a tremendous turn of events!" Present Mic shook with excitement, sliding his hand through the air as if he was messing with a turntable. "By freezing his competition into place, Shoto Todoroki has taken the lead! But can he keep this pace up I wonder?!"
"Considering the angry mob that managed to escape his sneak attack, including his entire class, I say we'll have our answer in but a few minutes."
Indeed, everyone of Class A managed to barely avoid the entrapping ice, but it was surprising to see that the majority of the student body use their Quirks to also escape the sudden cold before chasing after the red and white haired youth with increasing vigor. Yet just as a few were about to overtake him, everyone skidded to a screeching halt, some slamming in the backs of their peers due to lack of friction on the ice, as they came face to face with their first real obstacle.
Giant robots.
Dread filled the hearts of most of the first years, all too familiar with the same robotic menace that was used for the entrance exam to get into U.A. Yet as they stared dumbly at the hulking metallic hindrances that blocked their path, several shadows soon fell upon them as something rose up behind the robots. Standing as tall as the stadium itself were several Zero Pointer goliaths.
"Every obstacle course needs obstacles!" commented Present Mic. "Starting with the First Barrier! ROBO INFERNO!"
A great many students gaped at the titanic metal monsters that barred their way, some cursing their luck, others wondering where in the world did the academy manage to get the funding to make more than one Godzilla-sized robot and then mass produce them. Inching closer, the robots prepared to pounce at their stunned prey. All it took was one unfortunate student to take an unconscious step back before the gigantic Zero Pointers lumbered forth, arms raised and ready to crush flesh and bone into fine powder… only to be met wit with a wave of overwhelming cold and ice, instantly freezing their legs into place before their bodies soon followed after.
Todoroki didn't even waste a second to watch the rest of his handy work before bounding to his feet and charging underneath the now metallic ice statue. His peers blinked at the boy for but a moment before following his example and resumed to chase after him. Not five steps were taken before they were halted yet again as the frozen Zero Pointers fell apart, nearly crushing the students as they leaped out of the way or ran around the falling debris in an desperate attempt to regain some kind of momentum to the race.
"One-A's Todoroki! Busting through and sabotaging the others in one move! This guy's cold!" Slamming his hands onto the table before him, Present Mic excitedly jumped out of his seat before turning to face Aizawa with two thumbs up. "Amazing! He's the one we should watch! It almost seems unfair! Thoughts?!"
"His attack was both offensive and defensive…" Aizawa answered reluctantly.
"NO WONDER HE WAS LET IN ON RECOMMENDATION! He hasn't even fought those Robo Inferno before, but they never stood a chance against him and his jaw dropping moves!"
The crowd roared in approval at the assessment, most chanting Todoroki's name as they watched the boy continue to keep a huge gap between himself and his peers.
"I have to admit, that was a pretty clever tactic right there," complimented Mountain Tim. "It takes a lot of quick thinking to pull off a stunt like that on top of his previous move at the doorway... However, he's not the only one making a splash at the moment." Present Mic gave him a perplexed look, but Aizawa immediately understood what the cowboy was getting at. His eyes glued on the secondary monitor in the commentator box, showing an entirely scene than the one currently taking place on the main route…
As soon as Midnight announced the start of the race, Slow Dancer practically leapt off the starting line. Johnny barely heard some of the startled cries or curses coming from behind him, all his concentration deadlocked on making out his route's doorway and truly begin the race in earnest. A sharp neigh from beside him announced Gyro following his example, gunning for the exit as quickly as possible. Several sharp footsteps and shouts echoing behind them, telling both foreigners that those who chose to accompany them on their route would not be left in the dust that easily.
Blinding sunlight flared through the gateway as Johnny raced out of the gateway's exit, but his eyes quickly adjusted to the scene before him. The pathway was flat for the most part, with dozens of tiny mounds of dirt and rocky terrain littering here and there. Though with one glance to the left, where the main route was quickly succumbing into chaos—was that ice erupting out of the doorway?—Johnny could tell that the differences between the two paths was vast with the second leg of course nowhere in sight. Even if he were to push Slow Dancer to an all-out sprint this early in the race, he doubted that he could take the lead. Though that didn't mean he couldn't catch up with the main pack.
"If I keep Slow Dancer at a reasonable pace, I should be able to—!"
"Target acquired!"
Johnny felt his blood run cold at the sudden robotic voice, jerking his reins to the side just as a huge metal fist narrowly glided over Slow Dancer's coat. Letting out a frightened scream, Slow Dancer leaped back, kicking her hooves up in the air just as the hulking robot slowly straightened into an upright position. If it was anyone else, they would have been flung off their saddle by the startled appaloosa. In fact most of the audience in the stands, those who didn't have their eyes glued to the main route, thought that this would be the end of the race for the young paraplegic.
To their shock, Johnny didn't fall off his horse.
Flashing his whole body forward, Johnny arms wrapped around Slow Dancer's neck. The appaloosa continued to let out startled screams as the robot rolled a bit closer, but stopped when she felt a familiar touch along the base of her throat. With a flick of his wrist, the crippled youth gently rotated the flesh, commanding it to bend until her neck leaned forward with her body soon following after. With one last kick at the air, Slow Dancer slammed her hooves back to the floor, kicking up dirt as her rider skillfully rocked back into his saddle without any problem.
Straightening back up, Johnny noticed that he wasn't the only who came to a complete halt. Dozens of robots lined up menacingly, staring down the other students who stood a wary distance back, their Quirks active and ready to plow their way through anything that stood in front of them. Gyro pulled Valkyrie to the side as another robot made a swipe at him, only for its eyepiece to shatter as a Steel Ball swiftly crashed into it.
"So this is the first obstacle, huh?!" he yelled, catching the Steel Ball before a golden grin spread across his lips. "If this is all this race has to offer, then the staff needs to really rethink their careers if they thought this will slow us down!"
"Hell yeah!" agreed boy with literal flaming hair. "We'll scorch these tin cans and—!"
Suddenly midnight black zoomed passed the youth with a revving roar, cutting him off as wave of air brushed against his face, his flaming mane flickering wild in the strong draft. He soon let out a squawk as a rope flashed around his body before yanking him off his feet.
Blinking, Johnny snapped his head back to see a robot hauling the hotshot boy back to the doorway. Yet unlike the other models, this was one was of a sleeker, yet familiar design. It looked like a futuristic motorcycle crossed with a centaur. The upper half having human-like appendages and features, even a head shaped like a biker helmet, while the lower half having two powerful, agile wheels with a protective, smooth casing covering the body. While the design surprised Johnny, his eyes quickly zeroed in on the several bundles of rope that was wrapped around its body.
"It looks like our contestants of the second route have met their own obstacle!" exclaimed Present Mic. "Just having the standard models of Robo Inferno constantly for all routes would be sooooooo boring! So the geniuses in U.A.'s support course and staff built these Chaser Bots specifically for the longer route!"
"Indeed," agreed Mountain Tim, "unlike the goliaths blocking the main route, these robotic rascals will continue to hound students until they either lasso them up or get destroyed in turn or until a student reaches the second leg of the race. If a student gets caught, they'll quickly be tied up and brought to the starting line and have to start from scratch! So stay on your toes, kids, and try to stay ahead of them unless you want to experience what's it like to get hogtied!"
"No need to tell me twice!" exclaimed Johnny, shooting the head off the regular robot that tried to take him by surprise before whipping Slow Dancers reins. The appaloosa, as if sensing her master's determination, let out a thunderous neigh before galloping down the track, slipping past the slower and hulking robots with ease. It didn't take a genius to figure out that even with newer models, the robots were never intended to stop the students, but slow them down. And with how much of a lead the others in the main route had over everyone, especially Todoroki and those from Class A, Johnny knew it was better to simply run passed the robots than turn them into scrap. A thought shared with most of his peers, either dodging passed the obstructive droids or tearing their way through them without missing a step.
However, avoiding them entirely proved more difficult than he originally thought.
As if popping out of the ground itself, which wouldn't surprise Johnny if that was really the case, more regular robots scrambled forth, their hulking forms ready to intercept the oncoming tide of contestants. Similarly, Chaser Bots quickly shot passed their slower counterparts, their engines roaring as they ran down several students, lassos flying everywhere before dragging them kicking and cursing wildly back to the starting line.
Needling Slow Dancer passed the first line of the slow bots—no sense to waste nail-bullets on them—Johnny kept his head low, keeping his eyes forward on the track and the true obstacles of the first leg of the race. While their hulking kin were annoying and one direct would definitely slow him down, the Chaser Bots were the real game breaker. They were agile, tenacious, and quickly proving to be persistent in hounding down their prey. Yet while they posed an intimidating force for his peers, Johnny wouldn't allow himself to be cowed so early in the race. After all, he faced things far more terrifying in the last two weeks. Dr. Ferdinand's raptors were far more relentless than these steel cowboys! Raising a finger up, the nail trembling and ready let loose at any moment, Johnny charged forth without any hesitation, aiming to break through the Robo Inferno and head to the next stage of the race.
"The current leaders of the pack in the main route are overwhelmingly from Class A!" announced Present Mic to the thunderous cheers from the crowd, their uproar getting more fervent by the second as the race continue on. "Even though those in the second route are encountering heavy resistance, they're also really plowing their way through! I wouldn't be surprised if they manage to catch up with the main pack at this rate. Especially Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli! Even though they riding horses, they charging their way directly through the whole horde without a care! What tenacity! I LOVE IT!"
"Class A learned not to hesitate," Aizawa explained. "It's not that Class B or any of the others are bad, but they haven't been exposed to the outside world yet like A has. With everything they faced so far, up close and personal, they've had that fear planted in them. The fear of facing villains. And they've endured it. Continuing to fight on to overcome that fear. They've grown, all of them. They know they have to act quickly if they want to stay alive and ahead of the game. And from their experiences, they forgotten how to hesitate."
The crowd let out another jubilant cheer at the blunt, yet in-depth commentary about Class A's potential, nearly deafening the cries for the other classes to come out on top.
"It looks like all Class A will be the highlight for the Sport's Festival this year, I'd reckon," commented Snipe, relaxing in his chair beside the rest of the teachers and faculty who chose to watch the first years instead of the higher classes this year.
"Indeed, everyone in Class A is really going out from the get go," Thirteen agreed, raising a finger to point at the leader board. "Especially Todoroki. From the very start he hasn't once let go of the lead. I don't think I've ever seen any student hold that position as long as he has during the Sport's Festival."
All Might nodded his head as he sat beside the Space Hero, his eyes never leaving the students who continued to fight and struggle their way through the robotic menace that constantly tried to push them back. Even though his attention was mostly on his protégé, he couldn't deny that the rest of Class A were truly putting all their effort in not merely making through the race, but to come out on top. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to see Midoriya be the one who stole victory in the end, but that possibility was getting increasingly lower as the gap between him and the heads of the pack grew by the second.
Yet he wasn't the only one who held All Might's concern. Turning his head to one of the monitors that showed the longer route, the skeletal man watched a certain paraplegic tearing part a pair of giant robots. Like Midoriya, Johnny was fighting an uphill battle with everything thrown at him without any mercy. And yet he endured, charging forth without any hint of slowing down even as he waded his way through metallic wave after metallic wave of robots.
While there were many who held great amounts of resolved to make it to the top, such as Bakugo's explosive viciousness or the cold will that Todoroki possessed. Only Midoriya equaled such steely, unbending determination. Just one look at those burning sky-blue orbs, where a roaring dark flame burned brightly within the very pits of it, was enough to convince All Might that Johnny would break his own body first before failing to win, to make it to the second event. Once again, it reminded him of his young pupil, of himself, and again he found himself admiring the unwavering will that refused to back down from a challenge, even one that proved to be mountainous like the race he was currently in. To smash passed the limitations of his own broken body without any hesitation. Truly Johnny, like so many before him and those of his own class, was an embodiment of U.A.'s creed, PLUS ULTRA!
"The first years have some truly has some incredible students this year!" All Might blinked at the sudden comment, cocking his head to the side to see some heroes and citizens sitting close by, talking amongst themselves as they eagerly watched the race.
"Yeah, they really are something!" agreed a hero with an eagle themed costume, with red, white, and blue feathers adorning the sides of his face. "Especially that Todoroki kid. I can tell he's going to become a great hero one day."
"No wonder, that's Endeavor's son," noted an older gentlemen with a pointy, waxed beard. "He's probably been groomed since birth to be a hero. Especially with that powerful ice Quirk he's got."
"I heard he also inherited his father's fire as well. Man, this kid is going to be unstoppable when he grows up!"
"Yup, yup, that kid is going to make it big. He's probably got the best chance here of making it to first place for this event."
"Speaking of chances," a youth hero with a golden flower costume spoke up suddenly, "I'm surprised that kid with on the horse, the paraplegic, hasn't been taken out yet by the robots yet."
"Yeah, that is a shock," agreed the eagle hero. "Though I'm more surprised that the faculty allowed the poor kid into the Sport's Festival. What were they thinking?! In his current condition, he could hurt himself or worse, get killed!"
"But isn't he in Class A's hero course?" asked a younger man, perhaps barely in his early twenties. "From what I've seen so far, he seems like he can take of himself… for the most part anyway."
"Sure, but for how long?" a man with a dark black sunglasses and an equally dark leather jacket asked skeptically. "I wager he's only going to make it to the end of the first leg of the race before he either gets knocked out or quits."
While he couldn't argue that their opinions and concerns were not unfounded, All Might felt that was too harsh of a criticism to make so early on in the race. And yet he could tell that these few spectators weren't the only ones who doubted the cripple's mettle. Skeptical mutterings and voiced doubt filtered through the encouraging cheers that filled the stadium. It was because of his admiration for the young paraplegic that All Might wanted to see him succeed just as much he wanted young Midoriya to make it to the top. However, with everyone else in the Sport's Festival also going beyond their limits to prove to everyone they were just as worthy of being number one, others who held more support from the crowd than the two boys had at this very moment, he couldn't help but a feel a tingle of worry for the both of them as the race raged on.
"They both knows how crazy this is, but they keep busting through their obstacles…" All Might thought quietly, his eyes returning his protégé's panting form, carrying what looked like the broken arm of one of the robots that chased after him, before shifting back Johnny continuing his reckless charge. "I asked so much of you already, young Midoriya, you don't have to come in first. Getting by the skin of your teeth is fine! Same with you, young Johnny! Just get to the next round!"
"Gah! There is no end to these oversized toys!" exclaimed Gyro, catching a Steel Ball as it returned from ruining the front wheel of a Chaser Bot that tried to side blind him. Almost instantaneously, the wheel collapsed upon itself, causing the robotic biker to flop forward, crashing into two other regular bots that attempted to ambush the Italian from the side.
Johnny would've agreed with his mentor, but at the moment, all his attention was directed to the two chaser bots that tailed Slow Dancer, quickly closing in with incredible speed. Swiftly twisting his body around, Johnny aimed at the nearest bot before letting loose two nail-bullets. Both hit a robot's neck, easily tearing it apart and sending it flying off into the battle torn track. Not wasting any time, Johnny turned to face the other persistent chaser. He soon blinked as the metallic menace already had out of its lassos, whirling it overhead before flinging it forth.
Holding back a scathing curse, Johnny leaned out of his saddle, nearly falling completely as he hung along the side of his horse as the lasso flew over him. Slipping one leg out it's protective custom made holsters, he twisted his entire body nearly all the way back around while a hand continued to firmly grasp the reins. It was a technique that Gyro had taught him just before the Sport's Festival, using the Spin to flex and rotate his body into positions that would've impressed a professional yoga master. Yet while he was able to learn it, ye had yet to master it. His muscles burned and screamed in protest the longer he stayed in this nearly impossible position.
Grimacing, he quickly flicked his free hand, unloading all his nails into the Chaser Bot, tearing it apart just as it tried to ram into him and Slow Dancer. He didn't waste any time to watch what little scrapped remained of it fall apart, quickly rotating back up into his saddle with a firm jerk of his reins. Slow Dancer let out an annoyed grunt at the sudden tug, but never lessen her pace as she carried her master down their route.
As he settled himself back into a more comfortable position, Johnny gazed at the absolute craziness that had taken place on the track. As those on the main route got closer to the second leg of the race, those who had chosen to take the longer track started to fight with great zeal and ferocity. They knew what was at stake and the longer they continued to linger on this route or get pushed back by the Robo Inferno, the harder it would be to make it to the second event of the festival, let alone the second leg of the race. Quickly feeling the pressure piling on their young shoulders, every one of them clawed their way through the endless supply of robots that stood in the way. Either by literally destroying them or slipping passed them the best they could.
Johnny watched as a bulky youth with two long tusks curling around his cheeks quite literally rammed his way through a hulking crab-like bot, never slowing down even as another metal obstruction sprang up in front of him. A boy with four eyes and six arms managed to tangle sticky, silky web around a couple of bots, tying them together before rushing forward. Another student, a girl with golden hair and had lyre-shaped white horns jutting out the sides of her head, skillfully evaded the lasso from a chaser bot by slipping underneath a four-legged robot before bursting into a spirit just as her pursuer slammed into its heavier kin. Surprisingly she also managed to close the gap between herself and the young horse riders, occasionally running on all fours as kept up with them without too much trouble. If Johnny had to guess, she must've been from one of the students from Class One-B.
Giving them all one last glance, Johnny turned back to the head of the track, but paused when he saw something glint from the corner of his eye. Snapping his head to the side, he saw a Chaser Bot somehow managed to sneak up on him, its arms closing in to drag him off Slow Dancer. Letting out a curse, Johnny tried to flick his hand up and blast its head off like the others… only to watch as a pair of claws slam into the back of the bot's neck. Clinging to its back was a young boy with unkempt red hair and a pair of cat-like ears, with equally crimson fur, sticking out of it. Golden eyes flashed brightly in the sunlight, with narrow slits replacing round pupils, a long furry tail flickered back and forth as the boy sunk his fingers deeper into the robot's softer bits.
Screeching loudly, the bot tried to shake off its would-be attacker, only for the sharp nailed fingers to casually sliced apart wire and tubes holding its neck together. It didn't take a second before the ruined slab of metal that was the Chaser's head to fall off. Flicking the black oil off his fingers, the cat-like boy turned to face Johnny, flashing him razor sharp teeth before leaping off the crumbling bot.
Though the exchange lasted only seconds, it felt like minutes went by as time seemed still for Johnny, his eyes still locked on the red haired youth as he managed to land several feet ahead of Slow Dancer, taking off running the moment his feet his toes touched the dirt. His pace was surprisingly quick, rivaling that of the horned girl even. Though he was grateful that he saved him from nearly losing his position in the race, the cat boy's smile irritated him somewhat. It told him that it wasn't out of pity that forced the boy to save him, but rather a smugness that said the robot was merely in his way. Almost like he was looking down on him. Combined with the fact that he was now nearly in the lead, with Gyro just ten paces ahead of him, Johnny felt irritation and anger boiling deep with his gut.
He refused to be looked down upon by an arrogant prick like him!
Whipping his reins, Johnny clung to Slow Dancer's back as the appaloosa chased after the cat boy. Once more he dove through the endless robotic horde, ignoring them for the most part with the only exception being the Chaser Bots, which he quickly dispatched, his eyes never leaving the redhead's back. It didn't take too long before he was neck and neck with Gyro, the cat boy once more behind him, but only by a few paces. Still the length between them was tenuous at best. The fluffy eared boy giving occasional bursts of speed, gaining distance bit by bit, but never losing the steady pace he had.
After what seemed like an eternity crossing the through the hard fought path, Johnny finally spotted the end of the first leg of his track merging with the main route. Standing proudly at the end was a gate with huge automated sign depicting U.A.'s principal pointing through its entrance, as if beckoning the students to safety. Yet already on other side of the gate were several students from the main path running passed the sign without a single glance.
Neither the young cripple nor his horse didn't need any further encouragement, picking their pace as they raced to meet up with the rest of the main pack. Yet just as he was fifty meters from the gate, the ground suddenly trembled violently before huge pillars burst out of nowhere. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the rocky formations closed in all around him and his fellow competitors.
"No, not closing in…" thought Johnny, his eyes slowly widening in realization. "Their narrowing the path to the entrance!"
"Oh yeah!" screamed Present Mic. "Looks like those on the second route have ran into the final obstacle on their first leg of the race! But will they reach the light at this narrow tunnel with all of robotic hell following right behind them?! Let's find out!"
"Oh you got to be freakin' kidding!" growled Johnny, not daring to look behind to see whether the entire steel horde was right behind him or not. Though the roaring from their engines echoed in his ears… and was getting closer.
Gritting his teeth, Johnny shut them out of his mind as he kept pushing forward. He briefly made note of Gyro and every other students who managed to get this far also putting everything they got to step passed the gate. From the corner of his eye, he spotted something flashing forward before yanking back several kids, but he ignored their desperate cries and pleas. The space between Slow Dancer and Valkyrie and the remaining competitors quickly disappeared, allowing everyone to brush up against each other as the gate was just within reach. Just a little bit more and...
…he made through the gate, ending the first leg of the race.
"And the first to make it through the longer route is Gyro Zeppeli!" announced Present Mic "Followed by Johnny Joestar and many more students! Jeeze! These kids are really something. Even after taking the longer route, they managed to catch up with the main pack! Now that's what I call effort!"
"While they arguably faced more robots, and obstacles, it does says something about their character and their drive," added Mountain Tim. "Truly, this year's first years are full of surprises. I'd bet their friends and family are proud of them for making this far!"
"It's not over yet…" muttered Johnny, sweat dripping down his forehead as he patted Slow Dancer's neck. Yet he couldn't deny the sense of relief he felt washing over him, even if it was for a brief moment.
"Look alive, Johnny," said Gyro, bringing his pupil back to reality. "We're not out of the woods yet… and I think we've only just cleared the easiest part of this race."
Cocking an eyebrow, Johnny followed his friend's gaze only to blink at what he saw. As the multitude of students grew larger, those behind him continuing to merge with the main route, he noticed that flow of students slowed down until finally stopping all together. And for good reason. Just fifty paces ahead of them was a series of foreboding, rising columns varying in size with a wide drop that appeared bottomless. All of the rocky pillars, and that of the starting and finished areas, were connected by series of tough rope.
"For those of you who thought the first obstacle was a piece of cake, let's see how you feel about the second one!" Present Mic exclaimed excitedly. "If you take a spill, you're out! If you want to pass this test then you'll have to get creative! It's the Fall!"
"What the hell…" spluttered Johnny, his heart nearly skipping a beat as he drew closer to the unbelievable obstacle that U.A. presented to him and the others. He barely made note of the presence of several of his fellow classmates from Class A, his mind already buzzing madly with desperate thoughts and tumultuous emotions.
"Where did they have time to build something like this?" asked Uraraka, standing next to the edge alongside Mina. Both eyeing the tremendous distance that spanned across the gaping expanse and the columns.
"Better question: how in the world are we going to get across?!" demanded Johnny, desperately trying to keep calm while simultaneously think of something—anything really—to stay in the race.
As if to answer his question, Asui suddenly walk forward, momentarily taking Johnny out of his thoughts. An action that was mimic by those around them as they watched the frog girl crotched down by edge of the abyss. Suddenly she leaped up high in the sky, surprising everyone as she flew quite a few feet before landing on one of the ropes connecting to a large column.
"Ribbit! This is my moment!" she yelled, her voice echoing off the void down below. "It's time to make my splash if I want to keep up with Todoroki and Bakugo!"
Blinking at the mention of the boys, Johnny swung his head back and forth until he spotted snow white mixed with crimson and spikey gold already speeding among the pillars. Todoroki maintaining the lead, but Bakugo was quickly picking up speed by quite literally flying across the expanse with short bursts from his explosions. Seeing such a huge gap between the two leaders of the race and himself, Johnny once more felt all kinds of doubts bursting into mind like a rotten bubble. Just as he was about to descend into a panic, he felt something brush against his legs.
Looking down he saw a bizarre looking girl with pink hair. From head to toe she was decked out with all kinds of advanced-looking gear. It was like she just escaped from a steam-punk novel or sci-fi comic. Pulling her goggles over her golden eyes, which had a particular set of cross-hairs replacing pupils, she let out a menacing laugh.
"This is my chance to show off what I can do!" she exclaimed merrily. "My support items are going to steal the spotlight off these wannabe heroes!" Suddenly she waved out her arms out wide, commanding not only those around her, but those watching the race to turn their attention solely to her. "Everyone! Observe what my brilliant gadgets can do! Fire arrows and hover-soles!"
"You're from support!" said Uraraka, immediately identifying the pink haired girl's affiliation to everyone.
"Hey! How come you to get to bring all that stuff?" demand Mina.
"Didn't you hear what Midnight said?" asked the support girl. "In order to keep things fair and give anyone not from the hero courses a fighting chance, anything we bring is allowed to be used wherever or whenever we need to make it through this first event! Well, besides the cowboys behind me anyway." She gave a quick flick of her thumb to the two foreigners behind her before turning her attention back to her equipment. "So sit back and enjoy the show!"
With a flick of a switch on one her side components, an arrow burst off her equipment, dragging along a black cable in the process before striking a column. As quick as a flash, she suddenly shot of forth. Swinging through the expanse, it looked like she was about to crash into a huge pillar, but at the last second, she leaned back, the soles on her feet coming to life, instantly blasting air and slowing her decent. Grinning manically, she burst forth with the aid of her gadgets, laughing madly as she flew through the air before landing on the flat top of one of the columns.
"She's a freaking mad scientist…" muttered Johnny, processing the sheer craziness that just happen in less than a minute. Yet as he watched the pink haired girl carry on ahead, giggling all the while, he noticed that the other students were already making attempts to follow after her. One by one, they scurried to get on a rope least they fell behind in the race. Some crawled along the cables, others managed to walk or run upon with varying degrees of balance. Everyone slowly made their way across the Fall one way or another, but cross they did. From his classmates in Class A to those from other classes, no one hesitated to be left in the dust—though Johnny was surprised to see the crossdresser from the nurse's office, the one with stylish black and gold cap, running across a rope with little imbalance in her step. Even the red haired cat boy from earlier literally leaped across from one column to another, sometimes landing on a rope if the space between pillars was too great.
And yet Johnny had yet to make a move of his own.
"Gah! What the hell am I supposed to do?! I can't jump across and I can't abandon Slow Dancer! There has to be some way. God dammit, there has to be a way!" Frantically he looked around for a bridge or something to get around this obstacle, everything seemed a blur as his doubt muddled his mind. At this rate, he was going to be dead last unless he—
He paused suddenly when he saw Gyro turning his horse around, heading back a small bit away from the edge of the Fall. "W-What are you doing? Don't tell me you're quitting just like that!"
"Quitting?!" Gyro sounded shocked by the mere notion. "You know I would never give up that easily. Just needed some room, that's all." Turning Valkyrie back around, he grinned viciously as he pulled out a Steel Ball, his grills shining in the sunlight. "In times like these, Johnny, you got to think outside the box. So stop panicking and visualize what route you want to take!"
"What route I want to take…?" Johnny blinked, not understanding what Gyro intended to do.
Suddenly, Valkyrie burst into a full on sprint, kicking up specks of dirt as the mass of students around the edge of the Fall immediately jumped out of the way from the young horse. Reeling his arm back, he threw his Steel Ball forward. It raced across the bottomless expanse before colliding with a rope, but it didn't bounce off. Instead it spun around it, tightening its already tough fibers till they were a tight line across the bottomless void. What happened next shocked not only Johnny, but everyone who was watching or participating in the Sport's Festival.
With incredible skill, Gyro had Valkyrie jump onto the rope before racing across it.
Johnny felt his mouth drop at the incredible sight. For a moment he thought he imagined the whole thing, but no, Gyro continued onward, grinning madly as he caught his Steel Ball before moving onto the next column.
"What on earth did I just witness!?" Present Mic uttered in pure disbelief, a sentiment that everyone in the crowd currently held as they couldn't take their eyes off the Italian. "I… Ladies and gentlemen, Gyro Zeppeli is walking the tight ropes with his horse! How on earth is that even possible?!"
"It's because he reinforced the rope," Aizawa explained simply. "The ropes already were designed to carry students of all weights and sizes, but I doubt they would be able to support both a horse and their rider. Simply put, by using the power of the Spin, which is a mysterious power that is not a Quirk and he has complete control of, he's able to strengthen them to the point where they wouldn't break."
"O-Ok, but how is he able to get his horse to ride on them?! They're not exactly bridge sized, ya know!"
"It's because he's a genius jockey," Mountain Tim spoke up, admiration filling his tone. "It's not impossible to get animals to walk across a tight rope before. Circuses do this all the time with specially trained bears or elephants or other beasts. Yet it takes an incredible amount of dedication to train a horse to keep a perfect balance. For Gyro to perform such a feat at a young age proves without a shadow of a doubt that he must have spent years to perfect this technique and has the natural talent for it!"
Johnny had to agree with the cowboy's assessment. He'd always knew that, much like himself, Gyro was considered a genius on the horse track. A testament was solified after training with him for a year prior to getting into U.A. But he never seen him perform such incredible feat until now. Although that was mainly because the type of training they did had little need for improvised skills. It was on a whole another level of horse racing that it was simply breath taking to watch. A small part of him, deep and secluded at the back of his mind, briefly wondered that if it was possible to mirror such a trick. Could he catch up to his friend's level?
"But I need to catch up with him first…"
Feeling a burning sensation boiling over in his heart, his eyes flashed obsidian fire as he peered all around him, the doubtful fog that plagued his mind disappearing in an instant. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a nearby column next to the edge of the track. Unlike the others, the gap between it was rather short, though not enough for someone to make a jump without a Quirk… or without specific aid.
Overwhelming inspiration took over his entire being, spying several more columns that had similar small distances between each other along the outer rim of the great expanse. Whether it was an intentional design of the obstacle course, Johnny had no idea, but he finally knew what he had to do. Pulling Slow Dancer around, he mimicked Gyro by having her get a good distance away from the edge. Turning back around, he eyed the bottomless chasm before muttering, "Nothing ventured… nothing gained."
With a whip of his reins, Slow Dancer charged forth.
Once more the students made way least they got trampled by the galloping appaloosa. Briefly Johnny spotted a familiar shade of fluffy green hair mixed with the scrambling crowd, but he didn't give his friend a second glance. The abyss was only a few feet away from him now…
"J-Johnny!?" screamed Midoriya, standing to his feet, but stopped when he witnessed the second most amazing thing he saw in the last minute.
With a roar escaping both horse and her rider, they leaped off the edge of the track. Those who witnessed this scene held their breath at this insane, yet intense scene before them. Watching as the horse sailed through the air with emptiness of the chasm just below them. For a moment, some wondered if they would actually fail to make the jump, that they would fall into the abyss and prayed that it was not the case.
Thankfully they received their answer as the appaloosa landed safely onto the column with no sign of any injury or possibility that they were going to slip off the edge.
Feeling his heart trying to climb its way out of his throat, its pulse beating more intensely than that of a Taiko drummer, Johnny sucked in a deep breath before exhaling. "I did it…" he whispered. He barely heard Present Mic and the other commentators exclaiming in disbelief at what he done over the deafening beat of his heart. All he could do, at least for this brief moment, was revel in a sense of accomplishment. Lifting his head up, he stared at the great many columns along the outer rim that he still needed to traverse… and then allowed a small, vicious smile to touch his lips.
The race was far from over, but he was still in it and he'll be damn to lose now.
"So… he figured it out, huh?" Gyro muttered to himself, briefly turning his head over to spy his pupil making jump after jump along the outside ring of the Fall. "Took him long enough. He really needs to learn to stop panicking before trying to go the extra mile. Still, as his teacher, part of that fault lies with me… Oh well, no time to dwell on it now."
Dismissing Johnny for the moment, Gyro turned his attention back to the obstacles ahead of him, already planning to continue his currently successful strategy. While there were a number of nearby columns with shorter lengths of rope to cross, most were not a direct line leading to the other side of the fall. Already he was gaining immensely on the Todoroki and Bakugo and he aimed to keep it that way. If he wanted to steal the lead out from under the strong pair, then he needed to take the fastest route that he could afford. Everything else was merely a hindrance to him from taking first place.
Flashing his golden grills, Gyro rode across several more pieces of rope, crossing each column and some students with relative ease. It looked like his victory was all but—
"WATCH OUT!"
Blinking at the sudden warning, Gyro saw a flash of sharp metal sailing ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, he reared Valkyrie back, narrowly missing what looked like a grappling hook as it sliced clean through the middle of a rope just a few feet ahead of him. As he watched both ends of the rope fall alongside their respective columns, he snapped his head in the direction where the clawed spear came from.
Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly was the pink haired girl with the support gear. "Sorry!" she called out. "I was adjusting the calibration for my cute baby here for my next jump and, well, I wasn't paying attention where I was aiming. You alright?!"
"I'm fine," Gyro waved her off, before giving her a grin. "Just try to learn to aim, otherwise you never hit the broadside of a white whale in the middle of winter!"
"I have no idea what you just said, but ok!" Giving him a salute, she recalled her grappling hook before resuming her trek through the great expanse.
Turning back forward, Gyro peered around him and found that he hit a bit of a snag. While the column he was on had rope leading to other pillars, they either lead back quite a ways from where he currently was or headed further to the outer rim. The rope that was cut was not only the fastest way to the end of the second obstacle, but also the only one that was a direct path. If he turned back, he could find a route that lead him to his goal, but that would take time.
Time he didn't have if he wanted to be in first place.
Gnashing his teeth together, he pondered on what to do next when inspiration hit. Pulling out a Steel Ball, he stared at it for a moment before grinning. He then took off his infamous belt buckle, which he was lucky that the staff allowed him to continue to have, seeing it as nothing more than an accessory, he then slammed one of its sharp corners into the green sphere in his hand. A sharp clang echoed throughout the expanse as he repeated the motion over and over for a few seconds, several passing racers gave him curious looks at his actions before continuing onward. Finally three small holes had formed in the metal, stringy and sharp from the damage they received.
With a victorious grin, Gyro put away his dented buckle before preparing to initiate his plan. Carefully aiming his ruined Steel Ball, he channeled the Spin into the ball and three holes imbedded into it. With a flick of the wrist, it flew towards the edge of the column he stood on. Yet as soon the metal sphere left his fingers, it suddenly started to unravel itself like a ball of yarn. Ropes of green metal unwind itself, digging into solid stone before sailing across the bottomless void. In less of a second the metallic ropes slammed into the other pillar where the previous rope had been cut, bridging the gap almost miraculously.
"Is there no end to Gyro Zeppeli's tricks?!" demanded Present Mic. "Just when it looked like he would have to backtrack his progress, he pulls out yet another incredible feat! What are your thoughts on this, Eraserhead?!"
"...While I know very little knowledge of the power behind the Spin, it would appear to be a lot more versatile than I originally gave it credit," admitted Aizawa. "While others may turn back and try to find a safer path after running into difficulties, Gyro instead pushes on forward without hesitation. And it takes quick thinking and imagination to come up with a strategy to follow through with such determination."
"Heh, thanks for the praise, teach," Gyro smiled silently as he rode Valkyrie off the steel rope. It was regrettable that he had to sacrifice one of his Steel Balls to make it across, but there was no time for second thoughts or regrets on his decision. There would be time for consequences later after he won the race, but first need to get make it to the end.
Urging Valkyrie to a gallop, Gyro readied his remaining Steel Ball, his mind already mapping his next course as he neared the end of Fall.
"Six more to go..." Johnny quietly concluded as he eyed the remaining columns he had to take before reaching the other side of the abyssal expanse. Navigating the wall-less maze took him longer than he originally thought it would take, with several students quickly passing him by in a short matter of time, but the end was finally in sight. Just a few more jumps and he would be able to rejoin the pack once more. "Three more… two… one!"
Slow Dancer let out ringing neigh as she flew off the last column, practically kicking at the empty air before landing gracefully on the other side of the Fall. Releasing a breath he didn't realize that he had been holding, Johnny patted his horse's neck—the appaloosa letting an appreciate nicker at his touch—before immediately getting back into a gallop. He couldn't afford to waste any more time than he already had. Not when he was so close to the end.
Racing passed dozens of other contestants, Johnny caught sight of a familiar stylish hat atop of a head of flowing blonde locks. Pushing Slow Dancer harder, he quickly caught up with his mentor.
"What kept you?!" yelled Gyro, briefly flashing the American his flashy grills.
"Had to take the scenic route!" Johnny responded sarcastically, ignoring Present Mic commentary as the race continued to get increasingly intense. "How about you? Thought you'd already taken gold by now."
"Was a little tied up with the rope for a bit, but I managed to untangle myself in time." Gyro's smile then flattened out into a thin line, his eyes held a great fervor as he quickly turned his gaze back ahead to the track. "We're almost there, Johnny. I can feel it! Whatever the last obstacle is, we'll simply have to—!"
"And now we're finally approaching the last obstacle, with Todoroki still commanding the lead!" Johnny blinked as Present Mic's blustering comment finally jackhammered its way into his brain. He didn't realize that he was that far behind from his coolheaded classmate. "And he better tread carefully… CAUSE YOU'RE STEPPING INTO A MINEFIELD!"
"WHAT?!" Johnny couldn't believe what he just heard. There was no way that U.A. would have deadly explosives on top of everything the obstacle course already threw at him! Though the rational part of his mind reminded him that just moments ago he had to face giant robots and a bottomless pit to get where he currently was. So it wasn't totally out of the question at this point. If anything, it was probably the least flashy obstacle he'd seen… though probably the greatest deterrent thus far.
"If you look carefully, you can see where those little bombs are buried! So keep both eyes open and watch your step! By the way, those landmines were specially designed for the game, so they might be loud and flashy, but they're not all that powerful. Just enough to make you wet you're pants!"
"Also as special announcement to Mr. Joestar and Mr. Zeppeli," Mountain Tim cut in. "The mines were also designed with your horses in mind. The power in them isn't enough to cause irreparable damage or broken joints, but you'll definitely get thrown back along with your horse the moment you get caught in their blast!"
"Good to know…" muttered Johnny, his mind whirling for a moment before he spotted the minefield. It wasn't as long as the special long track back at the beginning nor was it wide as the Fall's expanse. He could practically see the narrow opening leading back into the stadium. It was so close, but with the minefield in his way… he was still worlds away from it. One misstep and he would be unhorsed in an instant. Then there was the matter of other students already slowly making their way into the explosive field. Already a student had the misfortunate of being the first to trigger a mine, flying all the way back and over his head in a trail of pink smoke.
Slow Dancer let out a cautious nicker at the scent of gun powder, prancing a bit as she and Valkyrie stood along the edge of the minefield, but Johnny barely paid her any heed. His eyes landing on familiar spikey, blonde hair as Bakugo quickly caught up with Todoroki with an explosive burst.
"This crap… CAN'T SLOW ME DOWN!" he roared furiously, quickly overtaking Todoroki with a wild grin on his lips. For the first time since the beginning of the race, the ace of Class A had lost the lead. However, he wasn't about to let his rival have it that easily, quickly grapping ahold of Bakugo even as he tried to sidestep ahead of him once more.
"We have a new leader!" announced Present Mic, the cheers from the stadium could be heard by everyone who was at the minefield now. "Get excited, mass media! You guys love this sort of turn around! But the rest are quickly catching up! With these two grappling for first, can they hold onto their lead?!"
Pushing the struggling leaders, the commentary, and increasingly growing number of students rushing headlong into the minefield out of his mind, Johnny tried to think of a way to get passed the minefield without getting blown off his horse. He knew that if he hit just one mine, that was it. The time to get back on his horse and get through the minefield would take too long, many other students would've made it to the finish line by then. Though a slow trek through wasn't ideal either. He didn't care if he didn't make first place, but he came too far to lose now. Not when the finish line was just within reach.
"Got any plans, Gyro?!" demanded Johnny, his eyes locked on the little mounds of disturbed dirt across the field.
"Not at present, no…" answered the Italian, scowling as he steadied Valkyrie. "We'll just have to take this slow and easy until we—."
"Johnny! Gyro!"
Blinking, Johnny turned to see Midoriya finally catching up with him. In his hand was what looked like a metal robot arm, but the American only gave it a brief glance.
"Glad you can finally make it, Midoriya…" Johnny muttered darkly, though the aggression was more at himself than his friend.
"Woah… the gap is wide..." commented the messy, green haired youth.
"No shit." Sweeping his eyes back to the field, a bead of sweat rolling down Johnny's cheek. "Gyro… can you use your Stand and find out where all the mines are?" Now that he mentioned it, he briefly noted that he hadn't seen his friend's Stand ever since the incident in Nabou, not even for their training exercises. Whether or not he had secretly practiced with his new found power was a mystery to the paraplegic, but it was the best option he could think of at this intense moment.
The Italian said nothing, instead watching as students got blown back left and right as more continued to flood the final obstacle. "…Alright," sighed Gyro, grabbing his Steel Ball before spinning it intensely in his hand, a familiar golden eyeball forming on it as the cross tattoo appeared on his right cheek once more. "I was planning on saving my Stand till the finale of the Sport's Festival—the less people know about it, the better after all—but it looks like I got no choice."
Cocking his arm back, he threw the spinning sphere into the heart of the minefield. It quickly slammed down into the soft dirt, managing to avoid any of the mines in the process. As the Steel ball spun intensely on the spot, Gyro let out a thoughtful hum.
"Hmm… looks like I underestimated how clever the faculty can get it…"
"Huh…? What did you find out? Is there a safe path we can take?!" Desperation and hope leaked out the Johnny's tone, but already he could tell he wasn't going to like the answer his friend would give.
"The entire field is covered with nearly two-hundred mines, and their too scattered about for any fast path we can take." A scowl quickly formed on his lips as he continued to scan the minefield. "The only way through is to take our time and step around each mine carefully… Damn it! The finish line is right there and I won't be denied first place because of some—!" Suddenly he halted whatever he was about to say, his eyes slowly growing the size of saucers before turning his head around. "Hey Midoriya… what the hell are you doing with those mines…?"
Blinking at the sudden question, Johnny quickly turned towards the green haired youth. At his feet was a growing pile of dirt-stained mines with the robot arm he had digging up a few more. "I'm taking a page from Kacchan if I want to catch up with him and Todoroki…" he answered, wiping a bit of sweat of his forehead before binding the strap of the metallic appendage to his own arm. "I timed the activation delay for the mines… it's about three seconds, probably as a safety precaution in case something went wrong. If I can time myself just right with the explosion, I should be fine… I hope…."
"What are you…" Johnny stared at his friend for a moment before back at the mines. It didn't take a second for him to reel his head back, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he figured out his friend's insane plan. "Gyro hit the deck!" Immediately he pushed Slow Dancer as far away from Midoriya as he could without heading into the minefield. Gyro must have picked up on what he realized as Valkyrie immediately shoved her way beside Slow Dancer… just as Midoriya slammed himself onto the mines.
A thunderous explosion roared throughout the track, the force from the blast nearly throwing everyone close by off their feet and catching those in the middle of the minefield off guard by the sudden grand pink detonation. Johnny would've joined the others on the floor if he didn't cling onto Slow Dancer for dear life, even as the appaloosa pranced around frantically. Even Bakugo and Todoroki stopped their quarrel to marvel at what just happened. However their surprise, and that of everyone else's, turned into pure shock as Midoriya suddenly sailed overhead, passing over all the mines and other contestants who were still stunned by the massive explosion.
"W-What's this?!" demanded Present Mic. "It's… It's Class A's Izuku Midoriya! Incredible! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"
"He's riding off that huge explosion and quickly gaining on the leaders!" observed Mountain Tim, astonished as the rest of his fellow commenters and that of the entire crowd in the stadium.
"He's in hot pursuit of first place… Scratch that, he's passing them!"
Slicing through the air like a rocket, Midoriya sailed passed his two classmates who could only give him stunned looks… before quickly snapping out of their shock and gave chase after him.
As many students tried to process what just happened, Johnny could only stare at the flying green haired youth in wonder. Seeing Midoriya come up with a way to push forward, when everything seemed hopeless, and take the lead reignited the burning flame that burned with Johnny's soul. Not only that, Midoriya gave him the key to make it through this mess.
"Gyro… I'm going to make a run for it," said Johnny, straightening himself up before making sure his straps on Slow Dancer were tight as they could be.
"W-What?!" demanded Gyro. "Are you out of your mind?! The moment you charge in their like a lunatic, you'll be—!"
"Midoriya mentioned a three second delay… All we have to do is stay ahead of the explosions and out run them…" Ignoring Gyro's astonished expression, Johnny whipped his reins. There was no time to waste after all.
Slow Dancer let out a shrill neigh before charging into the minefield without any hesitation. Several sharp clicks went off the moment they entered, but Johnny didn't slow down the appaloosa for an instant. Warm air soon brushed his back along with pink smoke, but the force wasn't nearly as bad as the one Midoriya set off. Thus he continued to the push even as roaring blasts thundered behind him. Slow Dancer screamed sharply at the sudden explosions, pushing herself even harder to escape the noise and the mere threat of being on the receiving end of said blasts.
As the young cripple was nearly half way through the minefield, a second series of explosions quickly alerted him that Gyro decided to follow him for a change.
"For the record, you're absolutely crazy, Johnny!"
"Whatever helps us win!"
"It damn well better! If we get blasted to kingdom come, I'm going to kick your ass!"
If the students and crowd were stunned by Midoriya reckless display of determination, then they were absolutely dumbfounded by the two foreigners racing ahead of fiery explosions.
"AND THE SURPRISES JUST WON'T STOP COMING!" roared Present Mic. "Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli are literally outrunning the mines' explosions! It's like something out of a Hollywood block buster! Specifically one made by Michael Bay!"
"It's not impossible to out run these explosions with their horses since the mines aren't very powerful," commented Aizawa, being a little taken back by such unorthodox tactics from his students in quick succession of one another. "In fact the force from them are actually helping push them forward."
"Yes, but even with the mines being a underpowered, the blast would've thrown them off if they didn't have complete control of their horses from panicking and a tight grip on their saddles," Mountain Tim noted, admiration leaking into his tone. "Even professionals would have a hard time pulling such a stunt. These two… They really are geniuses of their craft!"
As the trio of commenters continued their work, Johnny pushed Slow Dancer to her limit. Another massive explosion went off in front of him, right where Midoriya landed amongst Bakugo and Todoroki. Several guesses floated around in his head at what might have happened, but he quickly pushed them aside. All that mattered now was being one of the few who made it across the finished line.
Both horse and rider panted heavily as they passed by stunned students and trampled over many a mine. His lungs were on fire. His heart tried to claw its way out of his chest. Everything seemed to go mute around him. And yet his mind remained clear as day and locked on a singular goal.
Slow Dancer practically leapt out of the minefield the moment she could, but she didn't stop there. The ending was in sight. Johnny could see the backs of Todoroki and Bakugo with Midoriya leading ahead of them by a huge margin now. Beyond them was the gateway, light pouring through as the inner field of the stadium and the white stage that Midnight stood upon were just within reach.
He was so close now… Almost there… just a little more and…
"The one who made it back to the stadium first is… NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYA!" passionately announced Present Mic, the crowd going into absolutely ballistic at the news. None of them could have predicted this outcome. "Following close behind him is Shoto Todoroki, taking second place, while Katsuki Bakugo taking third place! Coming in four place… it's Johnny Joestar! With Gyro Zeppeli following behind in fifth place! Incredible! I can't imagine what kind of feelings these boys are having at the moment for taking the first five places of the race, but I know that a few you in the crowd know what to feel! So let's give them all a big ol' cheer for making it through the first event of the Sports Festival!"
The cheer that erupted from the crowd was thunderous to behold and only grew louder with each student that quickly scrambled their way through the gateway at the last second. Yet all their attention, and of those who were watching the Sport's Festival abroad, was solely on the five boys who panted heavily as they stood in the center of the stadium, where the crowd relentless showered them with praise.
"...They're neck and neck now, but Izuku Midoriya is still ahead after taking the lead!"
A radio announced loudly, but its owner didn't really pay much attention to the specifics of what was on. He'd only recently turned it on to use it for a point of reference for his newest chapter of the manga he'd been working on for years now. Normally he wouldn't even consider using anything that would give the slightest hint of a distraction, but for this one and only time, he'd make an exception for his work. After all, nothing would do except the perfection that was realism. Even with the radio on, he still managed to easily sketch the draft for his latest page in literal seconds without breaking concentration.
"The one who made it back to the stadium first is… NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYA! Following close behind him is Shoto Todoroki, taking second place, while Katsuki Bakugo taking third place! Coming in four place… it's Johnny Joestar!"
SCREEEEECH!
A pen that was carefully designing the head of his lead character, a young detective boy with an incredible sense of fashion, sliced through his face, leaving behind a hideous blotted line. Though the page could easily be redone, the fact the matter was that there was still a huge horrendous mark on the page. For the first time in the mangaka's life, he had made an error with his work. The pride of his life and the embodiment of his being forever stained by this mistake.
However, at this very moment, he didn't notice. Nor did care if he did. For his eyes were locked on the polished red radio that sat beside his desk.
He couldn't believe what he just heard. It must have been a mistake by the eccentric commenter's tongue. There was no way that name would exist here.
And yet the commenter repeated the name without hesitation, listing it along with rest of the students that managed to pass the first event of the Sport's Festival without failing. The artist quickly dismissed the rest of the students, his mind a whirlwind of thought and so many questions. Yet one stood out the most prominent and echoed within him until he had to verbally say it.
"...Just what am I going to do about you, Johnny Joestar?"
"We got another shipment in from America, Boss!" announced a well-dressed young man with his haired pulled back, a clipboard in his hand as he read off incredibly detailed reports. "Its estimated value is nearly over fifteen million U.S. dollars on the black-market, but if we let it sit for a while, the price could go up by five percent. Furthermore our intelligence division has noted that there has been little noise coming from the local gangs in western and northern Europe. Though the Russians in the east have been oddly been quiet as of late. I've taken the liberty to send agents to see what they've been up to and to make sure they aren't causing any trouble. Oh! I also received an invitation by your business associate in Japan requesting a meeting, mentioning something about a possible transaction of sorts and useful information that might interest you. If you wish it, I can arrange to have the meeting scheduled for next month." Silence greeted the young underling. Sweat started to form on his head as he stared at his boss, who had this back turned to him as he sat in a luxurious chair. "…Boss?"
The Boss continued to say nothing, his eyes glued to an expensive H.D. T.V. that sat upon the mantle of his marble fireplace. The channel that was playing showed none other than the Sports Festival from the world famous hero academia, U.A. He been briefly watching for a while now and although he was interested in the next generation of heroes-in-the-making, he barely paid attention to it. Watching bits and pieces of the obstacle course while going over his agenda for the day. Only to pause when he heard a name he didn't think to ever hear. Since then his eyes glued themselves to the T.V., watching each student intensely before locking on the one that caught his attention. And by the end of the race, he felt a maelstrom emotions, though his face gave away none of it. Yet one thing was for sure…
He was going to be taking a trip to Japan very soon.
"Can you believe those two, Irene?!" asked a pink haired man who stared incredulously at a widescreen T.V. "I can't believe they managed to get to the end. I thought the Fall would've stopped them in their tracks, but nope! They just keep pressing on with nothing able to stop them!"
"Yeah, they are incredible…" answered a young woman, Irene, who had long black hair with lime-green highlights. She been watching the U.A. Sports Festival with her boyfriend since it began a mere hour ago. It had become something of a tradition for the two of them to watch it every year, making sure to see what kind of popular new hero would come about in the sea of youth. Though this year, she hadn't been able to take her eyes off one particular student. One of the horse riders—which she was shocked to learn was disabled—by the name of Johnny Joestar. Ever since she laid eyes upon him, she couldn't look away for some reason. And for that matter, her star-shaped birthmark on her shoulder seemed to ache. Though that must have been her imagination since it only lasted for but a moment. Still, she found the young paraplegic to be rather inspiring; managing to get a high ranking was no easy feat for someone of his condition. "What do you think of them, Emporio?" After a moment, she turned to her other companion, cocking him an eyebrow as he stared slack jawed at the T.V. "Emporio? Are you alright?"
"It can't be…" the young boy who was Emporio, who had curly blonde hair and appeared to be in the middle of his teenage years.
"Hmmm? What are you talking about?"
"I…" Emporio didn't know what to say. It was like he was staring at a ghost, but he shouldn't have been all too surprised by what he saw. After all, he was sitting next to a ghost of a woman he once knew from what seemed like ages ago.
The question now is what was he going to do about this amazing discovery?
"It's that brat again…" muttered Tomura Shigaraki, watching the U.A. Sports Festival with keen interest on his computer from the dark confides of his room. He expected to see him, the one who interfered with his plans, in the race, but seeing him take first place was a surprise… and an annoyance. Seeing that pathetic, hopeful smile on his face as the crowd cheered his praise made him want to vomit. Oh how did he want to see that smile twist apart until was nothing left but ash and suffering. However his attention then shifted towards another individual who somehow managed to make it to the end against all odds.
"Johnny Joestar…" That one was an oddity amongst the bright and colorful students of U.A. In the moment they met, Shigaraki could feel a distinct lack of the hopeful idealism that he detested so much in heroes and those who looked up to them. No, he saw only a burning black flame that told him that he had a distinct viciousness. A will that would not bend until he got what he wanted… even if that meant killing someone.
It was incredibly unusual for any wannabe hero-in-training to have such a casual disregard for life, even for scum like villains as himself. But in the end, it didn't matter to Shigaraki. While the cripple did interest him for a moment, he was just another pathetic hero-chaser, even if he did have some villainous qualities…
"Pay close attention, Shigaraki," said a voice from a static filled monitor beside Shigaraki. "It's always good to get an understanding of your… peers, whether by their skills in battle or their mental fortitude. It may be useful to you in the future."
"Yes, Master…"
As the crowd roared with delight as the last of the students made it into the Stadium, Johnny laid across Slow Dancer's neck, breathing a sigh of relief as he relished the fact that he was one of those lucky few who made it passed the first round. Sweat clung to his hair underneath his hat, his clothes felt clammy and stuck to his skin, but he didn't care. He succeeded where others thought he would fail! And that was enough to bring a smile to face. However, even in his jubilation, he knew that was only the first event of the Sports Festival. But for this one moment, he allowed himself to relax.
"I can't believe it… they did it!" The American blinked at the loud voice, lifting his head up before turning to the crowd around him.
"I didn't think they would make it across the Fall like that with their horses!" yelled an excited man with dark blue hair.
"I know right," agreed a busty heroine with short blonde hair and had a boxer motif for her costume. "Especially that disable kid. I didn't think he could do it, but god damn! He proved me wrong the moment he made it across that chasm without a hitch!"
"And then there's the minefield!" a little boy piped up excitedly beside the heroine. "He was super cool riding his horsey like that with all those explosions following close behind!"
"Those two horse racers got a fire in them," spoke an older gentlemen, his receding silver hair was pulled back as huge sunglasses covered his eyes while a trimmed mustache covered his upper lip. "It takes guts to go PLUS ULTRA like they did. I can already see them becoming heroes in the years to come."
"Maybe…" A younger hero with a dragon theme costume said skeptically. "I don't know about the paraplegic though… I mean, it's good that he managed to make it this far, but take away his horse and he's got nothing to support himself."
As many other heroes and audience members muttered in agreement, Johnny let out a low growl at their comments. Even if they had a valid point, they didn't have to ruin his one moment of jubilation with their skepticism and lack of faith in him. He'll just have to keep proving them wrong until they realized that he wasn't just a one trick pony and did have worth as a hero. Still… it was nice to hear such kind words from those who praised him.
"So it's finally over," spoke up Midnight, her echoing voice from her mic bringing the American back to the situation at hand. "Let's check the results, shall we?"
Appearing behind her was the scoreboard for the whole event. Out of the hundreds of students who started the race, only forty-six were allowed to pass. Scanning over each name, Johnny wasn't all too surprised to see all the names of his classmates amongst the winners, though some of them were on the lower end of the list than others. He didn't recognize many other names, though the filing system did list each student with their class. The entirety of Class B of the hero course also made it along with one from general studies and another from support. Turning his head away from the board, Johnny blinked when he spotted the general studies kid was none other than the messy, violet haired boy who declared war on their class. Not only him, but also the redheaded cat boy also made it along with the crossdresser from the nurse's office.
"So those two are in Class B then…?" he concluded silently to himself.
"The top forty-six from this qualifying round will move on!" explained the beautiful teacher with a clap of her hands. "But those who placed lower, don't worry! We've got another way for you to show your stuff! But for now, the main selection really begins! The press corp's going to be jumping out of their seats, so give it all you've got!
"Now on to the second event! I already know what it is, of course!" With a snap of her fingers, the slot machine sorting screen appeared behind her once more. "Dying in suspense?! Next up is… this! A Cavalry Battle!"
"…Are they serious…?" muttered Johnny, a chill already running up his spine as he already didn't like where this event was heading.
"Participants will, on their own, form teams of two to four members each and get into a horse-and-rider formation! The rules are fundamentally the same as those of an ordinary cavalry battle—snag your opponents' headbands while guarding your own—but with a few exceptions. First, Johnny Joestar's and Gyro Zeppeli's horses are off limits for this event, mainly due to the height difference between the horses and human cavalry being impossible to be fair. And secondly… each of you has been assigned a point value based on your ranking in the last event!"
"So the point value of each team depends on its members!" Kaminari concluded before Midnight, only to flinch when the beautiful teacher's whip cracked in the air.
"I'm about to explain it, so just shut up already! Anyway, yes! And your individual point values start around five or less at the bottom. So the student who took forty-sixth place is worth less than five points. However, the forty-first place is worth ten… get it? This is when it gets interesting. For our first place participant, he's worthy ten million points!"
As if a canon went off, everyone was silent. Instead nearly everyone turned to face the increasingly sweating and nervous eyed winner of the first event. Midoriya could only stared dumbfounded at Midnight, before hesitantly looking around him. The eyes of his classmates and those from the other classes were predatory as the tension in the air grew thick as jelly.
However he wasn't the only one they eyed. Johnny scowled as many an eye was glued to him, quickly realizing what everyone else was thinking: that he was currently the easiest prey out of the top five winners of the last event. He'd been suckered into believing that the first event was the hardest that the festival had to offer!
"The higher-ranked students are the ones to aim for! This survival game is a chance for a comeback. It's anyone's game!"
Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry for the late arrival of this chapter! I originally planned for this be done on the end of November, in fact I already finished the initial draft on the 29th and planned to edit it on the 30th and hopefully post it by then... only for an earthquake to happen. I live in Alaska, so it's normal to have Earthquakes, but this one was quite a bad one, around 7.0 to 7.2 to be exact. No harm came to my house or neighborhood, (Thank god), but unfortunately I was called in to work, (Which I was already let for the season just before Thanksgiving), and basically forced to helped to out around town with my job. While I'm grateful to have pay again, for as long as they have me, at least until they decide to kick me out which could be soon since the damage from the Earthquake wasn't as severe as it we initially thought it would be, (Though there was plenty of damage still!), but as a result of this work, I've been coming home late and exhausted. It's only this week that I've been coming home at normal hours and even then I feel the writing flow I had earlier all screwed up. Thankfully I got my mojo back today and managed to finish editing for your pleasure! So again, apologizes for the delay!
As for this chapter, I hope you all liked it! I worked hard to try to be creative with how Johnny and Gyro got passed the first round while keeping true to the bizarre nature of Jojo and My Hero Academia. Speaking of which, before anyone says anything, the feats that Gyro and Johnny took to get passed the Fall, those are actually canon in Steel Ball Run. Seriously, right after the Wekapipo and Magenta Magenta arc, they have a chapter showing off Johnny and Gyro's horse riding skills, able to run across rope with ease and everything! This shocked me, but I was extremely grateful as I was having trouble having to work around this particular part without giving a deus ex machina or a cop out mechanic. So I'm pleased that I found that particular scene when I did!
Also I was tempted to cut out the beginning scene of this chapter, but decided to keep it in because it shows a point. That point being that the crowd is focused on the aces of U.A. Todoroki and Bakugo and many more from the hero courses got everyone's attention since they are that good. As a result people like Johnny and Midoriya are ignored by the crowd, being dismissed as incapable to win the race and the Sports Festival. But by the end of this chapter, the crowd's opinion has changed. Now they see the error of their mistake, and while doubt still remains, the crowd is at least going to give them a chance.
In the end, I hope this chapter was just as heart pounding and exciting as the original material! This chapter has been a blast, but the next will be interesting to say the least. The Calvary battle, where everyone is teaming up and fighting to survive. But who will Johnny and Gyro Team up I wonder?
Also the title's song reference is: To Be Loved by Papa Roach. I love this song and found it really fitting for this chapter since song describes someone who has little to no respect by everyone and as a result feels the need to prove his worth, even though he describes how screwed up he is and has a black heart. This totally describes Johnny and his own need to feel loved if you will, to be respected, but before that, prove that he isn't just a worthless sack of meat and bone. The song also describes the will to never give up and never surrender in the face of overwhelming odds, something Johnny literally had to do in the course of this chapter.
ALSO! I hope you all loved that little tease at the end. I won't spoil things, but I will say this is a mere GLIMPSE of the plans I'm currently working on for this story. Though whether they'll be long arcs or short ones, mere cameos or whatnot, you'll just have to wait and see for now. MWAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA! :3
Anyway, it's time for review responses!
Mossyduck: Thank you for being so patient with me and loving the chapter!
Hercules8: Yeah, computers can be a pain sometimes, especially when I just bought this new model this year. Thanks for your kind praise. :3
BackflowTorrent: Jojo and My Hero Academia is best goodness. :P
gold crown dragon: That it was, my friend. That it was! Also the "eat shit and die" conversations will be for later. :P
lolrus555: Well, I still don't have any plans for relationships at the moment, but thank you for enjoying that scene! I enjoyed it just as much since it shows that Johnny can manage to talk to other people about other interests and for a brief moment enjoy himself without worrying over his life. Also yeah, Johnny is not one to be messed with, but so neither is Bakugo. In the end, however, Bakugo realized it wasn't worth it to go toe to toe with someone right before the festival. And exactly! I always try to keep characters that are not mine as exactly as they are without over emphasizing their traits or making up stuff that doesn't suit them. You have no idea how annoying it is see characters in other stories acting a complete 180 from their original personality and setting. It annoys the hell out of me! Also thanks for loving the Johnny and All Might scene and loving the last chapter all together! :3
TheCrocutaAsylum: Drive is a very important concept in this story, as it one of the main themes of MHA and Jojo. I wanted to make sure that it got plenty of attention, without hammer it over everyone's head, in this story. Thanks for loving my last chapter and I hope you enjoy the start of the Sports Festival!
jalen johnson: Yeah, just a lot of bad luck this year for my computers. But hey, still got through it and got chapters out! Thanks for loving my last chapter! :D
D3lph0xL0v3r: Thank you for reading and enjoying my story! Really appreciate it!
enarcoyufuin: It's like you said: birds of a feather, stick together! That basically sums up Johnny and Midoriya's relationship :3
TheInfamousMan: Hey TIM! No worries about the delay in reviewing. I need to post a review to your story soon myself, (If I can get out work limbo). But yeah, Kirishima is the kind of guy that make friends with just about anybody due to his overwhelmingly nice and approachable personality. Also, it is as you said: While Bakugo has great determination in whatever he does, Johnny, at this point in time, has a stronger drive and determination, with the will to go to lengths that even Bakugo will bulk at. As for the Jiro scene, I always thought that outside Midoriya, Kirishima, and Gyro, Jiro would be one of the first people that could get Johnny to open up, even by a little amount. Mainly due to their tastes and sarcastic behaviors they have. Sure everyone else will eventually get Johnny to open up more and be true friends and comrades to each other in time, but that road must always start with small steps before taking greater strides. And lastly... TOURNAMENT ARC! I'm glad you got that reference! XD I hope to hear from you soon! :3
guest #1: Johnny and Jiro's scene is very nice, but I still don't have any plans for ships yet. Still, maybe some day. Also for that quote, I was going to have it, but was thinking that maybe it could be used better for another scene later down the line. Also thank you for your kind praise! :3
KingJGamer: Nah, I don't think Midoriya will get Crazy Diamond. I'm not going to give any student from Class A any stands due to how already freaking strong they are and don't need extra powers. Also adding stands from other main characters and giving them to other characters from a different series doesn't seem right to me. It just feels like those Stands are so unique and special to their characters that it wouldn't really work with other people. Sorry if you were hoping for Crazy Diamond to show up, but unfortunately he won't be.
Guest #2: Ally, Enemy, who knows what Diego might be. But one thing is for certain, he's an opportunist! :3
And that looks to be about it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I thank you all so much for bearing with me so far! I will probably have a chapter up by next month, but I'm not sure so no promises. Until then, let this chapter be my Christmas and holiday season gift to you all! Have Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely, Count Chaos
