Oh my god... You people really need to stop me, I've been awake for 24 hours now, and I'm seeing stars... So sleepy... but I really wanted to write out this chapter... I apologize if it's bad, I'm so sorry...
I will make sure to bring you gold tomorrow!
"YESS!" The class burst out with excitement at the idea of the sports festival, and Izuku was beaming happily. She was starting to get hyped up for the annual Yuuei sports festival, and anyone who wanted to be a hero knew what that meant.
"I totally keep forgetting this is actually a school!" Kirishima said with a laugh.
"Wait, that sounds like something Villains would try and infiltrate, isn't it?" Iida said as he raised his hand in the air. "Will everything be alright?"
"On the contrary, since we're going ahead with the festival it means that the school is confident it has all it's ducks in a row when it comes to crisis control. The police presence will be five times bigger than normal." Aizawa looked out at the class, and sighed. "What you should be thinking about is what a huge chance the Academy's sports festival presents for all of you. This isn't something that will be brought to a halt by villains."
Aizawa continued on to explain the sports festival too the class, and Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought. She could hear others talking about how excited they were to work as sidekicks for pro heroes, or how they were all being scouted.
"Now remember, Time is limited." Aizawa spoke again, silencing the mutters from all the students. "If you get noticed by a pro that gives you a chance at a brighter future over others. This is the chance you'll get only once a year, for a total of three chances. If you aim to be a hero... This is an event that can't be overlooked."
Aizawa's words rang through her head through all of their morning classes that day, and Izuku was tapping her pen nervously on her notebook and looking out the window by the time lunch rolled around.
"NOW I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Kirishima said loudly with a grin as he pumped his fists.
"If we put in the effort and stand out, we'll get noticed by a pro!" Sero exclaimed with a big grin.
"Hey nerd, stop with the fucking tapping." Katsuki looked back at Izuku and startled her out of her thoughts as she turned her head to look at him.
"S-Sorry," Izuku said with a blush to her cheeks, and looked over at the others. "Everyone is getting really pumped, huh?" she asked curiously, and felt jitters of excitement toss around in her stomach.
"You've enrolled in Yuuei to become a hero, so getting fired up is only natural!" Iida was pumping his fists now in a robotic way. "Don't you feel fired up as well, Midoriya?!"
"Of course!" Izuku blushed a bright red, and looked at her book in front of her. "This is an amazing opportunity, I just hope I can pull off my best!"
"Hmph, knowing you you'll trip and land flat on your face." Katsuki said with a grunt before a hand slammed down on the desk between them, and they both looked up to see Uraraka with fire burning in her eyes.
"Deku-chan," She looked right at Izuku, grinning madly. "Let's crush it at the sports festival."
"You won't be able to crush anyone, stupid round face." Katsuki spoke in a growl as he glared up at Uraraka.
"OHO?" She glared back at Katsuki, and held up her fist which was clenched tightly. "Is this a challenge?! Then let's make a bet!" She pointed a finger at him. "If you win, I'll give you my most prized possession!" She held her phone out know with the video of Izuku. "But if I win, you owe me your most prized possession!"
"Uhm... Anyone else feel like Uraraka is acting very... Not Uraraka?" Ashido asked in a worried tone.
"HAAAH?!" Katsuki stood up now, glaring into her eyes. "FUCK THE PRIZE, YOU'RE GOING DOWN." He yelled at her, both of them getting in each others faces. "I'll wipe that stupid look off your fucking round face!" He stormed off in a huff, and Uraraka puffed out her chest proudly, before pumping her fist in the air proudly.
"I'M GUNNA CRUSH THAT GUY!" She shouted triumphantly and looked back at Izuku with her mad grin still on her face.
"O-Ochachan... I don't think it was a good idea to get Kacchan all riled up..." Izuku spoke her thoughts as the two girls and Iida left the class room to head down to get lunch. "When he's mad, he goes all out..."
"That's what I want." Uraraka said with a proud smile on her face. "It's like you said before, if he takes me seriously then I must be worth the fight. Besides... I really wanna get noticed here by a pro!"
"Why do you want to be a hero, Uraraka?" Iida asked curiously as they descended the stairs.
"Oh uhm..." Uraraka laughed a bit, and looked at them. "For the money... My parents own a construction company, but there's just not a lot of work out there. My family is flat broke." She shrugged her shoulders,
"Construction? With a quirk like yours you'd be a great help and very economical." Iida said with a wave of his arm and Izuku nodded with a bright smile.
"Right?!" Uraraka said with a bright smile, "But... Im going to become a Hero, and earn money with out fail, and then I'm going to give my mom and dad the easy life they deserve." Her gaze was determined as she clenched her fist in front of her, and smiled at her two friends. Iida started clappnig his hands in praise, while Izuku stared at her friend having a new found respect for her.
"You can do it, Ochachan!" Izuku said with a fist in the air. "I know you can!"
"Thank's deku-chAAAAAH?!" Uraraka was started as All Might slid out of no where in front of them.
"Midoriya, my girl!" the mountain of a man with a brilliant grin held up a bento. "Would you care to... eat your rice with me?"
"A-ALL MIGHT?!" Izuku was startled at his appearance, and wondered what it was really about as Uraraka gushed about how cute that was for such a large man. Izuku bid farewell to her friends, to take All Might up on his invitation in the teacher lounge.
She sat down on a stool as All Might poured her tea. He was sitting on a couch in front of her in his skeletal form.
"F-fifty minutes...?!" Izuku was shocked as he spoke to her about how his time limit got shorter.
"Yes... At the moment, that's all I can manage. Maybe an extra 30 mins if I stretch it." All Might watched the small girl fretting over that fact, and saw her slowly bow her head to him.
"I-I'm so sorry..." she stuttered out, feeling a harsh ache in her chest.
"Midoriya, you are the last one who should apologize! Never apologize for something like that!" All Might choked out, and shook his head. "You and I are similar in that way I suppose... But more importantly. Let's talk about the sports festival." All might lifted his head and grinned warmly at her. "You have made amazing progress with One for All! I'm very proud of you!"
Izuku looked up at her hero, and smiled warmly at him as she held up her fist. "I've been working hard every day to keep building muscle... I can use it more than a few times now before any bruising happens, but if I loose my concentration..." She looked down at her hand, remembering how broken it had ended up some times. "I fought off more than a few villains at USJ, and only when I went for that guy covered in hands, when I lost control, did I hurt myself.." she looked up at All Might who was nodding as she spoke, and beamed. "It was also in a fist I wasn't used to using, so I've started training up my left punch more."
"You are an extremely smart girl." All Might said proudly. "Even when you hurt your fist at USJ, you still managed to keep One for All under control. If you asked me, after those punches, I could see you're slowly using more power output. Have you been training with it?"
"Yes, on the beach at the ocean." Izuku blushed a bright red. "I didn't want to practice on a human, in case I slipped up."
"I am amazed by your progress, you've really put your all into it... I'm glad to hear that." All Might's expression saddened a bit as he looked at her big hopeful green eyes. "... To be blunt, I don't have much time left as the symbol of peace..."
"A-All Might...?" Izuku's eyes widened, loosing the happy look she just had on her face. "Wh-why...?"
"There are Villains biding time out there, and many who have taken notice already, I'm sure..." All Might lifted his fist, and looked her right in the eyes. "The reason I gave you this power, is because I expect you to inherit my 'Self'. The Yuuei sports festival is something the whole country will be watching, an even bigger than the olympics back in the day! What I'm trying to say is... As the 'All Might' of the new generation, and as my successor for One for All... You, Midoriya Izuku, have arrived! I want you to make that known to the world!"
All Mights words were spinning round and round in her head for the rest of the day, and she felt the nerves of excitement in her stomach turn to worry. She couldn't pay attention in class anymore, always staring off into space to be pulled back by some one if need be. At the end of the day, She was packing up her things into her bag, when Ashido opened up the class room door to leave, and cried out in surprise. Izuku looked up in surprise, and hurried to the door with her bag. Katsuki followed behind her slowly, watching the back of her head with boredom, as she looked around the pink girl to see a crowd of students on the other side.
"What the heck?! What are all of you here for?!" Ashido asked the crowd of murmuring students in the hallway. Uraraka walked up next to Izuku behind the girl,
"They're scoping out the copetition, idiot." Katsuki said sharply behind Izuku, and looked pretty bored by the whole scene. "They wanna see the gang who came through a Villain ambush, checking it out before the big battle." Katsuki stepped around Izuku, and grabbed her by the wrist as he started towards the door. "It's pointless to try, so why don't you all just fuck off, you fucking extras?" He growled out at the crowd, who looked shocked and offended.
"K-Kacchan, you can't keep calling people that!" Izuku looked up at him with a sharp look in her eyes.
"I'm not fucking wrong!" He shouted down at her, and glared at the people who were leaning in to get a good look. They were getting to close to him and Izuku for his liking.
"I came to see what the fabeled Class 1-A was made of, but I didn't think you'd be so arrogant." A boy stepped out of the crowd on the other side of Izuku. His hair was disheveled and purple, and he had a tired bored look on his face. "Are all the kids in the Heroics department like this?" He asked, and Katsuki glared darkly at him and let out a growled noise.
"Back the fuck up, loser." Katsuki continued to glare darkly at the kid with an attitude, and Izuku looked up at the disgruntled blonde with worry, before looking to the guy with purple hair. Katsuki's grip on her wrist was tightening, and she wondered why.
"You know... I'm a bit disillusioned. There's a lot of kids who wind up in the general education department or others, because they failed the heroics test, did you know that?" The purple haired student was starting to look a bit angry. "And did you know... That based on the results of the sports festival, people can be transferred into the heroics department, and vice versa..." He leaned in, getting uncomfortably close to Izuku, and she backed up agaist Katsuki behind her as the guy made sure he was eye level with Katsuki, glaring. "Hey... How about you take this as a declaration of war, because I know I have a chance to throw you off your high horses."
"You better step back, before I blow your fucking face off." Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the guy who was invading Izuku's personal space with out a care in the world.
'Kacchan, nows not a good time to say stuff like that...' Izuku thought to herself as she felt Katsuki pull her closer to him by her wrist.
"HEY YOU! I'M FROM CLASS B!" A loud guy called out over the crowd baring sharp teeth and a large eyes. "I HEARD YOU KNOCKED VILLAINS AROUND, So I came here to hear about it, but I don't wanna hear nothing from some snot-nosed punk!" He guy snarled, and Izuku held a poker grin as she looked at the guy who was yelling in her direction. She was in a real pickle now, standing directly in front of the guy who was pissing off the whole school like she was defending him. "DON'T EMBARRASS OUR DEPARTMENT DURING THE MAIN EVENT, YOU HEAR ME?!"
"Let's go." Katsuki growled, and pushed the guy with purple hair back by the shoulder, before stepping into the lead to push others out of his way.
"W-Wait! You can't just yell at others!" Izuku looked up at him as she was pulled along by him.
"Yeah! Now everyone's gunna hate us!" Kirishima yelled from the class room door over Ashido and Uraraka's heads.
"It doesn't matter." Katsuki stopped, glaring at all the students who refused to make way for him.
"Kacchan!" Izuku was furious with his attitude, but he looked down at her, before back up at the crowd. "None of that shit matters once you're at the top."
"... That... That's so Manly!" Kirishima cried out with a grin.
"HEY! Don't listen to that dumbass, all he did was make others pissed off at the entire class!" Kaminari pointed at Katsuki over the crowd. That was the last thing Izuku could hear from their class as Katsuki pushed his way through the crowd and pulled her along behind him. Izuku looked up at the back of his head. Her stomach was no longer full of any jitters or nerves... But her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Katsuki was right... This was a competition among the whole school, too stand out... to become number one... And she too had to put forth her best efforts as well.
"Kacchan..." Izuku called out his name as they left the front gate of the school and headed for the train station, his hand still locked on her wrist as they waited for the train. He was silent the whole time, staring only forward.
"What." He snapped, still not looking at her. Izuku was starting to think he was avoiding looking at her.
"That wasn't very cool of you, back there." She said loudly, and his head snapped around to glare at her, but she was smiling brightly at him. "Hah, I thought that would get you to look at me."
"WELL NOW I'M LOOKING, SO WHAT?!" He growled out, angry that her little trick had worked.
"I wanted to know when you were going to let go of me." She said, raising her arm up so he could see his hand was still clasping her wrist. He looked down at it, then back up with a steeled gaze.
"When I fucking feel like it." He snapped again, and was about to look away, when he noticed her laugh. "Why are you fucking laughing?!"
"Nothing... It's just... It's always been your way or the highway." She said with a smile, and looked up at the board that showed when the next train was arriving. "But... I wanted to tell you something you know..."
"Well what is it?!" He demanded, but even his shouted were drowned out at the sound of the train arriving. He growled in anger as he pulled her on, and they stood in silence on the train ride home. She wasn't saying a single word, and t was really starting to piss him off royally. After they exited the train, She stepped out first, and looked up a him as he continued to grip her wrist tightly. "WELL?! FUCKING SAY IT."
"I'll beat you." She told him, her resolve firm in her eyes. "In the sports festival, I'll do my best, and I will come out on top."
"FUCK YOU WILL." He shouted back at her, and dragged her along the street towards the direction of their homes. "I'm not gunna let some little girl like you beat me! I'll become number 1!"
"That's what I mean by what I said earlier," She laughed as they walked. She was brimming with too much confidence to be scared anymore. "But really, you need to let go of my wrist. I need to get home for dinner."
"RAAAAH!" Katsuki stopped at the corner and practically threw her arm off into the horizon. She blinked as she looked down at her freed wrist, before looking back up at him. "THERE!" He shouted at her, and stormed off in the direction of his home.
"... Why was he holding on so tightly...?" She asked herself, looking at the red hand mark on her skin. She flexed her hand, and looked back up at his retreating back.
Over the next two weeks, Izuku trained harder than ever. She upped her weights poundage, she even woke up earlier to jog for longer, every morning pushing the waves of the ocean back with the power of her fists. She felt stronger and stronger, pushing herself to the limits with all her might. A couple of days she had to visit recovery girl for some bruising, but all in all, she had greatly improved.
Then, the day of the sports festival arrived.
Izuku could hear fireworks booming through the walls as she stood in the corner of the waiting room their class was in. She was doing her breathing exercises, trying to keep herself calm and focused. She knew she could do this, she knew she could pull through... She had too... A Might was watching, and he had confidence in her.
"She's really focused," Uraraka said with a frown as she watched her friend mutter to herself in the corner of the room. The whole class was wearing their gym uniforms, while Iida made sure everyone was ready to step out onto the field as a class. "She's taking this seriously..."
"As we all should." Yaoyorozu commented from beside Uraraka, also worried about how much Izuku was muttering to herself. "She's pretty confident though."
Izuku was smiling nervously to herself, as she pulled her hair back with her hands, and tied it up with her all might hair tie. She jumped a little though in surprise as she heard Todoroki call her name.
"Midoriya," He was walking towards her, and Izuku could feel everyone in the room turn their eyes on them both.
"Uhm, Todoroki-kun, what's up?" She asked, her confident smile turning into a nervous one pretty quickly. He normally only made a comment here or there in class, they hadn't interacted much since the USJ fight. He usually had an indifferent look in his eyes, but since a couple of weeks ago, his gaze had turned cold towards her when ever she noticed him looking her way.
"... objectively, one can't help but notice you're pretty toned... and after that fight with the villains, I've seen your strength... With that, you've managed to get All Might's eyes on you, right?" His tone was as cold as his quirk as he spoke to her, and Izuku was surprised by this. "I'm not going to pry, but I want to say this." He lifted a finger to point at her. "I'm going to beat you." His words rung out in the silence of the room, and Izuku stiffened up at that challenge.
"What's this, a love confesion or declaration of war?" Kaminari commented from a table he sat at with Katsuki who was glaring darkly in the direction of the other two.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Kirishima was behind Todoroki frowning. "Why are you springing this shit on her right before the events?" He was giving the other boy a sour look, putting his hand on Todoroki's shoulder.
"I'm not here to make friends and place nice," Todoroki glared back at Kirishima.
Izuku was shivering not just from the cold Todoroki gave off, but from the icy words that he directed at her. She had no idea what she did to get him to challenge her in such a way, but he clearly held her to high standards. "Uhm..." She spoke up, and the boys turned to look at her, "I... Have no idea what your want from me by saying all that... You're probably stronger than me by far in terms of being able to handle your quirk..." she looked down at the ground.
"Deku-chan, don't put yourself down..." Uraraka was walking over now, an angry look on her face. "You shoul-"
"EVEN SO!" Izuku raised her head, meeting Todoroki's gaze with her own, "Everyone here, even the other classes, they're all aiming for the top! To be number 1! So I can't let myself lag behind the rest!" She clenched her fists, standing tall as she looked the boy in the eyes, "So I'm going for it too! I'M GOING TO USE ALL MY POWER TO GET TO THE TOP!" She declared loudly, shocking the whole room. A buzzer went off in the room, the signal for them to enter the arena. She turned on her heel with a spin, and headed out the door before the rest of them. She turned her head to look back at the room, and grinned, before heading out towards the entrance to the arena.
"... Dude..." Kaminari let out a low whistle as the class came back from the shock of what they had just seen.
"C-Come on, we all need to hurry!" Iida started, but Katsuki was out the door next, walking coolly with his hands in his pockets, sending a dark glared back at Todoroki who trudged along behind him. The rest of the class scrambled after girl whose words shook them to their cores.
"WOOOOOOOW! WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE YUUEI SPORTS FESTIVAL, WHERE FUTURE HEROES IM FOR THE TOP- AND EACH OTHERS THROATS!" Present Mics voice boomed around the Arena, as Izuku stood at the entrance, and pounded her right fist into her left hand, smiling uncontrollably. She was actually happy that Todoroki challenged her, because it lit a fire in her chest. Uraraka came up beside her, and she turned her head to smile up at her friend who stood beside her proudly. Izuku held out her left fist to her friend, who smiled and bumped her own against hers. The girls turned their heads forwards as they heard their classes introduction. "I'M GUESSING YOU ALL SHOWED UP FOR A GOOD LOOK AT THE CLASS WHO CAN KICK ASS, THE STARS WHO FACE VILLAINS AND LIVED, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEROICS FRESHMAN CLASS!" The crowd was cheering loudly as Izuku took her step forward and walked out onto the field with her class, clenching her fists at her side. "YOU'RE ALL HERE FOR CLASS 1-A RIIIIIIIIGHT?!"
Izuku looked up at the crowds that surrounded them as they took their place on the field, and while Present Mic continued with introductions, she took in the sight of just how many people where there watching them. She started to feel her nerves rumbling in her stomach, and she bit her lip. "Whoa, this is massive."
"NOW NOW, FAIR PLAY!" A woman was standing on the stage, and she was scantily clad. Izuku recognized the hero as Midnight, the 18+ heroine. She blushed a bit at the sigh of her costume, and had to look away for a second, wondering how one could wear that with out being embarrassed. "Every quiet down, and let's get the player rep up here for a short speech!" She called out too the students and crowd. "Bakugo Katsuki of 1-A!"
"... What...?" Izuku'z eyes widened as she called Katsuki's name, and she felt him brush against her arm as he passed through to head to the stage. "Kacchan is the rep?" She asked, blown away by that fact.
"He did place first in the entrance exam, remember?" Arui said with a kero as she looked up at Izuku.
Izuku was starting to get nervous as she watched Katsuki walk up to stage. She just knew he was going to say something to blow things out of the water, explosive in quirk, explosive in personality. "Please, Kacchan... Don't say something you normally would..." She had her hands clasped in front of her face, and saw that he looked back at her, their eyesight connecting, before he turned away, and looked up at Midnight.
"Sensei," He started, the whole stadium was quiet, "I'm going to place first." his tone of voice was full of confidence as he declared that, and turned on his heel to head back to his class. The others in their year were booing and jeering at him, and Izuku fell to her knee's, not knowing what she expected... She could hear his taunting words to the other classes, and Uraraka and Asui helped her back up to her feet as Katsuki stepped back into their class group. She looked up into his eyes as he walked towards her, and locked eyes with her once again. "... Don't you fucking forget it either." He told her, his voice low and devoid of anger or rage. He continued on past her after, and the three girls watched him in confusion.
"ALL RIGHT, ANYWAYS... WITH THAT WE CAN MOVE ON!" Midnight pointed to a giant hologram behind her. "ONTO THE PRELIMS OF OUR EVENT! LOTS OF FINE FUTURE HEROES END UP SHOKING ON THEIR OWN TEARS! THIS YERE THE FIRST ROUND IS... THIS!"
The words Obstacle race were flashing, and Izuku felt her breath catch in her throat. She was confident in her runing and jumping skills after all that training she did on the beach.
"It's a race between all 11 classes! The course is nearly 4km around the arena! We always sing about our freedom on campus..." Midnight let out a low laugh hat made Izuku shiver as she walked with the others too the starting line. "Well this is what it's all about! You're free to do anything so long as you remain in the course... now on your marks..."
Izuku took up her starting position, and focused with all her might. She had to push out the thoughts of others in her head... Her biggest competition was in her class, and she knew who would impede who... She had seen him use that quirk on the landslide zone at USJ, and had no doubt he'd use it here... "GET READY!" Izuku clenched her fists as she charged her power in her legs, it was now or never... "STAAAAAAAAAAAAART!"
Izuku took off with a bang of her own as she leapt over the heads of the others. She had seen this scenario before, the narrow exit was like the day Iida became class president, and she refused to get caught up in that mess again. She kept her eyes forward, but heard others make their start right behind her with similar thoughts. She easily cleared the exit of the arena, and landed with a roll on the ground. She used her momentum to get back on her feet, and continued to quickly advance, hearing exposions behind her and the crackle of ice. She looked to her side, as she felt a chill come up on her right, and her eyes narrowed at Todoroki who gave her a look she couldn't understand back.
"That was pretty flashy for a timid girl," He commented as they matched each others pace. Izuku grinned and turned her eyes forwards as she heard the others fast approaching. She even heard the cries of pain from the ones who got stuck in what she knew was his ice quirk.
"Gotta make a statement, show the world I'm here!" She called back to him. "And I plan to use everything I got to do that!"
"You knew I'd freeze the ground," His eyes were forward now too, "So you went high..."
"I told Kacchan this once, I take notes on all future heroes... That means I have analyzed every last one of our class mates as much as possible... I saw you fight. I know what I'm in for..." Izuku was enjoying the banter they had going as they ran with all their strength.
"I saw you fighting too you know," He looked over at her again, and she laughed.
"You saw me fighting weeks ago... I've gotten better since then!" Izuku called out to him.
"I AINT BUYING THIS BLUFF CRAP FROM YOU TODOROKI!" Mineta was behind them as well as many others. Their class mate looked angry as he threw his balls. "NOW SWALLOW MY KILLER MO-" Izuku's eyes widened as she watched him get slammed out of the way by a robot, and she slid to a stop in the dirst, and looked up.
"FIRST OBTACLE, THE VILLAIN BOTS FROM THE ENTRANCE EXAM!" Present Mic's voice could be heard, and Izuku looked up high as she spotted the giant robots. She laughed a bit, as she crouched down low, and Todoroki gave her a look.
"Been here before..." she said with a smile, here eyes never leaving the opponent before her, as she charged her legs again, and used them to leap into the air over the smaller robots.
"THE FIRST ONE TO ATTACK IS MIDORIYA, THE ONLY KID FROM THIS YEARS CLASS TO TAKE THE DEFENDER BOT DOWN IN ONE HIT?! WHAT WILL SHE DO THIS TIME WE WONDER?!" Present mic shouted over the PA, as Izuku kept her focus of one for all on her legs, and continued to jump higher, using parts of the bots as platforms to make her ascent. She made it too the top, and vaulted over the bot, gritting her teeth together as she heard the crackling of ice from below she had only a second to leap off the bots head before it became frozen. "AND SHE'S OVER! BUT WHAT'S THIS?! TODOROKI HAS FROZEN THEM FROM WHEEL TO HEAD!"
"Ha..." She laughed a bit, as she fell towards the earth, seeing her landing coming up fast. She never broke her focus on her legs though, and tipped forwards into a flip, before bring her leg down in a kick towards the ground. "SMASH!" She cried out, and the resulting gale from her kick cushioned her landing, and with a kick off the ground she continued on. Some where in her descent though, Todoroki had taken the lead because of his easy slip through the bots. She continued on through, feeling a tiny bit of strain in her legs. Izuku looked over her shoulder as she heard sounds of her classmates catching up to her, and started to sweat nervously as she saw Katsuki closing in with his explosive hands.
"DEKUUUUUUUU!" He looked pissed off, and she turned her gaze ahead and picked up the speed to get away from him. "GET BACK HERE! YOU THINK YOU TWO CAN TAKE THE LEAD?!"
"WELL YEAH!" she shouted, and heard one loud explosion behind her. She bit her lip as she pushed on harder now, and came to a sliding stop at the next obstacle. Others were coming in droves now behind her, and Todoroki had just finished crossing the pitfalls before her with his quirk. Izuku took a run back to gain ground, before Katsuki blasted past her, shooting a murderous glare back at her as he did. She gulped, and wasn't sure how badly she wanted to follow now.. but others were gaining ground on her. She looked around her, calculating the distance between each platform. She couldn't make the whole leap, or she might tear a muscle... She had to go platform to platform. Others were upon her now, easily getting across, but she made a run for it, and focused hard on her legs, not on the others as she leaped into the air, and started hopping from each stone tower to the next. While she had been thinking others had gained ground on her, and she could hear a series of explosions ahead of her.
"WOW! IT'S STARTING TO TURN OUT INTO AN ACTUAL RACE AS OTHERS IX IN WITH THE FRONT RUNNERS! WHO WILL WIN?!" Present Mic shouted, and Izuku approached the last obstacle after clearing the pitfall.
"A Mine field..." she felt sweat drip down her cheek, as she looked around as some people got blasted away by the landmines. Her gaze went to the people at the front, and saw Katsuki and Todoroki pushing and fighting as they tried to make their way across. "... Boys..." she said with a shake of her head, and she took a breath. "Looks like I'm going to have to risk it... there's no other way..." she looked at the minefield ahead of her, then down at the ground. She spotted a big heavy rock, and smiled a bit.
She grabbed it off the ground, and took several steps backwards. She needed this... She needed to prove she could beat them... "50% physical..." she told herself as she felt her legs pulse with electricity, and buzz. She took off at a run, flashing past the others as she got as close too the mine field as possible, before she took off with a booming jump, causing others to turn and look back at her. She soared through the air above them, "50% MENTAL!" She shouted as she came down on the boys at the front who were fighting with each other still. They hadn't seen her... The must have assumed herexplosive power was just another land mine... "HEY! OUTTA MY WAY!" She shouted, as she pulled her arm back, and threw the rock at the landmines in front of their feet. The two boys looked up at her, wide eyes, before they were blow apart by the explosion, and Izuku braced herself to take the blast with her arms. She groaned a bit, as it sent her flying, but she was going where she needed too... She turned in the air, and used her kick to cushion herself once again, and she rolled into her run.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Katsuki shouted loudly behind her, but she ignored him. She felt a burning pain in her legs, as if they had caught fire... But she wouldn't let that stop her. She needed to get the lead, she had promised All Might... She told him she'd make him proud! She looked up at the entrance to the arena, and could feel the burning gazes on the back of her neck, the had to be only meters behind her... She gave one last kick off from the ground with her right leg, choking back tears from the pain as she did, but she had launched herself forwards and across the finishing line.
"AND THE FIRST ONE BACK IS MIDORIYA IZUKUUUUU!" Present mic shouted over the PA as Izuku came crashing into the field, rolling and tumbling from the momentum of her kick, before she grabbed the ground and raised her head to look up at the roaring stadium around her. "WHAT AN ENTRANCE, FOLKS! THATS ONE HECK OF A GIRL, GUYS! WOULDN'T LET HER GET AWAY!" Izuku was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath as some people with healing quirks ran out onto the field. She pushed herself to stand, despite the screaming her muscles were doing in her legs, and she lifted her head up to look into the stands, and spotted All Might instantly. She laughed, and raised her fist, grinning brightly as tears fell down her face.
"AH! SPEAKING OF GUYS CHASING GIRLS, IN SECOND PLACE WE HAVE TODOROKI SHOUTO! AND RIGHT BEHIND HIM BY A HAIR, IS BAKUGO KATSUKI!" Present mics words pierced through Izuku's mind, and she could feel the glares on the back of her head. She turned her head to look back at them, but her legs finally gave out, and she crumbled to her knee's. She groaned in pain as she gripped the ground, cursing the shorts she decided to wear that day. She could see the bruising forming on the back of her legs, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be...
A Medic came to her air, using their quirk to heal her minor scrapes and initial bruising, and she smiled a bit as she was told off for using her quirk too much, and she let herself fall back on the dirt to take a rest while the other runners filtered in.
"DEKU-CHAAAAAAAN!" Izuku lifted her head lazily to see Uraraka come running. She was beaming brightly as she slid to a stop by her friend, and laughed as she grabbed Izuku by the hand to pull her up. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT BACK THERE?! THAT WAS WILD! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! YOU SOARED THROUGH THE AIR!"
"I'm alright, I got a bit of treatment." Izuku said with a bright smile at Uraraka as she unzipped her jacket to cool off a bit while they wait to gather back up. "I'm sorry, I didn't see any of your moves..."
"That's okay, you were really far ahead." The brunette looked a little miffed by that, but then cracked a smile again. "BUT HOLY COW, you kept up with Todoroki and Bakugo, and then BEAT them!" she said with her fists in the air. "I still can't get over it! You were amazing out there!"
"Thanks," Izuku beamed brightly, and looked around at the contestants that were deemed to have passed the preliminaries. She finally got a chance to look over at the two boys she beat out, and Katsuki was glaring daggers at her, while Todoroki had an icy stare. Izuku quickly turned away from them, a nervous smile plastered on her face once again.
"... Well, I dunno about you, but I'm surprised you still have such long hair..." Uaraka commented as Iida approached them happily. "What with the fiery glares at the back of your head."
"Mmhmm!" Izuku was trying to ignore the two boys who had both laid out challenges too her. She didn't really want to get caught up in a heated argument what with the next event coming at them right away.
"WOW! WHAT A RACE! And now for the the post Preliminaries!" Midnight had taken the stage again, and the hologram behind her was spinning. "Now, for today's heart pounding second event! What could it be? I already know, but I'm sure you're all dying of suspense! Well I'll tell you what it is!"
Midnight struck a pose on the stage as the spinner stopped, and the words Human Cavalry Battle flashed across the screen for all to see. "BEHOLD!"
"A team battle...?" Izuku asked to herself, Uraraka at her side. They both listened intently to the rules as Midnight explained them, and Izuku swallowed a lump in her throat. She was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as Midnight moved on from the set up of the battle, to on how the point value would be assigned to each team.
"The number of points each person is assigned, will be based on how you placed in the race! Oh I love ryhmes!" Midnight let out a laugh, and continued. "The 42nd place will be worth 5 points, the 41st place 10, an so on and so forth, except for the 1st place winner, Whose head is worth a whopping TEN MILLION POINTS!"
"T-Ten...?" Izuku was shocked, her expression blank as Uraraka turned to look at her,
"Million...?" Uraraka asked, and looked around as everyone set their eyes on Izuku. She felt the wave of competition wash over her as it was directed towards Izuku, who stood in a daze at the declaration of points.
Izuku's head was spinning as she felt all eyes on her, and their gaze felt like it was piercing her skin. She could remember the words of her bullies back in highschool, people putting her down, calling her useless... But this gaze felt different... They didn't see her as a weak little girl, they saw her as a strong opponent, and an obstacle to be taken down.
"NOW THEN, IF I WERE YOU, I'D AIM FOR THE GIRL WHO PLACED FIRST! BUT WHAT GUY ISN'T AT THIS POINT?!" Midnight laughed loudly. "YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES TO GATHER YOUR TEAM, STARTING NOW!"