CHAPTER 19: THIS AIN'T A SCENE, IT'S A QUIRKS RACE
Toga POV
I watched the festival from inside the stadium. Katsuki had bought me a ticket, telling me that his parents planned to watch from home. So, he wanted me to be there in person to cheer him on, and to show me what my future allies might look like. He already bought the ticket when we spoke, so I went. WHen I asked why, he simply smiled and told me that he wanted to make it up to me for not being able to spend too much time with me.
That much was true, at least. Since starting at UA, he's only managed to meet up with me six or seven times.
Watching everyone line up at the starting line was definitely interesting. I had seen it in years past, but it was way different being there in person.
Imagine if Katsuki's parents had been there, it would be pretty awkward to explain. Still, this is gonna be fun!
I wonder how he's gonna do? He smiled and said he was going to win the whole thing, but did he mean that?
Deku POV
As we all assumed our starting positions, I glanced over at Kacchan and shared a nod with him. "Let's work together."
Kacchan smiled. "We're gonna blow these people away!"
*BANG!*
I charged ahead as the starting pistol went off. The students crowded into the narrow hallway and so began a storm of pushing and shoving as we tried to get to the exit.
I just tried to squeeze through the crowd as the exit was eventually reached. I knew that I shouldn't use Full Cowling in here. Who knows who I'd accidentally hurt? As it thinned out, the temperature of the air decreased dramatically, announcing that Todoroki had made his move.
Ice crawled over the ground at a rapid rate, freezing people in place. I only barely saw it coming and leapt over it, along with several others who were airborne in their own ways near the front. Yaoyorozu by spawning a pole from her hand and vaulting, Aoyama by shooting his Navel Laser (how was he keeping control in the air like that?), and of course Kacchan with his explosions, shooting forth like a rocket.
They were all so amazing! I was about to geek out, but something caught my attention up ahead.
You have gotta be kidding…
A row of five or six Zero Point robots were lined up across the road. I remembered the last time I faced one of those, and I didn't want to break my body so badly right out of the gate. Todoroki was sprinting a short ways ahead of the crowd. I noticed his hair float up a little bit before he touched the ground and swung his arm.
The path ahead erupted in ice, the crystalline substance overwhelming the giant robots in an arctic cloud and freezing them in place. I had to cover my face to try and block out the biting cold wind.
As it died down, Todoroki charged ahead at a rapid pace, and people began to realize something. "Hey, there are gaps in the legs! We can get through!
But I could barely make out Todoroki's voice, right on cue with my own observation.
"Careful now. I froze those robots while they were off balance-" That was all I needed to hear.
Activating Full Cowling, I spared my arms a glance. I had to consciously maintain the output, because otherwise I might let myself go too far. Kacchan had attacked me over and over during the week of training so I could move and attack reliably, but I still needed to keep an eye on my power level.
I charged toward a robot that wasn't frozen. As the cloud of dust erupted, I darted around the legs of the unfrozen one. The others were kicking it into high gear as Kirishima broke out of a zero point robot. Wait, he was trapped under there?! He's tough! Wait… so was that other metal guy who popped up beside him.
I looked back at the path to see other exam robots up ahead. How did the school get the funding to build all of these? I have no idea, but this isn't gonna be easy!
A one-pointer made a beeline and took a swing at me, just like the entrance exam. Unlike the entrance exam though, I had experience!
"SMASH!" I plowed a fist into the robot as Kacchan blasted over the zero-pointer.
Our classmates were breaking through as well, barely stopping to think when the point robots from the exam rushed towards them. We had learned to strike hard and fast during the Villain attack, not giving them a chance to attack back. That seems to have transferred over, so at least one good thing came of that.
"Yo!" He landed beside me, and with a barely perceptible nod, we took off. I could hear the commentary from Mr. Mic and Mr. Aizawa, but right now, I need to focus. I need to show the world what I can do!
My POV
I smiled as Deku dispatched the robot. Our other classmates were doing the same, starting to pull ahead of the pack. They really learned to not hesitate.
"Pay attention, dumbass!"
I snapped out of it thanks to Grump's shout just in time. The second obstacle spread out before us, pillars rising up from the abyss. A few of the others were looking on in apprehension. I could see Todoroki on the other side, but Ashido didn't seem to want anything to do with it. "Please tell me this is gonna be easier than it looks…"
I glanced over at my best friend, thinking through our combos for one that would fit. Luckily, there was the perfect one for this scenario.
"Deku! Leapfrog Formation!"
"We really need to work on that name." Full Cowling intensified again as Deku sprung into the air.
The snail girl raised a brow. "What's Leapfrog Formation?"
"You'll see." I readied myself and blasted off after him. As he reached the height of his arc, I intercepted the descent. His feet touched my back and he leapt off of it, pushing me down.
"Whoa! Okay, maybe we should have tested this more."
"No shit, Sherlock."
"(Shut up, Grump.)"
"The fuck did you say to me?!"
I blasted myself to a platform before firing after him again like a missle, ignoring Grump as best as I could. We repeated the process a few more times to get to the other side.
"That's so unfair!" Ashido complained before making her own way across. Tsu was almost across too, as was Hatsume and a few others, and we needed to catch up to Todoroki.
I grit my teeth in a grin. This is good. It wouldn't be fun if it were too easy.
With an almost imperceptible nod, we took off. Mic's voice intruded on my thoughts. "Bakugo and Midoriya of Class 1A are on fire, clearing each obstacle so far as a team! But can either one of them catch up to Todoroki as he enters the final obstacle?!"
I could see the minefield up ahead as Mic explained it, and Todoroki was picking his way across cautiously, probably to avoid giving anyone else a path with his ice. Smart.
"Kacchan, I've got a plan! Todoroki's slowed down, so you and I each have an opportunity. You go on ahead!"
I raised a brow as Deku began to dig through the spots where the landmines were buried. "What's the game plan?"
"Remember the skateboard incident? It's going to be kinda like that, only without you and the board." I remembered that all right. The pair of us on a single board, propelled by my blasts. It ended poorly once that downward hill got involved.
"If you say so. Hammer Throw!" Deku nodded and grabbed the back of my shirt, activating One For All. He yanked, spinning me around once, twice, three times before he hurled me out into the field with enhanced strength. I blasted off, flying towards Todoroki. The metal plates on Deku's shoes would probably protect him, but what was his plan this time? I mean, he didn't grab that chunk of metal this time, so he had no flying sled this time.
Oh well, Bomberman time.
Kendo POV (Meanwhile…)
I was closer to the front of the pack, sprinting in an attempt to get ahead. If Bakugo managed to make it past this and not me, I'm not gonna be happy.
"Hey! Kendo!" Sero ran up beside me. I smiled seeing my friend doing well in this race.
"Hey Sero. Think you're going to be able to keep up?" The black haired boy nodded as we picked up the pace, trying to outpace each other.
*BOOM* An explosion sounded up ahead, a telltale sign that Bakugo was ahead of us. I squinted, seeing Bakugo was flying after Midoriya, who was glowing with green lightning.
So, he got his power under control, huh? Good for him.
"Looks like those two are working together. Want to try for a combo, Kendo?" Sero was grinning as we came up on the chasm and platforms.
"No thank you. In fact, I already have an idea." Speaking of, thank you Bakugo. I ran to the edge, set my fists to the ground and quickly expanded them, creating lift. I landed halfway down a wire, grabbing hold and swinging around on top of it.
I'm really into this! You might win this round Bakugo, but I'm coming for you!
My POV (Now)
I flew after the heterochromatic boy, the explosions seemingly alerting him to my presence. I flew up by his left side, taking advantage of his self-imposed mental block. Jerk move? Yes. Smart move? Also yes.
"Forgot about my flight, Freezerburn? Well, you won't now! TAKE THIS!" I threw a blast at the ground in front of him, hoping to trip him up.
It set off a mine, a burst of pink smoke erupted from the ground.
Todoroki stumbled and growled under his breath. He threw his right arm, trying to freeze me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't canon Bakugo. After that quick attempt, I blasted off ahead toward the exit of the minefield and out of the fire and ice user's reach. Hopefully those few seconds would give Deku enough time.
Toga POV
I was smiling like a madgirl, knowing exactly what Katsuki was planning to do. This excitement was part of the reason I stuck around with him. Well, that, and the fact that he didn't think I was a creepy freak.
He's only one of a few people I've known to be kind to the real me. Maybe I should listen to him more? But then, Giran didn't really mind me either.
Aagh! So much to think about!
Now's not the time though. This was just starting to heat up. And I'm not just talking about the games.
My cheeks warmed up when I got a good look at the boy that Katsuki was helping. He looked just like my first crush! Only he wasn't as bloody.
Izuku Midoriya… I think I might have a crush on him already. If only he bled a little more…
He and Katsuki worked together, and I could see how they moved together with the harmony of two people who had known each other for a long time.
They're like brothers, as Katsuki said once. Maybe he could introduce me? But then, I'm not sure that I could control myself. Katsuki has been helping me with controlling myself, but it just feels too stifling sometimes.
The people in this race, using their powers, they seem so carefree as they give it their all. If only that was my path…
Deku POV
I finished digging up the small collection of mines, and took a couple of steps back. "Thanks for the idea, Kacchan. Burst Jump!"
I leapt onto the mines, letting the protective plates of my shoes guard me as the explosion jettisoned me in an arc through the air. Luckily, I didn't go too high, but landing would still hurt. Hopefully the durability boost of One For All would help me out with that.
I could see Kacchan blasting ahead, but I was almost coming up on Todoroki. So fast! I activated Full Cowling, letting the green lightning flow over my body. I was flying towards a landmine as Todoroki looked over his shoulder and steeled his gaze. He began to form an ice path, but it barely didn't act quickly enough as I flew at high speed.
"SMASH!" I landed on a mine. The explosion along with the impact of the ice countered my velocity, causing me to bounce forward and tumble across the ground.
Springing up from the roll and sprinting at 5%, I could see Kacchan had gotten a jump on me. I charged headlong, glancing behind me only for a moment and immediately regretting it.
Todoroki was propelling himself after me using his ice! That's so cool! No, bad Izuku, this isn't the time to geek out! I turned my gaze ahead as I kept sprinting for all it was worth.
Kacchan glanced back at me before igniting Sword Skill. The extra kick sent him rocketing ahead as I was in hot pursuit, followed swiftly by Todoroki.
This was gonna be close!
My POV
I blasted as hard as I could, speeding up as much as possible. I barely kept control as I shot into the open.
"Katsuki Bakugo is the winner!" A cheer erupted from the crowd as I skidded to a halt on the turf. I… won? I won! I won… I… am going to have everyone gunning for me soon.
Crap.
Oh well, it for a penny.
"Congratulations Kacchan, you did it!" Deku skidded to a halt as he jogged over, some exhaustion starting to kick in. He hadn't maintained One For All for quite this long at a time before.
"Thanks Deku. I think I've put even more of a target on my back now, since I won while helping you."
I looked up at the board as people filtered in.
1st: Katsuki Bakugo
2nd: Izuku Midoriya
3rd: Shoto Todoroki
4th: Ibara Shiozaki
5th: Juzo Honenuki
6th: Tenya Iida
7th: Hanta Sero
8th: Fumikage Tokoyami
9th: Itsuka Kendo
10th: Eijiro Kirishima
11th: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
12th: Mashirao Ojiro
13th: Yosetsu Awase
14th: Tsuyu Asui
15th: Momo Yaoyorozu
16th: Mezo Shojo
17th: Ochako Uraraka
18th: Minoru Mineta
19th: Rikido Sato
20th: Shihai Kuroiro
The list ran on as more and more students filtered in. I had no idea what the individual rankings were here, so I don't know what could have changed.
With a glance, I could see Toga jumping for joy in the stands like someone half her age. It was almost enough to make me forget what she was like during our first encounter. Almost.
Deku followed my gaze. "Is that her?"
I nodded subtlely. I asked her to come here because I thought it would do her good to be among people again. I knew it was hard on her to control her urges, but hey, she could master them in the future with help. This just seems like an ideal step in that direction. That, and I wanted to bond with her more.
Speaking of steps, I glanced down at Deku's shoes. They were smoking pink a tiny bit. "Uh, Deku? Your shoes."
He gave them a glance. "In hindsight, I should have seen this coming."
He held up his shoe to reveal warped and splintered metal, split in half and bent with the additional running. It looked like it had been compromised, to say the least. Well, the plating on the robot he used was thick, and a lot tougher than this stuff by comparison. So, he would have to get this stuff removed. Or rather, I would have to remove it.
"Sit down for a sec, I'll get the plating off as best I can. I'll try to get it as smoothed out as possible."
"Thanks Kacchan." We sat on the ground as I ignited my hand and held it to the metal, doing my best to melt it and pull it away with my sword-skilled hands. The energy protected me from burning myself, but I could still feel the heat to an extent, especially since my energy already warmed me up somewhat.
"Even now, we still rely on each other so much. I guess some things never change." I nodded at my best buddy's observation. We worked best as a unit, though our individual skills were nothing to scoff at.
As we stood, I chose to respond. "Yeah. But my gut tells me the next match is going to disrupt that."
"Deku! Bakugo!" I turned and grinned at Uraraka and Iida as they approached. Deku stood as I finished ripping off the plating.
"Hey you two! Congrats on the race!" We began to talk amongst ourselves as the remainder of the students filtered in.
I took a deep breath, drawing a raised eyebrow from the others. Iida stiffened up and pointed a stiff arm at me. "Bakugo! Has the race taken so much out of you already?"
I held up my hands with a smile, waving off his concern. "It's okay, it's nothing. I just have a bad feeling about this. I came in first here, so I think I'm going to be even more of a target. What's more, the next event could play into that for all I know."
"You really shouldn't worry so much, Bakugo. I'm sure it's going to be fine! Besides, all we need to do is our best!" Uraraka smiled before pumping her fists. I nodded and smiled. She was right, all I needed was a strategy for how to last as long as possible.
Midnight chose the moment to speak up, as all of the students had filtered in. "Only the top 42 will move on to the next round. Don't worry, there will be other opportunities for you to shine."
I took a deep breath, stood up straight, and began to walk towards what I thought could be one of the most chaotic experiences in my life.
"And now for the next event! It could be torture, or it could be your wildest fantasies come to life! What could it be?"
Why so many double entendres? How did she even get started on that path anway? Did she have a role in Vigilantes? I never read that. Dang.
The spinning wheel landed on the Cavalry Battle. Good, that hasn't changed. As Midnight explained how the game worked, I quickly began to sort through the mental list of people. The team in the previous iteration was myself, Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido.
Definitely planning to switch it up. With Sword Skill at my behest, I could defend easier, and this time I knew to watch for Monoma and his crew. The copycat was good at defense, so he could make use of his copy ability as it stood now.
"Hey… hey! Pay attention, dumbass!" I looked up at Midnight as she began to break down the numbers, aroused from my introspection by Grump.
"Katsuki Bakugo placed first in the qualifier. He'll be worth ten million!" I swallowed nervously as I felt every eye in the stadium focus on me. I tugged my collar, chuckling nervously. I now had the whole Hero Course plus Shinso to deal with. This nervousness, this feeling that the world was now your enemy… was this how Deku felt?
"There are still rules! Make a team fall off on purpose and I'll slap you with a red card. You'll be disqualified. You now have 15 minutes to build your team, I suggest you get started!"
Everyone who looked my way seemed rather cautious, but also conflicted. On one hand, I have amazing Quirks. On the other, I'm gonna be a target. A big one.
"Let's team up, Kacchan!" Deku smiled as he faced me. A smile flickered across my face briefly before I tapped his forehead.
"Sorry, Deku. Maybe another time. I don't want to put a target on your back. Besides, if the top two worked together, the point value would only increase beyond reason. You've been a great help, but we'll need to work separately here."
I jogged away before his expression could change. Fortunately, I glimpsed Uraraka walking over to Deku.
I walked around for a moment, glancing from side to side… lightbulb! I can screw with the teams of the others too!
I jogged towards candidate number one. "Yaoyorozu!"
The black haired beauty turned and raised a brow as I walked over. Good, Todoroki hadn't called her yet. "Want to join the winning team? I have a strategy, but I need you."
She seemed surprised for a moment before holding her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "You're going to be a target, with every team gunning for you, and me by proxy if I joined your team. That said, if you have a plan, I would at least be interested in hearing it. Your planning has been solid overall, as far as the first Hero class and… the USJ were concerned."
I nodded, pointedly choosing to ignore her hesitation at mentioning the USJ. "Okay, but first, I'll need to find the other two. Follow me."
After a moment of searching, I found the redhead I was looking for. Kendo was chatting with another girl with silver hair and baggy eyes. "Yo, Kendo!"
Kendo turned, and looked surprised to see me walking towards her. "Bakugo? I thought you would be smarter than that. You know that I'd say no outright. That is, if I didn't know you probably had a plan already."
Yaoyorozu raised a brow. "This was the person you wanted for your plan?"
I nodded at her before looking back at Kendo. "You know me too well, Handsy. Either way, I have a strategy for this, and you're exactly who I'd like to team up with!"
"You know how I feel about that nickname. Well, you'll have to find someone else, because I just got Yanagi on board with my own plan, and I don't think-"
The silver-haired girl spoke up. "Depending on what his plan is, I'll give my answer. If you have a genuine strategy, I'll consider it. You're spooky, being able to hold your own against a strong Villain like that, even if you lost."
I let my palm and face collide. "Not my proudest moment, letting myself get beat up like that, but it did help in the long term."
Yanagi… oh yeah, Kendo talked about her with me once when we hung out! I remember now. "You're Reiko Yanagi, right? Telekinesis Quirk? Kendo told me about you."
She looked vaguely surprised for a moment, before settling back to a neutral sleepless expression. "That's correct."
"Alrighty then. Here's the plan…"
Knuckleduster POV (Meanwhile…)
"Of all the days Oracle contacted us to go on a mission, it had to be the day the Sports Festival began!" La Brava whined in my ear as Gentle Vigilante and I navigated the rooftops of Hosu. There weren't many flyers here, and our target favoured rooftops, so we figured we would be safer.
I reached up and pressed the button on my earpiece, which was designed with a secure line for use in the field by La Brava. She knew about all this tech stuff, so why wasn't she getting that this was more important if what Oracle said was true? "Quit whining and stay alert! We can watch the recordings later. Let's review, because it seems like somebody forgot why her boss and I are bouncing around Hosu on the tail of some punk."
Gentle retrieved a paper map from his pocket, upon which were scribbled notes and routes. "Oracle contacted us and told us to tail the hero Ingenium on the day of the first year's Sports Festival event. One of our potential recruits will attack and injure the man, preventing him from fulfilling his duties as a Hero and sending his brother down a dark path that will only end badly."
I followed that, so why couldn't the girl grasp the importance of it? I heard a sigh on the end. "Okay. As long as you think this is the best thing to do, Gentle."
I rolled my eyes. "Alright, so we just need to keep following the armored guy. No problem as long as he doesn't use his Quirk."
Engine arms were really annoying. I glanced down at the street to see Ingenium start to run. "Let's go."
Without another word, we took off, following him. Fortunately, the Hero had been pretty sedate today, but even now he wasn't using his Quirk.
La Brava crackled in over the earpiece. "He received a transmission saying that the Hero Killer has been sighted! Move quickly!"
Finally! Some action! I bounced alongside Gentle on his air membranes, not really liking the feeling, but putting up with it as we saw him skid to a halt. We dropped to the rooftop, watching as Ingenium skidded to a halt and pointed.
"I've found you, Hero Killer!"
"Now!" Oracle had given us a strategy, saying if we followed it, Ingenium would be safe, and we would have an opportunity to talk to Stain.
Gentle landed between them and produced his air membranes while I landed behind Stain. The men looked shocked just before the Hero acted. "Recipro-!"
*STREEEEETTTTCH-" Ingenium had burst forward using his engines, but now seemed firmly sunk into an air membrane that faced the alleway opening.
"Apologies, my good man. Oracle wishes to see you unharmed, but he also intends to speak with this ne'er-do-well. Leave this to us. Gently Rebound!"
*KAPWWIIIIINNNG* Ingenium was flung into the alley across the street, where he skipped on the pavement a few times before slamming into the wall, rendering him unconscious.
Good. Now then, to talk to this-... shit, not this guy again.
"Stendhal? What the hell happened?"
The noseless man growled before turning to face me. "Interesting that you know that… name… that voice…"
He saw me, and an inkling of surprise entered his eyes. "Well well, look who it is. I have to admit, I am rather surprised that you would come here. Moreso that you would defend that fake."
Gentle raised a brow. "Knuckleduster, you know him?"
"Not really. This is, or at least was, Stendhal. An assassin who took down a Yakuza syndicate, and believed that his sick murder was for a just cause. He even thought he and I were the same. The last thing he said was that the only thing worse than a Villain was a sham Hero, that he was happy for the lesson."
The assassin smiled, seemingly remembering that encounter. "My mask has been stripped away. Now, I live my convictions. I will cleanse this society of fake heroes. I am Stain."
He gripped his sword tighter and crouched in a battle stance. "And you… are in my way."
Cut! That's a chapter! A very different team compared to the original, but my plan seems to be a lot different from canon Bakugo's. My mind is buzzing at the prospects of this festival and what could happen in this version. In this new version of reality, spacetime is malleable, and outcomes can be affected. New people could exist, existing players could have changed, and this Festival brings with it a host of possibilities.
Please review or PM! I always enjoy hearing from you!