Chapter 9: Sports Joust..er.. Festival
"So this is a joust?" Valkyrie asked, looking from her ticket to the numbered seats.
"No, it's more like a tournament," Thor answered, finding his own seat and sitting down.
"Midoriya explained it already," Loki sighed, sitting between the two. "It ends with a tournament, but there are preliminary rounds since the amount of First Years is large."
"Does winning grant some kind of rank promotion?" Valkyrie asked, reaching over Loki to grab some popcorn from Thor, much to Loki's annoyance.
"It's more about scouting and public exposure so that companies will want to hire them out of school as Heroes and such." Thor answered.
"And a monetary prize," Loki added, digging a hand in Thor's popcorn tub.
"You know, why didn't you two get your own?" Thor grumbled. He then turned to Inko, seated at his other side. "Would you like some?" Loki rolled his eyes at the display.
Inko grabbed a small handful. "Thank you for the tickets, Thor. I can't wait to watch my boy in action. This is much better than watching at home! I just hope he'll be alright."
"Screw just being alright, for how much training I've put him through the last few weeks, he better win," Valkyrie laughed.
--
Midoriya approached the starting line, the rest of class 1-A on either side of him. Past them were students of the Support Courses, General Classes, and the rest of the First Years. He scanned the competition and saw Todoroki a few paces away.
I already know his opening strategy, Midoriya thought. He crouched at the line and waited for the siren to note the beginning of the race.
The siren blared and, as Midoriya expected, Todoroki charged forward, thrust his right arm backwards, and sent a wall of ice behind him to entrap as many first years as he could.
Midoriya stepped forward and slammed his hammer against the ground. A shockwave disrupted the earth and shattered enough of the ice for him to charge though. In his peripheral vision, he could see smoke from an explosion and Bakugou break through, as did some of the others from his class.
With no time to think, he gave chase to Todoroki and rounded a corner, hearing a chorus of gasps come from behind him.
Hidden from side due to the curvature of the landscape was a valley full of Zero Pointer robots.
"They use these for SPORT NOW?!" Kaminari cried from a few feet away.
Todoroki didn't let it slow him down. He used his ice to create a slide of sorts to zip past and around the legs of the Zero Pointers. Inspired, Ashido did the same thing, and Sero himself used his tape to latch onto the legs of a robot and swing between them.
Midoriya began to swing Mjolnir at his side, but before he could even formulate an attack plan, he was almost deafened as a blast rang out from about ten meters to his right. He looked over to see Yaoyorozu had created a naval cannon from her stomach and was shooting holes in each Zero Pointer.
As the robots began to collapse, Midoriya began racing forward again, swinging Mjolnir overhead to destroy debris and knock it out of his way. Don't need to fight them, just need to get through.
As he cleared the robots he came to another hazard; a canyon that needed to be crossed, with various pillars scattered across it. Todoroki himself had already cleared this and dismantled his ice bridge so no one could follow.
"SUCK IT, NERD!" Bakugou shouted as he brushed past Midoriya, using explosions to propel himself from one pillar to another. He looked back and gave Deku the middle finger.
Shoot, Midoriya cursed, There's no way I can use wind boosts to get all the way over there...
"Come on, Midoriya!" A voice came from behind him, making him jump. He turned to see Asui rush past him and use her frog jump to make it across to another pillar herself.
As he watched her, a girl with pink hair walked past him, aiming some sort of shoulder mounted rifle. "Look out, Hammer Bro."
He took a step back as the girl - who he realized must have been a support student due to the amount of headgear and mechanical equipment she had strapped to her, shot a grappling hook from her mounted gun, and then planted the line on the ground. Without another word, she began balancing across it.
Midoriya looked around to see other students figuring out ways across. He couldn't stop here.
With no other choice, he set Mjolnir down, stepped on top of the line after her, and began following her. "You better not knock me off balance!" She scowled over her shoulder.
Midoriya said nothing, just looked straight ahead at the thin line he was trying to cross, not answering the young woman ahead.
--
"Why isn't he just flying?" Loki asked, squinting at the screen.
"He doesn't know how yet," Valkyrie answered.
"Doesn't know - what are you teaching him?!" Loki rounded on Thor. "It's been over a year and you haven't taught him FLIGHT?!"
"Flying isn't easy," Thor defended, scooting away. "It's a harness of wind energy within and it's indescribable as a feeling. It's not easy to teach because of that. I've tried."
Loki just stared at his brother with eyes that said, "are you shitting me?"
--
About halfway across the canyon, the line Midoriya and Pink Haired Support Girl were crossing shook violently, threatening to knock the two down. Midoriya looked back in horror to see the blond boy from class 1-B - Monoma - stomping on the line to try and knock it off balance.
"That motherfucker." Midoriya whispered. He usually wasn't one for swearing - hearing it from Bakugou all of his life made it seem distasteful. But as the line snapped, he repeated, "THAT MOTHERFUCKER!"
As he began to tumble downwards, he heard the high pitched yelp of the girl in front of him.
No one was around to save them.
It's up to me! He realized as the blood began to rush to his ears.
Holding out his hand, he summed Mjolnir to his hand, never taking his eyes off the pink-haired girl in front of him. As the hammer met his palm, he thrust it forward, riding the wind and momentum to dive towards her. He wrapped his left arm around her waist, and then pointed Mjolnir upwards. The two rose above the canyon and landed Midoriya spun the hammer above his head, gently descending as the two landed on the other side of the clearing.
As he released the girl, he was hit with realization and he stopped to stare at Mjolnir.
He had flown.
The girl with the pink hair gave him a big smile. "Thanks! You sure seem handy to be around. Catch you later!"
He snapped himself out of his amazement and looked behind him. Most of the first years were still struggling with the canyon, but he could hear Present Mic announcing that the leaders of the race had made it to the next obstacle.
He looked down at his hammer and grinned.
Why bother running? He spun Mjolnir at his side and thrust it forward, lifting himself off the ground and flying forward. As he flew a few feet over Asui's head, he turned and gave her a small wave as she croaked in surprise.
"Since when can you do that? Kero." She shouted.
"It's new!" He yelled behind him.
--
"See? Look, he can fly!" Thor laughed triumphantly.
"Psh. You didn't have any part of it," Loki scoffed, but he couldn't hide his own grin.
--
As Midoriya flew to the last challenge before reaching the arena - a minefield - he saw Todoroki and Bakugou slowly walking over the field to avoid explosions. Deku wasted no time soaring over their heads, and in mid air, turned to make eye contact with Bakugou.
Midoriya gave him a middle finger in return, grinning as he turned back and heard the sounds of explosions behind him. He wasn't sure if they were Bakugou or the minefield, but was too far ahead for either of them to catch now.
"AND MIDORIYA IZUKU MAKES IT TO THE ARENA FIRST!" Present Mic screamed to the crowd, who cheered along with him.
Midoriya turned to see other hordes of students emerge into the arena after him. On a giant screen over the stands, rankings began to fly on the screen as the last desperate push came in from the first years of UA.
"Deku! We made it!" He heard from off to his side.
He turned and beamed to see Uraraka, Iida and Tsuyu running towards him. "Awesome!"
Iida nodded, but seemed to take no joy in finishing near the top of rankings. "I thought my Quirk was well suited to a race, but the canyon and minefield admittedly put me at a disadvantage."
"Speaking of advantages, since when can you fly?!" Uraraka cried, hitting Deku lightly on the shoulder as students began to crowd around further.
"To be honest, I don't know what happened," Midoriya laughed, embarrassed. "That guy from class 1-B sabotaged a rope I was using across the canyon and me and some girl started falling. I just kind of... freaked out and flew."
"Hopefully that helps you in the next part of the tournament, kero," Tsuyu said, tapping her finger to her mouth. "After all, supposedly the challenges are made with all Quirks in mind."
--
"See, look at that!" Thor boomed with laughter, standing up and dumping the remainder of his Popcorn tub on the poor sap in front of him. "He's winning!"
Inko said nothing next to that, just cried quietly, mouth open in a wide-eyed smile.
"That was just a preliminary though, right?' Valkyrie asked. "So how do they start ruling people out?"
"If you just listen, the weird woman in the white bodysuit will tell us," Loki sighed, pointing to a podium where Pro Hero and Teacher Midnight was announcing the next face of the Sports Festival: The Cavalry Battle.
--
"...and the point headbands will increase in value in incremental points," Midnight explained to the crowd and the contestants, before making direct eye contact with Midoriya. "With the exception of our current first place student. You see Midoriya Izuku, your headband will be worth a whopping ONE MILLION POINTS!"
The crowd cheered, but Deku could feel every student in the arena turn and glare at him with hungry eyes. Despite being in his gym clothes like everyone else, he felt incredibly naked under the gaze of the entire freshman class.
"... that... uh," he gulped as he tried to stammer out a response "...neat."
Midnight laughed, "Is there anything you want to say to the crowd before the Cavalry Battle begins?"
Midoriya choked nervously, but the microphone didn't make it to him before Bakugou ripped it from Midnight's outstretched hand.
"YOU!!!" He screamed, pointing right at Midoriya.
"... me?" Midoriya asked, bewildered, pointing at himself.
--
"Who's the anger management case?" Valkyrie asked, disdainfully.
"I believe that's Kachow, isn't it brother?" Loki sneered.
"Aye, that is indeed young Kachow," Thor nodded, before loudly shouting, "BOOOOO!"
Inko held in a laugh as Loki and Valkyrie joined in; a few rows down, Bakugou Mitsuki turned and glared at the God of Thunder. "Foreigners," Mrs. Bakugou muttered under her breath.
--
"I'm going to PERSONALLY rip that headband RIGHT OF YOUR SHITTY FOREHEAD!" Bakugou growled for the whole arena to hear. "I'll beat you, AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE!" He turned and grit his teeth at the rest of the first years, a few of them stepping away. "BECAUSE I AM THE STRONGEST AND I AM GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO!" He sent an explosion over his head for show.
The other first years began to shout back at him, so he shouted, once more, "You don't like it? WELL, THAT'S TOO DAMN BAD!"
He dropped the microphone and stormed off. Midoriya's nerves were replaced by the sound of thunder in his head and the feeling of his blood boiling. He bent down and grabbed the microphone.
"Hey."
Bakugou turned as Midoriya spoke, the two boys making eye contact.
"If you think you can take this headband from me, you're more than welcome to try." Midoriya challenged in an even tone, handing the mic back to Midnight, and picking up Mjolnir.
You could almost hear Bakugou's teeth grinding from the stands. As Midoriya turned, he could see Todoroki at the front of the crowd of first years, glaring at him. "That goes for you, too." He said, just loud enough for Todoroki to hear.
"SUCH MACHISMO!" Midnight squealed. "I love it! You all have fifteen minutes to pick teams."
As the students dispersed into small groups, Midoriya retreated to his group of friends.
"Well, I think you got under his skin, kero," Asui said, putting her finger to her chin. "Should the four of us make a team?"
Midoriya's expression shifted to a grin. "That would be awesome! There's no one I'd trust more than you guys."
The two turned to Uraraka and Iida, but their friends were both not looking nearly as confident. "Guys...?" Midoriya asked.
"Look, Deku..." Uraraka began, rubbing her arm. "Iida and I were talking earlier today and..."
"We don't want to feel like we're living in your shadow," Iida finished.
"Shadow...?" He echoed.
"If we team with you, everyone will be focused on you and your bounty," Uraraka explained. "This is our big chance. I'm sorry, but I'm going to go see if I can team with someone else."
"Right. You're my friend, but you're my rival too." Iida said, turning away. Tellingly though, he couldn't look Deku in the eyes as he said that.
It took Midoriya minute to process this as he watched his friends walk off, fighting the urge to cry. He had grown used to people not wanting to team with him when he grew up Quirkless, but this time stung in particular. He didn't turn to Asui as he asked, because he was afraid of her answer. "Do you... want to team with someone else too, Tsuyu?"
There was a brief pause, but he felt a bit relieved as he felt her hand - slightly larger than average - grab his shoulder. "Don't worry, kero. I've got your back."
He sniffed. "Thanks, Tsuyu. Let's find some more -"
"LOOK NO FURTHER!"
Midoriya and Asui both jumped at the loud voice that had sprang up behind them. It was the Support Girl from earlier, the one with the pink hair and tech around her waist. "Oh, hey, it's you!" Midoriya smiled. "Glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you were there with that nifty flying hammer!" The girl beamed, extending her hand. "Hatsume Mei, at your service. Remember the name, because you'll be coming to me and my babies for all your Support Gear soon!"
Midoriya shook her hand but exchanged unsure glances with Asui as he did. "Nice to meet you, Hatsume."
She introduced herself and shook hands with Asui. "Now look. You guys should have me on your team, I've got these," she pointed to the giant metallic boots on her feet. "Anti-gravity Boost Boots for High jumps and slow falls. With Tsuyu's jumping and your wind control, we'll practically be able to fly!"
"That sounds great, kero," Asui replied, "but do they work?"
"Of course they work!" Hatsume grinned. "They've worked in six out of every ten trial runs!"
"I... would hope for better," Deku said.
"Hey, sixty percent of the time, they work every time!" Hatsume argued. "Besides, let me help you out for helping me out!"
Midoriya and Asui looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright Hatsume, welcome aboard." Midoriya smiled. "We should get one more person here to act as defense, put them in front. Do you have any ideas?"
"Psh, no." Hatsume rolled her eyes. "People suck, I usually just hang out with my babies."
"... cool cool cool." Midoriya sighed.
The three of them went around to some of the other students of class 1-A, realizing they only had five minutes left. They tried Tokoyami first, but he was teaming with Shouji and Mineta. Todoroki himself had already nabbed Iida, Uraraka, and Kaminari. Bakugou had already secured Sero, Kirishima, and Ashido as well.
"Sorry man," Sero had said, scratching his neck, "If I knew you had wanted to team up, I would have said no to Bakugou. If I backed out now, I think he'd blow me to hell."
"It's cool," Midoriya sighed, and looked to his left.
And then he saw him. A grin broke out on his face, and he ran, taking Asui and Hatsume by surprise. "Hey!"
He made his way over to Aoyama and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey!"
Aoyama jumped and whipped around. "You startled me, Midoriya!"
"Sorry, but I think you'd be perfect for our team!" Deku pleaded, leaving out the part where he'd said the same thing to Tokoyami a few minutes ago.
A giant smile spread over Aoyama's face. "Finally! I should have known it'd be mon ami that would see the glory I can bring to a Cavalry Team!"
This took Midoriya by surprise a bit. "No one asked you yet?"
"Non, I even asked around. People underestimate the power of my twinkle cannon!"
His... what? Midoriya blinked.
By now, Asui and Hatsume had caught up to them and Hatsume was eyeing the boy up and down. "You sure this is our guy, Midoriya?"
"Absolutely!" Midoriya assured him. "I've got a plan guys. Listen..."