Hi Y'all! Hope you've all been safe from Covid-19! I hope this update brings you all a bit of happiness in the meantime while we all get through this pandemic. Here's chapter 26, it's finally the UA Sports Festival!
"Hello!? Earth to Minami?!"
Minami startled as Mina shook her shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts she had been stuck in. Instead of answering the pink girl, Minami Looked around, observing her boisterous class 1-A classmates as they sat in the 1-A prep room.
Glancing to her left, she heard manly grunting and saw Kirishima and Sato arm wrestling, clearly warming up for the first event.
"Come on man! Show me what you got!" Kirishima screamed as he won the match, slamming Sato's arm to the table, nearly breaking the piece of furniture.
Minami cringed, their ultra competitive attitude making the butterflies in her stomach swirl harder.
How am I going to take on people like Sato and Kirishima? They're so strong!
Looking ahead, she saw Momo and Jiro sitting at another table, speaking quietly amongst eachother as they strategized for what they thought they would be encountering in the arena.
Minami's breath hitched.
Momo's the smartest in our class! I'll never be more clever than her in a one-on-one battle….
"Minami? You ok?"
Minami remembered that Mina was still trying to get her attention. She forced a strained smile to her face, it was all she could manage at that moment.
"Of course, I'm just thinking about tactics for the festival is all," Minami gave Mina a wink with a thumbs up, forcing through her false bravado of confidence to try to show Mina all was well.
Liar…. Minami accused herself mentally.
Mina pursed her lips as she stared her best friend in the eyes, then begrudgingly accepted her response.
"Well, alright then, but I'm keeping an eye on you blondie," Mina grinned and flicked her nose, before turning to respond to Uraraka who was in the middle of an animated conversation with Tsuyu.
Turning back and staring down at her hands as she sat the table surrounded by her friends, Minami took deep, calming breaths, trying to slow her racing heart. However, nothing seemed to help, and it felt like the walls were closing in on her.
I need to get out of here….
The chair's legs scraped across the floor as Minami stood to leave the room, attempting to make a quick escape without being noticed.
"Minami-chan? Where are you going?! The event is about to begin!" Iida half panicked at not having everyone there, fearing it would make class 1-A look bad. Minami growled lowly to herself, just wanting to get out of the room.
Minami forced a grin at Iida, "I promise Iida-kun, I'll be back in time, just need to stretch my legs for a quick sec,"
"But-" Iida tried to stop her once more and grabbed her arm, but Minami slipped her arm from his grasp. She was finished talking, feeling a mild panic attack taking hold, and without further conversation she slipped out the door into hallway.
Walking briskly down the hollow halls, she stopped at the large window and looked down at the thousands upon thousands of spectators pouring into the stadium to watch her and her classmates compete against each other.
The thought of all the citizens of Japan, of the world even, watching her and judging her, made Minami want to puke.
No…I need to push all negative thoughts from my head…I have to be positive….Like Papa told me to….
Breathing in and out deeply, attempted one of Gran Torino's meditation techniques as she stood in front of the large window. She closed her eyes, but instead of imaging a tranquil spot such as a quiet meadow in the middle of the forest or the beach, her thoughts drifted back to the previous night before.
Minami opened her eyes for what felt like the 50th time that night as she laid in her soft bed. Rolling over, she stretched her hand out and patted the night stand, looking for her phone. She grumbled to herself as she belatedly remembered that her father had started confiscating her phone at night when she went to bed, explaining Chiyo had encouraged that she get no more screen time an hour leading up to her bed time, which would hopefully resolve her occasional cases of insomnia.
Well I'm still awake, can't fall asleep, wish I still had my phone to entertain myself at least… she grumbled to herself. Waking up more fully, she looked and saw the electric alarm clock on her night stand reflected 1:52am.
She groaned at the time, knowing she'd have to be awake in roughly 5 hours. Her father had sent her to bed nearly 3 hours ago, lecturing her on how important the next day was for her and that she needed all her beauty sleep.
Moaning to herself, Minami rolled over on her side and clutched her All Might plush given to her by her father when they first met, but she found it still did not quell the shaking of her body, nor the fear of failure that potentially awaited her tomorrow.
She laid there and listened to the soft hum of her fan, trying to think about anything besides the Sports Festival. Pinching her eyes shut, all she could see was her floundering while in the spot light, people laughing at her, the disappointment in her father's eyes. At that last image her eyes snapped open, looking around her dark room, focusing again on the calming hum of the fan.
However, she found that focusing even closer, she could hear the distant voices of the television in her father's room next door.
Dad's still awake…Minami belated realized.
Sitting up in bed, Minami left her warm covers and pushed her bedroom door open. Staring down the darkened hallway, the only light available was the dim sliver peeking out from under her father's bedroom door. She gripped her All Might plushie tighter in her long fingers into her chest as she got the courage to go to her father's bedroom.
Tiptoeing down the hall til she stopped in front of his door, she raised her hand to knock on the door, but stopped just shy of it.
Should I bother him? He's been working so much lately, I know he's tired…this is stupid I shouldn't even be doing this, I need to just go back to bed and stop over thinking everything….
She turned around and marched back to the entrance of her room, then stopped, and found her body pulling her back towards her father's bedroom once more. However, Minami's internal debate quieted once she heard the television had gone silent, and before she could turn around Toshinori's door opened up wide, and she found herself staring up into her father's worried eyes.
"Minami my girl, what are you doing up so late? I thought I heard you pacing the halls!"
"I…I….I can't sleep!" Minami hugged the toy to her chest, feeling bashful at acting like a 5 year old.
Yagi hummed then with a sympathetic smile as he understood better now what was going on, ushering her inside his room. She crawled onto his custom made bed, scooting back to nestle herself in the several pillows. Glancing up on the TV, she noticed a Japanese soap opera that was geared more so toward adult viewership. Minami felt her cheeks puff up with laughter that she held in.
Papa's watching the same show as Mina's mom! Minami snorted to herself in amusement.
Yagi quickly grabbed the remote, changing the channel to something more appropriate before clearing his voice,
"My girl, you need your rest so you can really go plus ultra tomorrow! Don't you want to do well?"
Minami bit her bottom lip as nerves shot through her once more, trying to sort the thoughts in her head before answering,
"Of course, but that's just the problem Papa, I'm afraid things aren't going to go well at all! I've never been in the scenario where everyone will be watching me….judging me…." She hugged the plush closer to herself at the last part and cringed, imagining the entire world staring at her.
Yagi sighed, understanding her concerns as he ruffled her hair before turning around to reach into one of his drawers. He dug for a moment before returning to the bed with an old photo that had a few bends and creases in the corner.
Leaning in to view the photo, Minami came face to face with a much younger version of her father holding up a 1st place medal around his neck, wearing a UA uniform. His fist was pumped up in his trademark show for victory. She saw no lines or signs of wariness in him like she can see now, he glowed with youth.
"Is this you Papa?! You were so young!" she gasped in wonder, entranced by her father's past as she had only received snippets here and there.
Yagi chuckled at her reaction, "Yes sweetheart, that was me in my third year, I finally took 1st place at the UA Sports Festival, thanks to Nana-sensei and Gran Torino-sensei training me so hard. Would you believe I was so nervous that I nearly threw up that morning before the first event began?"
Minami giggled at her father making a funny face as he shared the memory,
"Really?! But you always love attention!"
"Not so much then. Back then, I was actually quite nervous when strangers wanted to watch me perform or compete," He curled his skinny bicep for her before continuing, "I wasn't experienced back then, and large crowds made me nervous, not like today,"
Minami hummed in understanding, her eyes still fixated on the photo in her father's large fingers.
Toshi smiled as he suddenly got an idea. He pushed the photo into her palm, laying his hand on top of hers,
"Here, I want you to take this picture, and look at it every time you're nervous, so you're reminded that you are just like I was at your age,"
Minami looked up in wonderment, a bit hesitant,
"Are you sure Papa? I don't want anything to happen to this picture!"
However, the older hero held his hand up, insistent.
"Of course I'm sure! And every time you look at it I want you to remember what I've always told you before, that in this world, the ones who smile are the strongest of all. Just remember, all that matters is you do your best, and everything will be ok." Minami smiled up at her father's encouragement, feeling slightly more at ease.
"Now, it's way past your bedtime young lady!" Changing the topic, Yagi got a mischievous grin as he leaned in to tickle her, their laughter filled the room until Minami was gasping to catch her breath. Toshi started helping her up to take her back to her room for the night when Minami stopped him,
"Wait, Papa, can you tell me a bed time story?" Yagi grinned at the innocence in the tone of her voice, smiling softly at her as he scooped her up carrying her bridal style down the hallway, swinging her animatedly with each step, enjoying her laughter.
"Of course little one! Which bed time story would you like to hear? Cinderella? Aladdin and the Magic Lamp?" he plopped her onto her full sized bed, Minami giggled as she bounced, still clutching her All Might plush.
"How about the story where you and Uncle David drove to Las Vegas and you were almost arrested for trying to fight an entertainer with tigers who you thought was actually a villain?"
Yagi's jaw dropped at that request, never imaging he would be reminded of this story nearly 30 years later.
"Minami! Where did you hear this story?!" his eyes bugged out of his head slightly, though Yagi had a sneaking suspicion as to who told her this tale.
Minami started belly laughing, enjoying the look of shock on her father's face.
"Uncle David told me last week when he called your phone looking for you and you couldn't answer right away," Minami grinned innocently enough, causing Yagi to sputter a laugh as he mentally cursed his friend for telling stories of his youth that he definitely did not want his daughter to know about.
"You think it's funny to laugh at your Papa huh?" Toshi grinned as he began tickling Minami once more, laughing along with her shrieks, giggles and snorts. Finally giving her reprieve, he pulled her purple comforter over her small form, tucking her in, then making sure her plush was lovingly placed under her arm.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Yagi just stared down at her face as he combed his fingers through her bangs, enjoying her grinning features and flushed face before a wonderful idea popped into his head.
"How about my girl, instead of telling you the Cinderella story again tonight, I instead tell you the tale of how Uncle David burned his eyebrows off when one of his inventions went awry?" Yagi waggled his own eye brows as he made the suggestion, reveling in the look of surprise on Minami's face that quickly evolved into eagerness -
"Minami-chan," a smooth voice said her name, bringing Minami back to reality. She jumped slightly at the voice, quickly pocketing the photo she had been glancing at a moment ago that her father gave her the previous night before.
Turning around she saw Shoto approaching her, a calm expression on his face as he exited the boy's locker room. His shy smile at seeing her made Minami's heart soar. Stopping next to her, he joined Minami in looking out the window, observing the crowds.
"So many people, will anyone you know be here today to watch you?"
Minami grins, "Just my dad, but he's really the only family I have," Minami shrugged, "What about you?"
The half and half boy scowled a bit "My old man will be here…"
Minami shuddered thinking of Endeavor. She remembered her father's explanation for his foul attitude for the previous weekend. Though she hadn't been very satisfied with the justification for Endeavor's behavior was his extreme dedication to being the best, which brought about his somewhat rough exterior. While trusting her father's insight, she still couldn't shake off her intimidation of the fiery man.
"That bastard expects me to perform, to show off for the Todoroki name, for his ego. Well I refuse, I'm not his property…I'm not going to use my fire quirk during the tournament, just to piss him off." he glanced down at his left hand.
Minami felt her eyebrows raise in surprise, still not understanding why he would intentionally handicap himself , even if it was to spite his father. "Really Shoto? That's really gutsy of you! But are you sure? It's gonna make the competition really difficult, and people might resent you for not trying your best against them."
He scoffed, "I'm not here to make friends anyways, and I don't care if my old man gets upset, he can't push me around…" he pocketed his hands and pouted for a moment. Minami exhaled, a bit surprised at his sour attitude,
Does that mean he doesn't care about being friends with me? Her insecurity shining through a bit,
"Min chan!" a decidedly much more upbeat voice called out to her this time.
Shoto sneered at the bouncy attitude of the other boy, deciding then to take his leave,
"I'll see you in the classroom, Minami-chan…" the half and half boy stalked off, eager to avoid having to speak to the Izuku.
"Uh, sure Shoto…" Minami replied, feeling uncertain.
Izuku ran up to her and grasped her biceps then, happy to see his pseudo sister.
"Min chan! Are you ready to show the world what you've got!?"
Minami grinned at the green haired boy's show of enthusiasm, glad he seemed to be feeling better today.
"Definitely! I see you're feeling more confident,"
Izuku's smile faltered then, and he scratched the back of his head,
"Well, I feel a lot better about your prospects than mine, you have much better control of your quirk that I do….Hopefully I can find a way to impress All Might…"
Minami smiled, determined to help Izuku feel better,
"I know you will! You're the future Symbol of Peace!" she grinned, and then remembered something that would definitely make him feel better.
"I have something that I think you're gonna love," a shit eating grin plastered on the pale features of Minami as she tantalizingly pulled the photo back out from her pocket, revealing the young All Might with the Sports Tournament medal.
Izuku's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as he snatched the photo from her hand, going full fan boy,
"OH MY GOD MIN CHAN THIS IS AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS THIS REALLY ALL MIGHT WHEN HE WENT TO UA THIS IS INCREDIBLE—"
"Shhhhh!" Minami laughed hysterically at Izuku's reaction, "Someone might hear you!"
Izuku seemed to remember where he was and agreed readily, shaking his head up and down like a bobble head.
Taking the photo back, Minami pocketed it again and began leading Izuku back to the classroom, knowing it must be close to when they would begin the competition.
"Come on! If you have better confidence in yourself I promise I'll make a copy for you to keep!" she grinned at the starry look that crossed his face, and he nodded dumbly. Minami wondered if Izuku even knew what he was agreeing to, and continued to tease him.
Arriving to the classroom that was holding all their classmates, she saw Todoroki staring at her out of the corner of her eye as she and Izuku laughed together, he leaning in to touch her arm again. She saw Shoto's eyes widen as he sat up and approached them directly. Suddenly, before she knew it, he was standing directly in front of her and Izuku, but gone was the quiet, sweet boy who gave her shy smiles. Now she saw the same furious eyes as she saw in Endeavor, and it nearly made her stumble backwards.
"Todoroki! Uh, what is it?" Izuku asked quickly, anxious of the angry aura that was rolling off the half and half student.
"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you, more capable. " he said it calmly to the green haired boy, but internally, there was no mistaking it, he was upset about something, but what? She stared at where his eyes flickered to for a moment, Izuku's hand on her arm, then back to the other boy's face. And suddenly it clicked.
Is he mad because….he thinks Izuku is interested in me? That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard! Everyone in our class knows that's definitely not the case. Does that mean he really like me then? Minami's blonde eyebrows furrowed as the conflicting thoughts and questions rolled around in her head.
"Huh? Um, sure!" Izuku seemed completely startled by the other boy's response, not understanding what could have caused his ire, instead only wanted to agree to back out of the impending confrontation.
Hearing the surrounding sounds die down, Minami cautiously looked around the room and saw they had attracted the attention of their classmates who looked on curiously. She grit her teeth in embarrassment and irritation. She had no intention of being in the middle of a fight before competing in the Sports Festival.
"Shoto, what the hell?" Minami ground out quietly, not wanting to attract anymore attention, but the boy ignored her, his eyes never leaving Izuku's as he continued on with issuing his challenge to the other male.
"All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he? Well, I'm not about to pry into why that is, but know this, I. WILL. BEAT. YOU." Shoto emphasized each word with a jab of his finger into Izuku's shoulder, causing the green haired boy to flinch and back up until he was backed against the some lockers nearby in the classroom.
The room went silent, until brave Kirishima decided to step forward and clasp Shoto on his shoulder,
"Hey man, why pick a fight now? We're just about to go on-"
Shoto jerked his shoulder out of his grasp, "I really don't care, I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here,"
The admission again made Minami's stomach tighten,
He said it again, what does that even mean?! He just told me a few weeks ago that I was his first friend…is he taking that back now? Minami felt the hurt and confusion swirling within her.
"Ohhh! A declaration of war from the strongest in the class!" Kaminari perked up, eager to see what would happen next. Beside him, Minami could see Bakugo growl and the electric boy's remark, clearly in disagreement as to who was the strongest. Behind those two sat Mina, Uraraka, and Hagakure. Mina seemed entranced, her eyes never leaving Shoto and Izuku as she blew a big pink bubble with her bubble gum, eager to see what she hoped would be a testosterone fueled battle.
"Shoto…." Minami fixed him with an angered look, "You can't just talk to people like that!" she stepped forward to him, finally gaining his attention. But instead of getting his wrath as Minami expected, she only saw an unwavering look go across his face,
"There's something not quite right about him Minami-chan, he's not who he seems… he's hiding something, that's for sure, why else would All Might be so interested in someone like him," He seethed out to Minami, as if he were determined to convince her of his belief so she would leave him behind. Minami opened her mouth for a moment to respond, then shut it, being rendered speechless at his behavior, having never seen him so openly aggressive before.
You're definitely right Shoto, there is something Izu is hiding, but it's not for you to know, or anyone to know honestly…
"Shoto….All Might is just interested in him because their quirks are so similar…nothing more…" Minami croaked out, hoping it sounded convincing enough.. Though the son of endeavor merely shook his head in disagreement.
Izuku shuffled beside her then, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, before finally speaking up,
"I don't know why you felt the need to tell me you'll beat me…it's true, you're clearly stronger, and I know I can't measure up to the others here in skill…"
"Hey man! Don't be so hard on yourself! No need to-"
"SHHHH!" Mina harshly shushed Kirishima's good will to allow the interaction to play out as the rest of the class sat on the edge of their seats as well.
Izuku continued on, not becoming unfocused, "But, everyone, even the kids from the other courses are aiming for the top, and I'm not going to fall behind. I'm going for it too, with everything I've got!"
The green haired boy clenched his fist, one for all buzzing bits of static over his clenched hand as he stared the other boy in the eye, his normally soft green eyes hardened.
Wish Izuku's ballsy promise, the fight just hitched up a notch and the entire atmosphere became almost suffocating.
Minami felt little beads of sweat appear on the back of her neck, and hesitated to even move. But she couldn't help but glance from the hardened look in Izuku's green eyes as he stared Shoto right back, daring him to challenge him further, to see just how Shoto had reacted.
What she saw was nearly a completely different boy than the one who gave her the yellow rose a few weeks ago.
Glancing at the half and half boy, despite his ice quirk, there was a fire roaring in his eyes, and she pitied Izuku for whatever plan he was coming up with. The fire and ice quirked boy was silent for a moment until he sneered,
"We'll just see about that, now won't we?"
The statement alone made Minami lose her breath, and her mind immediately flashed to the previous weekend at the geisha tea house where Endeavor had said the very same statement to her. It made her knees wobble. There was no denying that there were similarities between the two beyond just pure genetics.
Is this the kind of boy I want to be with? A boy like Endeavor?
She wasn't able to answer that thought as the classroom door slammed open, effectively snapping everyone out of it. Iida poked his head through, an excited look on his face.
"They are calling us out! The Sports Festival has officially begun! Come on!"
Marching outside into the bright sun, Minami was startled to encounter a deafening roar from the massive stadium, causing her to pause in hesitation, her heart beginning to race.
"Come on girlie! It's time for us to shine! Brighter than Aoyama's laser even!" Mina exclaimed to her as she wrapped her arm around her neck, guiding her further.
Hearing his name, Aoyama sided up alongside both girls, "mais mademoiselle, no one can sparkle brighter than moi!"
Shoving him away, Mina grinned "Can it Frenchie! My acid quirk will knock your socks off! Or melt them off, which ever one you choose!"
Minami sputtered a laugh, "Mina! That's mean!"
The pink girl shrugged, "So?" both girls then laughed together as they neared the front of the stage in the center of the arena.
Glancing around, Minami saw the many faces of other first year students, none she knew besides her own class. But one thing was for sure, they were all fixing she and her classmates with nasty grimaces.
"Mina, what is up with all these guys? Do you see the dirty looks they're giving us?"
"Pffttt. Yeah. They're just jelly because we're so awesome!" Mina rolled her eyes.
"Ehhhhh, maybe…." Minami looked unsure, as she remembered Uraraka and Tsuyu telling her about when class 1-B came to check them out after their English lesson a several weeks ago while she was being tutored by ectoplasm for math.
"IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, TIME FOR UA'S SPORTS FESTIVAL! PRESENTING THE FIRST YEARS!" Present Mic screamed into the speaker. The crowd went wild, their roar nearly shaking the ground beneath their feet. Minami swallowed at the intensity and glanced up into the crowd, looking for the teacher section, intent on finding her father.
"Whoa Minami, look at Midnight!" Mina shook Minami's shoulder as she snickered.
Looking forward, Minami saw Midnight sauntering towards the stage podium in her steamy hero uniform, her breasts jiggling, leaving little to the imagination. A few hoots and hollers came from the men in the crowd, and she ate the attention up, swaying her hips more as she cracked her whip.
"And now, it's time for the athlete's oath! As announced by your student representative…..Katsuki Bakugo!"
Bakugo? Minami thought to herself confused as she glanced at Izuku who was somewhat near her for an explanation. Seeing her confused glance, he only shrugged his shoulders.
Watching the boy shuffle forward, Minami waited on pins and needles, wondering what he was going to say.
Mina elbowed her, snickering at the situation.
"This should be good…." She whispered in Minami's ear.
Minami leaned forward in anticipation as Bakugo bumped the mic, causing it to squeal a bit. The crowd groaned at the aggravating sound. Stepping forward, he cleared his voice.
"I just want to say…..That I'm gonna take first place! Make no mistake about it!" the boy gave the crowd a glower that could shatter stone.
The crowd erupted then, some booing the rudeness, the others pumped up to see what would become of this promise. Meanwhile, the other first years erupted into a chorus of boos and jabs, calling for the heads of class 1-A.
Minami face palmed at his response, groaning.
"Ughhhh…that fucking idiot! Now everyone will be targeting us!" Minami complained to Mina, who was laughing hysterically beside her.
"I told you girlie! I told you he'd say something stupid! And holy hell he didn't disappoint" the pink girl laughed til her cheeks hurt.
Meanwhile, Minami could hear the shouts of her fellow classmates, particularly Iida nearly cursing out Bakugo for being so rude and misrepresenting them. Glancing at Izuku, instead of seeing anger, she saw him stoically calculating Bakugo, the gears in his intuitive brain trying to figure out what he was trying to prove.
Oh stop Izu, sometimes there isn't a reason for madness, and people just say stupid shit in the heat of the moment…Minami rolled her eyes a bit, slightly irritated he wasn't outraged like the rest of them.
"That overconfident bastard! I'll crush him!" a boy on the other side of Minami shouted, his skin turned into metal as he punched his palm.
Minami gulped as he made eye contact with her, and the boy mistook it as a challenge.
"What's wrong with you! Got something you want to say class 1-A scum?!" Minami stumbled back a bit, watching as the sunlight gleamed off his metallic skin.
"What's your problem prick? I don't even know you," Minami gathered her wits about her, sticking her nose up in the air as she placed her hands on her waist.
"Yeah! Buzz off dick! You mess with my friend you mess with me too!" Mina hopped forward then, worked up from all the chaos around them.
"Heh, we'll see if you class 1-A assholes are so confident after this first event," he grimaced as he stalked off towards the starting gate they were all being ushered to.
Following suit, Minami followed the rest of the group to the large metal gates. She felt her heart hammering in her chest once more, knowing this was really it, the festival was really beginning now.
Glancing up at the crowds again, Minami desperately looked for a head of yellow sunflower hair.
"Whatcha looking for Minami? We gotta focus now!" Mina grabbed her arm, shaking it. Minami smiled back.
"And now, without delay, let's get the first event started!" Midnight announced from the stage and cracked her whip, igniting the crowd once more.
"The fateful first event this year, the one responsible for sending many home crying each year, the obstacle course race! The course is a 4 kilometer lap around the stadium itself and will consist of all 11 first year classes racing against each other! So long as you don't go off course, anything is fair game!" Midnight cackled as she cracked her whip again, her sadistic side coming out, eager to see who would come out on top.
Minami looked up from her position and saw three lights on top of the gates, similar to a speedway.
"Racers! Take your positions!"
DING! One light went out
"Get ready!"
DING! Then the next became dim
Minami crouched forward, feeling her quirk flow through her as she prepared to spring forward, her body feeling almost electrified.
DING!
"START!"
The stadium crowd roared again as the stampede of students raced forward. Minami dashed ahead, eager to prove herself. However, she shrieked as she found herself squished between a multitude of other UA uniform clad bodies.
Looking ahead, she only saw a few students trickling out at a time in the very front row.
The opening is too narrow! Minami lamented, trying to think of a way she could bypass all the other students, when suddenly, an aisle of ice cascaded back towards her and the other students, effectively trapping them in place by freezing their feet to the ground. Her eyes widened at her predicament. Looking ahead, she could see the bobbing head of half white, half red hair running in the distance.
Shoto! Ughhh dammit I need to escape!
"ARRRGGHHH why won't my acid melt this ice?! What kind of ice is this?!" Mina next to her whined out, desperate to escape.
Minami attempted to heat up her skin with her quirk, but the ice barely budged. She growled with frustration.
Looking ahead, she saw Momo had created a pole vault with her quirk, propelling herself over the crowd. Meanwhile, Bakugo screamed like a banshee at Todoroki as he blasted forward, calling him out. Suddenly, Minami got an idea.
She leaned down and pressed her palms onto the ice that covered her feet.
Carefully now, don't blast my feet off….
Releasing a decent powered energy blast, Minami effectively shattered the ice around her feet. She grinned triumphantly. Looking around, she couldn't see where Izuku was, and so leaned forward, intent on freeing Mina. Once the ice was gone, Minami grabbed her, slinging her two arms around her neck.
"Heyy! Why are you helping her! Help me too!" Minami looked behind and saw it was the class 1-B boy with sharp teeth that could turn his body into metal, frozen from the waist down.
Minami stared at him as he glowered at her.
Oh now he wants to be friends? Well he can fuck off and stick to being a popsicle….
Minami stuck her tongue out at him in response while giving him the middle finger, rejecting his request for aid. He roared in anger, trying his hardest to step forward to reach her, but failing as the ice proved too solid, though it did crack under his strength. Mina laughed at him as well,
"Suck it loser!" Mina flipped him the bird too, then waived bye before turning back around to hang off Minami.
"Hang onto me! I got an idea!" Minami shouted to Mina over the commotion. Mina immediately tightened her grip, and Minami gagged,
"Not that tight…Mina…" she gurgled and gagged, barely able to breathe. Mina giggled and loosened her hold slightly. Immediately, Minami copied Bakugo and simultaneously blasted into the ground using both palms. She sprung forward high over the crowd and towards the front.
"Yaaaahooo!" Mina screamed in excitement, excited to finally be on her way.
Beginning her descent, Minami began to briefly panic,
Oh shit! I hadn't really planned out this part!
Her stomach flip flopped as she fell towards the ground, and both girls screamed as it became imminent there wasn't going to be a way to stop their fall.
Then as if by some miracle, Mineta appeared below them as he prepared an attack aimed at Todoroki.
BOOM!
The two girls landed right on Mineta's back, using him as a landing pad.
"Oops! Sorry Mineta! Thanks for the catch though!" Minami grinned worriedly as she shook him, making sure he wasn't dead. The small grape boy looked dazed, and moaned, giving a weak thumbs up.
"Anything to have ladies want to touch my balls…" he grinned creepily, even if he did feel like he was one step away from death's door.
Minami wrinkled her nose at his innuendo and backed away, disgusted by the small boy.
Feeling the ground shake beneath her feet, she looked up and came face to face with a mini army of 0 pointer robots from the entrance exam.
She gasped and took a step back. In the background, she could hear Present Mic make an announcement to the crowd,
"EVERY OBSTACLE COURSE NEEDS OBSTACLES! LET'S SEE FOLKS WHAT THESE TALENTED KIDS DO NEXT!"
Minami heard the crowd roar again, and she began to sweat as the robots locked in on she and her classmates.
Target acquired! Defense mode activated! The robots chanted methodically. Minami swallowed as she fired up her quirk, feeling power rumble through her torso and limbs. She fired at a few of them, causing damage.
I can't keep fighting all these robots and expect to make it to the end… Minami thought to herself.
Looking just ahead, she could see Shoto release another torrent of ice, freezing the vast majority of the machines as they stepped forward.
Minami looked on hesitantly as the robots wobbled and creaked. She stepped backwards, observing some kids run forward with glee, thinking Shoto had made a safe opening.
The large machines began to tumble forward then, the ground shaking wildly as they landed. The crowd gasped.
"AAAANDD THERE GOES TODOROKI! HE'S SO FAR AHEAD THAT IT'S ALMOST NOT EVEN FAIR! SMART MOVE FREEZING THE ROBOTS TO BLOCK HIS COMPETITION'S PATH!" Present Mic screamed out.
Looking around her, she saw Mina had vanished within all the chaos. Minami proceeded to run forward once the dust had cleared. She screamed as the same class 1-B kid burst through one of the robots, his body glimmering with steel from the chest up, the rest of his body was still stuck in the robot. Both children looked at each other and screamed at the same time.
"You!"
The boy reacted then first, grimacing. "Think you're tough shit now!?" he reached forward to grab Minami, attempting to prevent her from passing him, latching onto her ankle.
Minami jerked her leg forward, but the boy only tightened his steely grip.
"Let go of me!" Minami snarled at him as she shoved her hand in his face, blinding him with a flash of her quirk.
Minami smiled, satisfied with herself as she heard him scream, covering his eyes with both his hands. She raced forward, slipping and sliding over the frozen corpses of the robots
"LOOK AT CLASS 1-A'S YAGI GO! SHE'S WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES! GO LITTLE LADY GO!" The crowd roared then, and Minami could hear Present Mic continue to scream into the speakers, commenting on how the robots had nearly crushed Kirishima and the boy from class 1-B, Tetsutetsu, who had tried to stop her.
Minami couldn't help but smile to herself at Mic's praise, tentatively enjoying the spotlight now that she was doing somewhat better. Feeling a small burst of confidence, she took a large leap onto another frozen robot, but ended up skidding on a thick patch of ice and immediately slipped, slamming back first onto the metal, sliding and spinning all the way down to the ground.
She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. She groaned and pinched her eyes shut, pain shooting up and down her spine and ribs. She could hear the crowd in the stadium collectively gasp at the hard hit.
Coughing harshly as she tried to catch her breath, Minami gasped as she saw the remaining robots stomping towards her that hadn't fallen prey to Shoto's ice powers.
"OOHHH, OUCH! THAT'S GOTTA HURT FOLKS! WONDER WHAT THE FIREFLY OF CLASS 1-A IS GONNA DO NEXT?!"
Suddenly, she heard a collective series of blasts go overheard. Glancing up, she saw Bakugo sailing through the sky like a manic bird, flying straight over the cluster of 0 pointer robots. Not far behind him were Tokoyami and Sero, following the same path.
"DOWN LOW DIDN'T WORK FOR CLASS 1-A'S BAKUGO! SO HE TOOK THE HIGH ROAD! CLEVER!" Mic shouted.
The robots swatted at the ornery boy, giving Minami a temporary opening to blast forward on the ground. She spotted it and took advantage, using her quirk to propel her through as quickly as possible, narrowly missing the stomping feet of the behemoth machines.
Continuing onward, Minami felt some relief as she glanced behind her, seeing the giant robots were still there, not attempting to come after her.
Soon enough, she came to the next obstacle, and she could see several people up ahead. Recognizing them as other classmates, she grinned happily as she saw it was Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Mina. Minami waved as she approached them, but her grin fell as she saw what they were up against.
Giant pillars with tight ropes connecting them. It was clear students had to cross them without falling into the water below in order to continue on. Stopping near the edge, she looked at the other girls, who all seemed to have worried looks on their faces.
Tsuyu was the first to move. Ribbiting, she leapt onto the tight rope and crawled across in a very frog like manner. Mina, Uraraka, and Minami just looked at each other before another very loud presence made itself known.
"Well well well! It's finally time for support items to get the spotlight!" glancing over, Minami saw a girl armed to the teeth with various gadgets and tinkerings.
"Wait, she's allowed to have those!" Mina shrieked out, feeling gypped as she pointed at the other girl.
"She's in the support course, so I guess so…" Uraraka looked on, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Said girl turned, her goggle eyes locking in Minami, Uraraka, and Mina.
"In the interest of fairness, as long as they're items we developed ourselves, using equipment is just fine!" she cackled at the envy displayed on the other three girls' faces.
" And besides, aren't you guys in class 1-A hero course? You guys have practical battle training right? So this should all be a piece of cake for such a worthy group!" She sarcastically explained before a large harpoon launched itself from her chest, imbedding into the rock wall on the other side.
"So eyes on me all you corporations! And check out my adorable babies!" the girl then flew across the canyon, yelling all the way.
Minami raised her eyebrow at the odd girl,
"Babies? What the hell?"
Uraraka shook her head, "Who knows, the kids from the support course seem weird,"
Mina gritted her teeth and ran forward, leaping onto the nearest rock.
"I don't care! She's super annoying! And that's bullshit that they can use all those gadgets! Let's get her!"
Uraraka puffed up like an angry puffer fish then, and floated across next to Mina, "Yeah!" she rallied her battle cry.
Minami nodded, a look of determination going across her face as she glanced around her and saw various classmates scaling the ropes. In the distance, she could see even Izuku chattering his teeth as he pulled himself across, hating every second of it as he likely felt like he was going to fall.
On the other side, Iida was sliding across the ropes, using his engines to propel himself onward.
Shit! we gotta go! Minami felt the pressure of the competition.
Exhaling deeply, she launched herself again with her quirk and landed on the pillar next to Uraraka and Mina.
All three girls nodded to eachother,
"Alright! Let's go!" Uraraka grinned and began floating herself across as fast as possible, Mina hot on her tail with the pace she was setting.
Minami stayed focused, even as Uraraka pulled ahead, leaving her and Mina behind.
That's it, easy does it, not too hard, not too soft with my energy blasts… Minami thought to herself.
Jumping onto a smaller pillar, Minami suddenly lost her footing and slipped as part of the stone crumbled. She shrieked and snapped her hands forward, gripping onto the edge for dear life. She glanced down and immediately regretted it, nearly feeling dizzy at how high up she was.
"Mina!" Minami cried out, hoping her friend was still there.
"CLASS 1-A'S YAGI SEEMS TO BE HAVING SOME DIFFICULTIES! CAN SHE HOLD ON AND PULL THROUGH?!" With his DJ set in the observation room, Mic played some chilling, suspenseful sound effect after his announcement. Minami ground her teeth at Present Mic, not finding his joke funny in the slightest.
It was then Mina's face appeared over the edge of the platform and she grinned, reaching down to grasp Minami's hands to pull her up. But suddenly, she stopped.
"You know, this is just like in the movie The Lion King, where Scar dangled Mufasa over the edge," she had a mischievous smile as she looked at Minami.
Minami felt all the color drain from her face then,
"Wha….What?" Minami whispered, staring into Mina's eyes.
Mina continued to stare darkly at Minami for a few more moments, and then perked up instantly.
"But, good thing I'm not that sadistic!" she grinned sweetly as she pulled Minami up to the top of the pillar, patting her on the back.
Minami exhaled as she shook, feeling the adrenaline rush wear off slightly, relieved that her friend didn't betray her. Nodding her thanks to Mina, the two girls continued onward.
She always picks the worst times to joke….
Reaching the other side, they both sprinted to catch up with those ahead of them. While on their way, the ground shook heavily as the sound of dozens of explosions sounded off just ahead,
Minami and Mina screamed as they lost their balance. Minami landed face first, scraping her chin and left cheek. She cried out at the burning sensation.
What the hell was that?! Minami panted to herself as looked up. Attempting to catch her breath, She pushed herself back up, wiping the blood off her chin and cheek, forcing herself to continue sprinting forward.
"CLASS 1-A'S TODOROKI AND BAKUGO ARE NOW FIGHTING FOR THE LEAD! IT'S NECK AND NECK!" Present Mic screamed.
Ughhh they're so far ahead! Minami gritted her teeth and pushed herself faster, leaving Mina slightly behind.
Arriving at the front of the last obstacle, Minami sees various students trying to tiptoe across the large mine field while others just dashed through bravely. Though it seemed many of the devices had already detonated.
Minami gritted her teeth and began running, desperate to catch up, Mina right on her tail.
Looking far ahead, she could see Izuku gathering a small pile of mines, before backing up slightly and running forward, leaping onto the pile of mines with his large piece of sheet metal.
Minami's eyes widen, putting two and two together, seeing exactly what was going to happen.
"…Oh shit…." She pumped the breaks and stops, turning around to scream at Mina before belly flopping onto the ground in front of her, covering her head.
"Take cover!"
KABOOOOM!
The explosion came through like a tsunami wave. The wind from the impact blew away most of the surrounding students, their screams going past Minami as they flew by.
Opening her eyes, Minami saw the wind had settled enough for her to stand. She coughed as she blearily blinked through the dust, not seeing Mina anywhere.
She must have gotten blown back…Sorry Mina….Minami thought to herself and ran forward, desperate to place decently in the race.
"AND HE'S PASSED THEM, CLASS 1-A'S MIDORIYA HAS PASSED LEADERS TODOROKI AND BAKUGO! AND OUR FORMER LEADERS HAVE CALLED A CEASE-FIRE TO CHASE HIM DOWNNNN!" the stadium roared in excitement.
Racing forward, Minami could see Izuku slam down the sheet metal once more onto the ground, producing a smaller explosion to push himself further ahead.
Launching herself into the air this time with two powerful blasts to avoid the after shock, Minami pressed on, even as Present Mic announced the winner.
"AND THE ONE WHO MADE IT BACK TO THE STADIUM FIRST IS….NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYAAAAA!"
Minami grinned as she panted, nearing the end she could see the stadium opening in the distance.
You did it Izuku! I can't believe it! Papa's gonna be so proud!
Minami's ears twitched then at a sound behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw 7-8 students trying to gain on her, the closest being Momo, along with Ojiro, Tsuyu, several other kids she didn't recognize, and…
Tetsutetsu! Minami gulped, it looked like he wanted to kill her with that look of contempt that was on his face.
Glancing back at Momo, she sees her pretty face sneer as she produced some twine capture nets.
Momo cried out as she threw them at Minami, intent on stopping her. However, they fell short.
Minami looked forward and pushed ahead, grimacing to herself as she felt her heart pounding hard in her chest.
Not today bitch. Today, this is my day….Minami felt anger take hold of her as she thought of all the nasty things Momo had done to her.
"Eat dust!" Minami screamed back at her as she blasted herself forward once more, the power from her quirk stirring up dirt and debris, blowing Momo backward.
The technique was enough to propel her forward through the opening of the stadium, and Minami was greeted with a boisterous roar from the stadium crowd.
Exhausted, she fell to her knees, gasping for breath as sweat rolled off her neck and forehead, stinging the cuts on her face.
Glancing up on the large electronic TVs in the stadium, Minami saw her school picture flash next to the 10th place holder, behind Shoto, Bakugo, Iida, Tokoyami, and several other talented individuals. Minami felt a surge of pride go through her.
I did it….Papa do you see? I did it…Maybe I'm more cut out for hero work than I originally thought. She smiled softly to herself as she weakly patted her pocket, where she still felt the photograph.
Mina trotted up behind her then, sweat also rolling down her red cheeks. "Dang girlie! You're fast!"
Minami panted as she smiled at Mina. Lifting her shaking hand up, she weakly flicked her a thumbs up.
"Thanks…" she garbled out, barely able to breath after the heart racing first event.
So there's chapter 26! Sorry it took so long to update! I plan on updating the next chapter soon oh and by the way, I may have based the las vegas entertainer off of Tiger King haha! If y'all haven't seen it, you should watch it, it's pretty crazy! LOL Let me know what y'all think! I love reading reviews! And love knowing y'all are enjoying the story! Please let me know! And I'll push myself to release an update sooner! :D :D
