Their Hero Academia – Chapter 92: Pre-Festival Jitters

Koharu could hardly believe that the month had flown by so quickly. Yet somehow, it was the day before the National Sports Festival. There were less than twenty-four hours before she'd be called upon not just to represent herself, but U.A., before the entire country and other portions of the world.

She just had to remind herself that she had earned her spot in the Hero Course. She had to remind herself that her Moth Quirk was worthy of competing alongside her classmates' flashier and more powerful abilities. She had to remind herself that her invitation to the National Sports Festival was recognition of her skills. She had to remember this was not a mistake.

Koharu knew she was well within reason to be nervous… but that she also had to recognize her own capabilities.

Already, their classmates, along with Shiro Monoma and Kana Tetsutetsu of Class 1-B and her own friends Tokuda and Mogura, had come to see them off and wish them well. While everyone wanted them to win, Monoma had been the most insistent that they prove U.A.'s superiority to all the other Hero schools.

A lot of people believed in them.

Presently, they were waiting with Sensei Aizawa for their chaperone and their parents. After which, they'd take transportation over the HPSC site where the National Sports Festival was being held.

"Hmph." Sensei Aizawa made an annoyed noise, glaring at the teacher who'd just arrived. "You're late."

Water Spout wilted under his gaze. "Sorry, sir," he said sheepishly. "Himari really didn't want me to leave this morning. I had to assure her that her mom and grandpa would take good care of her while I was gone."

That was right, Water Spout and Doc Clock had adopted a small girl right around the time of their internships. Ojiro had told her about that. Which, of course, made the girl Sensei Aizawa's granddaughter. Though the thought of him doing anything "grandfatherly" did not exactly compute.

At that, Sensei Aziawa actually did soften, the smallest of smiles pulling at the corners of his lips. "All right," he said. "I'm letting you off the hook. This time."

Seemingly satisfied that he'd terrorized his son-in-law enough, Sensei Aizawa focused his attention on Koharu, Mineta, Haimawari, and Midoriya. "I expect you all to be on your…" He hesitated as he looked first at Mineta, then at Haimawari and Midoriya, and then finally at her. "On Koda's best behavior."

Water Spout abruptly covered his mouth and sounded like he was choking, as he tried not to laugh.

"Hey!" Mineta said, looking indignant and stomping a hoof. "I get why you're saying that to me, Sensei. I know what I'm about. But what did these three do to deserve it?"

Sensei Aizawa's gaze didn't waver. "The last time Midoriya and Haimawari were somewhere without teachers, I-Island was attacked. And prior to that, when you were all on your internships, Tokyo experienced a massive invasion. And that's without getting into the trouble and gray hairs some of your parents caused me over the years. Kocho might be the only one of you I remotely trust not to get into trouble." Midoriya and Haimawari seemed to shrink under the man's gaze.

That was odd. Had he looked at Haimawari too when he'd said that? Haimawari didn't have any Hero parents or family though, did he?

"I don't know if that's really fair, Sensei," Midoriya began. "We can't really be blamed for any of those. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Ohhh?" He drawled. "How often did that happen to your parents, Midoriya?"

Midoriya started to speak, stopped, muttered something to himself, then spoke again. "Point taken."

Satisfied that they had been warned, Sensei Aizawa went on. "Now, I fully expect you to perform at nothing less than your best. Giving it everything you've got is all that I can ask. If you win the whole thing, so much the better. Of course, if you beat Ketsubutsu, I can lord that over Emi for weeks…"

That was right, he was married to Ms. Joke, wasn't he? At this, he actually smiled. Or at least, his mouth shifted to what she assumed was his version of a smile. Haimawari and Water Spout both sucked in frightened breaths. Koharu had to admit, it was terrifying.

"So you will be beating them at least. Or you'll be expelled."

Haimawai laughed awkwardly at that. "Good joke, Sensei."

"Joke?"

Little by little, their parents arrived. Mineta's were first, and left Koharu wondering if there were some genes that had skipped a generation. Neither of her parents were especially tall, and Mineta was one of the taller people in the class, even if you didn't count the horns. Rodeo was certainly attractive, though not nearly as exaggeratedly proportioned as Mineta was. Though if she remembered right, Mineta had mentioned that her grandmother was the American former Pro-Hero, Cow Lady, and that the women on that side of the family tended towards her body type.

"I'm so proud of you, Princess," Grape Juice said, grinning broadly. "My little girl, second place winner and now she's competing nationally! I just know you'll show up all those other schools! Not Bakugo's kid, not Todoroki's, but my little girl! She beat almost everybody!"

"Oh, Daddy," Mineta said, actually blushing.

The small man did turn serious for a moment though. He pointed at her, with a trembling arm. "And I know your…," he stopped, seeming to struggle over the next word, as though it pained him to say it, "boyfriend is going to be there. But remember, you're there to win! Don't let him distract you!"

"Relax, Minnie," Rodeo told her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. She smiled cheerfully. "Mika knows why she's there."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Mineta said, batting her eyelashes in what Koharu assumed was supposed to be a display of innocence. "I'll behave. This time, anyway."

"Whaaaa…?!"

If what Koharu had seen at the camp was any indication, any distraction likely to be the other way around. To say nothing of the fact that Mika had more or less weaponized distracting her opponents in general.

"Um," Koharu began, trying to get Rodeo's attention, "ma'am?" There were things that she needed to say. And maybe it would make this moment a little less awkward.

Rodeo regarded her kindly. "Yes?" she asked.

Koharu took in a breath. She wasn't some desperate fan girl. She could do this. Rodeo was well known for being extremely friendly and personable. Of course, if this had been Mirko (Goddess of Lesbians), it would be a totally different story. "I just wanted to say congratulations on making the Top Ten," she said. "You don't see a lot of women doing that most of the time. And even less for really obvious Mutant-types. It's really an inspiration."

"Thank you," Rodeo said, giving her another smile. It communicated a number of things without having to say a word. Understanding. Sympathy. The kind of smile that said, I know where you've been because I've been there too. "I know it's not always easy, looking like you or me. But hang in there. From what I saw at the Sports Festival, you're going to be inspiring plenty of people someday yourself."

Koharu felt her face flush. It was what she wanted, true, but she definitely hadn't earned any of that yet. "Oh, I don't know about that…"

"Take the win," Haimawari said, seriously. "At least, that's what Midoriya's always telling me whenever I start believing I died when Izumi set me on fire and this is all just some kind dream."

"It's the truth," Midoriya said, as though this was the simplest fact in the universe. "For both of you. You both earned your spots here. Don't disrespect your own efforts."

"Thank you," Koharu said again, her antennae fluttering just a bit. She smoothed them down to soothe her nervousness.

Her own parents had arrived not long after, both of them having been able to make arrangements to attend. A daughter making national news went a long way with bosses. Her older sister, Okimi, was watching her brother Hiroto for the week.

"Proud of you," Dad said, after they'd exchanged pleasantries with Sensei Aizawa. They'd already met him once before, shortly after her transfer to the Hero Course was approved, to go over expectations and address any concerns they had.

"Me too," Mom added, her small wings fluttering. Her large, compound eyes seemed to sparkle in the early morning sun. "And these are some of your new classmates?"

Koharu nodded. "Midoriya, Mineta, and Haimawari."

"You're Mister Kiato's sister, right?" Midoriya asked. "From Might Tower Dispatch?" Somehow, Koharu wasn't surprised that Midoriya knew her uncle's name. He seemed a lot like his dad in that way, making an effort to know everyone.

"That's right," Mom said. "Akihiko insists your father really is exactly as he seems on TV." She looked over towards the gates. "Looks like I'll get to find out."

Midoriya's parents arrived next and Koharu was startled by how normal they seemed. She'd spent a week as Deku's intern and had always been a fan of Uravity, but there was a decent chance that if she'd seen them in a crowd, she'd have completely ignored them.

"Problem Child," Sensei Aizawa said by way of greeting. "Mrs. Problem Child."

Deku laughed at that. He was wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt with the word "Hero Costume" printed on it, and even though she'd seen pictures in magazines, Koharu was shocked at the patchwork constellation of scars that ran up and down both of his arms. She hadn't seen it when he was in costume, but she realized now just how much his hands shook when he reached out to shake Aizawa's hand. "It's good to see you again too, Sensei."

"At the very least, you've managed to raise less of a problem child than you were. Not by much, mind you."

"We weren't that bad!" Uravity insisted. She'd said that rather quickly, Koharu noted.

Sensei Aizawa fixed her with a flat look. "Remind me again which one of you thought dropping an entire building on the League of Villains in her second year was a good idea?"

Uravity didn't flinch. "It worked, didn't it?"

Deku just laughed, before turning his attention to Water Spout. "And Kota! You're chaperoning?"

Water Spout nodded. "Yep. I've got the lightest schedule out of any of the teachers, so I got volun-told."

"Not worried about leaving Himari for that long?" Deku asked. "I know when Toshi was that age, we could hardly go anywhere without him crying."

"Dad!" Midoriya squawked, turning bright red.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, Toshi," Uravity said, though she was hiding a giggle behind her hand. "Crying runs in your dad's side of the family, after all."

"We should really get together sometime," Deku added. "Mako's been dying to meet Himari."

"We'd like that," Water Spout replied. "I know me and Eri wouldn't mind picking your brains for parenting tips too."

"Wait, are we telling embarrassing stories about our kids?" Koharu groaned at her mom's question. Maybe she could prevent this…

"If we are, I've got stories about Mika learning to walk!" Rodeo offered excitedly.

Next to her, Haimawari let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe this will pass before my parents get here…"

A new voice split the air. "Is that Deku? It is Deku! Kazuho, look, it's Deku!"

"Of course it's Deku, you doofus! His kid's competing! Why wouldn't he be here?!"

Haimawari's hand came up and then dragged down his face. "I spoke too soon."

Haimawari's dad looked a lot like him, a fit but slender man with dark hair and a wide, smiling face. Koharu did notice that he was walking with a cane, his steps careful and measured. But he immediately picked up the pace, using his cane to shove himself along, paired with the same kind of shimmering blue-white energy that Haimawari himself used, when he saw Deku. "Oh, oh man, you're really Deku! It's such an honor for you to meet me, I mean, it's such an honor for me to meet you, oh man…"

Mr. Haimawari was, she realized, wearing an All Might hoodie. Haimawari wasn't as bad as Shinso or Midoriya, but he was definitely an absolute fanboy. Now it was obvious where he got it from.

Deku, fortunately, seemed to take it good naturedly. His smile was genuine, one that she could see reached his eyes. Of course, Deku's smiles, from what she'd seen, were always genuine. He was definitely a Hero who wore his heart on his sleeve. He shook the other man's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mister Haimawari. And call me Midoriya, if you want. Off-duty today." His eyes danced over the other man's hoodie. "Wait, is that the limited edition Glow-in-the-Dark Young Age All Might Hoodie? How do you have that? I don't have that! Even Dad doesn't have that! I keep looking for it on meBay and they never show up!"

"Oh, well," Mr. Haimawari said with a shrug, "just lucky, I guess. Started lining up for it at two AM. Nearly froze to death waiting for the store to open. And I still neatly got trampled trying to get it!"

"Aw, man," Deku said. It was actually adorable, the way he reverted to fanboy-ish glee. She could swear she saw the wrinkles and other hints of age in his face fall away. "So lucky! I wanted to go to one of those, but my mom wouldn't let me!"

Huh. Now that Deku was talking about ages, she realized that Mr. Haimawari did look a bit older than any of the other parents. Mrs. Haimawari too, though not as much.

"Can I get a picture?" Mister Haimawari asked Deku, pulling out his cellphone. "Kazuho, get a picture of me with Deku!"

Mrs. Haimawari, a slim woman with cotton candy pink hair, just sighed and rolled her eyes. No wait, eye. Singular. One of her eyes, Koharu now realized, was slightly glassy and artificial looking. "I thought I told you not to embarrass yourself or Isamu in front of the Heroes!"

"It… it's fine, Mom," Haimawari said weakly.

Uravity just laughed. "Don't feel bad. Izuku here is the same way any time he meets, well, pretty much any other Hero. They start fanning out over him, he starts fanning out over them, it's pretty funny sometimes."

"Trust me," Grape Juice said, "he really is like this. All the time."

After a few photos had been taken, Sensei Aizawa spoke up. "Koichi. Kazuho. You're both looking well." Did he know Haimawari's parents? She hadn't known him all that long, but you'd think that would have come up.

"Same as ever, eh, Eraserhead?" Mr. Haimawai said cheerfully. "Can't believe Isamu got you as his homeroom teacher!"

"Midnight's idea of a joke," Sensei Aizawa said. He shook his head. "The bus should be here in a few minutes." He turned to look at Koharu and the other students. "The world's going to be watching this. I've already told you to be on your best behavior and to give it your all. But I also want you to understand: you are first year Hero students and this is, ultimately, a dog and pony show. I don't want anyone trying so hard they break all their bones or ruin their arms trying to make a point. Understood?"

"Yes, Sensei!" all four of them shouted at once.

"Hey!" Deku said, indignantly. "That only happened the first year!"

"Oh!" Mr. Haimawari piped up. He lifted up the bag he'd been carrying. "I brought bus snacks! Mostest Fruit Pies! All Might Berry, Ground Zero Sour Apple, Froppy Fruits…"

"Haimawari," Deku said, "you might just be in the running to replace Shoto as my best friend."

"At the very least," Dad said, "it'll be nice to have some other non-Hero parents along."

"That," Isamu said, "is a big crowd." Looking out of the window of the room he was sharing with Midoriya, he could see a large crowd of protestors in front of the housing complex where the National Sports Festival competitors and their families and escorts were staying. Behind them, in the distance, he could see the competition arena, which was normally used as one of the Provisional License testing grounds. It looked like a lot of work had gone into retrofitting it for the competition. He couldn't help but wonder how much money had been spent on it, and whether or not that money couldn't be better spent elsewhere.

"It is," Midoriya agreed. "I'm kind of surprised the Commission let them get this close. Then again, it'd look pretty bad if they didn't."

There were lots of Mutant-types in the crowd, Isamu realized, though many of them looked about as "normal" as a person could, for whatever value normal had these days. Their signs had a lot of different sayings, ranging from "Your Quirk does not determine your worth" to "People First, Powers Second." There was even a guy (Or at least, he assumed it was a guy. It was hard to tell sometimes.) who looked like he had an entire giant spider for a head with a sign that read "I don't look like a villain."

"Do you recognize the symbol on some of those signs?" Isamu asked. He felt like he might have seen it before, maybe in graffiti around his Naruhata neighborhood, but if he knew what it meant, it hadn't stuck.

"It's the Alliance to Demand Equality," Midoriya said. "I've seen them on the news before. And Dad's talked about them a few times. I remember him saying they might protest the Festival. Something about it "glorifying the wrong kind of thing.'"

He frowned. "I can't say I ever really understood what they're trying to do."

It was Isamu's turn to frown at that. Midoriya was, truly, a good person. He was always thinking of others and looking out for his classmates. He absolutely had the heart of a hero, the non-capital letter version.

He was also the son and grandson of two of the greatest Heroes the world had ever known, who'd grown up surrounded by the children of other Heroes for his friends and with their parents as honorary aunts and uncles. And though Deku had come from humble beginnings (More humble than the general public was aware of, Isamu now knew.), he had occupied his current status for a long time.

Midoriya was a good guy and a good friend. Someone who didn't hold any ill will towards anyone. But sometimes, Isamu suspected, there were things he just didn't get.

"What do they believe?" Isamu asked. Maybe he could navigate carefully through this conversation.

"They're," Midoriya hesitated, as though struggling to put his explanation into words, "they think that society still values a person's Quirk over their individual virtue, and that powerful, flashy Quirks are still pushed too much to the forefront. Even though we're all taught that it's not. And, okay, yeah, that's an ideal and maybe not a complete reality. But it's what we're working towards. And there's been a lot of advancement in the last twenty plus years. The laws changed. People get to use their Quirk way more than they did even twenty years ago. Dad and Uncle Kacchan alone have done a lot of work speaking out against Quirk-based and Quirkless discrimination."

"Midoriya…" Isamu started. "They're not entirely wrong. I know a lot of people who have really minor Quirks or Mutant-type Quirks that are mostly cosmetic. And some of them are absolutely discriminated against because of it. Maybe not in illegal ways, but definitely in ways that make lives harder. And in my neighborhood, sure, there's people like my dad or the Hotta brothers helping people out on a small scale. But people do fall through the cracks." People like Rapt Tokage, who, sure, might have had a bit of juvenile delinquency on his record, but who was a good person, who got a lot of stares for his lizard-like appearance and had had countless different jobs. Dad had bailed him out on more than one occasion.

His friend was rich beyond anything Isamu could ever dream of. His parents and extended family moved in incredible social circles. If anything ever happened to him, some of the greatest Heroes in the world would turn things upside down to make it right. The amount of change and pressure he could probably bring with one phone call…

Midoriya stared at him for a moment. Between the dressing down Tatsuma had given him at the training camp and this, the guy's rose-colored world view had been taking a beating lately. Isamu kind of felt bad for him. "That bad, huh?" he asked, quietly.

"It's rough out there sometimes," Isamu said, finally. "And a lot of people really like to say it isn't. You're not wrong that things are better than they used to be. And I'm not saying you or Deku or anybody's done anything wrong… But maybe you're not seeing the whole picture. Ordinary people, they're in the thick of it."

"Oh."

An awkwardness continued to hang in the air as they both stared out the window for a while longer.

"Your dad does know you're bisexual, right?" Koharu asked Mineta. The two of them had gotten settled in their room, gotten changed, and were heading down to meet Midoriya, Haimawari, and the rest of their group for dinner. Competitors were staying in a different wing of the facility from their parents and chaperones, which gave them a bit of privacy. According to the itinerary they'd been provided, the dinner was going to be a chance to meet the other competitors before the start of the Festival tomorrow. "Because he made a whole big thing of being glad we were on a floor with just girls. I mean, you're not my type, but the odds are good someone else on the floor could be interested."

"Pansexual, actually." Mineta shrugged. "But he knows. He just somehow still thinks girls never have impure thoughts and have to be protected from 'gross, perverted boys who only want one thing.'"

It took a moment for Koharu's brain to catch up to all that compared to what she knew about Mineta. The other girl offered her a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I honestly don't know how I've managed to get away with it either. My 'innocent daughter' act couldn't possibly work on anyone else."

Yeah, okay, she wasn't going to go down that rabbit hole any further. It was apparently just how the universe worked at the moment. Instead, she pointed ahead of them. "Oh, there's the boys!"

Midoriya waved as they approached. "Just got a text from Dad," he said. "They should be down in about ten minutes."

"You get settled in okay?" Haimawari asked.

Koharu nodded. "No problem," she said. She tilted her head in Mineta's direction. "And she didn't cause any trouble."

Mineta frowned. "Midoriya! Were you having her keep an eye on me?!"

Midoriya held up his hands in self-defense. "Can you blame me?"

"Okay, that's fair."

"So," Koharu said, to the others, "what do you guys know about the other Hero schools? I know about Shiketsu, since it's nearly as famous as U.A., but I don't even know if I've heard of some of the others."

"Oh, sure," Midoriya said. "They're all great schools, of course. Lots of great Heroes went to all of them. But some of them are definitely a little, ah, different."

He went on, "Well, there's Ketsubutsu. Aizawa-Sensei's wife, Ms. Joke, teaches there! It's… probably maybe one level down from U.A. or Shiketsu? Lots of really good Heroes have come from it though, like Grand– Yo Shindo –came from there. If they're really known for anything, it's mostly that they're a little more relaxed than a lot of other schools. Their uniform is a little less formal, their entrance exam is a little less rigorous, and its academics are a little less strenuous."

"I actually applied there," Haimawari said. "Just in case U.A. didn't work out." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I, ah, honestly didn't really expect to get into U.A. So it was my fallback. Even did their entrance exam before I got my acceptance letter. Came in second in points."

Well, he'd had more of a fallback plan than Koharu had. She hadn't applied anywhere but U.A. Most of the rest were too far to be practical. At least she'd had the good sense to apply to the General Studies program too.

Midoriya gave him a smile. "You've got to have more confidence, Haimawari!"

Not that Midoriya had likely had anything to worry about. She knew he was one of a number of expanded recommendation students. Which still meant that he'd taken an exam, but she imagined it had probably been pretty perfunctory by comparison.

"Seiai Academy is an all girls school," Mineta added. "Daddy wanted to send me there, so I wouldn't be "tempted," but I convinced him to let me go to U.A. instead. They're pretty strict though. They don't even let their students have individual costumes, just a school Hero uniform! I mean, I know I'd look really hot in it, but still…"

"Lots of rich families send their kids who want to be Heroes there," Midoriya added. "So they've got a reputation for being a bit arrogant. Plus, they're supposed to be even more academically rigorous than U.A and stricter than even Shiketsu. So they'll really be looking to prove something here." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Especially against all of us. Mineta and I are the kids of high ranking Heroes and you two came out of nowhere. Either one's likely to be a gauntlet to them."

"And Sejiin's the ninja school, right?" Haimawari asked. "I remember reading about them once. Big on teamwork."

"Right," Midoriya agreed. "They say everybody who attends there is the descendent of some ninja clan, but that's just made up. …Probably. A lot of them end up working together after they graduate. They've actually even got school run agencies on a lot of the smaller islands, where they do a lot of community service and less flashy stuff like finding lost dogs or fixing tractors. They're not a big school, just one Hero class per year, but they're generally well regarded and their graduates do a lot of work in outlying communities that don't see a lot of "big" Heroes."

"So us, Shiketsu, a pretty relaxed school, a stuck-up all girls school, ninjas, and…" Mineta trailed off. "Wasn't there one more school? I feel like I'm forgetting one here."

"Isamu Academy," Haimwari said. "Which I only remember, because that's the same as my name. But that's, ah, that's all I know about them. I don't think I've heard of them before All Might mentioned them."

"It's another smaller school," Midoriya explained. "And most of its graduates aren't ranked very highly. The most notable graduate from there is probably Basilisk…"

"Habuko Mongoose!" Koharu said, snapping her fingers. "She's a big deal in the Mutant community. Most people don't really like lizards." Or bugs, for that matter. "So putting herself out there is a big deal. Especially after the whole scandal around her divorce. I'd forgotten what school she went to."

"Isn't she dating Sato's dad now?" Mineta asked. "I think I heard him talking to Ojiro about that."

Koharu nodded. Though she'd spent a good bit of time with Sato, Ojiro, and Sero now, they hadn't been able to talk her into getting on camera yet. She'd had more than her share of attention already. Maybe once the Festival was over she could rethink it, but she'd needed all her focus until then.

"So anyway," Midoriya said, "they're not generally one of the schools that makes the news or does anything remarkable. And with not being that far from U.A., they're usually pretty well overshadowed by them even locally. But they do have a good reputation for making Heroes out of students with unusual or hard to use Quirks, so they're at least well regarded. So they might be the least of the schools invited, if you can really rank them like that, but they're still impressive."

"Sounds like we've got stiff competition then," Koharu said.

"As long as they're into women, I can guarantee that," Mineta said, snickering.

"Plus, U.A.'s Sports Festival was the only one broadcast, so…" Midoriya began.

Haimawari swallowed hard, dawning comprehension on his face. "Everyone's going to be gunning for us."

The HPSC had turned what was probably originally just a simple dining hall into a makeshift ballroom, more suited to such a fancy event. It was well decorated, with large tables set up for each school, and an extensive buffet. There was light music being played over the sound system, though the number of people and voices made it hard to actually make anything out.

Isamu recognized a few other Pro-Heroes in the room, even though none of them were in costume. Deku and Uravity had gone off to talk to Gale Force and his wife, the Pro-Hero Hurricane. Gale Force was even bigger than Deku and he'd scooped the man up in a bear hug when he saw him. Mineta, meanwhile, had immediately dashed off to find her boyfriend Yoarashi, to her dad's groans and her mom's delighted giggles. Water Spout had found his mother-in-law, Ms. Joke, and was animatedly showing her pictures on his phone, presumably of his new daughter. Kocho and her parents had insisted on looking for Basilisk, which left Isamu with his parents and Midoriya.

"Look! Kazuho! Gale Force! Do you think I could get Deku to introduce me? And Ms. Joke! And that's…"

He put a hand to the side of his head as Dad went on excitedly. "Do you think I could generate enough power to blast my own head off?"he asked Midoriya. Not that he was doing much better himself. Only a supreme act of will was keeping him from geeking out just as much.

Midoriya just laughed at that as they headed to their seats. "Trust me, if Dad didn't already know every Hero here, he'd be the same way."

A looming presence stopped them before they got to their table. Blonde. Taller than even Yoarashi. More muscular than Kirishima-Bakugo. Whoever had done the fitting for her school uniform had certainly done a good job, because in a minor miracle, it didn't look like it was in any kind of danger of bursting at the seams. Chie Tatsuma, the dragon girl of Shiketsu.

She did not, in Isamu's opinion, look like she wanted to be here,with her face set in a scowl. But he also didn't think she was scowling at them, so it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. He hoped. He thought she and Midoriya had parted on pretty good terms, after having gotten off to a fairly rocky start at the training camp.

"Midoriya," she said. Her scowl softened slightly as she spoke. "Haimawari."

"Tatsuma," Midoriya said politely. "I thought we might see you here."

Tatsuma let out a puff of breath. "I'd prefer not to be. But the administration made it clear refusal wasn't an option. Not with as many eyes on this event as there are."

That was different, Isamu thought. Principal All Might had made it clear that U.A. had no objections to them deciding not to go. They'd all wanted to, of course. He'd nearly had second thoughts about it, because the thought of that many eyes on him sent chills down his spine, but if he was going to be a Hero, he had to learn not to back down from things that made him anxious like that. There were only going to be more eyes the further along he got. His name was already on way too many people's minds.

Given Tatsuma's opinions on the Hero Rankings, he wasn't surprised that she'd have objections to a similar scale contest among students. And yet, he recalled hearing from Mineta, she'd come in first in Shiketsu's Sports Festival. Not one to back down from a challenge, even if she objected to the pageantry, apparently.

"Ah," he began, "how's Park?" He'd had several occasions where his thoughts had dwelled on the other Shiketsu student. Considering he'd seen her go into a rage-fueled fugue-state and then get into an almost faster than the eye battle with Shiro Monoma, well, that was the kind of thing that stuck with a guy. Her injuries had been significant, even with Bioshock there to help.

That, at least, softened the dragon-girl's expression. "She's recovering nicely, thank you. Expected to be starting practical work again this week, actually." She hesitated, then asked, "And your schoolmate? Monoma, I think?"

"Yeah, Monoma," he replied. "He's doing all right. Bit slower of a recovery." Which was driving him nuts, according to Kana. Mineta, Koda, and Kaminari had all expressed similar levels of concern. "But I think he's supposed to be back in it soon."

"Good," Tatsuma replied. "He was annoying, but a respectable adversary."

That was definitely a good way to describe Monoma, Isamu decided.

"Who else is here for your school?" Midoriya asked. "I would have expected Park, but with her injuries…"

Tatsuma shook her head. "Not even then. Park despises this kind of competition even more than I do. She deliberately came in last during our Festival's initial elimination event." The last bit got a little smile out of Tatsuma. "The instructors were furious, but since she didn't break any rules… they couldn't punish her."

Okay, Isamu had to admit, that was a pretty impressive move. That definitely took dedication and determination, not to mention the courage of her convictions. He'd been going all out for their Sports Festival (And somehow ended up winning it. Which was about where his life had really started getting unbelievable.), but given what he knew about Park, it sounded like the kind of decision she would make.

"That's…" Midoriya trailed off. "Wow. That's definitely one way to make a statement. We had a Business Course student do something kind of similar at our school, but kind of the other way around."

"Quite the statement," Tatsuma agreed. "Though possible a bit wasted in its scope. Only teachers, family, alumni, and select invited Pros get to see our Sports Festival live. And even after, only select footage is available to Pro-Heroes who request it."

Probably for the best overall, though, Isamu decided. Kirishima-Bakugo would probably have been furious if any of them had had a rematch with Park before she did. Monoma didn't really do 'anger' that he'd heard from Kana or anyone else from Class B, but would probably have had equally intense emotions of some sort.

Tatsuma shook her head. "At any rate, Yoarashi is here, of course, and our other competitors are Miyahara and Oribe." She pointed first to the Shiketsu table, where a young man of Japanese and some kind of (Possibly?) Latinx mix was sitting, looking uncomfortable with the crowd. The other, Oribe, was a dark-haired girl, short in the front but longer in the back, with a third eye in her forehead. She was in conversation with someone in what he thought was a Seiai uniform, being quite animated. "Fourth and third place finishers at our Sports Festival."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us what their Quirks are?" Isamu asked. Probably not, but he figured it was worth the shot. Everyone knew theirs, though they only knew what had happened at the Sports Festival, which was months ago. They'd all learned a lot since then and gotten stronger. Sometimes, lately, it seemed like he'd gotten a lot stronger, especially in desperate situations during training. He'd actually even had to back off his power sometimes, for fear of overshooting.

"I'm afraid not," Tatsuma said. "Just because your school makes everything public, doesn't mean we have to. You know mine and Yoarashi's Quirks. That will have to be enough."

Isamua shrugged. "Eh, no harm in trying."

Tatsuma seemed satisfied with that. "Nevertheless, I do look forward to competing against you two," she said, giving them a smile similar to one's he'd seen Kirishima-Bakugo make, before walking off.

"Midoriya?"

"Yes, Haimawari?"

"We should be afraid, right?"

"Yes, Haimawari."

"If I could have everyone's attention…"

It took a moment for the room to quiet down. There were, after all, twenty-four Hero students, six school chaperones, and more than a few parents in the room, along with several members of the press (Isamu recognized the owl-man Gordon Bennet from the last interview and Taneo Tokuda offhand, and a few other faces from the nightly news, like Daikaku Miyagi.), and various HPSC staff. There were also a few other Heroes present, probably meant to provide security for the event.

It was weird, though. There was an empty table next to the Shiketsu one. All Might hadn't mentioned any other schools being invited, so who was it for? Had somebody decided not to attend at the last minute?

There were way too many unknowns involved already. He could guess a couple of Quirks of the other competitors–there was an Isamu Academy girl with a snake-like lower body, for example–but other than Yoarashi and Tatasuma from Shiketsu, none of them were known to him and his friends.

They were going to have to do a lot of thinking on the fly.

Finally, the voices in the room settled. At the podium at the front of the room, a serious looking older man in a suit stood looking out, with what were probably bodyguards on either side of him. His graying hair was messy and he looked even more tired than Aizawa-Sensei usually did, which Isamu would not have thought was possible.

The man yawned, before he began to speak. "Thank you," he said. "I am Commissioner Yokimiru Mera of the Hero Public Safety Commission. And I really wish I'd been able to convince Hawks to attend this instead. He's so much better at this than me and maybe I could get an actual nap…"

A light chuckle rippled through the crowd, from the various Pro-Heroes. Isamu wasn't sure if the man was being serious or not.

"All of you students here," Mera continued, "represent the very best of your school's first years. And thus are among the best of the next generation of Heroes. Though thanks to the effort of Deku and his contemporaries, Japan is safer than ever and Heroes are serving longer and with greater distinction than ever, no one's era lasts forever. And with recent Villain attacks reminding us of our painful and not so distant past, the people need to be reminded that they will continue to be in safe hands as the years go on. Sharing you all with the world is that reminder."

He looked up. "And let me assure you, safety was of the most paramount concern. In addition to the Pro-Heroes who have offered their services as security today and our own security officers, we have contracted with Kagawa Securities to ensure our countermeasures are state of the art. Their corporation provides many of the security measures used in Tartarus and other prisons." He gestured towards another table, where a group of serious looking men and women in dark uniforms, along with a pair in very expensive-looking suits, were sitting. One of the ones in suits was a good bit older than the others. "And are fortunate to have Yuito Kagawa himself, head of the company, here to help oversee proceedings."

Isamu also noticed there was a young man at the table, a little older than himself, sitting at Kagawa's right. His son, maybe? He looked a bit like him. The young man didn't look happy to be there. And the next nearest person had their chair a little farther than from him than the spacing of the table really allowed. Weird.

Meta continued. "We have some of the best Hero schools in the country here. U.A. from the East and Shiketsu from the West. The traditional arts of Sejin High School and the respected discipline of Seiai Academy. The openness and optimism of Ketsubutsu Academy and the hard-working drive of Isamu Academy." His eyes looked around the room, falling on the empty table. "We had hoped to have…"

The doors to the ballroom burst open.

"Sorry we're late, partners," the student at the head of the group said cheerfully, speaking Japanese around a heavy American accent. He was blond and powerfully built, and Isamu noticed he seemed to have some sort of devices in his ears. "Guess this way we get to make an entrance." He grinned, giving a tip of the cowboy hat he was wearing.

"No. Way." Mineta said, sounding extremely surprised. "Spencer?"

"Oh, it is Spencer!" Rodeo bubbled. "I haven't seen him since before he was a teenager!"

"Him," Grape Juice growled.

Behind 'Spencer'–whoever he was–was a tall, athletic girl with long, silver hair tied into a tight ponytail and a serious expression. Where had he seen that hairstyle before? Right, one of the pictures on Principal All Might's desk had been of a woman with the same hairstyle. The silver-haired girl looked much less impressed by the theatrics than the boy had.

Next to him, Midoriya went red. "Nozomi…" he gasped.

"She's grown," Uravity said thoughtfully. "What's it been? Not since the U.A. entrance exam."

"Well, this is a surprise," Deku said thoughtfully. "That must mean…"

The rest of the group was made up of a black boy and girl. The girl had her long hair in tight braids and walked sweeping a blind-person's cane from side to side, and holding the arm of a boy with short, close-cropped hair. There was something odd about him, and it took a minute for Isamu to realize his features were shifting every so often.

Who were these people? Where had they come from? And why did some of the other people at the table recognize some of them? There seemed to be a general ripple of recognition and/or excitement scattering, and even some derision, around the room as well.

Behind the group was a lion-headed male (age was hard to tell with people with animal heads), who'd had to duck to enter. He was broad, and taller than even Shoji. He was probably a little shorter than Class1-B's giant member, Fukui, but not by much. And behind him was an older, silver-haired man accompanied by a dog, who Isamu remembered seeing in the aftermath of I-Island.

Right. Steven Goodman. An American and a retired Pro-Hero. Insomniac. Nearly as big as All Might. He'd been helping with rescue and clean-up in the aftermath, alongside his dog. He'd even congratulated him on the part he'd played in helping to put things right.

"Our apologies, Commissioner," Goodman said. "Our flight ran into some delays. And please excuse my student's theatrics." 'Spencer' looked hurt, and actually looked around the room waving a greeting as he took his seat. The other young man helped the girl he was with into her seat, then sat down with a casual demeanor. Both of the girls and the lion-head sat down with a polite composure, while Goodman seemed to be tolerating having to be there.

Mera merely nodded politely. "Of course. And, as you have seen, our surprise competitors, as we bring back the tradition of the National Sports Festival… SSZ."

"So," Deku said, "they got SSZ to come after all. Definitely didn't expect that. Dad was sure their headmaster would refuse."

"SSZ?" Isamu asked. He felt like he recognized the name, maybe from some article on Heroes from around the world. But what he was feeling most was very, very lost. Like the playbook had suddenly changed. What were the odds that two of his classmates would know people from this other school?

"Strongest. Saikyo. Zuì qiáng." Midoriya explained, in an awed whisper. "A multinational school system that rotates through different campuses in different countries on an annual basis. They're supposed to come to Japan this year. And they're supposed to be some of the best of the best. Crazy high standards. Constant tests to prove the students there deserve their spots and class rankings. Very selective. Its graduates even get limited international operating licenses."

"Why would they invite a foreign school, even if it's got a campus here?" Kocho asked. "It's the 'National' Sports Festival."

"Only one reason, I can think of," Midoriya said. "The government must really want to show how strong the current generation of Hero students is. Japan's very hero focused, but in countries where the Hero industry isn't as big, SSZ is big news. They want to make sure everybody knows what we can do."

He gulped. "They're counting on one of the homegrown schools to win."

"Great," Isamu said. He could feel his anxiety going up already.

"No pressure then," Kocho said.

"Nope," Mineta agreed. "No pressure at all…"

"Hey, relax," Dad said. He grinned, giving them a thumb's up. "You guys are going to do great, I just know it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Mom smacked him upside the head, giving him a twitchy-eyed glare. "Why would you say that?!"