A/N: Edit finished 23 August 2018. Beta provided by Kylekatarn77.
Chapter 12
Toshinori watched two blurs bounce around a large, spacious chamber. Every so often they would collide, a flurry of punches and kicks exchanged, and disengage. Each exchange took place in a matter of blinks. Where I am overwhelming strength, he's becoming blistering speed. One for All is such a magnificent quirk. The smaller of the blurs was fluid, using columns and poles to guide his speed like a pinball in the hands of a professional. The taller blur, while moving faster, stopped for split seconds upon impact and then change directions. I knew this would be the proper time to introduce them. Plus, he's challenged Young Midoriya in a way that I couldn't without the risk of further weakening my own capacity to use One for All.
There was one last collision and Toshinori's old mentor was tossed back, grumbling as he hit the ground. Izuku landed as close to where the collision had occurred as he could, chest heaving as he shifted his breathing, working to rein in his pounding heart and racing breathes. The squat, old man dressed in tights and a cape groaned as he stood.
"You picked a good apprentice, Toshinori," he said, rubbing his back. "Fighting him is like the old days, back when you were young and new to One for All. Only difference is I'm an old geezer past my prime and the kid has a better sense for movement than you did then."
"I don't think I was that young when we first met, Gran Torino," Toshinori said as he descended from the rafters. The floating platforms were a new addition, but it made moving between the two levels easier and cleaned up the lower area once the stairs and ladders were removed. He smiled during the descent. Your training for the Sports Festival has been difficult, Young Midoriya, yet you've always rose to meet the challenge. If you can beat Gran Torino, then I doubt there are many in your year that can beat you.
Go out and show the world who will be the next Symbol of Peace!
"Hey All Might," Izuku said, breaking the man's train of thought. The flush of exertion in his cheeks had faded. "How powerful am I now? I noticed that it's increased since the USJ attack but I wanted to know for certain."
"Where we wanted it, Young Midoriya. Thirty percent," Toshinori said. "You are capable of safely controlling thirty percent of your current potential, which I suspect is finally increasing from what it was before you began at U.A. and it should increase with every year."
"Impressive," Gran Torino said, joining the conversation. "However, such power won't help you if you get overconfident and underestimate your opponents. While you can safely recover from your fights at the festival, villains like the ones your class fought are more than willing to kill you and some will if they control the terms of engagement."
Izuku blanched. "You mean like our first fight last week when you, uh…"
"When I blindsided you so you were slammed into a pillar and nearly knocked unconscious? Exactly." Gran Torino turned to Toshinori. "I say the boy is ready. The Sports Festival is tomorrow, so he should probably go home and get some rest. My bones need it after these past several days."
"I agree," Toshinori said. He puffed out his chest and expanded into his muscular form. "Well, Young Midoriya! Tomorrow is the U.A. Sports Festival! The eyes of the world will be upon you, but I'm sure you know that!"
"I'll make you proud, All Might," Izuku said, eyes shinning.
Among the many buildings on the campus of U.A. High School is the Sports Festival Stadiums, three giant structures built to house two hundred thousand spectators each. While the third year competition was traditionally the most popular of the three, the USJ attack had drawn the public's attention to the first year competition and the greatest question on everyone's lips was, 'What quirks does Class A have?' Because of the attack, security at the Festival had increased to a level not seen since the first one after the Olympics had been canceled. The most visible increase in security was the higher number of pro heroes in attendance, both those in costume and in civilian garb.
If only we hadn't been hidden away all day, Izuku thought. He leaned back in his chair, watching his classmates attempt to keep the pressure away. Their prep room had been well stocked with simple furniture and water bottles, enough so a class double their size could be comfortable. Honestly, it would probably be better for us if we got a chance to at least speak with the press if we wanted to. I feel anxious this way, especially as I actually want to talk to them, especially about my…connection with All Might. A lot of eyes are going to be on Todoroki and Kacchan, so maybe during a fight with them.
"Midoriya," Todoroki said. The heterochromatic boy stood in the room's center, eyes locked on his target. "Even with your successes, I'm stronger and more capable than you." The room went quiet as they watched the encounter with an interest only drama could create.
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, standing. He's nearly as bad as that general studies kid from two weeks ago.
"It's simple. Even if All Might has his eye on you, more so than the relationship between teacher and student, there's one thing I know for certain: I will beat you."
The room chilled and a few glanced at Todoroki's feet to see if he had used his quirk. Izuku ignored the others, especially the offhand comments about the Half-Cold Half-Hot quirk user's declaration.
"I accept your challenge, Todoroki," Izuku said. "I'm not sure why you need to announce your intentions now, but don't think it'll be easy for you to beat me.
"If you only use the cold half of your quirk, you'll never beat me. I'm aware of who your father is, of what he can do and what you inherited from him." Izuku paused, watching the growing tension in Todoroki's face. There's more to his relationship with Endeavor than being an estranged son. "If you're unwilling to use the full capacity of your quirk, you won't even be able to beat Kacchan, let alone me."
"If you say," Todoroki said, cold and annoyed, turning away. Izuku saw Katsuki's upturned sneer as he, too, turned away. Does he hate that name even more? I did beat him during training. I knocked him down a peg, not only in front of the class, but also in front of All Might. You just won't let that sit, will you?
Soon enough, Class 1-A was allowed out of their prep room and led to the northernmost gate onto the stadium's floor. They listened to Present Mic's welcoming speech until he said, "And now the athletes! First is the class that fought off villains, this festival's favorites! From the Heroic Course, Class A!" They emerged from the gate and stepped out onto the grass field. Grinning, Izuku waved at the crowd and soon enough several of his classmates quickly joined him. The crowd grew louder and some of their names could just be heard over the general roar.
"Genius, Midoriya, playing to the crowd!" Iida shouted over the cheers. "It's clear why we picked you to be our class president!"
"Uh, thanks, Iida," Izuku said. I'm waving for a different reason, but sure. Let's go with me courting the crowd. You're also waving at them. I think Kacchan is one of the few who isn't. He looked over his shoulder at Katsuki, who scoffed when their eyes locked and turned away. Just past him was a group of young fans, holding a banner as they chanted, "BA-KU-GOU!" repeatedly.
"Following them is Heroic Course Class B, and then Classes C, D, and E from General Studies! Classes F, G, and H from the Support Course! And of course, the Business Courses!" Present Mic worked through each group until over two hundred students congregated on the stadium grounds. A stage rose from the ground and a female hero dressed in leather and latex emerged to thunderous applause.
"Thank you all for coming here today, for this year's Sports Festival. I am Midnight, the R-Rated Hero, and I will be in charge of today's activities. We're going to begin with the Athlete's Oath! We'll be having the highest scorer for the Entrance Exam come up here and perform it," she shouted. There were rumbles of discontent over her announcement. "Shut up you lot! Your student representative is Bakugou Katsuki of Class 1-A!"
Katsuki pushed his way through the crowd and started up the stairs to the side of the stage. "I can't believe he's up there," Kirishima said. He turned to Izuku. "I would've thought you'd be up there, Midoriya. I heard about you saving Uraraka and taking down that giant robot as if you were All Might."
Izuku nodded, filling away the comparison to All Might. "True, but my score was removed after I got a last minute recommendation. Aizawa-sensei told me about it when I asked him about the comments on my profile."
Kirishima nodded as Katsuki got into position. "The Athlete's Oath," he said, looking over the crowd. "Is that I'M GOING TO BEAT ALL OF YOU LOSERS!"
Izuku sighed as the other classes shouted at Katsuki. He responded to their shouting with a rude gesture and declared they were all, "stepping stones on my path to the top." As he descended from the stage, Izuku frowned. Kacchan would usually be smiling, basking in the angry comments being thrown at him. But he's stone-faced. That must've been as much for himself as it was for us. He wants to remind everyone of his goals.
"Well, now that's over," Midnight said, voice shaky. "Let's get going! The first event is the qualifier where dreams are crushed and many of you will be sent home crying! This first year's event is…THIS!" She pointed at the large screen, which flashed, "CAPTURE THE FLAG."
Capture the flag? I've never seen such an event watching the U.A. Sports Festival. It must be new…
Midnight grinned at the confusion. "As you're likely thinking, this is a new event designed for this year! As fun as obstacle courses are, the designers got bored with them. Plus, with so many powerful and interesting quirks this year, we devised something a little special. I'm sure you all remember the cityscapes from the Entrance Exam. Well, each has seven flags tied to the front gates, waiting for someone to take down. Your goal is simple: get to a flag and bring it back here. Just remember that because you were the first to grab it doesn't mean it can't be stolen." She pointed at the screen and a map of the campus appeared. "Three of the locations are near this stadium, while the other three are split between the three far corners of campus! Your success may just depend on which one you pick."
A gate opened behind the stage. "Good luck, and begin!" The crowd pushed into each other as they raced for the open gate. Izuku let them pass him by, ignoring the few odd looks. Once everyone was clear, he dropped into a squat, sprung high above the crowd, landed on the stadium's roof, and leapt again.
Todoroki grinned as with every movement, the distance between him and the rest of the field expanded. The ground before him was covered in ice and he raced past the gathered crowds watching them leave the stadium. He could hear moaning from behind, and shouting too, as he skated away. Father will never let me forget it if I actually thank him for allowing me taking those archaic ice-skating classes. I'll just need to work on creating stable paths of ice above ground. He glanced back and grinned at the few who had made it past his obstacle. I would be disappointed if most of my class had been caught by my ice. Good. I want to fight them, to prove my strength. He scanned their faces and frowned. Where are you, Midoriya? Even at this point you should be behind me. As he turned forward, motion far away caught his eye. He followed it and watched a green and blue figure cross the sky, bouncing off the roof of U.A.'s main building and continuing on his path towards a site Todoroki had decided to ignore.
With a smile, he picked up his pace.
"Get back here, Half-n-Half!" Bakugou shouted, his explosions drawing closer even with Todoroki's increased pace.
I'll just have to fight you later, Midoriya. I'm looking forward to it.
Seven navy blue flags were tied to the main gate of the cityscape Izuku landed in front of. Dust scattered as he landed. He glanced around as he inched towards the gate, watching for traps and surprises. His hand touched the nearest flag. He waited, counting to ten, and grinned when nothing happened. I was nervous for nothing! They must've assumed we'd be busy fighting among ourselves when we arrive or have to fight our way through an overwhelming wave of approaching students on our way back. Grinning, he untied the flag and turned so he could return to the stadium.
"Oh, I forgot a rule!" Midnight's voice said from the nearby loudspeaker. Izuku froze, resting on the balls of his feet. "The Zero point robots from the Entrance Exam have been stationed all across campus where none of our loyal audience members could be hurt! Now that someone has claimed a flag, they're active and with the upgrades provided by the excellent instructors for the support course, even more dangerous than before!"
He watched as massive robots rose from their resting places across campus. While he found it curious that they had been stationed away from the crowds enjoying the Festival, he had assumed they were being kept away from the stadium and the main paths for the second event or even one of the events between lunch and the final event. Izuku stretched his arms and with a hard kick, returned to the sky with his flag in tow.
Katsuki laughed, shooting past two zero point robots that had Yaoyorozu and several other students pinned down. Todoroki was still skating on his ice, using it to slip past the robots without a care. Trust Half-n-Half to try and act cool. I'm going to blast that cold, smug look off his face before I remind Deku just who'll be the number one hero!
With a blast more like a fiery lance than the spherical blasts he preferred, Katsuki launched himself right at Todoroki, racing past him as near as he dared. The hybrid quirk user glanced over and blanched at the sight of the flying blond who had suddenly caught up with him. They crashed together and tumbled. They rolled a few feet until Todoroki used his ice to disentangle the two and return to his feet.
Unwilling to be outdone by another, Katsuki blasted after his opponent, on his feet before the other could put several feet between them. They barreled towards the stadium, ice and explosions trailing with every foot. Closer and closer they got, a flag wrapped around their arm, as the gate into the stadium appeared to grow larger and larger. As they entered, a loud thud like a baseball hitting a metal roof echoed through the long passage. The light grew bright and they blinked, finally reaching the floor of the stadium.
Midnight's voice rose above the screaming crowd, announcing, "And the first one back is Midoriya Izuku of Class A! Right behind him is classmates Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto" The crowd roared as the green haired boy lifted his flag into the air. Katsuki and Todoroki both stumbled as their quirk-enhanced race died. They stared at the only other person on the floor of the stadium, grinning as he basked in the crowd's cheer, until his eyes fell upon them.
Damn you Deku! You better watch your back, because I'm gunning for you in the next round!
Izuku watched as students poured into the stadium. As he suspected, the first forty-two back, including himself, had a flag on their person and a tired grin on their face. The rest flooded in, guided into the stands to join the civilian and pro hero audience. Probably best for the business courses. They'll be watching us closely in the second round so they can make bets and predictions on the third. Kacchan will have favorable odds, along with Todoroki, several others, and myself.
He scanned the remaining competitors. With the exception of the general studies kid that had declared war on his class and a girl with pink hair and several support items strapped all over her body, it was entirely Class A and B. As his more friendly classmates congratulated him, his eyes made contact with Kendou's. She grinned and winked at him, clearly remembering their playful words. They won't take it easy on us. Good. We have a reputation to uphold, being U.A.'s top class of first years.
"Man, I wonder what's next," Kirishima said to Kaminari as they drifted nearby.
"Something team related, probably. They do like those for the second round. At least we won't have to deal with those giant robots. Scared me worse than during the Entrance Exam when they came to life."
"Probably." They continued along as the remaining forty-two were gathered to stand before Midnight's stage.
"Sorry about the delay," she said, stepping onto the stage. "I had some things I needed to grab. It's time for the second event!" The screen flashed: CAVALRY BATTLE. Not that original, Izuku thought. Pretty sure every school in the county does those for Sports Festivals. "The cavalry battle is simple! Get into proper teams, anywhere from two to four members. Form your horses and make sure to consider what everyone's quirk is as you assemble your formation.
"The rules are the identical to regular cavalry battles, so make sure to target people's headbands. To make things more exciting and make your results from the last event more important, we've added a nice little twist. You have been assigned a point value based on when you returned. The last person will be worth five points, and then second to last will be worth ten and so on. Only Midoriya Izuku, who returned first, has an exemption to these rules. You see, he will be worth ten million points!"
Izuku grimaced as every eye in the stadium turned on him. Well All Might, you wanted me to announce myself to the world. It looks like my hard work begins now!