'Before we get to Izuku's panic attack,' Kyoka barely contained her laughter even over Guild Chat, 'Can we take a moment to appreciate that Advisory-sensei was going to accuse him of cheating?'
'No she wasn't,' I protested, momentarily distracted.
'Yes, young Midoriya, she was,' All Might said, 'Despite assurances from myself and Aizawa-sensei, the "Watchful Eye" Heroine Advisory believed that you had found a way to cheat on her exam.'
'So what is going to happen to Izuku?' Momo sounded worried.
'You said that past tense, Toshinori-san,' Mom pointed out, 'Does that mean she doesn't believe Izuku cheated anymore?'
'Correct,' All Might declared, 'Her conversation with young Midoriya this afternoon convinced her that he does have a knowledge of Hero History at the level of a Bachelor's degree. In fact, depending on the results of the finals, she may ask him to test out of the course and be her teacher's assistant instead. Hmmm, maybe I wasn't supposed to tell you that.'
'It's good that she trusts him,' Ami changed the subject for both me and All Might, 'But I'm more curious about why Izuku is panicking about tomorrow.'
'I have to give a speech,' I tried to keep my voice calm. And didn't exactly succeed.
'In front of the whole school,' I added, 'All the parents and Heroes in attendance.'
'Not to mention all the people watching on TV in not just Japan but the entire world,' Ochako mused. Then quickly continued, 'Sorry, that probably didn't help.'
'I also apologize,' Ami thought, 'my question was unclear. Perhaps I should say, how are you panicking? Isn't Gamer's Mind supposed to prevent that.'
'Gamer's Mind is a combat ability,' I explained, 'It is there to keep me steady when I'm fighting. So I don't get frightened by attacks or gore, or lose control of my temper. And it provides some protection against mental status effects, like the American Villain Scarecrow or the German Hero Vertigo. But it is only partially effective in other situations. Like the first day of the study group, without Gamer's Mind I probably wouldn't have been able to talk to everyone.'
'I recall a bit of stuttering,' Mikoto noted.
'And if you had met me two years ago...' I remembered sadly.
'The dance,' Ami thought quietly.
'But rather than being worried having to give a speech,' I continued after a moment of painful recollection, 'I'm more worried about the fact that I don't have a speech. And I don't know if I have enough time to write one. Even if I use The Pencil of Solitude to double the amount of time I have.'
'I'd bet you've seen more speeches in movies, games, and on heroTube than anyone else I know,' Kyoka said, 'Can't you just pick a few of those and be fit the parts together.'
'No plagiarism,' Mom and All Might said, almost in unison.
'I'm not saying copy them,' she countered quickly and defensively, 'Just pick a few that say what you want to say, and be inspired by them. Like "just how mighty" sensei is, right?'
All Might coughed. Over a telepathic group chat.
'Although, given all the old stuff Izuku likes,' Tsu commented, 'He could probably pick something that most people wouldn't recognize.'
'If he properly sites his sources, it's not plagiarism,' Momo reminded us, 'Then it's research or an homage.'
'It is tempting,' I answered, 'But I think I would rather write something of my own. Even if I do end up sounding like a fool. Maybe I could put some Skill points into a speech related skill.'
'That sounds like a waste to me,' Mikoto argued.
'I... we could help you,' Ami offered.
'Thank you,' I remarked happily, 'But I'm thinking of spending the rest of the night in the Pencil. To get as much writing time as I can, and still get a full night's sleep. I'm going to need to be at my best tomorrow. And I don't think most of your parents would appreciate you spending the night at a boy's clubhouse.'
'Mine wouldn't know,' Ochako suggested shyly.
'If I tell them I'm spending the night with a mixed group of friends,' Kyoka said, 'mostly female and with a mom chaperoning, mine wouldn't mind. And then, if we finish the speech early, we could level up a bit...'
'But we can only go into Dungeons five of us at once,' Cassandra interrupted, 'So it wouldn't really be fair to the rest of you.'
'The rest of "you"?' Mikoto prompted sharply.
'Ochako isn't the only one living alone to attend UA,' the American reminded us.
'I feel young Midoriya should tackle the speech alone,' All Might said firmly, 'And the rest of us can hear it tomorrow.'
The others agreed, with varying levels of discontent. I removed everyone from my party, made sure Speed Force was in my backpack, and then dove into the Pencil.
"Good morning," I said as smoothly as I could.
I arrived early to make sure I lent my precious book to Advisory-sensei. Then our class met like normal, before we all changed into our phys ed uniforms. Aizawa-sensei, now only partly bandaged, led us to the arena. All three years and all four courses of UA students filled the floor of the arena. Principal Nezu had motioned me to the podium up front.
Part of me was still wishing I had asked Mikoto or Ami to covertly take pot shots at me.
"I am Midoriya Izuku, representing the freshman class. On behalf of all of my fellow students and the teachers here, I would like to thank everyone watching the UA Sports Festival, both here and remotely..."
I trailed off from my introduction and launched into the speech proper.
"For the next three days, we students will face off in a series of contests. Events designed to help us show off what we can do, and to help us push ourselves and each other to new heights. But even though we will have have to oppose our classmates and will be ranked in the end, I don't think we should consider this a competition; at least not first and foremost. Because in the end, we are all here for the same thing. To become Heroes. And I don't just mean we students. Of course our teachers are guiding us on this journey. But also all of you. Many of you are our friends and family, helping us reach our dreams. And the rest of you see some promise in us."
"Not that we will all be the sort of Heroes who fight Villains or rescue people from disasters. Some of us will be the kind of Heroes who invent and build devices to help save others in various ways. Some of us want to be the Heroes who create businesses and charities to help those hurt by Villains and disasters. And some of us may just want to be one person's Hero, making sure that they have a place to live and don't have to worry about remembering to pay their bills."
I glanced around and noticed that, while some people were paying close attention, others looked amused or annoyed. I decided to cut my speech short. I almost wished Kacchan could have been there to yell at me to stop rambling.
"So we will go out there and give our best. But we must not only be strong, but also brave, fair, and kind. To show the world 'WE ARE HERE'! We will GO BEYOND, PLUS..."
For a moment I worried. But I shouldn't have.
"ULTRA!" the student body roared with me as one.
[That wasn't too bad. Skill Public Speaking (lvl 1) unlocked. Determination +1.]
"Well spoken," Nezu returned to the stage, a twinkle in his eyes, "Now, second and third year participants, take your seats in the stands. Non-participants to your tasks. And first year participants, follow us."
He was joined by Power Loader-sensei. About a third of the first years split off, but the rest of us followed.
The members of the Hero course classes were required to participate. So were the General course students, though the second and third years could apply for exemptions. Support courses could go either way; they could either participate to show off their devices and get to know the Heroes in training better. Or they could help Cementoss-sensei and Loader-sensei in constructing and maintaining the events and the arena. The Business course students generally interacting with the audience. But a few chose to compete as well. The end result was that out of the 220 first year students, about 150 followed Nezu outside.
They led us out the south exit, and we almost immediately saw a giant structure. One I was sure hadn't been there this morning. It was thirty meters tall and about half a kilometer wide. It was made of concrete and had a pattern of alternating light blue and dark blue scales. Cut into the face of the wall or building there were seven twenty meter square doors, each with a number above it.
"Welcome to our Labyrinth," Nezu-sensei told us, "The first task for each of you is to navigate the maze and its many and varied challenges. When I say go, you must enter through one of these seven doors and navigate the Labyrinth as quickly as you can. The forty-four of you who reach the exit doors in the fastest time will move on to the second round."
The choice of the number was fairly obvious. Most people would expect the forty members of the Hero Course to be the top finishers. Having a few more would give the other classes more of a window, and incentive in knowing that it wouldn't just be us. And since it was 44 instead of 45, I suspected the second round would need an even number of finishers. The fact it was a multiple of eleven made me think that the second round might be football, either association or American.
"You will have ninety minutes to finish," Nezu continued, "Though I suspect you will not need it. That is the basic setup, but here are some specific rules."
"You must only enter through these seven entrances and leave through the four exits. If you enter any other way, it will not count. And if you leave by any other means, you will be disqualified."
"I said the forty-four fastest finishers will win. That is because it is possible to accrue time penalties. You see the blue dragonscale pattern on the outer wall and also on the floor inside? That is not just to make the maze mildly disorienting and harder to navigate. You are not allowed to damage any part of the Labyrinth with that color and pattern. Or the plexiglass ceiling, either. The first time you do so you will get a thirty second penalty. The second time will be a sixty seconds penalty, for a total of ninety. The third penalty adds another ninety seconds, and so on. And while you might find a spot where you think it is worth it to take the hit to create a shortcut, know that any other student on the same path will be able to use that shortcut without penalty."
"Some of you will have picked it up, but I said that these types of walls are not to be damaged. In the interest of fairness, I am going to lay it out; there are elements of the maze that do not look like this. And you are free to do with them what you want. Break them, ignore them, or whatever else your Quirk can do. Some will be shortcuts, some will be dead ends, and some will even be traps."
"Those traps are just some of the challenges within the Labyrinth. There are also enemies to fight. There are puzzles that will test your intelligence, perception, and dexterity."
"Finally, and most importantly, you are not allowed to injure your fellow competitors. You can block them, delay them, trick them, interfere with them by any means available to you, so long as they are not hurt. If you hurt one of your fellow students accidentally, the first time is a five minute penalty. A second accident, or any intentional injury will result in immediate disqualification."
"Do any of you have any questions?"
I raised my hand. A dull yet familiar groan emerged from the loudspeakers.
"Yes, Midoriya-kun?" Nezu called on me.
"Any dungeoneer with his or her salt knows it is dangerous to go alone," I started, "And while you said we can hinder but not harm, I notice you didn't say anything about helping. Are we allowed to work together in the Labyrinth?"
That got my classmates muttering.
"Each of you will be scored individually," he said slyly, "But no, there is no restriction against teaming up."
I had been looking around, considering that. Like us, all of the other classes were also in their UA phys ed uniforms. And most of us had nothing else. Mikoto didn't have any of her coins, though she had the steel zippers, and the snaps that the rain hoods attached to. But Ami had a small canteen on each hip. And some of the Support course students were borderline overloaded with gadgets. Stealing them would likely fall under the hinder but don't hurt rule. But it also wasn't Heroic. And not knowing what the tools did might make them more dangerous than useful.
"If there are no other questions, then... On your marks. Set... GO!"
Everyone else surged forwards, and a few of my friends glanced at me as I just stood there. Only two other people beat Todoroki-san to door number three, before he passed through it. A sudden glacier sealed it behind him. A few people took shots at it, but all of them ultimately diverted to the other entrances.
I noticed one other person appeared to not be in a hurry. A rather curvy girl with pink dreadlocks, a high tech looking backpack, and other doodads on her arms and legs. She snapped a pair of goggles into place. Then she gestured with her left hand, almost like sign language. She glanced back at me. Frowned slightly. Then jogged into door six.
"What is our representative doing?" Present Mic proclaimed, "Did he not understand? Or is he so confident he doesn't care about giving the others a lead?"
I crouched.
"Ki Reinforcement: Strength," I whispered. Focused the energy into my legs. Used my TK to lighten myself. Focused on Jump. And then I pushed off as hard as I dared.
I shot straight up like a rocket. More than twice the height of the Labyrinth. At my apex I slowed and looked down carefully.
In the air above the Labyrinth there were dozens of drones. Most of them had four propellers and a single camera underneath; a way to watch and transmit the event. I also picked out one that was different. It had six arms that ended in some form of energy thruster. Three of the limbs had cameras, but the other three had single barrel turrets. And unless I missed my guess, it was just a bit ahead of the pinkette. I wasn't the only one planning for a bird's eye view.
Thanks to my TK, I fell more slowly. I cast my eyes along the transparent top of the maze. Looked at the paths as they merged, twisted, split and ended. Made note of a few large rooms in the 1500 meter long building. Bought myself plausible deniability. Whispered, "Clairvoyance."
I landed softly, mumbled, "Ki: Q. Jet Set Run."
I rocketed at the ice wall covering the third route. Drew back my arm.
"Asgard SMASH!"
I launched the ki attack less than a millimeter before my fist hit the ice. To anyone watching me closely, it would have just looked like a bright flash when my punch landed. In reality the ice cracked deeply first, and my impact just cleared the rest of the way through.
[Quest Alert
The Best Around
Nothing's going to ever keep you down. Finish first in the UA Sports Festival (Freshman Division).
Rewards:
50 pts of Plus Ultra mitigation
Gamer Gift Card (20,000,000¥)
Guild Hall Perk: ?
Bonus Objectives:
First place in round 1: Bonus Talent ?
First place in round 2: 100,000 XP (party split)
Failure Penalties:
She won't be inspired/encouraged/emboldened.
Fewer offers.
(Accept) (Decline)]
I almost stumbled, as the alert appeared in front of my vision upon entering the Labyrinth. I hit [Accept] with annoyance and rounded the first corner.
After they were indoctrinat... inducted into the League, Stheno and Mindy were surprised when Kurogiri lifted the old ratty dartboard, and hit a button behind it. A section of the wall slid up, revealing an 80 inch, 16K TV. The two young Villainesses looked surprised at the top of the line device in the broken down pub. Especially considering the ancient CRT sitting in the open at the end of the bar. When they looked at their senpai with incredulity, Harley rolled her eyes at them.
"We're monsters, not animals."
Now all three women were sitting in stools, their backs up against the bar. Sipping individual drinks as they watched the screen.
"He's a bit awkward, but it's not a bad speech," the jester commented.
"Are you really going to watch that?" Shigaraki asked as he emerged from the back. His tone was one of disdain.
"Of course," Harley switched to her lecturing voice and both Stheno and Mindy instinctively sat up straighter, "Know your enemy, know yourself. Especially the kids who wouldn't have given us nearly as much trouble if we knew what they could do in advance."
"Besides," Mindy interjected, "If it's anything like the last few years, the last round is one on one fights. So we get to watch these little wannabe Heroes kick the shit out of each other."
"Huh," Decay chuckled appreciatively, "We have a winner."
He dropped onto the stool next to Harley. He gestured, and Kurogiri set a beer on the bar for him.
"Are you really going to watch that?" the tall, slim, blonde man asked in confusion. Then he adjusted his mask, still not used to the feel of the straps against his skull.
"Of course," the taller, bulkier man with the wild, reddish brown hair barked a laugh as he answered, "Gotta be on the look out for someone who might be able to put up a good fight. Plus, the kid seems interested."
He hiked a thumb at the tiny girl with a bandage on her left arm, who was watching intently as the students followed the mouse-thing out of the arena.
Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:
Health: 736 → 746 (836) (Plus Ultra penalty -100 → -90)
Energy: 1426 → 1448
Attributes:
(D)etermination: 66 → 67
Skills:
Creative Writing (C): 10 → 13
Boxing (S): 37 → 38
Ki Blast (D/W) LB: 20 → 21
Clairvoyance (I/W) LB: 12 → 13
Jump (Q/S) LB: 6 → 8
High Speed Vision (W/Q) 8 → 10
Heroics General Knowledge (I/W): 62 → 63
Public Speaking (C/D): → 1
Active Quests:
Save the Symbol of Peace
The Best Around
Omake: The Top Finisher's Speech
"Good morning," I started. But the microphone squeaked horribly, so I repeated myself, "Good morning. In less than an hour, my classmates from the Hero Division will join those from the other courses, and we will be launching the largest sports festival in the history of mankind."
"Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of May, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from expulsion. We're fighting for our right to study, to attend. And should we win the day, the May the Fourth will no longer be known as an UA holiday, but as the day when the students declared in one voice, 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to compete.' Today we celebrate our sports festival! "
The arena broke out in cheers, though there were a few raised eyebrows. And in a certain viewing box, Kayama Nerumi looked impressed. But beside her, Midoriya Inko facepalmed and considered suspending Izuku's Netflix subscription for the immediate future.
