For the following two weeks, Class 1-A honed their physical abilities and Quirks. Some of them even took the time to work together as a few of their Quirks and other talents helped bounce off each other quite well.
With how much training they all put in, the Sports Festival arrived in no time. Already various booths were out with all kinds of foods and merch.
"Shame on you!" Mistmane said, pulling on Mount Lady's ear when she tried to use her sexiness to get free takoyaki. "What kind of self-respecting Pro uses exploitation on a regular vendor?"
"I'm with her on this one." Kamui Woods said, Death Arms nodding in agreement.
"I'm just trying to get a leg up on Midnight. I need the practice." Mount Lady complained.
"Just pay attention to the actual competition," Flash Magnus said. "All eyes are gonna be on Class 1-A after the attack on the USJ, after all. This is their chance to prove their success wasn't just a fluke. Of course, since I was there, I can safely speak that it was not one at all."
To keep things as fair as possible, all participants had to wear their gym uniforms, and every student was allowed whatever support items they needed to make full use of their Quirk.
"Man, I really wish I could wear my costume for this..." Mina whined.
"Well, we're trying to keep things fair." Twilight pointed out.
As everyone prepared to make their way to the stadium, Izuku noticed Shoto staying behind, giving him the iciest stare imaginable.
"Um...did you want to talk?"
"Midoriya...From an objective standpoint, I'm likely stronger than you. But you've got not only All-Might but Celestia in your corner helping you."
"Technically, Celestia is more Twilight's mentor than Izuku's." Pinkie Pie pointed out with her usual cheerful smile, only to be cowed away by Shoto's frigid gaze.
"Besides, aren't you the son of Endeavor?" Rarity added. "I'd say that gives you some impressive connections of your own."
Shoto scowled, his fist clenching. "I intend to beat you, Midoriya, and I won't need my father's help to do it."
Izuku frowned but kept quiet, he needed all of his focus after all. However, Katsuki was more than happy to speak up for him.
"If that's what you think, you self-righteous Icy-Hot bastard, then fine. But none of us are gonna lie down and just give you the gold!"
"Especially to a coward who only uses half his Quirk," Ghidorah added, taking in Shoto's flinch with satisfaction. "Everyone here has trained their hardest while you hold yourself back for reasons none of us can even fathom."
"Every student in the other courses is gunning for a chance at our spot in the Hero Course," Kira said with a fair but firm tone. "If you don't give it everything you have... Then you might as well have never come to UA."
Everyone's words hit Shoto hard as he closed his eyes, his fists shaking and clenched tightly.
"No... I don't need it... I don't need to use that bastard's Quirk to win this..."
"WELCOME SPORTS FANS! HOW ARE ALL OF YOU TODAY!" Present Mic cheered from his place in the jumbotron, the crowds roaring in reply and excitement. "WE'RE TUNED IN LIVE TO WHAT JUST MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST SPORTS FESTIVAL IN THE HISTORY OF UA! GIVE OUR STUDENTS FROM EVERY COURSE YOUR FULL SUPPORT!"
Class 1-A were the first ones out of the gate, led by Izuku and Twilight. Everyone couldn't help but look around in awe and slight intimidation. Fluttershy herself was doing her best not to freak out from everyone's gaze on her as Kouji and Rainbow did their best to console her.
"Man, I didn't think there would be so many people out today!" Elleanor said.
"It does feel a bit daunting," Tenya admitted. "Hopefully we can still give it our all before this large crowd."
Once all the students from all four courses arrived on the field, Midnight showed up on the podium as the umpire for the first-year students. Minoru gave a thumbs-up and turned to Elleanor, who giggled and gave a thumbs-up of her own with a nod.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say she's a solid 9 on the inspirational women scale." Jotaro chuckled. "She has my respect at the very least."
"Thank you for the warm reception, everyone!" Midnight said. "Now it's time for the introductory speech! For the student pledge we have...IZUKU MIDORIYA AND LYDIA 'TWILIGHT SPARKLE' YUGURE!"
Izuku and Twilight both looked surprised as the rest of their class gave them supportive looks. Looking at each other and nodding, the two friends stepped onto the podium, Izuku speaking first into the mic.
"I'll admit, I never really thought I'd be here today...for most of my life, I thought I had no Quirk, but then...I met somebody who helped me out. Someone who believed that I could be a Hero no matter what, Quirk or no Quirk. And she's standing right beside me right now."
Twilight blushed as she spoke up next. "When I first met Izuku when we were little, I saw someone in desperate need of a friend who believed in him. I chose to be that friend, I chose to support him no matter what because I firmly believe that anyone can be a Hero if they set their mind to it."
"Being a Hero is not an easy task. It's about more than a flashy Quirk, a cool costume, a strong personality, or an amazing name. It's about being there for the people, inspiring them, and giving them courage." Izuku said. "Things that Twilight herself did for me. If anything, she was already a Hero before we came here to UA."
"Some of you are here hoping to move up to the Hero Course, and that's fine... So long as you understand what being a Hero truly means." Twilight said. We all came here to impress the Pro Heroes, and to do that, we need to push ourselves and strive to do our very best!"
The two friends then held their hands together and lifted them into the air triumphantly.
"GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!"
Class 1-A all smiled at each other, waiting for the big payoff. In an instant, the whole crowd of students was cheering in excitement. Hitoshi, who was with his peers in General Ed, was briefly dumbfounded but felt a sense of inspiration from those words.
"I was expecting some sort of condescending remark. But they got me thinking... About why I really want to be a Hero..."
Izuku and Twilight returned to their class, being met with words of support from all of them.
"That was amazing!" Fluttershy cheered, now feeling more invigorated than she ever felt before. "You both were great up there!"
"That speech was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash gushed, squishing her face.
"Well, you always were the wisest of all of us, Twilight." Sunset chuckled, patting her friend and rival on the back.
"Trixie could make an even greater speech but...Twilight and Midoriya had more heart to theirs." Trixie said.
"Not bad," Tempest said simply, a small smile gracing her lips.
"We'll be having two events to start! The first event will start right away." Midnight announced as she rolled a large slot, which landed on... "...Obstacle Course Race! This is a full-participation race. The course is treacherous and stretches four kilometers around the outside of the stadium. The only rule in this race is that you are forbidden from leaving the race track. Beyond that, do whatever you feel you have to in order to reach the end."
"Awww yeah, this'll be fun!" Rainbow Dash grinned, flaring her wings out.
"Better steer clear. I'm gonna demolish this course." Ghidorah grinned as he got on all fours like a wild animal.
"Hey, demolishing is my schtick, you Sasuke Rip-Off!" Katsuki barked indignantly.
Everyone took their places as The red starting gate had lights turned on. Izuku calmed his heart, steadied his breathing, and crouched down as he channeled [One For All] through his body. The lights counted down until they all went out.
"GO!"
With the signaling crack of Midnight's whip, the students raced through the gate as Present Mic provided color commentary with Aizawa in the announcer's box.
"AND THEY'RE OFF TO A RACING START!"
"How did I get roped into this?"
"Hey! Is this the first obstacle?" Pinkie Pie asked as she realized the gate was getting crowded.
"I guess in some ways, it is!" Starlight said, transmuting the ground underneath her into a pillar that pushed her above the crowd. "See you all at the finish line!"
Many of Class 1-A were already finding their way across as well. Minoru launched his hairballs to bounce off people and Izuku leaped above everyone's heads and ran along one of the walls, Twilight joining him with magical energy surrounding her feet to magnetize her to the wall.
"This is easy-peasy for those who can fly!" Rainbow laughed as she and Sunset flew above everyone else, Pinkie Pie being carried by Fluttershy as she made butterfly wings out of plant matter to join the others in getting above everyone.
The biggest lead came when Shoto launched an ice wave to trap most of the students and skate ahead. He then noticed Katsuki, Momo, Fumikage, Yuuga, and Eijirou using their own tricks to bypass the ice.
"This is a FAIR competition, Todoroki!" Ghidorah roared, his fist coated in a white bubble as he punched the ice wave, shattering it into tiny snowflakes with a staggering shockwave that threw a few students close by off-balance.
"Whoa-Whoa-Whoa!" Mina yelped as she used her acid to balance herself and skate across the ice easily as Ochako floated over ahead.
"Yeeeee-haw!" Applejack shouted, charging up her leg muscles with [Core] to stomp on the ice, cracking it to make it easier to navigate.
Rarity hummed as she formed crystal skates on her feet to gracefully skate across while Elleanor morphed her body into a bobsled-like shape and had Pinkie push her, her legs running like the Road Runner before she jumped in Elleanor, both girls cheering as they slid past.
Tony's feet sprouted spikes that allowed him to steady himself to the ground, allowing him to run across the ice without slipping while Marco dashed on streaks of fire coming from his ankles, melting the surrounding ice.
Minoru was tossing his hairballs out and bouncing off of them while Starlight transmuted the ice into a more easy-to-maneuver substance to slide on.
"They're pretty darn impressive, I gotta say..." Hitoshi noted, riding atop several other students that seemed to be out of it.
Ghidorah was practically swimming through the ice, his body seemingly turned into an ice-like substance itself. He took graceful leaps out like a dolphin as Junko ran on all fours, keeping herself absolutely focused ahead.
"Ah-Ha! I got you now, Todoroki!" Minoru said as he jumped over Shoto. "Prepare to eat my special move, GRAPE RU-!"
Sadly, Minoru couldn't finish as a giant metal fist punched him in the side, sending him tumbling across the ground like a pinball, Fluttershy gasping in horror.
"Oh no, Mineta!"
"Oh no, not these guys again!" Terumi groaned.
"Holy shit! I think those are the zero-pointers!" Denki exclaimed.
"Big deal, we've smashed 'em before!" Rainbow Dash smirked as she pulled her fists back, storm clouds forming around her before she sent out a brilliant magnet streak of lightning, tearing through several zero-pointers in a row.
"These behemoths are made of metal...and I just happen to control it as one of my elements!" Marco said as he held his hands out and concentrated, a few zero-pointers beginning to bend and fold under an invisible pressure.
"They certainly make it look easy," Shoto admitted, conjuring up an ice wall. "But I wish these robots were a bit more challenging. Dear old dad's watching, after all."
The ice hit another zero-pointer, completely wiping it out. He deliberately timed it so that it was frozen while off-balance. However, Ghidorah didn't approve of this attempt at sabotage.
"ICE STAR!"
The horned boy leaped into the air and sent down a literal blizzard that froze the zero-pointers that were about to fall.
"Thanks for the boost!" Starlight said, placing her hands on some leftover ice to transmute into spears that held the frozen zero-pointers more properly in place.
"Easy as pie..." Tempest smirked as she simply blitzed ahead on trails of lightning from her ankles.
Eijirou had ended up getting covered in some ice by accident, but he hardened and sharpened his body to break free easily.
"Geez, don't leave us in the cold, you guys!"
"Yeah! You buncha jerks!" Tetsutetsu added, his body covered in solid steel.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Eijirou said as he ran forward. "Our Quirks are basically the same! How am I supposed to stand out with someone like you around?"
"I think you stand out plenty on your own, Kirishima." Sunset chuckled, her phoenix wings melting the surrounding ice and allowing her to pick up her classmate to carry him off.
Sero and Fumikage flew over the robots using their tape and Dark Shadow respectively. Junko scaled up one with her sharp claw-like nails helping her cling to it while Jotaro took out a grappling hook from his satchel to carry himself across.
Most of the other students were getting stymied and working together, with only the Hero Course students from Classes 1-A and 1-B leading the pack.
Tooru noticed some of the debris from one of the robots, a flat piece of metal. She grinned and took out some genetic fibers that she was allowed to use in order to turn an object she touched invisibly. Her gym outfit was also specially designed with this material so that she could take full advantage of her Quirk.
With the debris in hand, she smashed through some of the robots, using the metal as both a weapon and shield. Meanwhile, Momo had undone part of her top in order to create a large cannon to take down the robots. Flash had turned his arms into high-tech drills to plow through all the ice and Derpy was somehow running on ice without slipping at all.
"LOOKS LIKE OUR STUDENTS ARE PASSING THE ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic said excitedly. "BUT NEXT UP IS A HIGH-RISE OBSTACLE! IF YOU FALL, YOU'RE OUT, SO YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CRAWL! IT'S...THE FALL!"
"Catchy name..." Tony said sarcastically.
The Fall turned out to be a deep pit, with numerous columns inside connected by tightropes.
"More like on the nose name, more like it," Rainbow smirked as she simply flew across with her wings.
"This is where I get to shine-Kero," Tsuyu said as she made a great leap and effortlessly landed on one of the tightropes, clinging to it with ease.
"This is my chance to show what my super cute babies can do. My support items will steal the spotlight!" A girl with bright pink hair in dreadlocks wearing technological goggles said excitedly.
"Who's she?" Elleanor asked as she morphed her arms into a glider-like shape to glide across each individual column.
"Mei Hatsume, a student in Class 1-H's Support Course." Jotaro pointed out, pulling out a line launcher from his satchel to carry himself across the pit. "Her Quirk, [Zoom], allows her to see things from up to 5km away!"
Mei fired off grapple lines attached to her waist and flew across the pit using a set of hover soles.
"My super cute babies are sure to make a splash! I hope all those companies out there are watching!"
"I certainly can respect a girl who cares for her product line." Rarity chuckled as she formed a crystal bridge to cross the whole chasm effortlessly. "If anyone wishes to come across, feel free to do so, darlings!"
"A generous offer, Ms. Rarity." A beastly boy from Class 1-B known as Jurota Shishida said. "But we'd prefer to get by on our own merits!"
"Are you insane, Shishida?! Those Class 1-A brats are practically begging for us to upstage them!" An obnoxious blonde boy named Monoma Neito barked.
"Oh shut up, Monoma." Groaned Itsuka Kendo, Class 1-B's Class Representative.
Twilight and Izuku were leading the pack together in first with Katsuki close behind in second, followed by Tony, Ghidorah, Shoto, Marco, and the rest of the Mane 6.
Pinkie suddenly noticed something up ahead and took out a telescope from her hair to see. She then gasped when she saw a picket sign that had words written clear as day.
"MINEFIELD!" The excitable party girl cried.
"So what, I'm blast-proof!" Katsuki boasted.
"And you forgot we can just go OVER it!" Rainbow laughed as she continued flying across.
"Hold on!" Twilight called, forming a protective magical barrier around herself and Izuku. "Let's barrel through and reach the finish line!"
"Right!"
"DON'T WORRY, FOLKS! THE MINES ARE JUST FOR POMP AND FLASH! THEY WON'T HURT YA, BUT THEY WILL SEND YA FLYING AND PEEING IN YOUR PANTS!" Present Mic clarified.
"We value our students' safety, thank you very much," Aizawa added.
As Twilight and Izuku raced ahead, Katsuki looked behind to see Shoto catching up, trying to avoid the mines while propelling himself with quick ice shots. He saw the rest of the Mane 6 getting ahead and clicked his tongue in displeasure.
"I may not be able to win...but at least I can make that self-centered Icy-Hot prick lose!"
Spotting one of the mines, Katsuki leaped into the air and then slammed down with both of his palms aimed at the ground as he put everything he had into the resulting explosion.
"LANDMINE BLAST!"
The shockwave caused a massive detonation. Shoto was shocked as he was hit with the force and sent flying back, allowing several of his peers to pass him by. Tony smirked as his body hardened itself to resist the explosions while Sunset, who had Minoru piggyback riding on her, made a barrier of protective heat to shield them both.
Tooru got a similar idea, gathering together a bunch of mines in order to propel herself ahead of the pack. Starlight transmuted the air to make footholds for her to run across while Trixie gleefully used the explosions mixed with her Quirk to make it appear as if she was teleporting.
"Man, you're not giving it your all, Todoroki!" Junko taunted as she ran past the half-and-half boy. "At this rate, you'll never beat freakin' Mineta, let alone Midoriya!"
Shoto scowled in fury as he made a new wave of ice to carry himself across in order to catch up with the others. However, it was all for naught as Izuku and Twilight, at the same time, crossed the finish line.
"AND THAT'S IT! OUR FIRST-PLACE WINNER IS A TIE BETWEEN IZUKU MIDORIYA AND LYDIA 'TWILIGHT SPARKLE' YUGURE!" Present Mic announced.
Mount Lady, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and the Pillars were all watching the events unfold on one of the screens when the first three recognized Izuku.
"Hey, isn't that the kid from the Sludge Villain Incident?"
"Indeed," Starswirl said, nodding his head. "Izuku Midoriya, a friend of Twilight Sparkle, the student of my own old pupil, Celestia."
The heroes watched as Katsuki, Marco, and the rest of the Mane 6 crossed next followed by everyone else in Class 1-A and Class 1-B plus Hitoshi and Mei.
The League of Villains were also watching the Sports Festival, all of them having vested interest.
"Heh, you really are cool, Midoriya..." Tomura said. "I honestly would have been disappointed if you couldn't clear the Obstacle Course Race."
"Indeed...and all of them have such impressive Quirks." Tirek chuckled with his arms folded. "I'd love to give them a test drive of my own..."
"Seriously, Tirek. You have the same unhealthy obsession as your brother sometimes." Chrysalis said with a roll of her eyes.
"Excuse me, but my power allows me to absorb the energy of others to copy their Quirks and leave them temporarily weakened," Tirek argued. "He can only steal them like a common thief!"
"And he can also give them back while you can't." Chrysalis snarked back, making Tirek pout and look away.
"Awwww, it's okay Tirek. I think you're cooler!" Cozy Glow said, patting him on the shoulder.
"You doing okay?" Twilight asked as Izuku took a moment to catch his breath, the adrenaline wearing off as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Yeah, I just need a moment..."
The two friends looked around at the cheering crowd and spotted All-Might and Celestia applauding them. They also found their mothers, holding up a giant poster praising him while Twilight's father whistled loudly.
"Hoo-dawg! You two were moving faster than a jackrabbit on a cheetah!" Applejack laughed.
"Heh, you win this round, Deku." Katsuki snorted as Elleanor wrapped her whole body around him in a bear hug. "But this is only the first round."
Shoto glared from a distance, unsatisfied. He had been in 41st place, behind every single one of his classmates and some of Class 1-B. Only the top 62 students could make it to the next round, so Shoto at least was relieved by that small mercy.
"Man, I can't believe you both tied for first place!" Marco laughed as Click chirped in excitement, hopping up and down on his shoulder.
"Even with my speed, I was only able to make it to sixth place." Tenya sighed, fixing his glasses. "Still respectable, though. I just hope my brother was watching."
"You planning on interning with him when this is over?" Flash asked.
"Our family has had a long history of learning from each other. Though sometimes we branch out and improve what we already have by learning from other agencies." Tenya explained. "While I would like to show Tensei how much I've improved, I feel I could learn better from someone outside my family's agencies."
"Hey, Tempest, you were using lightning at one point but in another, I saw you using fire. Does your Quirk let you change elements?" Oujiro asked as Tempest bit her lip and looked away.
"I'd rather not talk about it..."
All of Class 1-A and 1-B had made it to the next round along with Hitoshi and Mei.
"Not good enough!" Mei said, shaking her head. "I'll need to improve my super cute babies if I hope to get the attention of the big corporations."
"I'm just glad I was able to make it at all..." Hitoshi sighed.
"Only the Top 62 get to move to the next round," Midnight announced. "But don't worry if you didn't make the cut. We've prepared other opportunities for you to shine. But right now is where the real fun begins. This next round will provide you with the chance to really thrust yourself into the limelight."
"Sheesh, she doesn't mince words...or pass up the chance to make an innuendo," Junko said.
"That's what makes her so great!" Minoru said.
"And our next competition is..." Midnight called out as the roulette stopped on one of the events. "...The Cavalry Battle!"
"Ah man, I suck at those..." Denki groaned.
"All participants will form teams of two to four, with one person riding on top," Midnight said. "No different from your typical playground game, but with one difference. Each of you has been assigned a different point value based on your position in the Obstacle Race. Depending on who is teamed up, they will have a different point value. The points go up in increments of five, with the person in 62nd only being worth five points and so on up. However, the person in first will be worth a whopping ten million points!"
"WHAT?!" Twilight gawked in disbelief.
"Oh boy, I can see where this is going..." Rainbow said.
"Of course, since we have two first placers, we've split it into five million points each!" Midnight clarified.
"Oh, crap..." Izuku gulped, feeling everyone's eyes on him and Twilight. "We're gonna need to pick a really good team for this..."
I did my best to make sure everyone got a chance to shine, but I probably missed a few of them and for that, I apologize.