Chapter 6: Show The World That You Are Here
Dinner at the Midoriya household was largely the same as it had been before Midoriya had acquired One For All. The only real difference was All Might's sporadic appearances. Which, Izuku didn't really mind. It was much easier to touch base with him regarding training and the like at home rather than at school.
But what the heck was going on with All Might and his mom? She had gone out of the way to make a seperate dish for All Might -one he could actually eat, rather than just downing a smoothie- and he had helped her make dinner?
Inko Midoriya had one rock solid rule when it came to the kitchen. Do not get in her way. And All Might had flagrantly disobeyed it and had received no withering glares.
Izuku Midoriya was beginning to think that the conspiracy theory he had about his mom and All Might dating wasn't such a conspiracy theory after all.
But that thought was shoved aside. It was time for the weekly update in regards to One For All. "Alright, Young Midoriya, how're things coming along?"
"Well, without any other frame of reference, I suppose they're going okay." Midoriya said, "Yaoyorozu helped me determine my soft and hard limits at the moment."
Inko had produced a journal that she was using to keep her notes on One For All, "Hit me with it, Izuku."
"For lack of a better term, my normal limit is five percent of my power. I can use that throughout every part of my body without issue. Unfortunately, Delaware Smash doesn't do much at that level, just a short range wind blast. We also set what Yaoyorozu calls an Over-Limit. This is a power level that I can use safely when I need to kick it into a higher gear. That's eight percent. At this level, if I'm airborne I can change direction with aimed Delaware Smashes. My hard limit is the maximum amount of power I can use without injuring myself. That's ten percent. I can only use it for a little while before my joints start aching, about thirty seconds."
All Might gave him a thumbs up, "That's great, kid! You've made more progress than I thought you would have before the Sports Festival. To be honest, I only expected you to be able to stick to the five percent baseline." His eyes sharpened, "It will only make what you have to do that much easier."
"What are you talking about?" Inko asked, "He just needs to do his best, right?"
All Might sighed, "It's not that simple. What trips up a lot of Heroes' careers is that they don't have strong showings in the Sports Festival. They usually end up as eternal sidekicks." He turned back to Midoriya, "Young Midoriya, I'm sorry to put so much pressure on you, but you need to do well- no, you need to stand up and tell the world that you are here!"
"Didn't I do that at the USJ?" Midoriya joked weakly.
"Izuku, you know I don't like it when you make light of villain attacks..." Inko muttered.
Midoriya winced, "Sorry, Mom."
"Only your classmates, the villains who saw you, and your teachers are aware of your exploits there. This is your chance to show your worth."
"My worth..." Bakugo's words -repeated ad nauseam throughout middle school- rebounded around his head, but now... now there was competition. Yaoyorozu. It had started as a whisper a week ago, when she had first told him. But now? Now it was a roar. Someone who has no worth would not be able to create miracles by nothing but his will!
The nickname she had insisted on using for him since then had helped too. Mister Miracle.
Midoriya clenched his fist. "The big problem right now is my speed. As far as I can tell, One For All doesn't start increasing my speed until I get to the higher levels, but those are much too dangerous for me right now. Even if I activate it in both my legs, all it does is increase strength and durability. But from watching you, All Might, I know that it gives a speed boost, or it should..."
All Might leaned over to Inko "Err, should I say something?"
"No, he's just talking it out. Let him ramble, he'll get there."
All Might raised an eyebrow. "Get where?"
Inko tapped the open page of her journal with the back end of her pen. All Might read what was written there.
Full Cowling.
Midoriya continued his motormouth rampage, heedless of the revelation that the answers he needed were less than three feet away, "Maybe the answers lie somewhere in my classmates? Let's see... their usage of their Quirks is so much more natural than me, but that's to be expected as they've had so much more time with their Quirks... I guess... Kirishima is the closest thing to One For All, but he always activates his Quirk across his entire body... am I showing too much respect for One For All because of my fanboyism? Strictly speaking it's a power up type, so... why shouldn't I activate it through my whole body?"
Inko smiled. "Bingo."
Midoriya sighed, "The only other problem I can see is Bakugo, but not for the reasons you'd think. Today, the other classes came to scout 1-A, and he... made all the other classes hate us. Saying how they don't matter because he's going to beat them."
Inko stared at him. "You... you called him Bakugo."
Midoriya clenched his fist. "Yaoyorozu made me realize something. I need to stop making excuses for him and what he's done to me. I'm going to beat hi- No. I don't need to prove anything to him. He doesn't matter anymore."
Inko smirked, "So, you're saying that all it took to get your head on straight was a pretty girl laying down the law?"
Midoriya violently shook his head and waved his hands about, "It's not like that at all!"
"I'm pretty sure it is, Young Midoriya." All Might said.
Midoriya raised an accusing finger at his mentor, "Hey! No fair ganging up on me now that you two are dating!"
All Might coughed up a bit of blood in surprise, "How did you-"
Inko rolled her eyes, "I let you help in the kitchen. Dead giveaway."
Midoriya laughed as All Might and Inko bantered back and forth. His mom hadn't smiled like that since before his dad had died.
The next two weeks seemed like they flew by in the blink of an eye. With his Quirk training in a good a place as Midoriya could ask for, he focused on his physical training, mainly endurance. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep training with Yaoyorozu. But he knew that she'd probably want to focus on her own training.
Also, he wanted to keep Full Cowling a secret until he busted it out. There was no way his classmates didn't have new abilities that they were saving, so he felt it wise to keep his cards close to the chest.
For him, the morning of the Sports Festival was a lonely affair. His mom had been called into work. Apparently there had been a ten car pile-up as an after effect of a villain attack, but she had made sure to make some oatmeal balls before she had left.
As it turned out, time and space were deciding to do a funny thing. It felt like time was dragging on and on, but there was clearly some sort of quantum tunneling going on. Because before Midoriya knew it, he was in the locker room, getting his PE uniform on. I've got this. I've got Full Cowling now; I can do this. Show the world that I am here!
He practically jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Whoa there, Midoriya!" Kirishima said, "Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine! I'm just..." Used to Bakugo doing that right before he attacks me, "Easily startled."
Kirishima shrugged, "Eh, that's alright." He pointed towards the door, "Iida said they've got a room for us to wait in until they're ready for us."
Midoriya finished lacing up his trusty red sneakers. "Alright! Thanks for letting me know!" After he left, it was just Midoriya in the locker room. Alone with his thoughts. Okay. The odds of me having to fight Bakugo will get higher as the day goes on, but I can't let that psych me out. Today will be a marathon, not a sprint. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to shoot for the top in every event, so-
Midoriya was interrupted by someone kicking the door to the locker room open. There was only one person in the class that would do that.
"Out of my way, you damned nerd!"
"Uh... I-I'm not really in your way, Kaa- Bakugo."
It took Midoriya a beat to realize what he had said. I... I called him Bakugo. Oh. Oh, he's going to be mad. Probably.
Bakugo rounded on him. "The hell did you just say to me?"
Midoriya decided to ride this newfound wave of defiant self-confidence. "Well, that's your name, isn't it?"
Bakugo laughed. It was the laugh that usually prefaced a beating. "So, what? You think that because the ponytail bitch gives you the time of day, you've got a backbone?"
Midoriya was on his feet in an instant. "Don't-"
"Don't what?" Bakugo shoved Midoriya lightly unaware of the anger building in the shorter boy, "Don't beat your ass in the Sports Festival so bad that your little crush realizes what a useless little shit you are? I mean, that'll be one way for you to realize that she's a bit-"
There had been many times in Izuku Midoriya's life when he had wished that Bakugo would just shut up. This was most certainly one of those times. However, this time, he was actually angry enough to follow through. He slammed Bakugo against a nearby locker, and for the first time in his life, let Katsuki Bakugo know how he really felt.
Loudly.
"DON'T CALL HER A BITCH, YOU BASTARD!"
For a moment, Bakugo was shocked into silence. Midoriya really had grown a backbone. However, this affront couldn't be allowed to stand. He made Bakugo sick. Suddenly having a Quirk out of nowhere. Lying to him for years. Being the reason that his hag of a mother beat- "Listen here, Deku. You just started a war. From the moment the first event starts, until you get knocked the hell out, I'm gonna be riding your ass. And what I'm gonna do to you... it'll make everything I've done to you up to this point look like a calm discussion."
Midoriya released him. "You'll try." Before he lost his composure, he retreated out of the locker room. The instant the door closed behind him, he attempted to vomit out the contents of his stomach. Fortunately, he was able to keep his breakfast down. The burn of his stomach acid trying to come up and going back down brought him back from the brink. "This doesn't change what I have to do." He muttered as he headed towards the waiting room. "I'm not worthless. I'm not worthless. I'm not worthless."
By the time he walked through the door, he had his game face back on.
He quickly moved to the relative safety of Yaoyorozu. If he was in an emotional state that was more conducive to being perceptive, he would've noticed that no less than three of his classmates had knowing grins on their faces. "Good morning, Midoriya!" She said cheerfully. "You... don't look so good."
Midoriya froze. Did he have some vomit on the corner of his mouth?
"Has anyone seen Bakugo?" Iida asked, "It's almost time to start and he still isn't here!"
"He's in the locker room!" Midoriya said a little too quickly.
Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"
"I... um... didn't use a nickname for him. He called you a... a... impolite word for a lady. I told him not to call you that. He declared war on me." After seeing the worried look on Yaoyorozu's face he quickly added a little more context, "Y'know, for the Sports Festival."
"Are you going to be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked.
Midoriya nodded emphatically, "Yes. I've..." He was cut off by Bakugo making his grand entrance, which involved another kicked door, following by an annoyed Iida lecturing him. Again. He leaned in and lowered his voice, and Yaoyorozu certainly wasn't going to complain about the closeness. "I've been saving something. A new way to use my Quirk. Bakugo doesn't know about it."
Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow. "Is he going to be mad about it?"
Midoriya grinned. "Probably. But he still thinks he's dealing with the Midoriya from middle school, or that's what he still sees me as. I don't know. It doesn't matter. I'm through with living in fear of him."
Yaoyorozu squeezed his shoulder, "Good. I'm proud of you." Yep, that was definitely a smile that could make flowers bloom.
"Yaoyorozu, if you don't mind, I need to borrow Midoriya for a moment."
Both of them turned to see Todoroki. "What is it, Todoroki?" Midoriya asked warily. He had barely spoken to him, so had no idea what to expect.
"You're being mentored by All Might, correct?"
There wasn't really any point in hiding it. "Yeah, I am." Midoriya admitted.
Todoroki nodded, as if finally coming to a decision about something. "Alright, then consider this a declaration of war, Midoriya. I'm going to beat you today."
"Come on, already!" Kaminari said from across the room, "What's with all of these declarations of war lately? First with everyone on us because Bakugo is... well, Bakugo. Now Todoroki on Midoriya? Can't we just relax and have some fun?"
"Today isn't about fun. If you think it should be, then resign." Todoroki shot back as he walked off.
"Wait a second, Todoroki." Midoriya said, "I don't know why you think you have to declare war on me just because I'm being mentored by All Might. But I do know one thing. If you think that I'm going to be intimidated by you or anyone else here, then you've got another thing coming!"
"Good." Todoroki said, "Anything else would be disappointing."
There was a beat of silence before Midoriya started muttering under his breath. "I am going to take that stick out of his ass and beat him with it."
Shota Aizawa was in hell.
As a general rule, he despised most forms of social interaction. Unless it was with his wife. She understood went to bug him and when to leave him alone. And he never had to worry about her snatching up one of his students for an Internshio or Work Study. They had both agreed that would be an utter disaster.
But yet, here he was. Stuck in a commentator's booth with Present Mic. It wasn't like he didn't like Present Mic; they had been friends for years. But Aizawa was an introvert. He could only take so much Present Mic before taking a nap started to look like the better option.
"Welcome one and all to the UA Sports Festival!" Present Mic crowed into the microphone, "We've got three whole classes of future heroes ready to show you what they're made of and show villains what fresh hell awaits them!" He waited a beat for Aizawa to chime in if he wanted, when he didn't, Mic kept right on going, "Today is all about those first years!"
With that, music composed specifically to be inspiring started playing, and the various courses that made up the first-year students began to file out.
Alright, 1-A. Time to show them the results of your training, and the lessons you learned at the USJ.
That was a lot of people.
Academically, Midoriya knew that there would be a lot of people. He had watched the Sports Festival on television every year, after all. But experiencing it was a whole other thing.
Present Mic's voice boomed around the arena, hyping them up. "First off, we have Class 1-A, the most impatient class in UA History. How impatient you ask? They already have a combined total of over seventy villain captures under their belts! Talk about going Plus Ultra!"
"That's a... generous retelling of the USJ attack." Tokoyami said.
"They're putting a spin on it, clearly." Shoji noted, "But his claim is still correct."
The other classes marched out, with Present Mic hyping all of them up in turn. Then he introduced the teacher who would act as referee. "Without further ado, the umpire for the first years, is the R-Rated Hero, MIDNIGHT!"
Thankfully, Midnight had chosen to wear an outfit slightly more appropriate for a high school event than her hero costume, the standout piece of which was a leather bolero jacket. "And for the student pledge, we have... Katsuki Bakugo!"
Midoriya eyed Bakugo closely as he made his way to the stage. There was exactly zero chance that he was going to give the UA Athlete Pledge. "This is going to end badly..." He muttered.
Kaminari shrugged, "I mean, what can you do? He scored first on the entrance exams."
"On the hero course entrance exams." One of the nearby General Studies students said bitterly.
Bakugo climbed the stairs, hands in his pockets, and took the microphone. "I just wanna say..." He paused as he looked at the audience, "I'm going to win."
Unbothered by the boos from the crowd, Bakugo left the stage. Predictably, Iida took issue with his actions. "Bakugo-"
Midoriya cut in, "Save your breath, Iida."
Bakugo wordlessly moved back into position, shoulder-checking Midoriya on his way past. Judging by the menacing aura he sensed behind him, he could only assume that Yaoyorozu was sending a death glare at Bakugo.
The old Kaa- Bakugo would've laughed. Made it a joke. What's driving him? Even I don't know anymore.
"Alright!" Midnight said, "It's time for the first event, the Obstacle Race! We've built a four-kilometer track that both starts and ends here in the stadium! The objective is simple, make it through the obstacles as quick as you can, and make it back here. The only rule is that as long as you stay on the track, anything goes!" She waited a beat before cracking her fading crop, "You'd better get fired up kids, because you're starting now." As she finished, the door behind them that led to the exterior of the stadium and the rest of the track opened, and every screen was emblazoned with a single word.
Go.
"Ha! You extras don't stand a chance against me!" Bakugo yelled. He used rapid explosions to launch himself in the air and keep him there, moving faster than most people could run.
Midoriya turned on his heel and started running. Now isn't the time to hold back! One For All, Full Cowling at five percent! Green lightning began to flicker around him as he dashed forward, outpacing most of his classmates.
"Well, Midoriya." Iida said, "I see you've improved with controlling your Quirk!"
Midoriya kept his eyes in front of him, it wouldn't do to crash into a wall now. "Not really! This is just me using five percent in my whole body!"
They blazed through the tunnel, hot on Bakugo's heels. Midoriya was counting his blessings, his decision to prioritize endurance training in the weeks leading up to the Sports Festival was going to pay off!
He also noticed all kinds of things about One For All now that he was using it on his whole body. It didn't just increase strength and speed. His reaction time, spatial awareness, and visual acuity were all improved. It made sense, after all the human body adapted to the Quirk, so why shouldn't his-
His head throbbed. There was... danger! Behind?
Making a split-second decision, Midoriya jumped.
Right before the ground turned to ice. Todoroki was playing dirty. Midoriya glanced behind him to gauge his progress. He's still out of range for a five percent Delaware Smash, plus I don't want to show my hand too early with eight or ten percent. There's still lots of race left. But what I can do...
"If you think you can skate by me, think again!" Midoriya brought his feet down in a stomp, cracking the ice, only for it to freeze over again. He and Iida pitched forward as they lost balance on the ice and Todoroki surged ahead of them, followed by other members of their class. Aoyama flew above it, propelled by a half second burst from his Navel Laser. Kirishima activated his Quirk on his legs, allowing him to bulldoze through the ice. Yaoyorozu used a metal rod as a pole vault.
"Nice trick, Todoroki!" She cried.
Regaining his balance, Midoriya made a beeline for the path Kirishima had made through the ice. Just as he had cleared that hazard, he saw purple balls hit the ground in front of him, and then saw Mineta bounce on them to get ahead. Behind him, he heard several General Course students cry out in dismay as they stepped on the balls and were stuck in place.
"Hahaha! You think you're so smart, but I've outsmarted you, Todo-!" Mineta said.
He was cut off by one of the robots from the entrance exam backhanding him, sending him cartwheeling away.
Midoriya froze, as did everyone else. They couldn't be serious, right? In front of them were four of the massive zero pointer robots from the entrance exam, not to mention what could only be a literal platoon of one and two pointers.
Present Mic's voice boomed from speakers placed along the track. "Our intrepid future Heroes have made it to the first obstacle! Do they have any hope at overcoming... THE ROBO INFERNO?"
"You've gotta be joking me!" One of the General Studies kids said, "This is some bullshit!"
Iida acted immediately, "Class 1-A, now is our time to shine! Clear a path!"
Todoroki took a step forward. "So, these are what all of you faced in your exams. And to think they thought this would be challenging." The ground around him began to freeze as he gathered his power, "Apologies, Class Rep, but I will not be jointing some team effort to clear a path for the others. That is not why I am here. I am here to show my father that I can become the Number One Hero without using his Quirk." A wave of ice blasted out and froze the nearest zero pointer, and Todoroki started running.
"I hate to admit it, but the Icy Hot Bastard is right." Bakugo growled, "We ain't here to make friends!" Bakugo shot off like a rocket, aiming to go above the robots at a height they couldn't reach. Using their own Quirks, Sero and Tokoyami went off in hot pursuit of him.
Midoriya glanced back at the others and flashed a thumbs up, "Don't worry, everything will be alright." He faced the robots then took off in a dead sprint. I can't take out the zero-pointers, but I can take out the ones and twos!
The lead robot met his charge at its full speed. Exactly according to plan. Midoriya sidestepped, and the bot wobbled as its momentum battled with its turning radius. He lunged at the robot, transitioning to a shoulder tackle. "NEVADA SMASH!"
Present Mic's voice returned, "Oh ho! While Todoroki and Bakugo forge ahead, Midoriya takes the time to clear a path for the General Studies and Support students! You know, with that grin on his face and those moves, he's reminding me of a certain mighty hero... but will it cost him in the end?"
Midoriya, however, was convinced that he had made the right decision. It didn't matter where he placed, as long as he advanced to the next round. He turned his attention to a zero-pointer looming over him. How could he... maybe take it out at the knees? But how would he guarantee it didn't land on anyone? Maybe-
"This one's mine."
Midoriya turned to watch Yaoyorozu unzip her PE uniform -oh God have mercy; she only wore a sports bra underneath- and activate her Quirk and... and...
Was that a cannon?
It was a cannon. As she loaded the honest-to-goodness cannonball, her ponytail came undone, causing her raven hair to perfectly frame the determined look on her face. She fired, and the recoil caused her hair to fly as if it was windy. It was as if Midoriya was in a trance. His brain registered the explosion behind him, and the cheer from the other students. He knew he needed to get moving, but...
She met his eyes. There was a mischievous glint to them that drew him in.
She winked at him.
She dropped her cannon and continued running. Midoriya was still processing. She helped him with training so he didn't hurt himself as much. She got worried when he did get hurt. She never complained or interrupted when he infodumped. She winked at him. She got angry on his behalf for what Bakugo had done to him. A blush spread across his cheeks as he finally came to the realization that he really should've picked up on a while ago.
Momo Yaoyorozu liked him, probably wanted to date him and maybe even be his girlfr-
His eyes sharpened into a glare, making the wild grin on his face look sinister. He had a race to win. And he had some time to eat up.
One For All: Full Cowling. Eight Percent.
He ran, darting around those that had passed him while he had taken leave of his senses. His theory that using One For All across his entire body had fringe benefits continued to be affirmed, as if his reaction time had not been enhanced, he would've crashed at least five times -both into other students and walls- and that just wouldn't do right now.
Present Mic started rambling again. About the next obstacle, something called the Fall. Then Aizawa-sensei actually joined in on the commentary for the first time, mostly reminding the crowd that the Support Course was allowed to be decked out in support items. He rounded the corner and saw the new obstacle. They had dug a giant pit in the ground. Falling into it could only mean disqualification. The only way to cross it was platforms that were spaced much too far apart to jump normally. They were connected by ropes that most students were hanging on to for dear life.
Midoriya had a much faster idea on how to cross.
He ran full tilt at the edge, aligning himself with the nearest platform. This will work! I already know that I can dodge and change positions by using a Delaware Smash, so if I apply that to my long jump with all the power I can use right now... then...
He leapt off of the edge of the cliff and flung his arms out behind him. It had to be once he reached the apex of his leap, otherwise he'd never make it.
"Whoa!" Present Mic's voice thundered, "It looks like Midoriya is risking everything on a leap of faith! But it doesn't look like-"
"DOUBLE DELAWARE SMASH!" Midoriya soared through the air with renewed height and speed, landing perfectly on the platform.
"Incredible! Midoriya used his Quirk to generate more thrust in midair, making the impossible possible! Just what is that Quirk of his?"
Without time to waste, Midoriya shut out the living distraction otherwise known as Present Mic and lined up the next jump. Just like before, he landed perfectly on the platform. He stopped to take stock of how much distance he still had to cross. Two more jumps safely, and one more with a whole lot of risk. If he tried to clear it in one, it would be longer than his first jump, which he hadn't had much wiggle room on. Better play it safe.
"Oh ho! Todoroki and Bakugo are battling it out as they run across the minefield! They don't have much further to go folks!"
Okay then. Deep end it is.
Midoriya repeated the process again. Run, jump, smash. As he was flying through the air, it became apparent that he wasn't high enough. He was going to hit the wall. He was going to miss the target and get disqualified.
No! Not like this! He splayed his fingers and braced himself. He had only one chance left. Trust in the enhanced strength and durability afforded to him by One For All to not only survive the impact with minimal injury, but also create handholds by which he could climb up.
The instant before he hit the wall he slammed his hands against the rock face. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but his makeshift handholds had done the trick.
"Midoriya's clinging to the side of the cliff for dear life! Are we getting this? BECAUSE WE SHOULD BE!"
As Midoriya began to climb, Aizawa chimed in, "That's Midoriya for you. If you tell him that something is beyond him, just wait five minutes. He'll find a way."
Midoriya grimaced, he didn't have time to climb normally. He would have to launch himself up the rest of the way. This is no time for half measures! I have to hit my hard limit just for a moment! One For All: Full Cowling... TEN PERCENT! With all of his strength, Midoriya threw himself upwards. It was just barely enough momentum to allow him to grab the ledge.
Which promptly crumbled under his strength.
"DELAWARE SMASH!"
The blast of wind pressure was just enough to bring Midoriya to safety. He modulated back down to eight percent, as there was still a whole other obstacle to overcome, and it was dead ahead.
A literal minefield.
Midoriya didn't even hesitate before diving in with all the speed available to him at eight percent. The enhanced visual acuity granted to him by Full Cowling allowed him to spot the mines in time to perfectly dart between them.
"Midoriya's coming up fast!" Present Mic yelled, "He's dashing through the minefield like a madman! Just what are you teaching your students, Eraser Head?"
"This has nothing to do with my teaching. This is the results of their own training, the dreams that they are striving for, and the lessons they learned at the USJ."
Midoriya had finally caught up to Bakugo and Todoroki, who were battling it out for first place. "You declared war to the wrong person, you Icy-Hot Bastard!" Bakugo yelled.
"You heard it here, folks! Eraser Head is a terrible teacher!"
"What?"
It was in that moment that Midoriya overtook them.
"How the hell?" Bakugo muttered. Todoroki just glared at him. They immediately forgot their duel for the lead and blasted off in pursuit of Midoriya.
Midoriya looked back and noticed that Bakugo wasn't moving as fast as he could be with his explosions. He knew that he had used his Quirk to completely evade the Robo Inferno, had he done so with the Fall as well?
Todoroki began to make an ice path to propel him forward, and Bakugo was starting to get warmed up again. They'd pass him unless...
Midoriya stepped on three mines in quick succession, trusting in his speed to carry him out of the blast range in time. It was barely enough, but...
"DAMN YOU, DEKU!"
Perfect.
As he exited the minefield and sped down the homestretch, Midoriya contemplated kicking it back up to ten percent for a few seconds but decided against it. He needed to save that for emergencies. He rounded the corner and headed straight for the entrance to the arena.
And the finish line.
"AND IT'S MIDORIYA, WITH AN INCREDIBLE COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY!"
He screeched to a halt and could barely believe his eyes. There he was up on the screens in first place. The crowd was going crazy, chanting his name.
Show the world that you are here.
"Alright, All Might." Midoriya whispered to himself. "I'll show them." Without hesitation, he assumed All Might's victory pose, left fist raised to the sky. He only held it for a moment, as he didn't want to overshadow the others. He had made his point.
He was in a daze. With everyone cheering for him, seeing his face up on the screens as the winner, he was getting a massive infusion of self-confidence.
"Congratulations, Midoriya, that was amazing."
He turned to see Yaoyorozu.
He knew how he felt. He thought that he had figured out how she felt. And with everything that had happened in the Obstacle Race, he didn't feel like he wasn't good enough anymore. He didn't want to take the chance of second guessing himself. So he said it.
"I think I'm in love with you."
A/N: Yes. I'm ending it there. Suffer.
Midoriya finds out that his conspiracy theory about his mom and All Might was correct.
Now, you might be wondering "But Clem, didn't Bakugo say in his internal monologue back in chapter 2 that he doesn't see Midoriya as worthless after the Battle Training?" Yes, but faced with Midoriya standing up to him outside of sanctioned training, he regresses. The "why" of that will be addressed in the coming chapters.
Is it out of character for Midoriya to say things like what he said under his breath about Todoroki? I'm angling towards no. Here's why: In canon, during his second fight with Bakugo, Midoriya freely admits in his internal monologue that when his need to win a fight eclipses his need to save someone, he starts acting more like Bakugo. That's what's happening here.
Wait, Aizawa's married? I wonder who it could be to? Guess you'll have to wait and see.
Look, all I'm saying is that if you saw your crush effectively pull a cannon out of her back pocket and headshot a giant robot with it, then wink at you, you'd probably tell her how you feel at the next opportunity.
Next time will be... NOT the Calvary Battle. I have something else planned.
