Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
—
-UA High School, 8:15 a.m.-
Fireworks blasted into the morning air in several colors, with scattered clouds adding to a pleasant day to hold the biggest sporting event in Japan: The UA Sports Festival.
People strolled around the grounds of the three giant sporting arenas on the campus, with vendors selling food, plushies and more to civilians and heroes alike. It was a huge celebration unlike any other.
It wasn't that UA was the most prestigious school that had everyone flocking this year. The first year students from Class 1-A had already received a ton of publicity from the USJ incident, and many attendees wanted an up close look at the freshest crop of hero trainees.
That didn't mean that the second and third years weren't getting attention. Plenty of people turned up for their respective games, though they had more than enough time to catch each class. The first years would be the early group, finishing around 2 p.m. From there, the second years would start 30 minutes after the first year students, and the same for the third year UA attendees after their second year peers.
Crowds had already gathered on the grounds, though the press was having a harder time getting in given the enhanced security. It also didn't help their cause that the villains from the USJ broke in with them as their cover to slip past the barrier.
Even so, the air was filled with a ferver unmatched by anything else that could be happening that day. It was UA's time to shine.
-Waiting Room, 1-A-
"Awww man! How boring! I really wanted to wow the crowd with my costume!" Mina complained as she tugged at her UA gym uniform.
"Look on the bright side, everyone will be wearing the same uniform. So we're all in the same boat here," Ojiro consoled his classmate.
"I can't believe that they're making me wear this uniform on top of Senketsu! Can't I just wear the jacket? I'm going to be sweating up a storm more than the walking blonde salt lake over there!"
The entire room turned their attention to Ryuko, who was also pulling at her gym attire, but in a less delicate way.
"Well, mostly everyone," Ojiro followed up with a chuckle.
"YA TRYNA START SOMETHING, SHANK?!" Katsuki violently stood from his chair, knocking it over so he could face Matoi.
"Ah, save your barking for the fight. Cuz you're gonna need it before I wipe the stadium with your ass! So shut it."
The ash blonde's hand began to singe into the table as he was forcibly holding himself back from causing a nuke inside the small room.
"H-Hey, c'mon Ryuko. Let's save it for later, okay?" Izuku placed himself in front of Ryuko to obstruct her view of Katsuki.
"No, Izuku. I'm going to let him have it," Matoi moved around him to see Katsuki sneering.
"It's funny that you've been building up your ego for about… what, ten years? Yet one loss was all it took to shatter it. Don't think I forgot about you staying quiet for the rest of the battle trials."
Izuku's eyes grew wide from what he just heard. He caught a glimpse of Kacchan's reaction after the match soon before wiping out, but the entire battle trials? Now it made sense why he had left school so early that day.
Bakugo gritted his teeth. His anger was already at its boiling point, but now Ryuko was delivering a verbal assault.
"Who the fuck do you-"
"It must be hard to think you're Mr. Perfect all this time and have it blow up in your face when people you think less of showed you how far from reality you are. Right, Katsuki? Or should I say… Kacchan."
The whole room fell silent. All Bakugo could do was sit there and not attack. His muscles twitched as he wanted to move. But he could wait a few more minutes to finally get his payback.
Kirishima and Kaminari glanced at each other and nodded silently, prepared to restrain the class wrecking ball. But before any further escalation, Katsuki sat down fully in his chair and looked to the floor. He needed to prepare for this.
"Man, whatever they've got for us in the first round, I don't think it will keep those two under control," Sato murmured in a cold sweat.
Mina's eyes suddenly lit up, remembering something that she meant to ask a few of the others about.
"Hey-"
"Everyone! Get your game faces on! We're about to be called out at any minute!" Iida announced.
'Dang it, Iida! I guess I'll wait until later to get the other girls on board,' Mina sighed, though she giggled at the thought of what would happen later on.
Midoriya practically felt the ridges in his spine shutter like two mallets beating on a xylophone, his worry built up from within before completely dispersing as he deeply exhaled to calm himself.
"Hey, c'mon. Loosen up. You can do this."
The greenette turned to see Matoi's trademark smile that always seemed to wash away any bad feeling he had in his body, a crooked grin appeared on his face as his confidence resurfaced.
"Midoriya."
The tender moment was cut short as the duo's attention was abruptly taken by none other than Shoto Todoroki. Though he had an ice quirk, it was his blank gaze alone that set an uncomfortably cold presence for the greenette.
Great. Another person trying to start something. Ryuko was about to stand in for Izuku but then noticed something.
His feet were planted and he continued to keep a straight posture. Midoriya clearly shook from being nervous, but his willpower kept him in control.
"What's up, Todoroki?" Izuku asked.
The rest of the students watched with unease as both Midoriya and Todoroki were face to face with one another. Even Katsuki kept his eyes on the two, wondering what was going to happen.
"I think it's quite clear that I'm stronger than you, just from looking at the basics here."
The comment made Izuku inwardly wince as it felt like a low blow, a strike that was meant to bring down his self-esteem. It hurt, but he only furrowed his brows, not saying a word in response. Shoto took notice of this, somewhat surprised to see this type of reaction from Midoriya, but continued on.
"You have a power that greatly augments your abilities, yet using it fully would leave you battered and helpless on the floor. But for some reason, All Might's got you in his sights. And you've been hanging around him rather closely."
Izuku could feel his heart in his throat as his breathing staggered. Had he really been that easy to figure out? Todoroki was treading into some dangerous waters with sensitive information, and everyone in the class was within earshot.
"Regardless, I don't care for whatever personal handicaps you're going to get from him. Just know that I will beat you."
"Alright, what's your deal? I knew you were a killjoy, but why're ya trying to spite him?" Ryuko snarled as she was just about to leave her mark on the untouched part of Shoto's face, but was stopped by Izuku once more.
Her expression turned into worry once she looked at her friend. There was fear in his eyes, but she could still see the glow of vigor in them. She nodded before settling down, but that wouldn't stop others from trying to step in.
"Yeah, why are you trying to pick a fight before we get into the ring? That was really uncalled for," Kirishima attempted to disarm the situation as he laid his hand onto Todoroki's shoulder.
"I didn't come here to play nice and be friends with anyone," The Half n' Half student aggressively shoved off Eijiro's hand before he began to walk away.
"Todoroki. Wait," Izuku called out, which stopped the boy in his tracks.
"I-I don't know why you're trying to pick a fight with me," He shakily inhaled, struggling to keep his stuttering under control, and to maintain his firm tone.
"A-And I know you're stronger than me. There i-isn't a single person here, o-or out there that I don't think has better experience with their quirk than me. But…"
He tightened his fists to control his shaking. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as all other sound around him faded out. His body wanted him to stop and just let things slide.
But, he couldn't back down.
He had gotten so far because of the people that supported him.
Mom.
All Might.
…
Ryuko.
He couldn't let them down. Not only was he doing this for them, but for himself.
"...T-That doesn't mean that I'm not trying. I'm tired of being looked down on and underestimated. Everyone in this room is fighting to win. And whether you," Summoning all the courage in his very being that he could manage, he turned his fierce gaze towards Kacchan.
"Or someone else, like it or not, I'm fighting to win too. I'm not going to just sit by and let people push me around anymore," Midoriya stared Todoroki down as he set his heart ablaze.
Their classmates all shared one emotion in that very moment: Shock. Never before have they thought that they'd see something come close to being nearly as intense as the USJ attack. Katsuki even gritted his teeth. Seeing Deku like this began to trouble him.
The Half n' Half teen only continued his blank stare from his classmate's rebuttal. This type of attitude was certainly interesting, but it didn't change his objective one bit.
"Fine," Shoto responded before walking off.
Once that was done, Ryuko could only muster up a gasp, wide eyed from this entire scenario.
"Izuku… Holy cow…"
The greenette reached over for the chair to sit down and catch his breath, but his climbing anxiety stunted his coordination, making him slip off balance.
"Deku! Gotcha!" Uraraka jumped in to catch her friend from collapsing to the floor. Some of the other students attempted to jump to Izuku's aid, but were kept at a distance by Iida.
"Izuku! You okay?" Matoi attempted to console her friend.
"Y-Yeah… I'll be fine. J-Just need to sit down," Izuku murmured before Tenya, Ochako, and Ryuko helped him take a seat.
"Just take it easy, Midoriya," Iida spoke softly.
"That must have been terrifying. Agh, I should have done something. That Todoroki," Uraraka scoffed.
"No, no. It's okay. I wanted to do it myself anyway."
"If it helps… I thought that was really amazing, what you did there. I've never seen you talk like that before."
Uraraka then sported a blush that soon enveloped her already rosy cheeks. Her eyes averted away from Izuku's as she didn't want to be noticed right away. Thankfully, the boy in question didn't happen to see. But, someone sporting a red highlight did.
Midoriya blushed from the brunette's compliment. She found something that he did cool, which gave him a major confidence boost. He was making a great impression with her so far and would be sure to try and keep the momentum going.
Iida kneeled down to meet Izuku's level before placing his hand on his shoulder.
"I will also say that I'm proud that you were able to stand up for yourself. Just remember that we're here for you. Always."
"All of us," Ryuko playfully ruffled his bushy green hair.
The boy let out an infectiously soft chuckle before his eyes beamed with hope towards the people that surrounded and cared for him.
"Thank you guys. I-I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Deku. Can you stand?" Uraraka asked.
Izuku nodded before he pushed himself off of the chair on his own. He was a bit wobbly, but he regained enough of his composure to stand properly.
"C'mon, let's go kick some ass out there," Matoi spoke confidently while patting his back.
"Mhm. Right," Izuku's brows furrowed with newfound fervor.
With the drama settling down, Class 1-A walked towards the exit of the waiting room in an orderly fashion to make their debut in the Sports Festival. Izuku felt absolutely refreshed and was ready to face the odds ahead of him.
Sero being the most eager was the first to open the door towards the other side.
"Huh? Who are you guys? Were you looking for your own waiting room? Cuz it's definitely not here," He asked. Sero was met by the eyes from several other students standing outside their waiting room. One of the students with purple, messy hair stood as the unofficial "ambassador."
"Guys? I think we've got company."
The 1-A students piled behind Sero as he held the door open for them to see their "guests."
"Who are these guys?" Ryuko asked.
"They're here to scout out the competition. We did get attacked by a buncha villains after all," Bakugo walked toward the gaggle of other first years, his expression completely disinterested.
'Oh, this ought to be good,' Izuku grimaced as the focused looks from the students seemed all too familiar.
..~~~HLK~~~..
'Can't we just have one day without any surprises?'
That all went horribly. Not only was his classes' morale at a low thanks to Todoroki, but a whole other class of students had set their eyes on 1-A thanks to them being the only ones that withstood a villain attack. And it was thanks to Kacchan's hot-headed attitude that turned the competitive spirit into one of hostility. He basically put a large bounty on their heads.
"Man, this sucks! He made everyone absolutely hate us!" Denki moaned as everyone walked down the halls.
"Leave it to Bakugo to make an enemy out of the people we're supposed to be on the same side as," Hanta remarked.
"That is what happens when you let a dumbass do the talking," Ryuko chuckled, knowing that the ash blonde clearly heard her from the scoff that he let slither out.
"But you gotta admit, that was quite the manly exit that he made there," Kirishima pointed out.
"Tsk, what are you, president of his fanclub?" Matoi scoffed.
"I'm just saying!"
Regardless of that, Izuku kept his eyes forward with it focused on only one goal: To make a name for himself out there so that he could achieve his dream. And it all started on the other side of the tunnel.
The students were then greeted by a stadium filled with tens of thousands of spectators seated in the vast space. The cheers of many filled everyone's eardrums as their presence was now known to the world. Many of the students welcomed the attention with loving embrace as they absolutely adored it.
On the other hand, Ryuko shrank from it all and scooted closer to Izuku. Sure, she definitely had a reputation for herself, but it was something that she unfortunately grew to be all too familiar with: negativity.
Compliments and praises were still a new concept to the red streaked girl, so it was something that she needed to work on getting used to. Her eyes looked to Izuku, only to find that he had the same cold feet she did from the overwhelming amount of people watching them.
A crack of a whip echoed throughout the stadium that directed everyone's eyes towards none other than the R-Rated hero: Midnight.
"Now, the introductory speech!" She called out, using a wireless mic to broadcast her words.
The audience above all fawned over the risque woman as she freely presented herself on the small elevated platform. A good portion of the participating students shared the same attraction towards the woman, while others were uncomfortable with how inappropriate her costume was.
"Does nobody have any shame? How is this apparel appropriate for a high school game?" Tokoyami shared his disgust.
Matoi looked to her peers to see a mix between being absolutely pervy or repulsive expressions amongst the sea of students, just as she expected. She turned to Izuku, whose face remained completely normal. He just looked on as if it were any other person.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her so immensely that she clutched at her chest. Thankfully, it wasn't too distracting, but she was definitely aware of it.
"Someone should tell Ms. Midnight about her outfit," Kirishima shrunk uncomfortably and blushed.
"Seriously, I can't imagine anyone who could be anymore risky than her-" Kaminari's comment cut short as he came to a realization. His fellow classmates did the same right after.
The students in Class 1-A, minus Todoroki and Bakugo, had become a hivemind that shared a collected thought before zoning their eyes towards the only other person with a similar attire: Matoi.
"Huh? What? WHAT?" Matoi called out as she attempted to back up from the surrounding gaze.
Izuku saw the swarm of eyes that were cornering Ryuko and quickly jumped in front to shield her from the masses.
"G-Guys! Please stop staring at her! We need to focus on what Ms. Midnight has to say!"
Iida, being the most dedicated Class Rep that he is, acknowledged Midoriya's point.
"He's right! Everyone! Return your eyes towards Ms. Midnight!"
Thankfully, their teacher was too busy hogging the spotlight as the entire audience was head over heels for her. This helped the entire spat between Izuku, Ryuko, and the entire class go unnoticed by the spectators.
The red streaked girl breathed a sigh of relief. But her interest was piqued by Midnight's choice of attire.
"Hey Izuku, you're the expert here. What's her deal?" Matoi nudged the boy.
"Well, she has a very…er… rebald way of running things as a hero. Believe it or not, her original costume was a lot more revealing. She was actually the reason why costume regulations were made on nudity," Izuku explained to Ryuko.
"Her original costume wouldn't happen to be… as skimpy as my sync mode, right?"
Izuku only looked to Ryuko with a sheepish smile, which only confirmed her fears.
"Oh god! Am I going to be chastised by everyone?"
"Well… That was years ago when she wore her first costume. Who knows? Maybe people will have a different view on things now."
Hearing those words from her friend definitely helped Matoi maintain her cool. The pressure of the audience and their opinion about her, was washed away by Izuku with only a few words.
"You always know what to say to make someone feel better, huh? You're definitely cut out for being a hero."
"O-Oh, well, thank you. I try my best," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck as he became the usual bashful mess he was. Matoi only chuckled as she fixed her eyes back on the hero above.
"But sheesh. She's practically a nudist at this point. Huh, maybe if Mikisugi shot his needles straight, I think he and her would actually hit it off pretty well."
"Shooting straight? What do you… Whoa. That's…quite the assumption there," Izuku couldn't help but stifle a laugh that he attempted to hide in his palms.
"Do you disagree with me though?"
"No."
Ryuko's cheeks puffed up from trying to suppress her laughter as Izuku sported quite possibly the most cheeky smile on his face. She'd never seen him make such a shit-eating grin. If he did this towards Katsuki, the blonde would likely implode from the inside.
"Silence, everyone!"
And everyone promptly shut up.
"Now, to perform the student pledge, Katsuki Bakugo! Please come to the stage," Midnight announced.
"What?!"
"Seriously!"
"Oh no…"
"This is not gonna be good."
Many of the various 1-A students wondered why Bakugo of all people was going to perform the pledge. He'd already put a target on their backs, and they knew he could make things a lot worse.
"He's really the first year rep?" Izuku questioned.
"It makes sense, since he did finish first in the entrance tests," Sero said as the blonde bomber strolled up through the masses.
"Heh. I wonder how he'll mess it up. Bet he doesn't even know the pledge," Ryuko smirked.
"And you do?" Senketsu poked back, flustering Matoi for a minute.
'This is different. He's way more focused. Even Ryuko's remark didn't land, unlike earlier. I'm not sure I've ever seen him like this,' Izuku analyzed.
While more grumbling came from the students below, Bakugo took his place at the microphone stand as the first year students waited with baited breath. The greenette himself swallowed hard as the anticipation weighed down on him.
"I'm gonna win. Later."
The worst reality came to pass. And he even said that with a completely blank face to most of the audience. His classmates called it: Kacchan made it worse.
"Do I need to put his fucking ego in check again?" Ryuko growled through gnashed teeth, but she looked at Izuku, seeing his intense gaze fixed ahead while Iida berated Katsuki for the address he gave.
Matoi took note and looked at the blonde. She finally understood what was happening. He wasn't laughing or firing back insults. Katsuki was aiming for the top, and she could at least acknowledge that he wasn't going to be an easy pushover.
It couldn't have been more evident than the fact that the blonde made an effort to purposely bump into Izuku, letting him know that he had his eyes clearly set on him.
But also inadvertently setting everyone else's eyes on their entire class. Lovely.
"Without further ado! Time to begin the first game!"
Midnight turned her fan to the screen, as the spinning randomizer ran through a litany of unrecognizable text for the first event. She licked her lips as the anticipation was killing her, too.
Finally, the screen stopped moving and flashed what the students would be heading into:
Obstacle Race
"So it's gonna be an obstacle course," Midoriya said aloud, as Midnight would go on to explain the rules.
"All 11 classes will participate in this treacherous contest. The track is four kilometers around the outside of the stadium. I'm hoping to not have to restrain anyone, at least in this game…" Midnight licked her lips again, pausing just briefly.
"Sheesh, no subtlety," Senketsu mulled over.
"I really should set her and Mikisugi up for a date," Ryuko remarked.
"As long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires!"
The crowd cheered as the R-Rated hero directed the students to take their places.
'Here we go,' Izuku interalized.
'I'm gonna wreck this field!' Matoi set her gear-like sights on the start gate as the students made their way over to where the event would begin.
This was it. Two long weeks of hard training were either going to pay off spectacularly, or show the students how woefully unprepared they were.
The buildup was long enough. Now it was time to put everything they'd done into action.
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: Yeah, I know what everyone's thinking: "That's it?"
For this chapter? Yes.
We've spoiled you guys with a lot of longer chapters recently, and we have SEVERAL lengthier chapters coming up throughout the entire UA Sports Festival. All of the chapter drafts are almost completed for the entire festival. So why not build up the hype a little longer?
It'll be a glorious return on investment, rest assured. Though we also had a bit of a rough time getting through Chapter 19 when we initially wrote it. For reference, Ch 19 was started on in mid-November and we finished the initial draft in early December (Thanksgiving and all of that jazz got in the way).
This chapter only took us a few days since we had designs to not start the festival immediately in this edition and dedicate an entire chapter to the first event in Chapter 21.
Also, 20 CHAPTERS!? HOLY SHIT Y'ALL! I can't believe we've made it this far.
And we just saw that we reached over 1,000 follows on this site. Bro, I think I'm gonna cry!