The first years were gathered around a tunnel through part of the arena. Midnight had already announced what the event through the tunnel would be, an obstacle race. The narrow passage was clearly the first obstacle, it would force the students into a group, slowing them all down. Izuku had the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind, though he didn't have long to think on it. "START!" Mic called out, the teenagers scrambling to get ahead.

The majorities progress was halted however, as the floor of the tunnel was frozen, Todoroki propelling himself ahead. Glancing back, the heterochromatic teen was disappointed, the number of people who had avoided his attack was larger than he expected. What he didn't see however, was the boy he promised to beat, though he soon realised why: "Izuku Midoriya takes first place!" Mic shouted as the teenager's grapple sent him flying over the competition.

Izuku, along with Todoroki and Bakugou left the rest of the students behind, diverting their attention to beating the other two. As they turned a corner, they came face to face with an army of robots. The machines were identical to those from the entrance exam, their rank slowly increasing as they got further along the track, culminating at the 3 zero pointers that blocked the way. "And here's our first obstacle: ROBO INFERNO!"

The first to tackle the obstacle was Todoroki, the glacier that exploded from his foot freezing the entirety of the middle zero pointer. Said freezing caused it to tip off balance, falling onto the track and blocking part of the way. The dual haired boy glanced back once again, witnessing the head of another gigantic robot tear in two, Izuku soaring through the gap, followed closely by a seething Katsuki.

The trio continued, approaching the next obstacle. A large pit was dug into the ground, too deep to see the bottom. Spread around the hole, were numerous pillars, connected by tightropes. "And the top three reach the next obstacle, don't worry you'll be fine if you fall in, but it'll take time to get back out!" Todoroki once again trivialised the challenge, creating a bridge of ice to cross, then swiftly destroying it.

Izuku stopped as the blonde next to him propelled himself over the pit. He thought about his plan for a few moments, then threw himself into the chasm. His grapple shot to the middle pillar, tuning his fall into a swing that shot him past the leading boy: "And Midoriya once again snatches first place from Todoroki."

"Midoriya's mobility is unmatched, though in a straight flat area he his slower. Unfortunately for Todoroki, that's not what they have to face next." Aizawa commented for the first time, his tone completely neutral.

Aizawa's assessment of the next obstacle was correct, the sign at the start of the bumpy stretch summarised it rather well, reading: DANGER! Mines ahead.

"And the first competitors reach the final obstacle, they're only concussive, but they pack one hell of a punch!" Todoroki was forced to slow down, lest he help the competition, and Bakugou seemed to have been within the air far too long. That left Izuku to rush ahead, the enhanced speed of 10% of One for All carrying him past the mines.

Todoroki stopped to think, before coming to a decision. He would not allow his father to be proven correct. Ice appeared around his feet, forming into a path that he began to slide down. Bakugou, seeing the opportunity, used his explosions to speed down the path, though the walls Shoto threw up stopped him from over taking.

The trio approached the end tunnel, the gap between them shrinking by the second. They disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel, one emerging faster than the others: "And there you have it folks, in first place... IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Nezu sat within his office, the joy that had came from tormenting his vice-principal by forcing him to make a speech had vanished, replaced by concern. He replayed the video on his monitor once more. A group of shadows had appeared, and local heroes had been unable to stop them. The shadows were destroyed however, as a teenage girl appeared from the street. They had a fake gun placed to their head, and with a shout of "Orpheus!" They conjured a power he had only seen one other person manifest.

Not only was the girl a persona user, but, at least from the way one of the shadows become some kind of card, she was a wild card as well. On top of all of that, the girl didn't appear on any records, and Nezu had checked every single one he could get his paws on.

It was unlikely Midoriya knew anything, the boy certainly would have mentioned it he had came across another wild card. Nezu leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of his tea. He needed some way to contact this mystery figure, something that would be sure to catch their attention. Something only a persona user could recognise. But what was such a thing.

Author's notes:

Another short chapter, but I didn't want to put the cavalry battle and the race in the same one.

The final scene is inspired by RedBurnDragon's review.