Mirio-senpai was right: there were plenty of awesome things for me to do at U.A.!

Not long after the Rescue Training, U.A.'s annual Sports Festival was announced. Everyone was pumped, but Uraraka seemed especially excited to show her skills.
Which reminded me of a question I'd forgotten to ask her.

"Money…?! You wanna be a hero for the money?!"
"Ultimately, yeah." Uraraka rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Sorry. I know it seems base… and really embarrassing, considering your guys's noble motivations and all."

She explained that her family ran a construction company, but that business had been bad recently. They were "poorer than poor." Uraraka wanted to help her parents by using her quirk to move and lift objects, but they told her they wanted her to make "her own dreams come true." And that, when she did, she could take them on vacation.
"So I'm gonna be a hero. I'll make that money…" Uraraka had a determined look in her eyes, "... so that my mom and dad can have easier lives."

I was impressed. 'So she doesn't just idolize heroes. She's thinking of the practical as well…'

Seeing how determined Uraraka and everyone else was… it reminded me of the drive I felt while first training with Master.
In fact, I felt more determined than ever to prove myself!

'I can't measure up to most of the others here in strength. But… What I lack in strength, I can make up for in skill!
'I'm not gonna fall behind. I'm going to aim for the top. With everything I've got!'

.~*~.

During the two weeks leading up to the Sports Festival, I trained - and studied. I couldn't find out what events I'd have to deal with, but that didn't mean I couldn't prepare for the worst possible outcomes.
And there was one thing I knew for sure I'd have to deal with: my fellow students.

Thankfully, Master's final gift was ready in time…

We were in the warehouse again, although there was no practice today. Instead, I studied the trick gun, unloaded and reloaded it, and, satisfied that it was just like the one I'd practiced with, holstered it.
"With this tool at your disposal, you should have no trouble at least reaching the final event of the Sports Festival," Master said.
"Actually… I've decided not to use it."

I looked up at Master. He was sitting in a chair across from where I was standing, his face as unreadable as usual.
"At least… not until I reach the final event. I want to keep the element of surprise. That way, I might…" my throat tightened, "… might actually have a chance of winning."
"…"
Distressed by his silence, I tried to explain myself, "If I end up having to fight someone with a strong quirk, like Todoroki or Iida, the gun will be useless if they know what's coming," my hand tapped the holstered gun, "Although… I'll still use the grapple, since I've already been using that."

"… Hmm."
"...Master?"
"I'm impressed. So you really believe you can win?"
"Ah! Well. I mean," I jolted, blanching and gesturing wildly with my hands, "I… I think I might, if-"
"-Good."
"-Huh?"

Master stood from the chair he was sitting in, seeming to look up and out of the skylights. "When you first came here, you would've been satisfied just making it past the entrance exam and trying again another year. 'I am quirkless, after all' you would've said. Now…" He looked back at me, "you've really grasped the truth.
… I'm proud of you."

That was the last thing I expected him to say at that moment. It… it made me happy. My blanch quickly became a blush.
Then I remembered, "Oh! Um… I hope it's not too much to ask, but…"
Master had turned to sit back in the chair again, but he stopped and looked back at me.
I continued, "Any edge I can get will be helpful, right? So…

"May I have the plant tonight?"

Master had allowed me to use the plant the night before the Festival. Even so, the size of the audience in the stadium was still unnerving.

I was a bit surprised Kacchan was the First Years' student representative, but Sero made a good point - in that he had placed first in the entrance exam.
"The hero course entrance exam, you mean," pointed out a girl from General Studies standing nearby us.

I wished I had more time to think about that, because my first thought was just 'Well, it is a hero school, right…?' But Kacchan was already on stage, ready to deliver the Athlete's Oath.
He was stoic. Much more serious than I was used to seeing him. And with that neutral face, he said into the microphone, "The athlete's oath… Make no mistake about it. I'm gonna take first place!"

The other students were understandably upset by that statement, but my brain was spinning.
'Confidence…? No…' Kacchan's expression didn't change as he walked back to his spot among the crowd. 'The old Kacchan… He definitely would've been smiling as he said that… He's pushing himself. Telling himself he can't lose.' I didn't dodge Kacchan's shoulder when he passed; I let him bump into me. Somehow, dodging it right then… would've felt like surrender. 'I need to be careful about him. His guard is up. Winning was never gonna be easy, but…'

Midnight, "without delay," announced that our first event would be an obstacle race "between every member of all eleven classes! The course is a four-kilometer lap around the stadium itself!"
It was what she said next that stuck out to me - something I was counting on, in fact.
"Our school preaches freedom in all things! … Heh heh heh…

"So as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game!

"Racers, to your positions…"
The lights above the starting gate turned off one-by-one.
Ding… I looked at the size of the starting gate - and the crowd in front of it.
Ding… I measured where I was inside that crowd - my hand grasped an object on my waist.
Ding! Midnight yelled, "START!"

By the time Todoroki had frozen the ground, I had already grappled passed him. Unfortunately, my lead didn't last long; Todoroki was still faster than me on foot, thanks to his ice, and Kacchan blasted past me not long after.

The next obstacle turned out to be the zero-pointer robots from the hero entrance exam. My grapple was sufficient to get over the hulking ice monoliths Todoroki had made of them as well.
As the robots crumbled behind me, I noticed a metal plate fall to the ground nearby. I grabbed it and fastened it to my back. 'I'm low on tools, since they didn't approve of many of my gadgets. This might be useful.'

Some of my classmates were falling farther behind than I'd expected. They were hesitating, too indecisive over whether to attack the robots or ignore them. Worried. Too afraid of getting injured to make the split-second decisions we needed to.

I was on the ground again. It seemed like, no matter what strategy I tried, no matter how hard I thought about it, I just couldn't find a way to beat Kurogiri-sensei! He was always one step ahead, a split second faster!

As Kurogiri stood over me, he revealed today's lesson, "Planning is important. You must always have a strategy, no matter how simple. However… when in a REAL battle, the most deciding factor… is boldness."
He reached a hand out. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.
"That is why you must train to the point that these things become second nature. So that you don't need to decide to use them!"

'Move! Keep moving! By the skin of my teeth is fine. Just keep going!'
A robot locked onto me. Grabbing the plate from my back, I swung it straight between the robot's upper and lower sections, breaking it in two and ending its pursuit.
'Works as a shield too… This thing's handy!'

Next was a section of tightropes above a canyon. I didn't pause in returning the plate to my back and grabbing my grapple-gun. It seemed to be my saving grace in this event. Definitely a good choice to bring with me.
Once on the other side, I noticed a girl using a similar tactic as me - but with some kind of special arrow-guns and hover boots… I smiled. 'Cool…'

Kacchan and Todoroki were still in the lead when I made it to the minefield.
'Nothing to grapple onto with just these fences on the sides…'
I paused for the first time, looking around, analyzing my surroundings to find the best strategy.

'There are lots of mines nearby me. Anti-personnel mines should only be 14-15 cm down - I could dig 'em up with the plate…' I had a crazy idea, and no time to second-guess it. I swallowed nervously while pulling out the metal plate again. 'Taking a page from your book, Kacchan!'

After making a pile of the thankfully-not-too-powerful bombs, I held the plate in front of me, braced myself, aimed - and jumped down onto them, metal-plate-first.

To my - and everyone else's - surprise, it worked. I went shooting passed Todoroki and Kacchan!
'Now to stick the landing…'
But the two leaders were already catching back up!

'Passing them again will be impossible! This is my one chance! I gotta stay in the lead!'
Trusting my instincts again, I tightened my grip on the wires holding me onto the plate, let myself flip over and separate from it, and, once close enough to the ground, aimed-
-and SLAMMED the plate onto a cluster of bombs.
I shot forward again just in time - with just enough of a lead to make it through the finish line in first place!

Present Mic - and the rest of the audience! - went wild.
"THE QUIRKLESS KID IS IN FIRST PLACE!? WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!"
"He's one you shouldn't underestimate. The fact he even made it into U.A.'s hero course should tell you that kid is practically the definition of Plus Ultra."
"IS THAT A HINT OF PRIDE I HEAR IN YOUR VOICE, AIZAWA? ISN'T HE ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS?!"

Quivering from exhaustion, Uraraka walked up to me, Iida not far behind her.
"Deku…! That was awesome!"
"To lose a race, of all things, with my quirk… And to someone without any quirk at all!" Iida lamented, "It's clear I still have progress to make…!"

Todoroki walked up to me with purpose in his step. I stood up straighter instinctively.
He paused - then bowed his head.
"Well done."

And like that, he just walked away again.

Before I had time to process that, Uraraka got up in my face, "First place, though! Man, I'm jealous!"
I blushed. 'So close…!'
"Aw, nah… It was - well, it wasn't luck, exactly, but I mean… if I'd gotten unlucky…"

All For One watched the camera feed interestedly. Everything was going remarkably well.

"If this keeps up, I might not need to use that after all…"
He switched cameras to get a better view of Midoriya's face. The boy looked ecstatic.
"He's practically caught in a dream. His perfect fantasy. Good…"

He switched again, this time to a view of All Might, watching from the audience.
"The higher he gets in this competition…"
One of his underlings sat down behind All Might. More - so many more - were visible in the crowd, spread through the entire stadium.
"The harder he'll FALL."

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