Chapter 16: Let's have fun!
The Sports Festival of UA High is one of the biggest events in the world. Transmitted worldwide, in it the best of the best of the future generation compete in grandiose tests of physical prowess to showcase their talents.
This is a chance not only to show their might to the general population but also a rare opportunity to get the attention of heroes to hopefully study under.
On this day the whole world watches, be it to support those bright youngsters.
The parents of the students all reserve this day to cheer up their children.
Or to see what the future promises.
In a dark bar, villains stare at an old TV. In another location, a figure with a bird mask watches attentively a large screen, similar clad ones at its side. At the top of a building, a figure covered in blades glances at a screen mounted on another edifice. In a run-down building, an old man eats takoyaki while on his television the opening of the great event starts.
But one thing is universal, they are all watching the show the great UA students are about to perform.
—
"Oh crap!" Izuku ran down the corridor the fastest his feet could carry him.
"Really kid? Didn't you watch this thing before? You should know it already!" Nana's voice was more disbelieving than anything, but it didn't help with the green-haired boy's panic.
"I forgot about it, and why didn't anyone tell me!" Izuku cried. The reason for his current state was that some minutes later, after getting instructions along with the other class representatives, he stopped to wish them luck. That's when Itsuka replied, "For you too, in the festival and with your speech!" And walked away.
That was the moment Izuku remembered that, as the one with the highest score on the practical portion of the entrance exam, he would be the one to give the student pledge and a speech before they began. In front of everyone. On live TV. To the whole world.
Understandably, he was in a state of complete panic since then. Not only was he hadn't prepared anything to say, but he would also have to improvise while all eyes on the world were on him. Men broke with less, and while Izuku was no stranger to pressure, the overwhelming and completely sudden amount dropped onto his shoulders was giving the boy a really hard time.
Izuku saw the door for the waiting room of his class, his friends are his only hope now. Barging in, he shouted desperately, "Guys! There's an emergency!"
His words set everybody on edge. Minoru, who was shaking in fear, cried, "Villains?!"
Izuku shook his head, "No!"
Eijiro jumped to his feet from his seat, "Heartless?!"
"Worse!" Izuku's state was making them all anxious, what made him so afraid?
Denki, jumping straight to the worst possible conclusion, held his head with both hands, his voice raising an octave, "The world is ending?!"
"I have to give a speech!" Izuku's words made them all stop, for a second there was silence. Said silence was then broken by Katsuki's laughter, which set almost all others off and caused them to follow along.
"Guys this isn't funny!"
Katsuki controlled his laughter just enough to say, "For fuck sake Deku! You give a motivational speech three times a day! And some-fucking-how they are good, so stop bitching about it!"
Before Izuku could retort, Todoroki walked to him, "Midoriya, I have something to say." That got the whole class' attention, his tone of voice cutting through the merry atmosphere, "Both of us are the strongest of the class, objectively speaking."
Izuku tilted his head, "That's not necessarily true, everyone is amazing! Yeah not everyone is good at something but that just means they're good at something else!" His sincere words touched everyone, except the boy right in front of him, and made them chuckle. How is the person that could say something like that so naturally be worried about a speech?
Todoroki ignored Izuku's comment, "I know you received a declaration of war, so consider this mine, I will win this, and prove I can be the strongest with only my right side." With that, he walked out.
Izuku blinked, that feeling, why is Todoroki hurting so much? Also, there was another thought in his head, this one he made vocal, "Why is everyone challenging me like that?"
Eijiro patted Izuku's shoulder, "I don't know, but that's so manly!"
Izuku whined, "I don't want to be manly, I want help!"
Katsuki broke out laughing again, "Okay I was trying to be angry but your face is just so priceless I can't. Just do it shitty Deku! Also, don't think those bastards are the only ones you have to worry about, I'll be the one winning this shit, consider that my declaration of war!" Katsuki punched Izuku's arm and followed Todoroki's lead, leaving the room.
Izuku threw his arms up, "Why does it keep happening?! And I'm only worried about the speech I'm not ready for!"
The class looked at each other and descended into laughter once more. They then started to make their way out, all of them passing Izuku and saying their variations of "You got this." The young Keyblade Master felt more betrayed at every friend that passed him.
"Guys! Are you all just going to abandon me like that?!" His only answer was silence and the voice of the passenger in his heart.
"Izuku, you can do it, just believe in yourself and everything is going to be just fine." Her motherly tone and the ghost sensation of a hand on his head gave him strength enough to take a deep breath and calm down.
"Yeah, I got this! I hope." He faltered at the end, rushing out of the room he rejoined his friends on their way out.
—
Eri eyed the big stadium with stars in her eyes, it was so big and full of so many people! She couldn't wait for them all to see just how great Izuku was, her Master was the best and now everybody would see it too. Tugging on her mother's hand she asked, "Why is it taking so long to start?"
The one that answered was her Master's Master, "The principal is conducting the event opening on the third year stadium, it shouldn't take much longer."
Inko turned to Toshinori, "I still can't believe you got us seats at the stadium, at the VIP section too!" The three of them were in a small area reserved to top-ranking heroes and the school staff, some relatives and other plus ones could also be seen in the distinct area.
Toshinori shrugged, "I had spots vacant from my staff reserved seats, so I decided why not? Consider it as me repaying all the dinner invitations." Inko was about to protest that he was always welcome and this was too much, but Eri beat her to it.
"Thanks, Master Toshi!" The girl hugged him, then plopped down on her seat, eagerly waiting for the start of the festival.
Toshinori chuckled, even while a part of his heart warmed to the melting point, 'Is that how my Master felt?' He caught himself wondering if Nana got the same warmth from the days he was just a young boy with a big dream and walked after her like a duckling, always eager to spend time with the woman that was a mother to him in all but blood.
He was broken out of his thoughts by the voice of Present Mic, the Festival was starting.
In the commentators booth, Present Mic and Eraserhead, who got dragged into it by his friend, started the presentations.
"HELLO, ALL! Welcome to the great UA Sports Festival!" Mic's voice, already loud normally, reverberated by the whole stadium thanks to the speakers, "Today we will see our promising little students show what they're made for! I hope you all are ready for the show because they're gonna rock! First, we have the class that survived their first encounter with villains! Class 1-A!"
At his words, Izuku and the rest of his class walked into the stadium. Not a second later every person in the stadium started to cheer for them, some thrived in it, some shrunk into themselves from all the attention, some just felt more nervous with the pressure, but none backed down from the challenge.
"Man, I wish we were in our costumes," Mina complained while waving to the people watching.
"It's to make things fair, not everybody has a suit," Hanta commented while stretching his arms, getting ready for whatever UA decided to throw at them.
"After them, we have their sister class in the hero department! Even while not having any achievements to their name yet, they are all just as capable and itching to prove it! Class 1-B!"
Izuku saw the other hero course class walking in, waving at them. Itsuka and Pony noticed and waved back, Setsuna deciding to wink instead.
"We also have our other brilliant students in the General Education course! Class 1-C, 1-D, and 1-E!"
The three classes walked together, some complaining they were only there to make the hero students look good.
Izuku noticed Hitoshi and gave him a thumbs-up, the purple-haired insomniac giving a curt nod back, which caused Izuku to beam.
"We also have the next big names of the tech industry on the Support course making presence today! Class 1-F, 1-G, and 1-H! And let's not forget the Business course looking for their golden opportunity! Class 1-I, 1-J, and 1-K!"
Now the whole first year was standing at the center of the stadium, and Izuku knew his time was coming. The growing pit on his stomach made him more and more nervous.
"Now me and Eraserhead will let the referee take the charge!" Mic naturality in glossing over how his friend hadn't said a word and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there was only achieved after years of practice and many embarrassing situations, but it sure came in hand in times like these.
Walking on top of a stage was none other than Midnight, "Now before we begin, let's hear the student pledge from the highest-ranking first year on the entrance exam, Midoriya Izuku!" She knew she shouldn't tease the poor boy now of all times, but seeing him almost shaking on his boots like that made it hard not to, "Come up, your fans are waiting!" She winked at him and saw his despair, oh he made it so easy.
Izuku was halfway into a panic attack he was pretty sure, the encouraging looks his friends were shooting at him were the only reason he wasn't having a full one. He could barely find the strength to step forward, but luckily he had a friend to give him a little push.
In a cloud of bright smoke made of dreams and light, Cotton appeared. The Tama Sheep gave Izuku's leg a soft headbutt, looking up, the Dream Eater gave a soft cry.
"̸̴̴̶̴̷̵̸̸̸̵̶̵̵̶̸̸̷̶̶̸̶̸̴̷̶̶̸̨̼͖͇͍̠̐̈̔͒̔͑͂̎͗̄͝Y̶̷̷̶̵̴̶̷̴̵̶̵̴̴̷̵̷̵̸̸̴̸̵̴̶̷̸̸̶̴̨̧̢̼̪̭͚͔̌̈̽͐͂̉̀̀͘͠ͅō̶̷̶̷̷̵̶̵̴̴̷̷̴̵̷̷̷̵̵̶̷̸̵̴̶̸̸̶̴̴̴̶̢̧͉͚̭̯̭̭̥̽̈́̓͐̄̑̓́̕͜͝u̵̷̴̷̴̵̴̸̴̶̴̷̷̷̴̷̵̴̶̸̶̸̵̷̶̶̷̸̴̸͎͉̲̻͚̳̣̤̇̒̿̅̊͋̀̈́̚͝ͅ ̸̵̴̸̷̵̸̵̸̴̴̸̷̸̵̴̶̸̷̴̷̶̷̷̴̵̵̳̱̖̹̻̤͓̠͂̃͆͑̾͜͝͝c̶̴̸̶̶̵̶̶̵̶̸̶̴̵̸̵̷̴̴̶̷̷̴̷̴̶̵̵̷̷̡̨̧̹̩͔̘̪͉̘̜͊̌͑̈́̓̅̅́ạ̵̴̴̷̶̴̴̴̴̵̸̷̸̷̵̵̴̵̷̵̷̵̴̶̸̵̵̷̟̬͙̤͓̝̹͋̈́̾̊̈͝͝͝ͅn̸̵̶̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̴̸̷̷̵̸̵̴̵̸̴̵̴̴̴̨̩͔̠͓̱̣̫̯̈́́͌̈̆ ̷̶̶̵̴̶̷̸̸̷̷̸̸̴̶̸̸̴̶̵̷̷̸̸̸̷̸̡̦͍̻̰̺̆̔͊͂̿͂̎̏͜͠d̸̶̵̶̶̶̸̷̵̸̶̸̶̶̵̴̶̸̵̸̷̷̴̶̵̶̸̵̷̵̸̡̧̺̭̫̭̹͖̪́̾̾͒̋̐͛̈́̕͘͜o̸̸̴̶̸̴̴̵̸̴̴̴̶̸̴̴̶̸̸̵̵̵̸̶̷̵̶̷̶̙͔̰͕̺̺̥̙̯̺͌͗̆́͂̒͑͘ ̴̸̸̶̵̵̷̸̶̶̸̷̵̷̵̴̶̷̶̵̶̷̸̸̷̶̢͍̘̲̻̪̗̋̉̍̔́͂͂ͅi̴̴̴̵̴̶̶̸̵̵̶̴̵̸̵̸̸̵̸̷̴̷̵̸̸̵̷̵̜̟̲͖̥͖̫̲̋̿́͆̅̄͗͂͝ţ̷̷̶̴̶̴̶̸̵̵̸̷̷̶̶̷̴̴̷̶̷̸̵̸̶̷̷̵̸̷̵̶̨̛̞̜̦̯̘̘̼̬̿͌͆̅̒̔̽͂̈̒,̷̸̶̴̷̸̵̶̶̶̵̷̸̶̶̵̸̶̸̶̸̶̴̷̶̴̸̷̸̧̝̮̹̗̲͓̣̔̍̀͐̓̎̓̌̚ͅ ̷̴̷̵̸̷̸̵̵̴̴̴̸̷̸̶̸̴̴̴̶̸̷̴̵̵̵̷̷̸̺̰̠͉̫̫͔͌͆͛̓̋̎̾͛̈͜ͅͅḼ̶̸̵̸̴̵̷̴̷̴̸̷̵̷̴̴̵̴̴̶̴̸̴̵̵̷̥̰̪͖̻̲͖̾͌͂̈̈́̿͜e̵̸̶̵̷̸̴̵̵̸̵̸̶̴̷̷̷̸̸̴̵̴̴̴̸̵̸̶̷̴̱̥̼͔͓͙͎̱̰̰̋̇̅̏̅̉͗̓͝a̸̷̷̸̵̸̸̸̷̸̶̷̸̵̷̵̶̴̸̴̵̵̸̶̵̸̸̶̷̶̵̴͖̜̞̞̲̥̖̦̝͍̲̿͐̉̃̈́́́̈́͘͝ḑ̷̶̶̸̸̸̶̷̷̷̸̷̶̸̷̵̸̴̸̵̶̷̴̸̷̸̴̶̷̻͉̜̠͕͚͔͐̔́̅̑͆̓̍̈́̚e̶̴̴̸̸̵̶̷̶̴̵̶̶̸̵̷̴̵̷̸̸̸̴̵̷̷̷̴̴̖͖̹͍̪̳̰̠̥̅̌̔̍̾̋̍̆̂ŗ̴̶̵̶̷̴̵̴̴̶̵̴̶̶̶̷̴̴̷̴̸̷̸̴̸̸̩̗͎͙̖̓͑̆̉̑͗͐̐͂!̴̸̶̸̶̸̶̸̵̴̸̶̴̴̸̸̸̸̶̵̵̸̷̵̴̵̸̶̷̤̞̱̪̝͔̫̫̋̽̆̃̓̔͑̓̚̕"̴̵̸̸̷̵̶̷̴̸̷̶̶̶̴̷̷̴̵̵̷̵̵̴̶̵̵̧͙̻͔͕͕̦̣̦̱̃͂̂̔͌̓
Izuku blinked, something sounded weird about what Cotton just said. Must be the nerves messing with his head, petting the sheep, Izuku smiled, "Thanks, buddy."
Taking a deep breath, Izuku marched to the stage. Stopping before a microphone Midnight prepared for him, Izuku decided to stop frying his head over it and let his heart do the talking, it hadn't failed him yet.
"I pledge… that I will have fun." He knew some people were looking at him weirdly, but he wouldn't falter now, "I am here today for a festival, to enjoy my day along with my friends, even if they are just throwing declarations of war at me one after the other." That caused some to laugh, not the mocking type of laughter so he was on the right path, "Today, I am here as a teen, with all my future still ahead of me, so I will enjoy the present I have now. Today I am a student, with much to learn and much to improve, today I am still not a hero."
He took a deep breath, what he was about to do was so stupid he couldn't help but crack a grin, "Tomorrow though, I will be. So consider this my declaration of war, tomorrow I will be there!" He pointed at the hero section of the bleachers, more precisely, he pointed at All Might, even if no one, no one but them, would ever know.
"So save my place and wait, because I won't stop until I am the greatest hero!" His words echoed through the air, "And I am not the only one!" Izuku then pointed to his class, his friends, and all the other classes and friends he still had to meet, "We all want to reach the top, we all will be the ones protecting our world tomorrow, so wait, because we are next and we will prove we'll be the best!"
Izuku didn't know what happened, what led him to say what he said and do what he did, it felt almost like he was sleepwalking, but he was broken from that state by the deafening sound around him. They were all cheering, the students, the spectators, the heroes, all of them moved by his words. The students though were not only moved, they were motivated, Izuku's declaration of war was his as much as all of theirs.
At the stands Toshinori had a blinding smile on his face, he was the only one that understood the hidden message, what his successor wanted to say. They were the future, they would raise to fill his place, they would be the pillars of light and hope that would make the future bright. Toshinori chuckled and whispered under his breath, "I accept your declaration of war, show me how much higher than me you can reach."
Izuku stood still on the stage, basking in the feelings flooding the air around him. There was so much Light, so much happiness, courage, and expectation that he could feel his own heart, his Light burning brighter than ever.
After nodding to Midnight, Izuku walked back to his friends. Cotton came hopping to him and Izuku caught his friend in the air before throwing him up and pulling him into a hug, "Thanks, I needed a little push there." He chuckled, Cotton cried what sounded like happiness and praise.
His friends all congratulated him, all hyped even more now.
"You should have said you would win." Katsuki snorted.
Izuku smiled at him, "I said we would win." Katsuki responded in kind, even if his smile was much sharper, and a little manic.
Midnight cracked her whip, gaining all the student's attention, "After this magnificent speech, let's see what awaits our future heroes!" She threw her arm back, in the direction of a jumbotron where they would announce the first trial. It was a little dramatic but she loved it.
The screen showed a roulette, it started to spin, faster and faster, then slowly coming to a stop on the title of their first test of might, "Looks like we'll start with an Obstacle Course! Let's see how many of you can survive to the end of it!" Midnight smirked, her sadistic tendencies peeking out.
Instead of worry and nervousness, all the students just had determination in their eyes. Midnight smiled, that was what she liked to see, youngsters ready to grit their teeth and fight for their dreams, "This trial will be a four kilometers race around the stadium!" At her words the screen changed into an animated depiction of the route, "You have to complete the full track, using everything you have and any opportunity you can grasp, and get back to the stadium before the others, simple right? That doesn't mean it will be easy! Not only have we prepared some wonderful surprises for you all, but you have to watch your back against your competitors because as long as you remain on track, everything goes! But remember, this is a festival so try to keep the sportsmanship spirit."
Midnight explanation was processed and in a second everybody was ready, except one person.
"Yes, Midoriya?" Izuku had raised his hand. There was one thing he realized in the short explanation, one thing that didn't have a single mention, but that only meant nothing should be forbidding it.
"You say that as long as we're on track everything goes, that means we can help each other too?"
Midnight smiled, of course, the one that would realize it was the kid that would be friends with the whole school by the end of the year, or at least that was what she betted on in the pool she and the teachers had. Katsuki didn't know why, but he got angry all of a sudden.
"That's allowed, yes, but the end positions are individual, so while you can team up with someone for the whole race if you want, the results will still depend on who crosses the finish line first." Midnight saw some consider it, some brush it off, and Midoriya took a thinking position, she couldn't wait for what that little green head was cooking up for them.
"Now if there's no more questions, get ready!"
And they did just that, all first-years setting up to do their best. Izuku saw Katsuki march ahead along with Todoroki, he saw Hanta and Minoru walk together while whispering something to each other, he saw Eijiro and Mina trading a fistbump. Looking at the Dream Eater still on his arm, Izuku said, "Wish me luck!" Cotton did his best to nod and poofed to wherever he wished to go.
Izuku grinned, the counter over the tunnel that would lead them out and on the first test lit up.
"Not nervous anymore?"
'Of course not! That speech was the only bad part of this, now it will be just fun for the rest of the day!'
Nana's voice came a little apprehensive, "Why do I feel it won't be all sunshine and rainbows? Ah, whatever, good luck kid, make me proud!"
'Aye, aye!' Izuku dug deep, to the power waiting just underneath, always at the tip of his fingers, always waiting for his call. His body got covered in Full Cowling's aura, the twelve percent he could use making a mantle of pure power envelope his body, green lightning arcs zapped over him merrily, in his hand, his Keyblade materialized.
The counter had gone down, finishing its purpose and flashing the green light for the teens. In a second, all hell broke loose, everyone did what they could to take the lead, but they were faced with the first obstacle, the tunnel itself.
In the booth, Eraserhead gave his first input on the situation, "The first obstacle of the race is nothing more than the students' own creation, the competition, while some get tunnel vision on what's ahead and take the hardest path, some think out of the box and make their own path." As if to prove their teacher's words true, Class 1-A acted.
Izuku jumped up, hitting the wall feet first, he started to run horizontally on it, crossing the tunnel unimpeded and leaving the chaos below and behind. He wasn't the only one, Tenya's motors rumbled, the blue-haired speedster following his friend's lead right at his heels. Eijiro was nowhere as graceful, but he wouldn't be left behind, Hardening his body, he used his hands and feet to run on all fours along the wall, leaving craters in his wake. Tsuyu's method was like Eijiro's but not nearly as destructive.
Katsuki jumped up, kicked the wall for more height, and used his explosions to shoot himself forward, crossing the air at literally explosive speed. Hanta tied his tape around Minoru and threw him up, the midget used his hair orbs to stick in the tunnel's ceiling and be an anchor point to his friend to swing himself, twisting in the air Hanta pulled Minoru and threw him further ahead, the two repeating the maneuver and quickly gaining ground.
Ochaco copied Katsuki's idea, lightening herself she kicked the wall and floated over her pers. The girl had the perfect view of what happened next, Todoroki who was at the end of the tunnel stomped his right foot, and the hell below froze over.
Todoroki was about to run again and get some distance when a green light flashed in the pillar of ice he created.
Izuku crashed down at Todoroki's side, their eyes met and Izuku smirked. The ice barrier was covered by glowing lines, before falling apart, cut into pieces. From the now unobstructed tunnel came Katsuki and Ochaco, the others right behind them.
"You'll have to do better than that Ice-hot!" Katsuki shouted and exploded himself in their direction.
Izuku knew keeping close to his friend now would only earn him burns and probably a concussion, so he dashed ahead without looking back, "See you guys at the finish line!"
Denki jumped over the ice, his body covered in yellow lightning much like his green friend, "I need to ask Izuku the wall running trick later." He grumbled and started to make his way ahead, but then he saw another wave of frost coming at him, "Oh, c'mon!"
Momo, who was just behind Denki, was prepared this time. Quickly forming a metal ball with glowing red lines, she made a slingshot and sent it at the fast-approaching ice.
The ball touched the wave of cold and blew up in a pillar of flames so intense the ice melted instantaneously. Momo sighed, "I Fire Gem seems to be a little too much, next time I'll use a Stone."
"Coming through!" Mina yelled while skating past her friends and over the railing at the side of the track, avoiding the remaining fire and the soaked ground.
Izuku had given her some tips when they trained together, but the most important one had been given when she complained she was more of a dancer than a fighter. He, with the most innocent face, said, "What's the difference? It's all about moving along the beat." And she had an epiphany, he was right, she could dance her way through a fight and fight her way to victory.
Ahead of the race, Izuku was keeping the lead, but Katsuki and Todoroki were breathing down his neck. He had a smile on his face while putting everything in moving his legs, this was the fun he was talking about! Even if only he seemed to be enjoying it.
Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by a metal body ahead of him. Behind it, various others, robots identical to the ones from the entrance exam, blocked their way forward.
He could hear Present Mic from there, hyping the world with his voice, "The first obstacle, the machine mayhem, Robo Inferno!"
Izuku didn't think the normal robots were all that threatening, but the giant Zero Pointers sure were. He was a lot more ready this time though, and even if he denied it, Izuku had a bone to pick with those tin cans.
Jumping from robot to robot, using their heads as springboards, Izuku reached the closest Zero pointer and blitzed over its body with Full Cowling. Reaching the head he leaped back and kicked the air, using Air Step to close in again.
His Keyblade flashed, a glowing horizontal line marked the metal head, and then it was bisected, the top half sliding forward and falling, the rest of the body following right after.
Izuku grinned, "Take that you discounted Gundam!"
Nana chuckled, "Yeah you showed that pile of scrap who's boss, but now how are you going to land?"
Izuku looked down and saw the ground far below flooded with robots, "I should have thought this through. Oh well, time to improvise!" He flipped in the air and stretched his leg upward, preparing for an ax kick. Izuku's leg was covered by yellow light, from the tip of his shoe to halfway up to his knee, "Thundera Smash!"
He snapped his glowing leg down just in time for it to make contact with a robot's head, lightning exploding from the point of impact and jumping all around, frying a large portion of the robots around him. Using the opportunity he got back into motion.
Todoroki saw how Izuku finished the giant robot and got an idea. Waiting for the right moment, he raised his right hand and froze two other Zero Pointers. Running between their legs, he shouted over his shoulder to the other students approaching, "I froze them off balance, I wouldn't try to follow if I was you."
Unfortunately, Todoroki didn't account for how some of his classmates were spending time with Izuku and adopting his insane way of thinking.
Mashirao hopped from one robot to the other, using his tail to push him forward. Izuku and he had spared and the young martial artist had asked how Izuku could fight the way he did, how he could flow between movements that were like the wind and strike with fast attacks that were powerful like thunder. The answer surprised him greatly, and helped even more, "I don't know, I just let my body move me." That day he reflected about all he knew, all he worked for in the martial arts and realized just how true those words were.
Now Mashirao didn't think, he acted. His movements flowing like water and hitting like the crashing waves, his body knew the way and now Mashirao let it guide him. A punch deflected, rubber bullets dodged, and his legs and tail bringing him closer and closer to his goal. The enormous frozen robots were still midair when he passed them, firmly on the race and contending for the top spot.
Eijiro saw all his bros being manly and he couldn't bring himself to stop, he had to keep up with them! Hardening himself, even more, he bulldozed through the robots, but that unfortunately delayed him enough for the Zero Pointer to fall into him. Eijiro crawled his way from the inside of the machine and burst out from its back with a warcry, "I'm not done yet!"
"You guys of 1-A are crazy!" Another person burst out from the back of the other giant robot. He, like Eijiro, had sharp teeth and spiked hair brushed to the side, his quirk making the boy be covered head to toe in steel.
They looked at each other, and for a second got downtrodden, their quirks already weren't flashy, now they had another one with basically the same in the other class. Eijiro was about to grumble, but then he remembered Izuku's attitude, he wouldn't be sad about something like that, he would be happy there would be another friend and one that understood him at that.
With that in mind, he said, "Hey! Your quirk is really cool!"
The steel boy got startled, but then gave a sharp smile, "Yours too! I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
Eijiro chuckled at Tetsutetsu's name but gave him a thumbs up, "Kirishima Eijiro, see you at the finish line!"
Both dug themselves out of their respective robot's back and got back on the race.
Izuku was still in the lead and by a decent margin, but it was shrinking fast. He sighed, "It would be easier if I could use a little more."
Nana was instantly in the forefront of his mind, berating him, "No! You will use exactly what you can handle and not a drop more. I know your type kid, if I give you an inch you'll go breaking your bones all willy-nilly the moment I turn my back!"
Izuku flinched at the voice only he could hear, "Okay, okay, I'll stick to what I have. Happy?" He grumbled.
"Yes, also watch your step."
"What? Oh crap!" Izuku skidded to a stop, right at the brink of a cliff. He looked down and couldn't even see the bottom. Various pillars of the earth connected by steel cables littered the colossal hole he was sure wasn't there at the beginning of the day. From the distance, he heard his teacher's voice explaining the next bit of the race he would have to cross.
"If you fall, you're out! If you don't want to fall, then it's better crawl, it's the Fall!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow, "Did he noted this before, or is Mic-sensei this good at rhyming?" He shook his head and took a step back, "Win the race first, ask questions later." Izuku dashed again and hopped into a cable, letting the Flowmotion part of Full Cowling carry him, he slid through it and jumped to the next cable halfway, going over the pillar and the abyss below.
Katsuki just ignored the obstacle altogether by flying over it. Todoroki slid through the cables with his ice, but unlike Izuku he couldn't jump from one to the other. Tenya, not wanting to be outdone, used his Engine to push himself through, even if the pose he struck to keep his balance couldn't exactly be called cool.
Ochaco and Tsuyu, who were neck to neck, reached the Fall and stopped, gawking at the exaggerated scenario.
"Isn't this a little too much? Even for our standards?" Ochaco asked, dreading the thought of floating over all that. She was much better at holding her stomach while using her quirk on herself, but that was still pushing it.
Tsuyu shrugged, "I don't think we can judge, last week we were training on something like this, without cables, or anything to soften the land if one of us fell."
Ochaco raised her finger to protest, then she lowered it and blinked in realization, "Yeah, you're right. Are we the weird ones then?"
Tsuyu gave a croaky laugh, "You only got that now?"
"Out of the way!" A voice startled Ochaco and Tsuyu, looking back they saw a girl with messy pink locks of hair, using the PE uniform they were all wearing, but with the addition of various pieces of equipment.
The girl shot past them and jumped into the abyss, earning a panic-filled yelp from the heroines in training.
From one of the many gadgets, a rope shot out, buried its clawed point in one of the pillars, and, in a pendulum movement, shot the girl further.
Ochaco and Tsuyu traded a glance, "I think we're not the only ones at least." Ochaco shrugged, not knowing what exactly to think of what had just happened.
Tsuyu gave a sage nod, "Yes."
At the lead, Izuku and Katsuki were trading positions, both boys already finishing the current obstacle. Izuku knew he would be left behind thanks to his friend's advantage, so he tried something different.
Overcharging his Flowmotion, Izuku aimed at the solid land where the track continued and vanished. He reappeared where he aimed, feet hitting the ground and leaving imprints of his shoes.
"Dammit Deku! When did you learn how to teleport?!" Katsuki shout echoed by the whole canyon.
"Just now!" Izuku turned and waved, "See you later Kacchan!" He turned and ran, laughing at the explosive blonde's enraged shouts.
Izuku knew he should be at the final part of the race, if he guessed the ground he covered right, so at any second he should reach the next obstacle. Case and point, he saw first the signs, then the marked floor, and at last Izuku heard the voice of his teacher.
"The last obstacle, to finish it with a bang, The Land Mine Field! Don't worry though, they're made to not hurt anything but your pride and your chances of winning!"
"Did he really make that pun?" Nana groaned, then she noticed a concern-inducing smile on Izuku's face, "Kiddo, you're scaring me."
"But why? I just had a great idea!" He chuckled, and it sent a shiver up Nana's spine, an impressive feat, considering she didn't have a body.
Katsuki fumed, not only Deku had pulled a new move out of his ass again, but now Ice-Hot was on his tail and throwing chunks of ice at him, which made Katsuki get closer to the ground in fear of flying too far and getting disqualified.
Katsuki pushed his quirk further to gain some breathing room and was met with a scene that made his eyes widen. Izuku was at the beginning of the minefield, Keyblade in hand and marked with earth and dust with a pile of just dug mines in front of him.
"Deku no!" Katsuki shouted with no small amount of panic.
Izuku looked over his shoulder with a blinding smile on his face, "Deku yes!" He put his Keyblade over his chest and belly-flopped in the explosives.
With a flash, a thundering bang, a cloud of pink smoke, and a shockwave so powerful not only Izuku but Katsuki and Todoroki too were sent flying.
The green-haired boy was sent sky-high, "Yahoooo!" He stumbled through the air, flipping heads over heels and laughing like a giddy child all the while, "I have to do this more times!" Izuku yelled happily while throwing his arms up.
At the commentators booth, Present Mic gave his friend a side-eyed glance, "What are you teaching those kids?"
Eraserhead's answer made many laugh, and many worry, "I don't take responsibility for my student's natural insanity."
At the bleachers, Toshinori gave Inko a look while Eri cheered between them. The woman gave a helpless shrug and shake of the head, even if a small smile formed on her face. She didn't teach her son to be that reckless, but if he was having fun then she couldn't complain.
While Izuku was making his cruise over the minefield, Katsuki and Todoroki recovered and dashed after him. The former flew with his explosions, also ignoring this obstacle, while the latter froze the ground so the mines wouldn't explode, not caring about how this would help the other participants.
Some took advantage of that, while others avoided the chaos the safe but thin passage created in favor of using their ways of crossing the mine-filled area.
Eijiro just ran, shrugging off the explosions with his quirk. Denki used the speed his electric cover provided to pass the mines before they could detonate, Tenya doing the same with greater success, much to the electric boy's chagrin. Kyoka danced through the field, the swift movements beat into her body by her Dream Eater teacher made her steps so soft not even the dirt was displaced while her greater coordination of movement let her avoid the mines on her path.
"Who would have thought dance classes from a magical cat would end up being useful?" Kyoka chuckled while making her way forward. Izuku was doing his best to keep himself in first place, so she and all of them had to reciprocate the courtesy and do their best to take it from him.
A loud crash got the girl's attention, Kyoka strained her eyes to see Izuku had finally reached the ground, over the minefield. He landed on his feet, getting his legs buried to the knees, quickly freeing himself and giving a wave over the shoulder, Izuku started to move again.
It was the final stretch, and Izuku was having a blast! The whole race had been exhilarating, all the obstacles were fun to tackle and overcome, the competition made his heart beat fast in his chest, but now it was finishing. Izuku wanted more days like this, where they all could put themselves to the test together in merry competition.
It was almost like the…
"Another epic quest to save all worlds? Sign me up!"
"Me too!"
"Don't forget about us!"
"And you are coming with us, Naminé. You're part of the team now!"
Izuku felt a sharp jolt in his head, making him stumble. Catching himself before he could fall, Izuku put his hand on his knees and took a deep breath. Why did that one felt more...real than the rest? He could have sworn he was looking at Naminé's eyes, both at the top of the tower of a great wizard and by his side, like always, was…
Who? Who could he forget but miss so much he could feel his heart hurting just realizing their absence?
The sound of ice and explosions brought him back to the present. After shaking his head, Izuku started to run again, pushing himself more and more. What was he missing?! He couldn't hear the rest of the world around him, his mind focused inside while his body moved on its own. Izuku tried to dig deeper inside himself, but it was like trying to catch sand, the more he grabbed, the more escaped through his fingers.
"Deku!" Katsuki dive-bombed the distracted green-haired boy, only to earn a Keyblade pointed to his face. Blowing himself back to avoid the attack, Katsuki noticed how the joy on his friend's face disappeared, only frustration and a profound longing in his eyes.
The contrast was so drastic from just a moment ago Katsuki got shocked enough to not follow up his offensive. Todoroki didn't have any problem trying to steal first place though but was met with an even stronger response. His wave of ice got stopped in its tracks by a Keyblade glowing brown.
"Earthra!" With the shout of its wielder, Heroes Rising upturned the ground. Jagged obelisks of rock rose and blocked not only the attack but the path ahead back to the stadium.
Izuku barely paid it any mind, he was too focused looking for something, anything, why was all that happening to him? What was the point of all the visions, the memories, just what had he lost?!
"Are you willing to take the fall for someone else's mistake?"
"Of course, I know he would do the same for me, we're the same after all."
"Then I bid you good luck, Master Izuku. May your heart be your guiding key."
Like if a chain had snapped, a burden over his heart shed, Izuku ran. Not from what he lost, but toward what he would claim back. He felt his feet pounding against the ground, his heart pounding against his chest, the shouts pounding against his ears.
A smile formed back in his face, he had spent his entire life looking at the stars while trapped to the ground. But now, he was free, and he wouldn't stop running until his dream and whatever else his heart desired was at the reach of his hands.
There was the slightest of shifts, only Katsuki and Todoroki, who after passing the earthen barrier Izuku conjured, were close enough to notice. His aura brightened by the smallest amount, the power, instead of flowing over him, flowed with him.
In the Station of Awakening, Nana glanced at the others, all eight of them felt it. A smile grew in the First face, "He did it, he just, he reached it!"
The Fifth clapped his hand, "See, the kid got it, he only needed to put his mind into it."
The Second huffed, "I can't believe it, the brat didn't even realize it yet."
The Sixth shrugged, "It doesn't change anything, it's with us now, little Ninth already did his part."
The Third chuckled, "Like if we don't have enough work here."
The Eighth, the fragment of him he trusted his successor, looked at the boy face illuminated in the stained glass below, "You did it Young Izuku, now, show everyone that you won't stop until you reach the stars." He said softly, but his almost whisper set the heart he resided ablaze.
At the outside, Izuku, Katsuki, and Todoroki were on the tunnel that led back into the stadium, to the finish line.
"You are not leaving me behind, Deku!"
"I'm not losing to you, Midoriya!"
Izuku glanced over his shoulder, at both boys' eyes, and smirked, "Really? Then how about now?!" Izuku, in one swift movement, impaled his weapon on the ground, twisted over it, and planted his feet on the blade. Focusing every single drop of power, magic, and just clear determination, he launched himself forward. He zipped through the entire tunnel in a second, the light of victory engulfing him along with the deafening cheers of the world.
Izuku crashed, stumbled, and skipped through the stadium floor. Coming to a halt, he pushed himself to his feet and looked around, to the countless people shouting his name. He threw his arms up and roared, hyping the public more, but that was secondary to the reaffirmation of his goal. He would stay true to himself and become a hero. Discover the mystery of the visions of a life he felt was his own deep into his being. And his desire to never stop, never give up, and never drop his smile.
"In first place, we have the boy who declared war to the present and promised to go beyond in the future, Midoriya Izuku! In second place, the bomber who made our first champion work for every second of it, Bakugo Katsuki! In third, we have the genius that was the whole time neck to neck with these beasts, Todoroki Shoto!" Present Mic's voice drowned even the thousands of others filling the campus, and gave Eraserhead what promised to be a headache later.
Izuku looked at his family, all three of them, and gave them a sharp smile. He had his fun, so why not follow his mentor's wish and show the whole world he was here? Raising his left arm, like All Might always did after a victory, a symbol all knew as the proof the hero had won, Izuku kept his eyes locked on his Master. Before lowering his arm, he glanced at his best friend.
"See you at the top, Kacchan."
Katsuki, who had been worried, pissed, and then enraged in less than two minutes, felt it all burning away in the presence of the rivalry, the challenge that was just thrown at him.
"Don't dare lose to anyone else, I'll grab my victory back from your hands in the finals, so bring everything you have Deku, I'll show you I'm the strongest," Katsuki said, more of an order than an incentive, he wouldn't accept anything less than an absolute victory, and for that, he needed to show every single person, even against the strongest, he would still come up on top or bring everything down with him.
Izuku extended his still closed fist to Katsuki, "It's a promise."
In a moment of surprisingly good nature, Katsuki bumped his fist against Izuku's.
Todoroki watched from the side, the words traded by two friends and rivals lost to him. He could only focus on one thing, the way Izuku raised his arm, that was the confirmation he needed to be sure in his theory.
The other competitors started to arrive, some barely keeping themselves from falling to their knees, but all crossing the finish line, the proof for others and themselves that even if not heroes, they would still fight to the end for their dreams.
When the last person arrived, Present Mic shook the stadium with his announcement, "The first event of UA's Sports Festival is officially… OVER!"
It took a while, but it is here! This roller-coaster of pure chaos was brought to you by me and the great keeperofhounds made it the amazing piece of literature you just got to read.
If you liked it, check my other stories, both in FF and AO3.
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