I'm sorry this is so late! First I wanted to finish up my other story (which I had) and then I wrote a whole other story for a different fandom and this just kept getting delayed! I swear, I haven't given up! (Also any OG's in the .Hack fandom I kindly request you read my .Hack story, please.)
I know I said this chapter was going to be about training, but… I couldn't do it. Mainly because of how long I've been away I just can't remember what exactly I had planned and I want to get to the Sports Festival before I forget about what I had planned for it.
Izuku had more bruises than skin at this point, but he was happy with these bruises, these were bruises of accomplishment! He worked hard for these bruises. He had bruises on his face, arms, and chest from his many spars with Hitoshi, and the same could be said for Hitoshi who also had many bruises lining his body from the spars. Both boys have become faster with hand-to-hand and it was showing.
He also had bruises on his fingers, so many bruises, those bruises were from his training with All Might. His body was adjusting to One-for-All and getting use to higher percentages. He wasn't at ten percent, like Toshinori wanted, but rather eight percent.
"It's better than five percent." Izuku had told Toshinori proudly before he left after their last training session before the Sports Festival.
"That it is, my boy. You're getting better." Toshinori lightly ruffled Izuku's hair. He then looked down at Izuku's bruised fingers. "That being said, during the Sports Festival tomorrow, don't go crazy, the last thing we need is you breaking more bones. I'm sure your father is liable to kill me if you do."
"Understood!" Izuku smiled and saluted Toshinori. "Besides…uh… how do I put this…I haven't been just training on One-for-All." He explained to his mentor with a knowing smile.
"My boy, what do you have planned?" Toshinori asked rather cautiously and Izuku could only smile a smile that would make his father proud.
"You'll see! No need to worry! Have a nice night, Toshinori!" With that Izuku shut the door on his mentor before anymore words could be said. He then turned around to where Hitoshi was-
"Don't-!" Izuku wheezed in shock as he put his hand on his chest. "Don't scare me like that, Hichan!" He then gave a weak laugh as he walked past his brother.
Hitoshi gave his own weak laugh. "You reminded me of a red panda, you know how when they get startled they'll throw their arms up in the air and collapse?" He teased.
"Could you blame me? You've gotten better about being quiet when you walk." Izuku walked into the kitchen to grab a drink.
"Gotta be if I'm going underground, like dad." Hitoshi sat down at the kitchen table while Izuku grabbed a juice box.
"Want one?"
"Sure."
Izuku tossed his brother a juice box to which Hitoshi expertly caught it. "Tomorrow's the day…" Izuku mused as he sat next to Hitoshi.
"Yeah…I won't lie, I'm nervous… you?"
"How can I not be…" Izuku whispered as he looked at the grape juice box in his hands. "All those people watching me, being televised on live TV, and…" A shudder ran down Izuku's spine.
"Well, no matter what, we're a team." Hitoshi raised his juice box and Izuku lightly tapped his own juice box against Hitoshi's and smiled warmly.
"Forever and always. You and I against the world…"
"Against the world… forever and always…"
Izuku didn't miss his brother's forlorn face as Hitoshi stared down at his unopened juice box, the straw still attached to the back. Izuku noticed ever since the USJ attack his brother seemed to be smiling less and always looked worried.
So, Izuku reached over and grabbed Hitoshi's hand. "Hey…if you need to talk, you know I'm all ears, right?"
Hitoshi looked at him and only offered a lazy smile before grasping on to Izuku's hand all the same. "I know. I know. It's just the stress from the Sports Festival. Nothing to worry too much on, Zuchan."
Izuku took a sip of his juice as he leaned against his chair with a sigh. "Welp…I'm going to call it a night." He crushed the juice box once he was finished with it. "See you tomorrow and… no hard feelings when I win the Sports Festival, right?"
"Ha! If anyone is winning the Sports Festival it's going to be me!"
Despite the fact that Aoi Aizawa said she was going to leave after only one week, she decided to stay to witness the Sports Festival first hand. "Go give the rest of them hell, boys! I'll be rooting for you in the stands!" She told Izuku and Hitoshi as she dropped them off at the student entrance.
The moment the car was gone Kaminari approached. "Was that your mother?" He inquired as he watched the car go.
"Oh no." Izuku shook his head. "That's our grandmother. We only have a father."
Kaminari gave a soft "huh. Interesting…" and then smiled as he wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders as he wedged himself between them. "Oh man, I'm nervous!" He continued to grin. Izuku could feel Kaminari's hands shake ever so slightly.
"You're telling me, I hardly slept last night." Hitoshi whispered nervously and Izuku nodded along with his brother.
"Same. I nearly threw up on the way here… but we're all going to do our best! I know we will!"
"Yeah, the others don't stand a chance, now come on. Let's go change and join the others." Kaminari urged.
After running to the lockers to change, the trio swiftly changed into their gym uniforms, something all participating students will be wearing, say for the support class who got to wear their own equipment on top of their gym uniform. Still, they finished up and met up with the rest of Class 1A in their own awaiting room.
The tension was heavy in the air from everyone's nerves. Izuku couldn't help but notice that Todoroki kept looking at him. In fact a lot of their classmates were looking at him but quickly looking away. He could only lower his gaze in their direction. 'They still don't trust me-'
"I'm sorry." Ochako suddenly spoke. Her voice made everyone turn to her in question. Several classmates raised eyebrows at her while others tilted their heads. "Tora I. I'm sorry." She sighed weakly. "I never should have suspected you or your brother for the USJ attack. I wasn't there to witness what the others have so… I have no right to think you'd betray us. That and…I did some research on trauma and…it turns out in order for the mind to protect itself…it'll often try and forget the trauma. That and…I miss you at lunch. It's not the same."
"Ochako…" Izuku whispered before sighing. "Thank you. It hasn't been easy forgetting everything that happened. I want to answer the questions you all have. The timeskip, the fact that the villain seemed like he knew me according to some of you… but I swear on my life that I didn't know them."
"I'm sorry as well." Tsu apologized next as she looked from Izuku to Hitoshi. "To both of you. Because thinking about it…even if you knew the villains there's no way it was in a good way. Tora H… I heard it all while you were fighting with the villain with the Axes-"
"-Save it." Hitoshi suddenly growled as his expression turned tense.
Izuku lightly patted his brother's shoulder.
"Shinsou…that's what he called you-" Todoroki whispered next.
"-I don't-" Hitoshi huffed in an attempt to calm himself before he accidently lost control. "I'd rather not talk about that, please." He growled lowly.
There was more silence before Bakugo spoke. "Look, what happened, happened. Let's just move on and call it a fucking learning experience. None of us caused the USJ attack…" He grumbled. "The villains came in when the reporters got on campus, remember? Now, can we move the fuck on?"
There were mumbles from everyone. Soft 'yeah's and 'fine by me.' filled the room.
"Great, we're all fucking chummy again." Bakugo huffed as he stood. "Which will make it all that better when I wipe the floor with you losers!' He boasted loudly and brashly and smacked the table with his hand making those nearby jump.
That caused several outcries from the others. The tension, though still there, was less thick as everyone seemed to relax just a little more.
Izuku smiled as he brought his knees up to his chest and watched his classmates. He wrapped his arms around his knees as he looked from classmate to classmate.
'They're all highly skilled in their quirks, and I know I'm going to have to do my absolute best in this, we all are… everyone has a high shot of winning this sports festival. The one I know I'm going to have to look out for the most is Bakugo. His quirk is… powerful… strong… what would it be like to have a quirk like that?' He felt his mind almost drift lazily as he looked at Bakugo, who was now making small explosions in his palms, his anger apparent as Kaminari had said something to tick him off…again.
Izuku focused on those explosions.
"Stupid, useless, quirkless, Deku!-"
"He doesn't deserve a quirk like that if that's how he treated you."
Izuku blinked hard as a stabbing pain seemed to suddenly hit his head. The last thing he wanted to do was concern his peers after they had just apologized to him, so he tried to keep his face straight…
'Why… why did that sound like Hichan?' Izuku wondered as he stared intensely at the ground.
'Stop it. Just stop, you're acting crazy. It's nerves. It has to be-'
"Take his quirk, Izuku-"
"-Tora I." Todoroki approached him and Izuku looked up at him.
"Yes?!" Izuku hadn't meant to shout, but Todoroki had startled him out of his thoughts. Which, in all honesty, was welcomed. "-Sorry… yes?" He inquired a bit softly, though the damage had been done and a couple of students had looked his way. Hitoshi being one of them.
"You're close to All Might, are you not?"
"I- Uh… yes." He felt no need to lie. "But, it's only because he and I have similar style quirks." He did fib on that one, just a tad.
"Then it's settled. From here on out, during this festival you're my enemy and I'll make it my mission to bring you down."
"Yo, wanna run that by me again?" Hitoshi spoke cooly towards Todoroki. His glare now apparent as he stared Todoroki down. "What's with the declaration of war all of a sudden?"
"I don't remeber telling this to you." Todoroki snarled in Hitoshi's direction. "I was talking to Tora I. Stop jumping in when someone wasn't even talking to you." Todoroki then turned back to Izuku.
Izuku swallowed hard before giving a nod. "I understand." He told Todoroki after a moment. "Techincally, during this whole Sports Festival, we're all enemies and at war with one another to be the best of the best. I look forward to sparring with you for the number one spot, Todoroki." Izuku gave a small smile towards Todoroki.
Todoroki blinked at Izuku's reaction. "...Tch." He then grunted before turning. It was right as he turned away did a bell sound overhead making everyone look up. "It's time…"
"Finally." Hitoshi grunted and raised a hand to which Izuku took to help him up to his feet.
Izuku responded with a nervous and twitchy smile. "Let the games begin."
Everyone rounded up together in the stadium to a roaring crowd of thousands. There were so many people, from the students to the audience and…
Izuku immediately lost all feeling in the tips of his fingers. "Oh god…" He squeaked nervously. So many people- too many people.
'But I've got to make a name for myself. I've got to show everyone that 'I am here!'.' He exhaled shakily.
Midnight came out to greet the insatiable crowd and students alike. She cracked her signature style whip. That simple crack of the whip quieted down the crowd. Everyone waited with baited breath as Midnight started to speak. A microphone at her lips to help her be heard by all. "Welcome to the annual UA Sports Festival! I'm Midnight the R-rated hero and I'll be the referee for this year!" She announced and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
"Now, before we officially began with our first game; The race. We'll have the student who won the most points in the entrance exam give a speech! Come on up, Bakugo Katski!"
All eyes were on Bakugo in an instant.
Bakugo heaved a tired sigh before slowly trudging his way up to the podium that Midnight had set up for him. His whole movement was just lax and bored as he gripped both sides of the podium in his hands. He stared out at everyone for several long seconds. Then…he sighed. "I just want to say…" He paused for a moment as he swallowed. "-I'm going to win."
"YOU CAN'T JUST SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Everyone in 1A, Hitoshi included, bellowed at once. As everyone else started to Boo him (and their class by proxy.).
'Oh man! If the other classes didn't hate us before they sure do now!' Izuku almost wanted to whine. He doubled over as his stomach gave an uneasy churn. 'I think I'm going to hurl…'
Izuku felt a hand softly pat his back before gently moving in a circular motion. He looked up, expecting Hitoshi, but was surprised to see Iida being the one to do this. Izuku nodded at Iida, making sure to give him a small smile in response. Sucking in a deep breath, Izuku stood back up and tried his best to ignore his queasy stomach.
Bakugo hopped off the stage and Izuku could see Midnight laughing with her microphone now off for the moment. Once she composed herself, she turned her mic back on and continued like that didn't just happen. "Alright! As mentioned before our first challenge for these inspiring young heroes is going to be the obstacle course race!" Midnight paused to breathe in before continuing.
"Now, how this race is going to work is like this! You students are going to run in a circle around the perimeter of the outer arena! Through the different obstacles we have set up for you along the way, and make your way across the finish line in time for the next round in the festival! All quirks are allowed! It wouldn't be a turn on other wise~" She cooed sudectively before continuing. "Are you ready!?"
There was a cheer amongst the students and audience alike.
Midnight cracked her whip again before pointing towards where they needed to be. "Then you better get to the starting line!" A whistle sounded and the students swiftly rushed towards where the starting line was. Izuku grabbed on to Hitoshi's hand more in an attempt to keep his brother close than anything else.
There were so many people that the air became hot and heavy with the sheer amount body heat.
Once at the starting point everyone stood around waiting for that dreaded call to start running. They were all crammed in like sardines in a can. Izuku looked at the gate where a red light hung above them threatening to turn green at any minute.
Izuku started to run in place while shaking his hands in an attempt to get the nerves out. "Oh god. Oh god. Oh god." He whispered frantically
Hitoshi looked at his brother. "Do your best, yeah?"
"Naturally. Same to you."
"Are you ready?!" Midnight's voice sounded through the speakers that were all around them.
Several students ducked low, ready to take off running for their lives.
"Get set…" Midnight teased them and she knew what she was doing. Izuku patted Hitoshi on the back.
"Good luck." He whispered to Hitoshi.
"GO!"
Everyone took off all at once the light above the gate turned green. There were screams almost immediately as all the students seemed to crash into one another. Izuku was nearly one of these people to rush right in.
The corridor was too narrow for everyone that was crammed in. This was their first obstacle.
Izuku was quick to grab Hitoshi's sleeve, stopping his brother from running off. "Wait, Hichan."
Hitoshi stopped and looked at his brother. Together they watched the students cramming themselves up at the start of the gate.
All of them practically trampling over one another an attempt to start the actual race. Izuku saw Todoroki and Bakugo both speed past everyone with their quirks. Bakugo using his explosions to almost fly-
"Take his quirk, Izuku-"
-And Todoroki using his ice to skate away as fast as he possibly can.
Hitoshi grinned. "My time as come-" Hitoshi scooped out the students nearby before he sauntered off instead of running.
"Hi-" Izuku never got to finish as Hitoshi pushed against a kid with butterfly-esque wings.
"Sorry!" Hitoshi grunted.
"Watch it-" The butterfly kid barked but just as quickly their eyes went wide and their jaw slack.
"Zuchan!" Hitoshi kept that grin on his face as he pointed the kid. "C'mon!"
It was a simple command from Hitoshi. Fly them over the gate.
"Sorry, Hichan, but I can't rely on you forever." Izuku whispered before he focused forward and crouched down low. one-for-all circulating through his veins. Then, Izuku gave his brother one last look. "Good luck!" Hitoshi's face looked crestfallen and almost made Izuku feel bad, but it didn't stop him.
Izuku took off like a bullet. one-for-all blowing the other students down and out of his way with the wind created. Up, he jumped over the gate and not a moment too soon as Todoroki shot back a wave of ice freezing the remaining students in place. A path of ice that Izuku just managed to avoid with his jump. Up in the air he hung for only a second. He turned around to see Hitoshi being carried by Butterfly-wings.
Izuku crashed to the ground. He rolled and took off running again. He saw purple out of the corner of his eye and just barely missed a ball that was aiming for his foot. Skiddering around it and sliding on the ice.
"IT'S A ROBOT INFERNO!" Present mic roared to the students as they all stared at awe at the zero pointers that crowded their way. It made Izuku skid to another halt, nearly slipping on the ice before him.
Todoroki shot up with his ice, smacking a robot down with little to no effort at all.
Izuku felt one-for-all activate through his veins. He opened his eyes before he zipped off; an idea already in his mind. "Zuchan!" Hitoshi shouted in shock, but it was too late, Izuku had already taken off.
'Don't go over eight percent!' Izuku thought to himself as he leaned down low. The ice threatening to make him slip any second now. Getting closer, closer, closer to the first Zero pointer he saw- Izuku used his arms to create a pressure of wind and pushed himself off of the ground with the help of Todoroki's ice. High above the zero pointer he went.
'Ha!' He thought triumphantly, he felt free being the high in the air. So high he could see everything around him, including the next obstacle course which had deep endless looking pits-
'Oh. How am I going to land?' He thought almost a little too late as gravity took over and he started to declerate towards the ground.
Well, thankfully, Shoto Todoroki saved Izuku from a broken leg, or worse, when he created another giant wave of ice. Izuku smacked his shoulder full force into an ice pillar as he went sliding down the ice in question. There was a crack when his shoulder struck the hard ice.
The ice was cold, obviously, but it also nicked and cut at his face and right arm as he slid down at a rapid decceleration. He hit the ground with a thud. The breath knocked clean out of him.
A shadow fell over Izuku and his eyes went wide as the Zero Pointer started to fall. The ice failing at a rapid pace. Cracking and melting alike. He scrambled but he couldn't get any traction from the ice surrounding him. 'I don't have a choice!' He raised his injured arm up ready to punch and sacrifice his right arm-
"I got you!"
Arms wrapped around him in a heartbeat and suddenly Izuku was grabbed and the two of them rolled away from the falling robot. Before he could register anything his arm was grabbed and he was forced to his feet-
Ochako looked back at him and smiled. Her face was dirty and her eyes were bright with excitement. "Consider us even for when you saved me!" She beamed at him.
Izuku felt his breath hitch as he laughed. "Totally!"
The two of them had an unspoken moment where they decided to just stay and work together.
A smaller villain robot set their eyes on the duo and this was when Izuku stepped in. With an outstretched hand he focused on the robot's motor like it was the entrance exam all over again. The motor came crashing out of the robot and the two of them swiftly ducked and rolled as the motor crashed behind them.
The robot fell down, a large metal slat falling off with this movement, no doubt from the chest compartment that was now destroyed. A light bulb went off over Izuku's head. He knew what he had saw earlier while in the air. That pit looked deep and…
"Ochako!" He called to his temporary teammate. "I have an idea, if you'll let me explain." He grabbed the metal slat in a hurry and the two of them took off with the rest.
He explained his idea as they came up to, what Present Mic calls it, The fall.
Ochako was all for it and Izuku couldn't be happier.
Todoroki and Bakugo were still a head by a decent amount, all ready half-way through the fall and what it entails.
Izuku laid the slat down just a little ways away from the falls. Ochako sat on it with her legs under her thighs. "Hang on, because this thing doesn't exactly have seatbelts." He gave her a shaky grin as he grabbed on to the end of the slate. Ochako white knuckled the sides of the slat with all of her strength.
One-for-all ran through Izuku and using eight percent he started running. Ochako let out a loud cry as they were coming up towards the edge at a fast rate. "Get ready!" Izuku warned. He wanted to go faster! Faster! Faster! His legs protested this as he threatened to go over his eight percent-
"Now!" He called and jumped on to the slat, right behind Ochako as they flew over the first chasm. Fly above their classmates. Fly far- farther-
Both of them screamed as metal slat started to lose momentum just as the end of the The Fall was coming up towards them. The ground quickly meeting them- "Now, Ochako!" Izuku roared and Ochako held her breath as she grabbed on to the sides of the metal slat, activating her quirk right before they landed.
"Release!" The metal slat fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Both of them let out a sigh of relief. "See you on the other side!" Izuku called to her and ran again. She laughed and took off right behind him.
Todoroki and Bakugo weren't too far now, and neither was the finish line.
'Todoroki's not using his ice and there's a reason for it.' Izuku thought as he took off in a jog-
BANG!
Izuku fell to his side as he was hit was a barrage of light and high pressure-
'What was that- landmines!' He gasped once he realized…Then he smiled.
He outstretched his arm behind him- the metal slat that was only a few feet away came into his hand and he ran. He already knew what to look out for, raised piles of dirt. He felt in his element as he dodged around the mines.
Using One-for-all he created wind pressure and shot off towards Bakugo and Todoroki who were duking it out for first place, dentonating a couple landmines in the process, but it didn't affect Izuku.
'Forgive me for what I have to do, but I can't let you win!' Izuku thought as he approached both Todoroki and Bakugo at a fast pace-
Both of them turned in shock and rage at Izuku's approach that set off a series of mines as he came up to them-
Izuku threw the metal piece like it was a frisbee and aimed for both Todoroki and Bakugo-
The distraction worked as both boys used their quirks to attack the metal slate in an attempt to avoid being hit. This allowed Izuku to gain just a small lead as he whipped past the two of them.
"Deku!" Bakugo roared-
But Izuku wasn't done.
He couldn't stop his smile as he spun around in the air. He knew he looked crazed as he brought both of his arms out in front of him. That smile never leaving his mouth.
Then he thought of the mines. More specifically the mines behind Todoroki and Bakugo.
Neither boy expected it as they were struck with mine after mine that rushed towards Izuku.
The move felt dirty, but Todoroki was the one that declared war.
Then, Izuku hit the ground, he rolled, turned towards the finish line and just bolted with one-for-all. Faster, faster, faster! He had to win!
Something snapped but he didn't care. He couldn't bring himself to care. Izuku felt the wind at his back as the stadium opened up to him and he was greeted with a roaring crowd-
Confetti flew from the skies as he skidded, and rolled on to his back.
"IZUKU TORA OF CLASS 1A WINS THE OBSTACLE RACE!" Present Mic roared elated through the microphone and the crowd cheered-
The crowd cheered for him.
Izuku covered his eyes with his arm as a laugh bubbled up. He won! He won!
"Dammit…" Todoroki hissed as he came in second.
"You fucking cheated, Deku!" Bakugo cursed as he kicked at the dirt.
Izuku sat up and just continued to smile as others started to pile in. "Zuku!" Kaminari rushed to him. Kaminari wrapped Izuku in a tight hug before helping him to his feet.
"Ah!" Izuku cursed in pain as he put pressure on his right leg. and Kaminari immediately held him tighter. "It's fine-"
"Zuchan!"
Hitoshi landed on the ground. The boy with the butterfly wings slowly sank down to his knees right behind Hitoshi. His eyes white and jaw slack. His wings…they lost their color. Before they looked like a monarch butterfly's wing, but now they were clear, transparent.
Hitoshi looked at the boy and released him from his hold before rushing towards his brother.
The poor boy looked so confused as they looked around frantically.
"You did it!" Hitoshi hugged his brother tightly. "I'm proud of you!"
" 'Toshi, I think he's hurt." Kaminari softly spoke.
"It's nothing." Izuku tried to wave it off, but with his win and his adrenaline running on low he felt pain. Pain radiating from his left shoulder and right leg to be more specific.
"Idiot-" Hitoshi hissed as he grabbed on Izuku's ear for good measure. "You went and over did it with that stupid quirk." He whispered solely in Izuku's ear as Izuku grunted at the ear pull.
"It's fine, Hichan. I'll just have to see Recovery Girl."
"She won't be able to heal you every time, Zuchan." Hitoshi fussed.
"I know… I know. I'll go easy from here on out, I promise. Just please, let go of my ear."
"You better." Hitoshi huffed as he let go of his brother's ear. "Now go, before the next battle is announced!"
Izuku nodded and hobbled towards a robot that would take him to Recovery Girl who was on standby in a special office for this Festival.
'I won.' He thought as he leaned on the robot for support as he hobbled away. He felt determination run through his veins. 'And I'm going to win this Sports Festival and make a name for myself! I promise!'
Leave a review and tell me what you think? Did I do a good job for the chapter given that the Sports Festival is honestly the hardest for me the write.
