It's time for Class 1-A to make its debut.
As the class enters the stadium, I force myself not to look at the crowd.
Not to look at Endeavor.
Amongst thousands of spectators, it's unlikely that the first person I will see is him, but I don't want to risk it anyway.
Last night, he had ordered me to come to his office.
He wanted to "discuss" something with me.
The scene was the same as the night before the entrance exam, with him sitting at his desk chair and me standing across from him, keeping as much distance between us as possible. However, that time I wanted to argue, and this time, I didn't want him to get to me. Not when tomorrow was a very big day for me.
"Shouto, I know we've had this conversation numerous times, but I want to remind you one last time. Rank first at the Festival tomorrow," he said.
I huffed in response. "I know. Do whatever it takes to win. Show the world that I'm your prodigal son. Prove that I'm worthy of being a hero. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. You're not telling me anything new."
He ignored my impatience. "And use both your quirks, not just one. You are my son, and fire is a part of you, so use my given gift."
This again, I thought. I should have just lied by saying I would, to get the conversation over with, but every time he talked about that, all my pain came rushing back. Now was not any different. Like all the other times, I lost my composure and shouted, "What part of 'I reject you and everything that stands for you,' do you not understand? Time and time, I've told you that I don't care for your quirk or your legacy, but it looks like my words just go through one ear and out the other."
"Shouto, listen to me. I-"
"No, you listen to me! I've had enough of this bullshit. Why is it that before any big event in my life, you have to talk to me about things you know will spoil my mood? I know that because I was unfortunate to be born as your son, I'll never escape your presence. Even if I changed my last name, people would still remember me as the son of the Number Two Hero. But even so, I want to become a hero of my own talents. I'll use my ice quirk as I see fit, and I'll use my fire quirk as I see fit. But when you pressurize me like this, I don't want to use my flames." I began with fury and ended with disappointment. But Endeavor looked pained, which made it worth it.
Neither of us said anything for a while. But Endeavor spoke up to break the silence. "I will be coming to the Sports Festival tomorrow. Out of respect as the Number Two Hero and out of my fatherly duties to you."
That's so like him: to ignore the other's complaints and feelings. I had enough. I opened his office door and was about to step through, but I could not resist one last jibe. "Fatherly duties means a man caring for, providing for, and loving his wife and children. Doing your best to keep your family happy. Not separating them, hurting them, and abusing them. Not pushing your failures onto your children. So don't say you're attending because all of a sudden you felt parental urges toward me. And thanks to this 'discussion,' I'm going to spite you by not using your 'given gift.'
I slammed the door shut behind me, and hours later did I realize that I had told him off with the words Hanada-chan had said to me.
Present Mic-sensei introduces each class entering the stadium, activating his sound quirk because the volume hurts my ears, and my classmates' faces express a range of emotions: from Midoriya who looks like he'll have a breakdown any second to Bakugou who's grinning slyly from ear to ear.
Midnight-sensei continues the speech and calls Bakugou up to the stage as the first-years' spokesperson. I guess it makes sense because he did rank first in the common Hero course entrance exam. His next words are even less surprising.
"I just wanna say ... I'm gonna win," he says nonchalantly, stoic, and with hands in his pockets. Everyone, not just my classmates, erupts with shouts of jeers and insults, except Hanada-chan. She's covering her mouth with her hand, trying, and failing, to stifle her chortles.
She catches me looking and quickly explains through her giggles, "I expected him to say something like that, especially after the declaration of war he gave me. The fact that he said it so seriously, so assuredly, is what's so funny to me."
But that laughter is short-lived as Bakugou descends, with no change in posture, and Midnight-sensei ushers to continue on with the Festival. The first event is the Obstacle Course Race: a four-kilometer lap around the stadium, a competition with everyone from my year, and no restrictions to using our quirks.
Perfect ... No time for hesitation. Just focus on one goal: victory.
I concentrate on my rage and convert it into determination.
The hundreds of us position ourselves at the starting gate.
Three. The first light turns off.
Those in the front bend and crouch into sprinting positions.
Two. The second light turns off.
Those in the middle angle themselves into fighting positions.
One. The last light turns off.
Those in the back straighten themselves into quirk-activation positions.
Zero. The bell rings.
The crowd behind me gets squashed as they try to push through the narrow gate. But I, who is one of the front-runners, have a different idea.
"The first filter," I mutter under my breath just before I freeze everyone's legs and sprint.
I hear them curse as I use my speed and the power of my ice quirk to surpass everyone else by hundreds of meters.
The starting gate was the first obstacle, though I doubt most of them realized it. And my surprise ice attack was just temporary. The element of surprise doesn't last very long. Any moment now, some of them will break through the ice, passing the first filter.
Out of curiosity and analytics, I glance back. "Well, obviously some of you in my class were going to make it past, but more of you were able to dodge than I thought," I observe as I see my classmates and others dashing to cover the distance between us.
Mineta's about to throw his sticky balls at me, but at the last moment, a leviathan slams him out of the way. Thanks to that warning, I stop myself from crashing into a battalion of mechanical leviathans. Present-Mic's voice rings out, describing this obstacle. But I know what these are. I plant both feet wide. "So these are the faux villains they used for everyone else's test? Kind of wish they'd prepared something a little more threatening," I comment, unimpressed, as I crouch down and brush the surface of the ground.
"Especially because dear old Dad is watching," I growl just as I arc my hand up, releasing a massive wall of ice in the nearest leviathans' faces, imagining that it's Endeavor's face instead.
Two kids behind me shriek that they can get through the gaps I made between the leviathans. Unable to resist the urge to point out their mistake, I turn my head toward them as I race through, "Don't. I froze them in a precarious position ..." The first leviathan tilts forward and crashes. The others do the same. "So they'd fall," I finish as a cloud of ice and snow billows, leaving the others to deal with the aftermath. I'm not that stupid to clear an obstacle, but give my opponents an advantage.
My second filter is fruitful: the distance between us grows and grows. I can see the third obstacle: tightropes connecting slender plateaus. Slip and you'll fall into the abyss. The trick is balance. And I know all about balance. I coat the surface of the first tightrope with a thin layer of ice. Then I climb onto the tightrope, one foot in front of the other, arms out, and use more of my ice ability to propel me across the rope. I imagine a pair of blades attached to the bottom of my shoes, and that the center of mass located in my hips is in line with the blades. All those years of figure skating are paying off. Using this tactic, from one tightrope to the other, I make it across. Third obstacle cleared.
I don't bother looking back this time. While I've just finished, I know that the others are just starting. I'm facing the same problem I did at the recommendations entrance exam: I'm too caught up in my anger. I've lost all sight of my surroundings, and the only thing I see now is forward. Keep moving forward. And maybe that's why it's sheer luck that saves me from stumbling into the final obstacle: the minefields.
I can't charge through now. The field is pockmarked with circles where the landmines are, so running straight is a terrible idea. At the same time, avoiding the circles by scurrying left and right will take more time. I get it. This puts whoever's leading at a disadvantage. It's all a big show. The bastards are in it for entertainment value. But I don't have much of a choice; it's a compromise between time and safety. This time, I do glance back. Some of them have made it through the tightrope obstacle. It's now or never, Shouto. I choose safety.
Darting left and right, I swerve through the obstacles. But a familiar howl catches my attention. "Haha. This crap ... CAN'T SLOW ME DOWN!" The voice is Bakugou's, who just used his explosions to propel himself like a rocket to my position. We're tied ... I think as I raise an arm to block the flames. But he's not finished. He's glaring at me. "Your declaration of war was to the wrong rival," he growls.
Huh? But I don't have the liberty to think. I need to grapple with him to stay in the lead. And this is how it goes between us: I pull him back just when he gets a step ahead, and he pulls me back when I do. We're like two cats fighting, using our quirks as claws to defend and attack. It goes on like this until all of a sudden an explosion from behind us rocks both of us.
The fact that Bakugou looks just as surprised as I am is enough to tell me that that explosion was not his. We look back simultaneously, and-
WHAT THE HELL! MIDORIYA!
He's flying with one of the leviathan's metal plating as a shield. He caused that explosion?!
And he's surpassed us?!
By too much of a distance. I need to bridge that distance. Again, my focus narrows to only forward. "This path will end up helping the others, but no time to worry about them!" I release my ice on full blast, launching myself like a missile. Barely consciously do I recognize that Bakugou is doing the same with his fire explosions.
We make it. Midoriya is hovering just above our heads, about to fall any second now. But no. He finds his balance in midair and plants both feet on our backs! And if things couldn't get any wilder, he slams the makeshift shield, causing one last explosion. Bakugou and I cover our eyes from the debris, and Midoriya tumbles the rest of the way to the finish line.
Midoriya wins first place.
I get second.
Bakugou wins third.
But my thoughts are the furthest thing from victory.
I stare at Midoriya, quietly, but not speechlessly.
He was the biggest and most unexpected obstacle of this course.
He was one of the stragglers at the start of the race, but miraculously he ranked first.
There's something about him, my intuition tells me.
It's why I made my declaration to him.
And I'm going to find out what it is.
Note: I have copied some dialogue from two of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapters are here: .online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-24/
.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-25/
.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-26/
And:
manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-24/
manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-25/
manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-26/
Also, I copied Katsuki's victory statement from when he climbs onto the stage from the English-dubbed version of the anime. The translation of this moment was very well-done and humorous.