A small look into some clandestine criminal conduct. The Sports Festival begins! Izuku is annoyed at a certain ice prince's attitude, and he really dislikes being punished for winning.

Straight up, I did not like writing this chapter because ugh I do not like the sports festival beyond like, three moments. But eh, I had a little bit of fun with it at least!


"You think we know where the kid is?" Nine asked, arching an eyebrow as he stood before Overhaul, the two sizing each other up. Behind Nine stood his known companions, Slice, Chimera, Mummy, and Kurogiri. Behind Overhaul were a dozen or so men as well, ones Nine did not recognize but would not underestimate.

"No, I ruled that out. But I think you can help me find out who has her," Overhaul replied.

"And why should we?" Nine replied, arching an eyebrow.

"That child is the key to a power that any individual like you would desire. The power to erase Quirks from an enemy. The power to turn someone like, say…All Might, into a mortal man once more," Overhaul smirked behind his mask.

Nine tilted his head to the side as he stared at Overhaul contemplatively. "That's a bold claim. Do you have any proof?"

"I was weeks away from a breakthrough, if that. Help me find her, and I can promise you are first in line to purchase these fun little toys."

"Hah! First in line for something you cannot even prove? I'm disappointed. I heard you were a good negotiator, but that's a pitiful offer."

Overhaul quirked an eyebrow at the man before him. "I would have thought someone like you was more forward thinking, but it seems I was mistaken. Very well. I see no more reason to continue this discussion." He stood up abruptly, patting his legs gently as he went.

"You're right. Coming here was a waste. I should have expected as much from a remnant of the pitiful Yakuza I suppose," Nine drawled, climbing to his feet.

"Keep your tongue in your head when speaking to your betters. You got defeated by a group of freshmen college kids. There is little I find more pitiful than that." Overhaul turned around, walking back towards his followers.

Nine waved his taunts off as he turned about himself, stepping towards Kurogiri's portal. "We'll see who is more 'pitiful' in the end."

As Kurogiri's portal faded and Overhaul exited the building with his men, a shimmering was visible in the corner. After a moment, a figure cloaked from head to toe in what looked like a black wetsuit appeared. In one hand, they held a small camera that was pointed to where the two had been speaking. The other reached up and tapped on an earpiece set within their helmet. "Did you get all that sir?"

"Yes. You've done well. I don't believe we need to concern ourselves with either of them any longer at this time. Return to Deika City," came the cool, calm voice.

"Yes sir!" the figure replied. Stowing the camera into a small pouch attached at their hip, the air shimmered once more, making them vanish from view.


"I am not looking forward to this," Izuku muttered as he stood next to his girlfriends, waiting for the announcement from Present Mic as they all gathered in one of the waiting rooms. The class had spent nearly two weeks prepping for the festival, training repeatedly. Most of the class had accepted some minor help from Izuku's analysis, but since everyone still wanted to train solo so as to keep anything 'special' hidden, it had not been anything major. He'd just copied his current notes for them and handed them out.

He didn't begrudge it at all, it wasn't like he'd told anyone about how far his training with Gear Shift had come (although Himiko, Ochako, and Katsuki knew about it, the four had collectively agreed to keep anything new to themselves for now). He could actually maintain it's usage on up to two constructs at a time without hurting himself now, although the energy expenditure did add up pretty quickly. And he'd been told, repeatedly, by everyone around him, that he'd be disqualified from the competition if he went below 20% on his energy meter as recharging was still a time consuming process for him.

Power Loader had built him a new meter for the festival, one that would send his data back to the staff just so he couldn't try to hide it either (something he was offended that they thought he would do, even if he privately admitted he might consider it…). Either way, he had to wear one. But he also had a big advantage now…not only was his cap higher, he found out the conversion rate of sunlight had improved, so he could regen much quicker since it was a bright, sunshiny day without a cloud in the sky. He was ready. He was going to keep his promise to Toshinori…but he knew none of the others were going to give up either.

His musings were interrupted by his name being called, turning around to see Todoroki staring at him. "Todoroki? What is it?"

"Objectively speaking, you're probably the strongest one here. But it seems like All Might has his eyes on you," when Izuku opened his mouth to reply, Todoroki cut him off with narrowed eyes. "I'm not prying into that. But I'm going to beat you."

"What's with the sudden declaration of war, man?" Kaminari asked, looking at Todoroki in confusion.

"Yeah, hey, let's not pick fights!" Eijiro said, smiling nervously as he put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder.

"I'm not here to make friends," the split-haired boy replied as he turned away from the group and began to leave.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called, making the other boy stop. With a determined glare on his face, he swept his arm over the rest of the class. "I don't know what you're thinking or why you're challenging just me, but you're just setting yourself up for failure. Not because I'm better than you or anything…but because you're underestimating everyone here. You may be powerful, incredibly so…but every single person here fought for the right to attend this school and be here today. And if you look down on them, you're in for a rude awakening."

He took a step forward as Todoroki turned around to face him again, stepping up to face directly into the other boy's face. What Toya had said to him the other day was in the back of his mind as he continued to speak, the gravitas in his tone making the entire room sit silent. "This isn't just a competition about who is the best. Today is a chance to prove ourselves, to prove that what we accomplished at the USJ wasn't a fluke. But more than that, it's a chance to show Japan…no, the world, that we're not going to be cowed by some villains with a complex!" Izuku's raised voice had the class slightly taken aback, the emotions he'd been keeping down filtering through.

"So don't you dare do anything but your best out there, Todoroki. I'm going to give it my all today. And I expect the same from every single one of you!" he exclaimed, turning about to look over the class with a determined expression on his face.

"Yeah! That's right! We're gonna kick ass!" Eijiro shouted, grinning widely.

"If any of you wimp out or don't do your damndest, I'll kick your ass myself," Katsuki snarled.

"Better watch yourselves…I'm aiming for the top," Ochako grinned.

Himiko rolled her eyes indulgently at her friends, but joined in the cheers as most of the class got hyped up by Izuku's words. However, she didn't fail to notice Todoroki glaring at the greenette for a moment, before turning to leave the room once more, this time silently so no one would stop him. Something was up with that boy, and she was really wondering what exactly it was.


Izuku was back to being very unsure, as now he had to give a speech. He'd spent a good three days trying to write something, but everything he had to say he ended up throwing out. It just didn't seem to fit right. Present Mic's introduction didn't help, because there was a clear difference in the enthusiasm he showed from Class 1-A, to Class 1-B, and then down the list for General Studies, Support, and Business. Especially since he just had to go off about the villain attack. Izuku really hated being watched by so many people. And of course, Midnight had to be the teacher and be showing off.

Still, he approached the microphone with a deep, bracing breath. A quick hip bump from Ochako had him giving her a small smile as she beamed at him, Himiko right beside her winking. Katsuki snorted, slapping him on the back and almost making him stumble forward, the greenette giving his brother a glare for it as he walked up Gripping the microphone, he took one more deep breath before speaking.

"Two weeks ago, villains tried to kill me and my friends," from his first words, the entire crowd quieted, eyes wide that he started from that point. "It was terrifying. It was painful. Some of us almost lost our lives that day."

He focused, allowing the words to filter into his mind, just speaking what he thought out loud, pulling the microphone from the stand as he stepped around Midnight, his teacher looking at him oddly as he addressed the crowd. "Ironic then, that the same villain leading them, had already tried to kill me as a child. Twice now, he's tried to kill me, and twice now, he's failed."

The crowd was murmuring at his words, a lot of them now trying to piece together what he was saying, to try to see if they remembered anything of the sort. Izuku tilted his head to the side and spoke almost contemplatively. "It proved something to us, that day. Or rather, I think we proved it to ourselves. That being a hero is about risk, it's about putting your life on the line for others…but also that we could do it…we. I'm standing here, not because I was strong on my own, but because my friends were there with me."

"We've relied on All Might to protect us for four decades now. But there will come a time where he won't be here. So today, those of us here, need to prove that the next generation is ready to take up the slack. To take up his mantle, not as a pillar, but as a dozen, two dozen, a hundred, a thousand pillars who will hold the line."

Izuku turned and looked at the gathered students. "So to all my fellow UA students, be you hero, support, general studies, or business…let's show the world why UA is the best of the best, and why it only takes the best into its halls."

Izuku turned back to Midnight, walking past her to reattach the microphone. As he stood there, he looked into the cameras directly, his expression shifting to one of both determination and challenge. "And finally, to the villain who tried to kill me twice now, I have only one thing to say to you…Next time we meet, the one on the ground will be you."

Izuku released the microphone, dropping off the stage and walking back to his class unhurriedly, his hands in his pockets. He was absolutely wrecked internally, but he was trying to channel his inner Katsuki and exude that almost effortless confidence. He knew that what he said would draw attention, and likely the news would dig up his history within minutes. But he did take note of the crowd, seemingly unsure how to react.

When Katsuki just smirked at him and held one hand out, he took the opportunity, giving his brother a high five as the camera's followed behind. It seemed like that single 'slap' was the final straw to the spellbound crowd, a large part of the crowd who appreciated what he said bursting into cheers and laughter, some even spouting some mockery towards the League of Villains due to Izuku's mockery.

Nezu, sitting in the teacher's booth, was smirking to himself as he took a sip of tea. Toshinori was equal parts proud of Izuku and worried, considering he had just laid a direct threat to the League, one that he was sure they would find out about, if they didn't just see it then and there. Aizawa, in his seat next to Mic in the booth, sighed in exasperation, seeing how the boy had just painted a target on his back.


Across Japan, the responses were swift and varied.

Mitsuki cheered for her adopted son being so determined as her husband smiled indulgently at her antics.

Miruko, the bunny hero, lounging on her couch as she watched, laughed at the sheer audacity of the kid.

Toya smirked as he rested his chin on Keigo's shoulder, Tenko in the background chuckling to himself.

Nine stared at the television, rage and confusion painted on his face as the visage of the green-haired boy was burned in his mind from their fight at the USJ. He wanted to know how in the hells did that boy survive that injury…and what the hell did he mean about trying to kill him twice?!

And finally, Himiko's father nodded his head. An interesting take, and a challenge directly to the villain who had come after the boy and his daughter. He really did need to meet this boy and judge him face to face. However, he had work to do…today he had a hunt to finish. With a snap, he closed his phone, heading off into the darkness of the alleyway.


Midnight had revealed the first event as an obstacle course, all the students grouped up before a rather narrow tunnel. Izuku immediately saw the issue, and he knew most of the class had as well. Danger Sense pinged just slightly in the back of his mind, unerringly pointing towards Todoroki. He narrowed his eyes, taking into account Todoroki's proclivities for big ice moves, the narrow corridor, the stubborn determination the split-haired boy had about winning…yeah, he knew what Todoroki planned to do.

Which meant that as soon as the light flipped and the siren sounded, he had rocketed off the ground onto a platform, practically skipping above the heads of the varied students in the corridor as Todoroki froze most of their feet to the floor. Izuku grinned though, as he watched Katsuki rocket over as well, Himiko practically running on other peoples heads, Tsuyu bouncing off the walls, Ida powering through (almost slipping off the ice but holding on), Ochako floating above it and…wait, how was she propelling herself?!

Izuku gaped even as he ran along, flushing slightly at the shit-eating grin that was far too attractive on the brunette's face as she winked at him, literally flying next to him. His vision flickered, him seeing how the glow of her Quirk was somehow now suffusing her entire body and oh, that's what she was doing!

He could only shake his head at his own foolishness. It was something he'd suggested she could possibly do long ago, but he knew she hadn't been able to do it before. Apparently in those two weeks, his girlfriend had figured out how to alter her own relationship with gravity enough to not just float, but to propel herself through the air. And damn was she quick. She passed him at the speed he was going, barely behind Todoroki, and Katsuki as she flew.

He smirked. Feeling Full Cowling wake up and suffuse his veins, the green crackling lightning erupting to life, he shot forward as soon as the tunnel ended, landing on the ground and just bolting forward. With no need to focus on creating constructs, he could now just race forward, catching up to the three in the lead. Risking a quick glance back, he noticed Ida was rapidly gaining on them, most of his class not far behind. Momo launching herself with a generated pole, Mina using her acid to clear the ice and slide along, Tokoyami allowing Dark Shadow to pull him forward, etc.

Himiko's feral grin grew larger as he noticed her, and for fun he gave her a flirty wink, enjoying the way she flushed slightly.

Idly he heard Present Mic announce something about robots? Oh…those robots. While he wasn't concerned by the three pointers blocking his way, the zero pointers lined up looked like a small problem…especially when Todoroki froze two of them off balance?! Was the other boy trying to get someone killed?! Izuku was actually starting to get annoyed by Todoroki at this point, that was unnecessary to pass them.

Pursing his lips, he glared at the split-haired boy as he rushed forward. Screw it, he wasn't letting him get the better of all the students behind him. Guess he was revealing a new move already. Air began to swirl in his right hand, much more rapidly than before. Within a second he had a powerful burst in hand, the zero pointers already beginning to crack out of the ice and tilt over.

The field encasing the air became fully enclosed, wrapping about it and forming a small ball in his hands. With but a thought, it elongated into a long, spearlike form. Pulling his arm back for the throw, his eyes flared with the green lightning of his Quirk as he applied Gear Shift to it to increase the speed it launched. As he thrust his arm forward, the spear rocketing from his hand, he cried out "Zephyr Smash!"

The spear went right between the two in the middle, holding for a brief moment before Izuku willed the construct to disperse…releasing the explosive air pressure in the center. The ice shattered as the two robots were launched to opposing sides of the field, slamming into the other ones and sending all of them crashing into each other like dominos. He glanced down at his meter, internally cursing at the loss of a whole ten percent. With an annoyed growl, he started running forward once more, ripping his sleeves and gloves off as he went to expose more skin to the sunlight.

He was not happy exposing the scarring on his arms to the world, but he wasn't about to be put out of this competition due to Todoroki being a jerk to the other competitors. Now he was going to make sure he beat Todoroki at his own game. He launched himself, darting forward to try to catch up. Katsuki and Ochako had simply flown over the bots, the two practically neck and neck. Even at this distance, he could hear them taunting each other, similar smirks on their faces as they playfully taunted the other. He shook his head in fond exasperation at how competitive his girlfriend and brother could get.

Even as he darted past, he could see some of the zero pointers clambering to their feet. He hadn't destroyed them after all, just damaged the two in the middle (likely beyond repair), but the rest had operating parts…except he then witnessed a massive series of explosions breaking them as they started to get back up. Glancing back, he saw a giant cannon sitting next to Momo, the heiress taking a deep breath as she finished the destruction.

He skidded to a halt at the canyon before him, blinking in surprise at the structure, all the small platforms with various tightropes between them. Still not really paying attention to Present Mic's over the top commentary, he ignored the announcement of the second obstacle since well, he clearly could see it. He shrugged, forming the platforms beneath his feet and launching himself, bouncing from platform to platform in the air, completely ignoring the canyon. He was still slightly behind the leading three, Todoroki having frozen himself a path across the canyon and sliding upon it. He glanced back to see Tsuyu leaping onto the rope with little care, quickly dashing across them.

A loud boom behind him had his eyes focusing on a student he wasn't familiar with, long pink hair and eyes hidden behind a pair of…goggles? She was covered in gear, which made him mentally place her with the support course. She was zipping across using some type of propulsive wire system and what appeared to be boots that were providing some type of hover capability. Pretty nifty, he thought to himself. Setting that thought aside, he narrowed his eyes as he glanced forward. Todoroki had reached the third obstacle, Ochako and Katsuki barely behind, and he knew now was his chance.

Todoroki was forced to be more careful in his steps, as he tried to avoid the various mines across the field, but a massive explosion behind him had him glance back to see Katsuki rapidly gaining on him, Ochako a split second behind. As Katsuki came abreast of him, the blonde smirked. "Zu warned you about underestimating the rest of us, and now, you get to fucking lose because you did!" He cackled as he threw a blast down, launching himself higher into the air and almost knocking Todoroki over as it hit a mine right next to him.

Ochako let out a sigh as she focused harder, biting her lip to force down the nausea. Her speed was very dependent on how much she forced her Quirk to push her along, and the more she pushed the more sick it made her. But she had to do this, she had to prove herself, this was her big chance. She passed Todoroki, now neck and neck with Katsuki, but the sudden freezing cold beneath her had her glance down to see Todoroki had frozen himself a path he was now skating across, keeping up with the two of them.

A massive explosion behind her had the trio in the lead looking back, eyes wide at the sight of Izuku now moving towards them far faster than they'd ever seen him move. With a sharp eye, she noticed how his hands were curled as if he'd just used his Air Impact, the feral grin on his face as he saw her looking, the slight trails of wind behind him and she put it together.

Katsuki was both proud and infuriated that Izuku had copied him, creating explosive force using the air and combining it with what he assumed were his Repulsive fields to send himself right back into the midst of them all, now all four of them practically neck and neck as they cleared the minefield.

Green lightning sparked in the tunnel, explosions blasting behind them, ice covering one side of the tunnel, a pink glow shimmering in the darkness as all four of them sped through the final tunnel. They burst out into the stadium, loud cheers and screams cutting off any commentary Present Mic was making. Midnight held her hand up to her ear, nodding as she spoke up. "We are reviewing the video evidence to determine who arrived first! One moment before we announce the winner!"

Ochako fell to one knee, panting. Izuku looked up at the sky, taking in deep gulps of air as he put his hands behind his head. Katsuki shook his hands out, rotating his shoulders to clear some of the soreness. Todoroki just glared at the trio beside him, his own breath coming out with small exhales of frost.

"Fucking hell Zu, you ass, how many more tricks you got up your sleeve?" Katsuki asked, grinning at his brother.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Izuku shot back, his own grin wide. "My question is when did Ochako learn how to fly?!"

Ochako giggled. "Well I can't tell you all my tricks either, can I?"

"Oh it is on, Cheeks. Flying is my thing," Katsuki said.

"Not anymore! The skies the limit for me now!" Ochako stood up, planting her hands on her hips proudly.

The trio was interrupted by Midnight holding her hand up for attention from the crowd. The audience quieted down its speculation, the quartet looking over at her as a number of other students began to race into the stadium behind them.

"After reviewing the footage, we have determined the results! In third place, we have Shoto Todoroki! Tied for second place as they entered the stadium at the same time, we have Katsuki Bakugo and Ochako Uraraka! And finally, in first place, we have Izuku Midoriya!" The crowd roared, excitement nearly shaking the stadium foundations as Izuku let out a tired grin.

"Best be on your toes, Izuku, I'm still gonna be standing at the fucking top of this event!" Katsuki remarked.

"Nah, that's gonna be me," Ochako smirked.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Himiko said, appearing amongst the trio without any of them noticing, making all three nearly fall over backwards as she giggled.

"You guys," Izuku said with a smile, about to continue before Midnight cut him off, listing all those who made it to the next event. It appeared everyone in Class 1-A and Class 1-B seemed to make it in, along with the pink-haired support student he'd noticed before and a girl he didn't recognize, but by the launcher she had strapped to her back he assumed she had to be support as well.

Midnight threw her whip in the air, cracking it for attention. She congratulated those who passed, and informed those who didn't of the other events they had available for them to participate in. After a moment, she smirked, cracking her whip once more as the board behind her she'd used to decide on the first event spun again. After a moment of anticipation, it halted on…Capture the Flag!

"A team event. Not surprising, they always do team events for the second one," Izuku muttered to himself.

"Silence Midoriya, I'm explaining!" Midnight said, glaring at the greenette. The boy gulped and held up his hands placatingly. She tossed her hair and continued. "Students will form teams of four, and be assigned to a small 'base' they will have their flags at. The flags are worth a different amount of points based on where you fell in the standings of the last event! Starting from five points, incrementing by five, all the way up till second place!" As she shouted, everyone in the stadium took special note of how she mentioned 'second' place, not first.

Izuku sighed, having a sneaking suspicion where this was going. And he was confirmed correct a moment later as Midnight, with a sadistic grin on her face, leered at him and spoke loudly. "Except for first place, which is worth ten million!"

"...sucks to be you, Zu," Katsuki cackled, slapping his brother on the back.

Himiko looked at her boyfriend worryingly, clenching her fist as she went to offer him some comfort, but pausing as she saw the way Ochako was blinking at him in surprise. Stepping forward, she bent down slightly so she could get a better view of Izuku's face, expecting worry and fear…only to be as surprised as her girlfriend was at the sheer, unconcerned smirk on his face.

"Um…are you okay, Izu baby?" Himiko asked.

"Let's just say that like the first event not taking into account people who can fly…they really did not take into account all types of Quirks for events like this," Izuku chuckled. His smile turned darker, more dangerous as he looked up at Midnight, the teacher just as confused as everyone else at how nonchalant he was being.

Midnight shook her head, ignoring his strangely nonchalant attitude, as she announced the fifteen minutes for them all to form their teams.

"Well, you do whatever the fuck you want Izu, I'm finding a team and kicking your ass today!" Katsuki smirked, sauntering off towards Eijiro, the redhead pumping his fist as he saw him walking over.

"You know we're a unit, Izu!" Himiko cheered.

"We're a big target, if we combine your points and mine too Izu. We sure about this?" Ochako asked, eyebrow arched.

"As I said…we're fine. We just need a fourth memb-"

"Hi ten million!" a shouted voice echoed in his ear, making the trio jump in surprise as they turned to see the pink-haired support student standing next to them with a manic grin plastered on her face. She shoved one hand out in front of her. "Mei Hatsume, support student and future CEO of Hatsume Industries, at your service!"

Izuku blinked, taking her hand with trepidation. He almost winced at her ridiculously tough grip, shaking his arm wildly before letting go. The pink haired girl continued. "I'll join your team to use you!"

"...what?" Himiko asked, blinking rapidly.

"If I join your team, I'll be part of the team everyones watching the most! So then everyone will see my super cute babies! Especially the big companies! And they'll want my babies!" Mei was almost shoving Izuku back as she kept stepping towards him, waving her arms wildly as he took cautious steps back with wide eyes.

"Wait…what? Babies? Big corporations? Uh, are you…oh, she's not even listening to me is she?" Ochako asked as she watched the pinkette get really close to her very uncomfortable looking boyfriend.

"...I don't know if I like her or loathe her," Himiko pondered.

Mei kicks a box open, a bunch of random machines and items stuffed within it. "See, us support students get to develop equipment that helps heroes deal with their Quirks! These are my cute little babies! I got to bring them with me and show them to the entire world today!"

"Oooohhhh," the trio said, finally understanding what she meant by 'babies'.

Izuku thinks about it for a moment, contemplating what she was getting at. He thought he puzzled it out. "So…you want to use the benefit of my current fame to market yourself better?"

"Smart and strong! I like it!" Mei proclaimed, a wide smile across her face.

Ochako and Himiko both shared a look, but chose not to comment as Izuku seemed to be pondering her. The greenette mused "Well…not like we have anyone else trying to join. But I should warn you, my plan for the next round won't be very, um…flashy. Or well, it will be, but not in the way others think. I don't plan on capturing any other flags, since if we hold this one it's a guaranteed win no matter what."

"That's fine! It'll still put all eyes on you and I'll get to show off my babies in the third round!" Mei grinned.

Izuku turned to his girlfriends and shrugged. "What do you think?"

"We need a fourth. She's fine enough," Himiko shrugged in return.

Ochako nodded. "Yeah, I think I know what you're gonna do. It's fine."

"Great! You two are also super strong! This is perfect, I'll be strong by association!"

"You are really straightforward," Himiko blinked. "I mean…I like to think I am, but you are really blunt and forward…"

Mei's brilliant smile faded a little, it turning a little brittle as she looked at Himiko. "I know." Himiko noticed and shared a glance with her partners, opening her mouth to speak when she heard Midnight shouting about the start of the event. She had everyone stand back, as Cementoss planted his hands upon ground and the arena began to mold and shift and change. Small, square concrete bunkers began to form out of the arena, reaching up till they stood just a meter or two above the tallest of the students, being a few meters across, leaving enough room for the students to hide within if they so chose.

Each student went up to her to receive their flags, it being explained the flags had to be inside the base when the timer ran out for points to matter. They were granted five minutes to begin planning for the start and to set whatever defenses they so chose. Most of the groups were staring over at Izuku's with hunger in their eyes, but Katsuki ignored it. He'd grabbed Eijiro, Mina, and Sero for his team, and huddled in their bunker to begin discussing strategy.

"So we're going for Midobro too, right?" Eijiro asked.

"Nope. We can't take the flag from him," Katsuki replied, all three staring at the usually confident Katsuki in confusion. He sighed. "You idiots didn't pay attention…Zu's gonna fucking make a mockery of this battle."

"Uh, how?" Sero asked, arching an eyebrow.

Katsuki facepalmed. "Izuku has no reason to chase more points, not with a ten million point flag. The reason you get that is to punish the first place winner, but he's gonna show them that's not nearly as effective as they fucking think. This is a battle where sitting in a bubble and defending is actually a good idea for him…and now think about what I fucking said and realize what Zu's gonna do."

Eijiro and Mina both looked confused, but something seemed to clear up in Sero's face and he suddenly understood. Katsuki sighed. "Forget it. Here's what we do. You three stick on defense. Tape the fucking place up, like a net. Make some nets as well, doing that trick you two did back in the USJ for the bandages. Ei, you block the main entrances. I'll go do a couple solo raids. Most of this class can't maneuver in the air which means I can dip in and out as much as I want. Long as we don't lose our flags, I can pick up a few more to make sure we get into the third round. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Mina saluted with a cheery grin, Sero giving him a thumbs up and Eijiro nodding with a serious expression on his face. The group looked up as Midnight informed everyone the five minutes of planning time were ending.

Katsuki stood up, his hands popping as he grinned. "Let's fucking do this."


As Midnight raised her whip above her head to begin the countdown, most of the crowd and the other teams were watching Izuku's team in anticipation. Midnight's sadistic grin had returned, but there was a lot of confusion at the fact Izuku was currently sitting atop his bunker, legs dangling off the edge and swinging freely as he hummed to himself, completely unconcerned. Himiko and Ochako were sitting in what looked like lawn chairs (which Mei had somehow had on her?), and Mei was…randomly working on some machine and ignoring everyone around her.

"And as the event prepares to kick off, Team Midoriya is…relaxing! That seems like they have given up, I must say, I am surprised!" Present Mic shouted into his microphone, the crowd following along in their confusion.

Aizawa, eyes half closed, sighed deeply as he pressed the button to turn on his microphone. "He's not given up. He has a plan. And that should concern you more than anything else he's done today."

"Oh so you do know something?" Mic asked his co-host, a little teasing in his tone only Aizawa would pick up on.

"I know how Midoriya operates by now. I don't know his plan, but I know he has one, and underestimating him will cause the other teams problems."

Present Mic's reply was cut off as Midnight brought her whip down, starting the event with a loud buzzer going off behind her. At that sound, Izuku's body glowed with an emerald force, energy seeping out from him as he grinned. He slammed his hands together, the loud impact ringing out across the field as a massive dome of green energy formed around the entire bunker, the sound of cracking concrete the only clue it had embedded itself within the ground itself as well.

Almost as if in response, Todoroki growls as he runs across the field, leaving Momo, Ida, and Kaminari back at their bunker to guard. He slammed his foot into the ground, ice rocketing out and covering the entire arena, freezing most of the moving foes to the ground as a layer of ice crept up over the green dome. He knew that with how low the temperature would get, those inside would be forced to remove the barrier and that would be his chance!

The arena had erupted into a free for all, but Todoroki did not care. He had one target, one goal, one person he had to beat, so he needed that flag to show his father!...and then the ice cracked.

The sound of ice and concrete cracking and creaking had everyone pause for a brief moment, eyes wide as they witnessed the green orb shining through the ice covering it, shimmering, light breaking through as it began to lift off the ground, the entire bunker inside a green sphere, the concrete that it had been standing upon gouged out and leaving a hemispherical divot in the ground beneath. (Cementoss' right eye was twitching in annoyance).

The entire stadium was witness to Izuku, still sitting on the edge and swinging his legs, smiling with a lovestruck expression at Ochako, her one hand barely touching the green energy orb as she lay down on the lawn chair Mei had provided. She had somehow procured a pair of sunglasses (people really wanted to know what Mei kept in that box now), and was gesturing with one hand, the now floating orb moving along at her direction.

"Wait, but the flags-"Mic began to shout, before Aizawa cut him off.

"-have to be in the bunker. They are still in the bunker."

Floating up high into the air, the green orb was now just hanging in the air, glowing faintly, shining like a miniature sun. Todoroki was incensed. But he wasn't a fool, and could see it would not be worth chasing after them for now. Hopefully they'd be forced to drop down or remove the barrier soon. For now, he'd focus on getting other flags.

Izuku, though, was casually leaning back, enjoying himself as he basked in the light that was going through the barrier. He couldn't help sighing dreamily as he watched Ochako work, her efforts now somehow so casual, so relaxed, so powerful. Himiko, who had abandoned her lawn chair to sit next to Izuku, had the same expression on her face as she watched her girlfriend, in the most ridiculous pose of her life, just casually making a giant orb (that weighed over a ton or more with how much concrete had gone into making the bunker) just dance to her tune with a simple wave of her hands.

"She just gets hotter every day," Himiko remarked to her boyfriend, the greenette just nodding his head in agreement. Ochako seemed to sense the looks the two were giving her, with her free hand tilting her sunglasses down to look back at the duo. She smirked at them, giving them a flirty wink before laying back and continuing her focus on the orb. Himiko glanced down at the chaos erupting below, turning to her boyfriend. "So, who else you think is making it to round three?"

"Well Kacchan, obviously. Which means Sero, Mina, and Eijiro too," Izuku said offhandedly.

"Well duh, Kats wouldn't settle for anything else. But who else?"

"Todoroki's team is pretty powerful. I think Ida's been holding back in training, although I'm not sure, but something tells me he's got something fancy up his sleeve. And of course, Momo's versatility is unquestionable. Kaminari is a dangerous foe if they let him go, and as a defensive measure so long as the rest of the team is safe he's an excellent protector. To be honest, Todoroki could have done like we did and likely been safe to move on. There aren't enough points out there to unseat him when combined with the ones he has with the rest of his team."

"Yeah, but not everyone can just set aside pride and stuff like you did," Himiko remarked, leaning forward and wobbling back and forth on the parapet wall of the bunker.

"I didn't set aside pride. I was annoyed by the stupid way they wanted to punish the first place winner. So I decided to screw with them," Izuku retorted.

"I'm a bad influence on you," Himiko giggled back in return, to Izuku's consternation.

"Anyways, the fourth team I'm looking for is a bit of a tossup. Class B doesn't know Shinso's Quirk, which means he'd have a big advantage here if they fell for it. Looks like he's got a couple people from Class B with him, so we'll have to see how many he can get under it in time. The rest, I don't really know enough about their powers to make a call, but Kendo always seemed very smart when we spoke during the few Class Rep meetings we had. I wouldn't put it past her to have a plan."

Izuku gestured down to the battlefield below as he continued. "Now, if this competition didn't force us into the school uniforms, I'd absolutely give it to Toru, Kyoka, Shoji, and Tsuyu's team. Between Toru and Tsu's ability to be stealthy, and both of the sensory students on their side, they'd absolutely be able to steal so many flags. But Toru's really not able to use her Quirk effectively thanks to the uniform limiting her. If she gets hit once in this chaos, she'll be out, and so no armor or defensive suit there to help her. Same with Tsu, she has nowhere to really leap to except other bunkers."

"What about that blonde jackass from Class B?" Himiko asked, tilting her head as she noticed Monoma apparently taunting Katsuki.

Izuku snorted. "Well, he's a fucking idiot if he's gonna try to taunt Kacchan. Kacchan's team also has enough points to skate by, but he'd never accept that. All Monoma did was paint a target on his team's flags."

"Woah! Did you see that?" Himiko remarked, eyes wide at Monoma slamming Katsuki in the face with an explosion.

"...huh. He has an explosion Quirk? No, wait, he did something with air before…wait…Copy? Aha! That's it! Wow, that's just gonna piss Kacchan off more," Izuku remarked, his Quirk vision having flickered on as he tried to guess the Quirk.

"Please explain to your idiot girlfriend."

Izuku turned and narrowed his eyes at Himiko, no trace of amusement in his expression. "Never say that again, Himi…ever."

Himiko sighed. "Izu baby, calm down. I know I'm not stupid, but you also know you're smarter than me when it comes to these things. It's just a little joke."

"You and Ochako get on my case every time I say something self-deprecating, don't be a hypocrite," Izuku shot back.

Himiko rolled her eyes. "Okay daaaaad," she drawled. Deciding to fuck with her boyfriend more, she smirked as she scooted closer to him, leaning against him to speak quietly in his ear. "Or would you prefer 'daddy'?"

"Himi!" Izuku shouted as he nearly leapt off the wall, barely keeping his balance as she steadied him. Ochako looked up at the two of them, even Mei pausing in her fiddling before returning to ignoring the trio as she worked on something else. Himiko just cackled, falling backwards to roll on the bunker wall with laughter. Izuku, his cheeks flushed, just pouted. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up you little minx."

"Oh come on Izu, I'm just teasing. Why don't you finish explaining the whole Copy thing you mentioned, hmm?" Himiko said, her laughter fading to giggles as she sat back up and leaned into his side once more.

Izuku sighed. "Monoma must have some sort of ability to copy other Quirks. Seems to come with an instinctive understanding of how to use them too. But taunting Kacchan and using his Quirk against him is just asking to get his ass kicked and…yep, there it is." Himiko looked down to see that Monoma was currently laying flat on the arena floor, Katsuki flying away from the other blonde's base with a handful of flags clasped in his hand, a snarl on his face.

"Time's nearly up, whose in the lead besides us?" Ochako asked, climbing up to sit next to the other two.

"Don't know. They aren't showing the point values at the moment. We'll have to see after the timer goes off," Izuku remarked.

The trio continued to watch from their lofty height as the timer ticked down in the last minutes, all three watching wide-eyed as Kaminari rushed to the center, letting off a massive burst that incapacitated half the field, following up another large scale freeze. A second later, Ida's engines roared, his voice screaming as he called out 'Recipro…Burst!', bolting across the field so fast he was nothing but a blur, rocketing into a number of bunkers and zipping back to their own, just as the timer ticked over and Midnight called the match.

There was a brief moment of silence, before Midnight looked up at the floating orb. She picked up the microphone and sighed deeply, speaking into it. "Are you going to come down now?"

"Do we have to? It's kinda fun up here!" Ochako called back cheekily. Midnight just glared at her, the brunette giggling as she focused once more, the orb slowly floating back down to land where it had initially been. Izuku was so focused on how incredible his girlfriend's control was he almost forgot to drop his Quirk, only letting it go when Himiko nudged him in the side with a knowing smirk.

As the teams exited their bunkers, carrying the flags they had, Midnight took them all and gestured to the screen behind her. "In fourth place, team Kendo, with members Kendo, Honenuki, Tokage, and Tokoyami proceeding to the next round! In third place, team Todoroki, with members Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Ida moving forward! In second place, team Bakugo, with team members Bakugo, Sero, Ashido, and Kirishima moving on! And finally, in first place, team Midoriya, with members Midoriya, Toga, Uraraka, and Hatsume moving forward! That concludes the second round of the Sports Festival!"

The board behind her began to spin, the sixteen students who made it into it all already knowing what it would show. Every year, it was the same event, the final one on one matches. The students stared up to see where the bracket would land them, each wondering who their opponent would be. As it finished randomizing the results, the following displayed.

Match 1

Kaminari vs Sero

Match 2

Midoriya vs Honenuki

Match 3

Ashido vs Ida

Match 4

Todoroki vs Tokage

Match 5

Uraraka vs Hatsume

Match 6

Kirishima vs Yaoyoruzu

Match 7

Bakugo vs Tokoyami

Match 8

Kendo vs Toga

"And with that, our competitors are set! Let's give it up for all the students who have fought here today for the chance to shine!" Midnight shouted, getting the crowd cheering along with her. Though the second event had been strange, what with the everpresent green orb in the air, it had gotten a lot of attention, and everyone was prepared for it. "We'll take a fifteen minute break, and begin the matches right after! Stay tuned!"


Fun fact, I did not decide any of the matches, I only picked the top 16 and threw them into a random match generator. I WAS going to manipulate it to be sure Izuku vs Shoto would happen no matter but but...well, it happened on its own lol, so I didn't have to do anything!

And yes, there is some similarity in Izuku's speech to the one from a great story called One For All and Eight For the Ninth. It wasn't my intent, but I really wanted to express something similar and well, it ended up having some parts similar. If you haven't read it, I firmly suggest doing so!