Chapter 7: Preparation (To step onto the stage)(for the burden of being known)

Happy Friday, have an update. Hope everyone is managing ok! Glad everyone enjoyed the nerf war as much as I did. I'll have to have another interlude chapter like that at some point! There are just so many Servants I want to feature!

We're back on track after having a bit of a detour with USJ and Chaldea so I hope you know what that means!

Returning to school was certainly an interesting experience. Iida took place at the head of the class preparing everyone for home room and demanding that the already seated students be in their seats.

It was comical but after waging war for a good 8 hours yesterday Nathan could use the break.

Not that he ever caught one.

Aizawa entered none the worse for wear despite USJ. The damage to his elbow must not have been extensive enough to require too much treatment.

"Aizawa sensei! You're ok!" Mina called out.

"Yes. I'm fine. But you shouldn't be worrying about me. Your battle is far from over."

Tension gripped the class.

Was it villains again?

Or.

"UA's sports festival is approaching"

Sometimes even Nathan forgot this was supposed to be a school.

He wondered if this would be something similar to the Nero festivals he was used to?

There were a few protests about villains but Aizawa reassured them that there were numerous measures going into place to protect the festival. It was such a large event that no expenses were being spared.

Apparently UA's sports festival was something akin to the olympics in terms of wide appeal.

"It's an opportunity for you all. The country's top heroes will all be watching," Aizawa explained.

It was to further their careers. Nathan understood it at a base level, do well and get scouted by the highest level pro hero you can. But.

It felt off to him.

He simply could not picture himself in a hero organization other than chaldea. That part of his future was already sealed.

But this whole charade of taking part in UA was to push him further and further into the human world.

His instincts told him he was a magus and that he should keep a low profile to avoid scrutiny.

But was that what he actually wanted?

His fellow students muttered about joining various squads as sidekicks to pro heroes.

"Remember your time is limited. This is a once a year event so you only have three chances at this. The better work experience you can gather in that time the better off your future prospects will be."

How long would Chaldea even be able to stay in Japan?

They had come here for a specific reason after all. Who was to say they would stay behind once that reason was resolved? Would they stay because he wanted to? Or would they have to leave because another incident halfway across the world needed their attention?

The path forward had always been the scariest thing he'd ever faced.

It was easier when the world was ending and he had a clear goal.

But now that that weight was gone he was struggling.

If he could do what he wanted…

What did he even want anymore?

His previous ambitions had been lost with the rest of his past.

"You ok Relnor-san?" Yaoyorozu asked, "You're mumbling."

"Ah sorry. I'm just thinking…" He said, snapping from his doldrums quickly, "Must have picked that habit up from somewhere," He said with a not so subtle glance forward.

The excitement for an event that was two weeks away was palpable.

Lunch had arrived and a full half of the class were caught up in a great heat.

Nathan smiled.

This is what he'd fought for. Humans who reached for their dreams like this were what drove him forward even when he-

"Man. Everyone's getting really excited huh?" Midoriya spoke, snapping Nathan out of a train of thought that was about to rapidly spiral downward.

"Yeah. It's nice. Are you not excited too Midoriya?"

"I am but-"

"You have reached the stage of UA! Getting fired up is only natural!" Iida said, his entire body rumbling with excitement.

"Figures you would be able to contain yourself," Asui approached the three from the side.

Their gazes fell on Nathan.

"Yeah not a lot phases me nowadays," He said casually.

"I'll say."

"Iida, Midoriya, Relnor…" A voice came from next to them. Uraraka held her face down and her entire body radiated tension.

"Let's crush the sports festival."

It was a level of determination he didn't often see without murderous intent behind it. Out of the four of them Nathan was the only one who did not respond with some kind of apprehension.

Instead he met her determination with a smile.

"Of course!"

"LETS GO FOR IT" She screamed, riling up the class even further.

Once she settled down the four of them parted ways with Asui and made their way towards the cafeteria.

"Oh. Uraraka-san," Midoriya spoke up, "I was wondering. Why do you want to become a hero?"

"Ehehe… It's not a terribly noble reason… I um… Promise you won't think less of me!"

"A bad reason to become a hero does not exist," Nathan said simply, "As long as your desire pushes you to risk yourself to save others it doesn't matter what it is."

The three of them looked at him for a moment of quiet contemplation.

"W-wow… I don't think I've ever heard anyone put it like that. Alright! I'm in it for the money!" Uraraka said with a new sense of pride.

"Eh!?" Iida and Midoriya shouted.

"Ah I see," Nathan nodded. He supposed that made sense. Hero work was a career in this world.

"I know it's not as pure a reason as Iida or Midoriya… But… I'm going to become a Pro Hero. I am going to earn enough money to give my parents the easy life they deserve."

Her resolve was something of beauty.

She would fit right in with many of history's greatest heroes.

He nodded approvingly.

"There is absolutely no shame in that resolve. Hold your head high and push forward towards your future. It is already in your grasp."

The moment was broken somewhat when All might rounded a corner shouting, "Ah there you are! Midoriya my boy! Would you care to eat lunch with me?"

The scene before him did not match his image of reality. It was like there was a gear missing somewhere.

"Oh- Ok! Sure!" Midoriya said with a nod before the two of them parted with the group.

"What just happened?" Uraraka asked numbly after they were out of sight.

"I don't know and I think that's for the best. Sometimes the correct answer to a cracked door leading to forbidden knowledge is to just slam it shut and move on with your life," Nathan said without missing a beat.

"Wise words indeed." Iida nodded, "Although I am curious now. Relnor-san. Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Yeah! I just poured my heart out! Let us hear it!"

Nathan looked at his two friends and held out his hands. He clenched his glove covered left hand and his scaled right hand.

He gave an answer that did not match the smile on his face.

"I don't know! If I had to give a reason… I guess I want to catch up to the people who saved me."

All Might wanted him to debut at the sports festival. But Midoriya was struggling. His feelings were all over the place and his resolve was unnaturally shaken.

He nodded to All Might's words reminding him that there was a difference between those who aimed for the top and those who didn't.

"I do have one more question All Might. Have you ever… Been to Chaldea?"

All Might perked up. Midoriya was a hero nerd so it wasn't out of the ordinary to know and be curious about Chaldea.

But.

"No my boy. They're a secretive organization by nature. I've worked with a few of their heroes but beyond that interaction I know very little."

He recalled a conversation that he'd had with Nezu.

If someone came out and asked about Nathan's connection to Chaldea he was to tell the truth, but he should never lead the conversation that way.

But wasn't Midoriya one of Nathan's close friends?

"I went there yesterday,"

All Might coughed up blood.

"What!?"

"Nathan invited me over. I think he was trying to help me unwind but it was a lot to take in."

To All Might's knowledge only principle Nezu and a board chairman of the hero public safety commission had been allowed inside until now. There was no doubt in his mind that Midoriya had seen the true heart of their organization given the unofficial nature of his visit. If that was the case then it was Midoriya Izuku that knew the most about Chaldea out of any pro hero...

"What did you think?" All Might asked.

"It was amazing! There were so many different heroes all working together! Caring for each other! But... There were a lot of things about it that were off. It's not structured like any normal hero organization I've ever seen..."

It was nebulous and hard to describe. But Chaldea was not a hero organization. They cared for children who had nowhere to go. They gave up their lives to follow their leader. If it was being described to him he would think there was something sinister going on but having been there…

It was clear that their leader believed in doing good. If all of those contrasting heroes followed them then Chaldea was undoubtedly a grand force for justice. But he was not sure where Nathan fit into that equation. Those Chaldeans swirled around him like a protective mob. More than a dozen of them had declared that they'd gladly give their life if Nathan asked them to.

How had he gotten there? How had he reached their hearts?

He needed to know. But he did not want to pain his friend by forcing an answer out of him.

"Do you know what happened to Nathan?"

All Might's brow furrowed.

"I've been briefed with the same information all of the other teachers have received."

Aizawa was looking deeper into things for his own reasons, but the person Midoriya should be asking was Nathan himself.

"My boy. It's best to confront these kinds of things directly."

"Right…"

The rest of the day passed gently. Once again, the hardest thing Nathan had done this week was slow down enough to consider modern literature.

At least they weren't studying the classics. He had a feeling Shakespere would simply be able to sense a bad interpretation of his work from a distance.

A brief image of that caster breaking down 1-A's door to give a screed on the nature of his tragedies flashed in Nathan's mind.

"Relnor." Aizawa snapped him from his doldrums, "Stay after class. We have some things to discuss.

"Ooooooh Relnor's in trouble!" Kaminari said playfully.

"Of course he is, don't you remember USJ?"

Ah. So it was time for that then.

Nathan simply nodded.

Mentally he steeled himself for what was to come.

This process was interrupted when Uraraka opened the doors to see a gaggle of students gathered outside their classroom.

They were scoping out the competition.

He had this thought at the same time Bakugo said it out loud which worried him considerably.

1-A put its best foot forward.

Bakugo immediately insulted everyone in the hallway.

1-A needed a better best foot.

A student with purple hair stepped to the front of the crowd, accepting Bakugo's challenge.

The sports festival was not only an opportunity for pro heroes to scout students in the hero course. Depending on how well they did, students who failed the hero application could potentially be shuffled around.

Was that the only recourse they had?

That boy's determination was nearly bloodthirsty.

Everyone was rising up and declaring that they would do their absolute best come the sports festival.

But Nathan was simply trying to think of ways to hold back.

It made it difficult for him to get as excited as everyone else.

Midoriya watched Bakugo ruthlessly antagonize everyone in his way as he reached for the very top. He was gunning for the number one spot with everything he had.

From his place behind him, Nathan saw the exact moment Midoriya found his resolve.

He just wished it was that easy for him.

The other students filtered out as Nathan stood by, waiting for the inevitable.

"I've spoken with Chaldea about holding you back today. They said to just call when we're done," Aizawa said flatly as he pulled the seat next to Nathan out and sat.

"Ah. That's good. Thank you Aizawa-sensei,"

It was a small relief but it was still a relief.

"What was going through your head when you jumped in?" Aizawa asked plainly.

"I wanted to make sure nobody got hurt because of my mistake so mostly guilt," Nathan answered readily, "I love all of you and I don't want any of you to get hurt, especially when it's my error putting you in danger."

Love was a strong word, but Aizawa had seen that smile.

"Why do you think I jumped in?"

"... Because you're a pro hero and you wanted to protect us?"

"That's right... Do you have any idea… How terrifying it was to see you jump into the middle of those villains?"

Those words struck Nathan straight through the heart. They carried an immeasurable weight that trapped him in place.

Was…

Was that what he felt?

Was that what he wanted people to feel when he jumped into action?

"I already know the type of hero you are. You'll jump in anywhere as long as it means you can save someone. It's an admirable quality to have. That willingness to leap into danger is what separates the top level from everyone else."

Aizawa's capture weapon wrapped tightly around Nathan's head.

"But. You. Are. A. Student. Chaldea won't tell me what you've been through. They won't tell me why you have the skills and experience you very clearly have. I have nothing to go on when it comes to your history. But. Your present is another matter."

The cloth loosened as Aizawa continued.

"Ask first next time."

"What?"

"You do not even have a provisional license. You could get into serious trouble if you jump into random villain fights out in the open. That's vigilantism, not heroics. So the next time there's danger, do not act until you have received authorization, is that clear?"

He would not stop him. He wasn't sure he could. His best option was to turn Nathan Relnor into a known quantity that would react in expected ways to danger..

"I see," Nathan said as the cloth released his head, "Yes. I promise. I will seek permission before engaging in a villain fight next time…"

"I would like you to not engage at all until you're fully trained but that feels somewhat at odds with what I saw at USJ."

Yes. Nathan was already near the peak of his capabilities. Reflexes like that were not natural. Being able to shrug off killing intent like that was not natural. Those instincts that pushed him towards rather than pulling him back from a powerful enemy were not natural.

They were trained. His movements were tight and disciplined. Watching the fight back from the security footage had only cemented that.

Nathan Relnor could already fight at the level of a Pro Hero. It was questionable if he could even develop his quirk further than he already had.

So Aizawa's focus had to shift.

Nathan did not need to learn how to fight.

He needed to learn the opposite.

Aizawa stood up.

"Alright. You're free to go. Oh. One more thing. You will be expected to speak at the Sports Festival."

Nathan tilted his head to the side, "Why?"

"You scored the highest on the heroics entrance exam."

He really really should have held back during that thing. Public speaking was not something he was entirely a stranger to. The Chaldeans needed a good motivational speech every now and then. And sometimes an enemy was a friend that hadn't received a stern talking to yet. But… Speaking on live TV in front of that big of an audience?

"I… I understand," Nathan said hesitantly. The scant amount of actual magus training he'd received told him to avoid a venue that big but…

Was that the right thing for him to do as a person?

With that he departed the classroom. The halls had cleared somewhat so it was a little easier for him than it was the others.

"Hey."

Nathan turned and locked eyes with that tall purple haired kid who had declared war on the whole class.

"You're the top dog aren't you? Don't have much of a bark huh?"

"Not really. I tend to bite before I have time to think about barking," Nathan said with a chuckle, "Top dog huh? Is that how other people see me?"

Shinsou stared at the boy as if he'd been punched in the face.

Something was very very wrong.

Had he been so unaffected that he hadn't even noticed?

He was here to pick a fight and he'd gone all out in using his quirk.

But this guy hadn't even noticed?

"You're kidding. It doesn't work on you?"

"What?" Nathan tilted his head to the side.

He tried again but the result was the same. It was like he couldn't properly target the boy even though he was fulfilling all of the right conditions.

"Are you ok?"

"What kind of monsters do they have in 1-A? Honestly…" Shinsou said with a sigh of defeat. He looked at that boy who presented a now even larger stumbling block than he had before. "Name's Shinso Hitoshi. I'm the one who's gonna knock your class down a peg or two."

"Relnor Nathan, I wish you all the best," He said with that signature overpowering smile of his.

Shinso just sneered at him and turned to leave. Just how unfair could things get? He had to wonder why Nathan was immune to his quirk. What was it about him that set him apart from everyone else?

Nathan walked away without even really registering what Shinso was on about. He'd gained a new rival but that seemed to be an increasingly common occurrence the more he attended UA. As he made his way out he made sure to call Chaldea and let them know he was on his way out.

He ran into a group of students he recognized near the front gates.

"Oh! Hey Relnor-san! How's our kouhai doing today?"

It occurred to him that it was fairly surreal to finally be called kouhai after Mashu insisted on calling him the opposite for five years straight.

"Togata-senpai, Hado-senpai, Amajiki-senpai," Nathan said, greeting the three of them in turn.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Running late today? Did you get in trouble? I heard you all ran into villains at USJ! Was it scary? Did you get hurt? Did you fight any villains?"

"Yes, Yes, not the worst thing I've been through, a little, and yes," Nathan rattled off the answers in order.

"Oh. A trooper eh? To be expected from the top scorer in the entrance exam. Can't wait to see your speech at the sports festival!" Mirio said proudly.

Nathan's expression dropped at the mention of the speech. It had been less than an hour since he learned he even needed to make one but it was quickly becoming his primary concern in regards to preparing for the sports festival.

"Ah. You too huh?" Amajiki said with a nod of solidarity.

"I just don't really have any idea what to say."

"Just get everyone fired up! Like Fwoosh! Something that makes them give 110%! Plus Ultra!" Nejire said excitedly.

Nathan tilted his head to the side.

Just fire them up?

That he was good at. That could do.

He nodded.

"I see. Thank you for the advice Hado-senpai."

"That's what I like to see! You heading to the station or-"

It came crashing down from the sky. In a streak of golden light she arrived.

"Rellllllnor! The most beautiful goddess has arrived to pick you up from school!"

"No," Nathan said with a sigh.

The four of them reached the gate and found Ishtar standing atop her vehicle of choice, the Boat of Heaven Maanna.

"Well that's my ride. Thank you very much for your help all of you. I hope to provide an excellent show at the sports festival!" He stopped to give them a bow. With the proper focus they'd provided him suddenly that speech wasn't nearly as terrifying.

Nejire for her part had a million and one questions about Ishtar.

Nathan decided that it probably wasn't in his best interests to answer any of them.

He hopped aboard the Maanna and the two took off, Ishtar cackling all the while.

With two weeks to prepare, Nathan was unsure of what to actually do.

School was progressing calmly which was driving him mildly insane.

He decided that upping his sparring schedule with Heroic Spirits was probably his best bet. It induced the small amount of extra chaos into his life that he was missing on top of the obvious benefit of more practice.

They used the simulator to scale his opponents down to a more human level in order to help him adjust to fighting opponents he was not allowed to kill.

He'd spent so long trying to fight things so far beyond him that quirk had become excessively lethal when dealing with normal humans.

"Long engagements are your weakest point." Sigurd said after their session that day. "You're no stranger to having to fight all day but without Chaldea's support it will be quite a bit more difficult than you realize."

"Mh. Hopefully it will be just as exhausting for everyone else."

"Likely, but it is best not to rely on your opponent to have deficiencies. As for your matchups. The most difficult will be that Todoroki boy in all likelihood. If you are going to rely on Stun Gun Style approaching him will be problematic."

Yes. Nathan Relnor was an existence that had been honed against opponents that exceeded the limits of humans. To fight at his best was simply not an option for a friendly competition between his fellow students.

He could not become a murderer in front of the entire nation.

"It is also ill advised to use magecraft of any kind during the competition. With so many eyes on you it is possible a couple of them will realize what you are doing. That includes reinforcement."

Nathan wanted to protest but it was difficult when Sigurd's point was so solid. Besides…

"I don't know if I'm ok using magecraft against my friends… It's kind of unfair isn't it?"

"Exactly."

It would be rough. Limiting his quirk's output and being unable to use any kind of magecraft.

But wouldn't winning under those conditions mean he was pushing as hard as his friends were?

That was all he could hope for.

"Another important factor to consider," Moriarty said, walking into the simulation room, "Is if you wish for your ties to Chaldea to be known to the world."

Nathan's eyes widened. They'd been keeping it as a loose secret. He would answer if directly asked that he simply lived in and was saved by Chaldea.

"I think that's a little dangerous on this scale don't you?" He asked.

Sherlock had told the commission for hero public safety that Chaldea had a leader that wished to remain in the shadows for their own safety.

That he was that leader was a closely guarded secret. No one outside of Chaldea knew the truth of why he was tied so closely to Chaldea and keeping it that way was important.

Especially considering-

Wait-

"Are you trying to draw them out?" Nathan's eyes widened.

"There we are." Moriarty said with a chuckle, "Yes. That nebulous enemy we've chased all the way to Japan. The one capable of summoning Servants without using the Holy Grail System or Chaldeas. Maybe if you told the whole world you were with Chaldea they would be spurred to move."

It was a risk.

But-

"I… I don't think… I don't think that's the best idea. I don't want my association with Chaldea to damage my prospects at receiving a sponsor." Nathan said very very carefully.

Moriarty studied his master with a calculating gaze before bursting out laughing.

"Wonderful! Truly Excellent! I was worried for a moment you might be willing to take that blow to serve the purposes of Chaldea. I'm glad you came out and rejected it outright! Very well! I'll take my leave," He bowed before turning.

"W- That was a test!?"

"Of course my dear kind Master!"

Moriarty's signature laugh filled the simulation room before the door shut behind him.

"Shall we go another round Master?" Sigurd asked.

"... Sure why not?"

It was the middle of the night, the day before.

Chaldea was usually quiet at night, most of the Heroic Spirits that stayed up tended to themselves in either the rec room or their personal quarters.

But Ushiwakamaru found herself wandering the halls.

The excitement of watching her Master compete the next day had taken away her ability to sleep.

She made her way to the cafeteria. Maybe there'd be something good to eat at least.

"Ah."

Their eyes met as she entered the large room.

Nathan Relnor sat at one of the middle tables illuminated by a small lamp.

"Hi Ushi. What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing Master!" She said, approaching the table.

She felt an odd sensation brush up against her leg. Looking down, she easily identified the culprit. One of the Sphinx kittens was circling her. Upon closer inspection she saw the other two at Nathan's feet.

"Oh. I'm. You know. I couldn't really focus on sleep so I thought I'd have a snack to try and calm down."

He had a cheap cup ramen in front of him.

If Emiya saw such a thing in the cafeteria he would be furious.

Ushiwakamaru's eyes traveled to the seat next to him.

"... You made her one too huh?"

"What?" Nathan looked up at Ushiwakamaru before following her line of sight. He regarded the second cup ramen next to him as if it had just spontaneously materialized, "Oh… I guess I did…"

"I know you made this for Mashu, but do you mind if I sit with you? It would be a shame if it went to waste…"

"Sure. That's fine," Nathan said with a nod before returning to his ramen, "Nothing really beats cheap cup ramen when you're in a mood does it?"

"Of course not! It's the ultimate food to bond with your friends over!" Ushiwakamaru said with a smile.

"I just wish. I just wish they were all still here… I know it's for the best but…"

"Have you called them recently?"

"... No. I keep forgetting and by the time I remember it's too late or too early for them."

"Perhaps make an effort after the sports festival Master. I'm sure they would love to hear from you."

"Yeah… It was just easier when they were all here."

Ushiwakamaru reached out and patted the sulking boy's head.

"Cheer up Master. Tomorrow after you win you can call Mashu and regale her with tales of your victorious campaign against UA."

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds nice."

It was time. The day of the sports festival.

He sat in the designated waiting room for class 1-A.

Due to the villain attack they had completely stolen the spotlight from every other class.

Despite all the attention, Nathan remained calm. It's not like the sky had cracked open and Chaos was staring directly at him with the intent to convert his body into Spiritrons.

He contemplated vaguely that he had an extremely different threshold than the rest of his classmates when it came to feeling nervous.

"I wish we could have worn our hero costumes though…"

"If it's a sports competition they want to level the playing field."

Ojiro and Mina were chatting next to him.

"Mh. Some of us would have quite the unexpected edge if we were allowed such things," Nathan said simply. The mystic codes built into his suit came to mind. But he was also operating at a detriment without it. Without a visor to help compensate for his lack of depth perception he was operating at a handicap from the start.

Iida was yelling at them to complete their preparations.

They would be taking the stage soon.

"Midoriya," Todoroki called out, pulling the curly haired ball of nerves to the side.

"What is it Todoroki-san?"

"On an objective basis I think I'm above you in terms of practical strength."

What a way to start a conversation. It certainly wasn't the worst opener Nathan had been on the receiving end of though.

"You've managed to catch All Might's eye right? I won't pry but… I'm going to beat you."

Ah so he noticed too.

Midoriya and All Might seemed to be more than just a student and teacher. From the similarity of their quirks to how Midoriya seemed to fret over him during USJ. To All Might not stepping in during the joint battle trial and pulling him aside for lunch the other day…

There was connective tissue that Nathan hadn't felt the need to follow up on.

But that was all beside the point. This was a declaration of war.

Kirishima, one of the most friend-shaped of the entire class, told Todoroki to essentially knock it off with the overt hostility. But.

Midoriya rose to the challenge.

He had found his resolve two weeks ago after all.

"I don't know what you want from me, opening up with that. I agree that you're objectively stronger than me. But even so. Even students in non hero courses are aiming for the number one spot. I can't let myself fall behind, so I'm going for it too. With all of my might!"

Nathan smiled.

Even though it had been only a couple of months, Midoriya was making quite the transformation already.

"I don't get it," Mina blurted out.

"Hm?" The table collectively turned towards her.

"Everyone's got it out for Midoriya, but aren't you like super strong? You fought that villain by yourself!"

"That is strange…" Yaoyorozu muttered, "You were also completely overlooked for the student council president despite being on good terms with everyone you've spoken to."

Ah.

"That's just how it is with me I think," Nathan said with a chuckle.

Perhaps it had something to do with his scattered and incomplete training as a magus, allowing him to fly under the radar of anyone who wasn't paying explicit attention to him.

Before they could continue the conversation someone spoke over the chaos of the room.

"It's time for us to take to the stage everyone!" Iida called out.

They walked out into the open together.

The fanfare that greeted them was out of this world.

He was reminded of the battle of New York City that Gilgamesh had hosted for a few years now.

Midoriya looked to the one person he knew would never crumble under pressure.

"T-there's so many people…"

"It's one thing to be told this is one of the biggest events in Japan…" Nathan muttered to himself, "But being here. Yeah. This will be fine."

"Nothing gets to you does it?" Shoji said with a light chuckle.

"I do try my best,"

He felt his heart drop a bit when the other classes of their year were introduced with increasingly less and less vigor.

Pro Hero Midnight took to the stage.

"Settle down everyone!"

The crowd immediately tore into her causing her to snap at them somewhat.

"Player Rep!"

"Well. I'm up I guess," Nathan said evenly.

The students behind him waved him on as he approached the mic.

"You can get closer to it, it won't bite." Midnight said playfully.

"I really can't. I can project though," He said holding his right arm out. He let it spark a little to indicate what exactly his problem was.

"I see. Carry on!"

Nathan took in a deep breath.

"The best advice I've ever been given was to chase impossible dreams. The ones you could never reach push you harder and harder to better yourself. So I am heartened to see that everyone is out here today reaching for the impossible dream of defeating me."

The UA students exploded, throwing all kinds of jeers at him. Each and every one of them bounced off of him to the point where he barely registered them.

"I want to see it! Show me your resolve to reach the top and I will respond in kind! Give me everything you've got!"

He smiled.

He showed the world that indomitable smile filled with an overwhelming inhuman amount of love.

"So place your bets." A man started passing around a hat for people to put their names and their wagers in.

It was a small dive that usually didn't see more than a handful of people at a time, but today it was packed. It was only natural, the sports festival tended to draw a crowd.

The hat made it to a casually dressed woman with long white rabbit ears.

"Hm. I like the look of that one. That's a crazy ass smile if I've ever seen one." She said, sporting her own insane grin.

"Think he'll take it?"

"Might be a chump who knows. Can't judge by appearances nowadays."

"Look at those scars though. Kid's already been through the ringer from the looks of it."

"You betting on him Rumi?"

"You know what? Fuck it. Let's go. I'm one to go all in on crazy."

"I'll say."

"Man shut the hell up."

"Bet he'd make a good intern."

"For who?"

"You!"

"Like hell, I know I saw the smile but I also heard that speech!"

"What? Too chicken to try it?"

She looked back at the TV as he descended the stage. She'd never taken an intern before but she'd also never seen a student smile quite like that before.

"Tell ya what, if he pulls it off I'll throw him an offer."

"Bet."

Bit of a short one today but the sports festival will more than make up for it next week I think! It certainly took a very very long time for me to write! Speaking of, how do you think it will go now that we've got a new contender? Place your bets in the comments!

Any guesses as to why Shinsou's quirk didn't work on Nathan? I don't think it will come up often so I'm ok with answering that question next time!