[The Sports Festival – Part 1]
Josefumi blinked, his eyes heavy as he let out a small groan. His alarm was ringing in his left ear, meaning that it was time to wake up. However, the young Joestar wasn't all too interested in doing that. He just wanted to stay in his comfy bed, snuggled up in his blankets, his head against the pillow with his eyes clamped shut with his girlfriend right next to him—and after all of that hellish training, who could blame him?
Outside of himself and Karera, Gio was sleeping on the couch with a pillow and a thin sheet, whilst Gyro was staying at a hotel nearby, around about a block or two away. Those two were going back to Italy in a few hours, and as much as he liked spending time with Gio, he had enough of him being around.
Don't get him wrong, he and Gio were thick as thieves, but there were only so many pranks that could be pulled, and so many steel balls thrown specifically at one's kneecaps before one pretty much exploded.
The training, as said above, was hellish. Gyro wasn't kidding when he said he was going to put the pompadour-haired boy through hell. He ran laps, he lifted weights twice his usual weight, he practiced the Spin in loud bustling cities so he could learn to concentrate on it above all other things, and he worked on incorporating The Spin into his Stand's abilities which had been the easiest thing that he had done.
Well, that was until Gyro brought out Ball Breaker. Seriously, for something so small Josefumi never would've thought that it would do so much damage. He remembered that the damn thing had fractured one of his ribs just by lightly slapping his chest. He was thankful for Gyro also being a Hamon master. That would've been a serious problem if he hadn't been.
"Hnn… Jojo…" the soft voice of his girlfriend whispered into his right ear. She had wrapped her arms around his right arm, which only made the teen let out a tired sigh. To be fair to her, they hadn't gotten to be like this in two weeks. Gyro had taken him and Gio out camping to practice The Spin in solitude except for the times they trained within the city, to which he made him stay in an abandoned building by a busy highway to practice his Spin there.
He also should've expected her to demand that they have time by themselves, which Gyro tried to stop.
Key word being tried.
It turns out that Love Love Deluxe, while being weaker than Ball Breaker, was faster, and its ability was infinitely more useful for hanging people by their hair upside down and specifically by their left pinky toe, over enhancing the range of The Spin. Needless to say, the evening he returned with Gyro and Gio, they got to witness that spectacle, and then he got dragged into their room.
The less he said about what happened in that room, the better.
The Joestar sighed, slowly sitting up and shaking his arm free from Karera, who shifted underneath their covers, grumbling something. The boy let out a sigh before yawning, glancing out the bedroom window of their apartment. It was 5:30 AM, and when he saw the time, he wanted to groan. He might have gotten into his bed at 10:30 last night, but he didn't fall asleep until 1:00 AM.
And it was all Karera's fault.
Not that he would be against what they did last night. Far from it, in fact. His only issue was that it was 1:00 AM when she decided to stop, and now they were both about to go to the Sports Festival on 4 hours of sleep.
He turned around, knelt on the bed, and shook her in an effort to wake her up, earning a groan. "Hnn… Jojo, stop it… I don't want to get up yet…." Karera moaned, only to be shaken again. "Jojo…."
"No, Karera. It's time to get up. Today's the Sports Festival, and I'm not going to be the one to drag you out of bed," Josefumi replied, getting off the bed. "If you're really that tired, get some coffee into ya," Josefumi continued, sighing.
"But my legs hurt..."
"For fucks sake, take a painkiller or something. And besides, that's partially your fault. You should've told me to stop if you knew it was going to impact you that badly," The pompadour-haired teen said, getting his school uniform out of his dresser drawer. He quickly swapped out his dirty underwear with a clean pair, put on his school uniform, and then went to leave. "Oh, and you need to use one of those tests, I think one of the condoms broke cause when I dumped them into the trash bin last night, one of them had a tear in them."
Josefumi had never seen her run so fast in his entire life. Thankfully, it came out as negative, but that point still stood. At least it got her out of bed, even if it was for a particularly scary reason. The last thing he wanted was to be a father, especially while being in U.A.
And if he did end up knocking up Karera, his father would've Ora Ora'd him with Tusk faster than he probably could've countered.
Oh, who was he kidding, there was no way Soft & Wet even stood a chance against Tusk. Even remotely.
If there was one thing his father was against happening was Josefumi being a father. He was already uncomfortable with the two of them being sexually active, especially considering his own experiences with, well… having a child. But the less Josefumi thought about that, the better. That aside, it wasn't as if it happened, so that was all that mattered.
After waiting for Karera to get dressed, have herself a cup of coffee and take some pain meds for her legs and waist, the two left the house after saying goodbye to Gyro and Gio. And then, it was off to U.A. to face the music.
The Sports Festival was going to be one hell of an event, and he was sure as hell that he wasn't going to lose to anyone. Not even Karera if it came down to it. That, and he had a secret weapon up his sleeve. If he had to fight anyone, that attack would be more than enough to defeat anyone who came in his path.
Gyro mentioned that he should only use it if a deadly situation came about, seeing that not even Ball Breaker could counter it. He wasn't going to go against what Gyro said, but if push came to shove, he would use that attack. After all, he named it after U.A.'s signature motto.
But that was only if he had to. Soft & Wet was strong enough on its own. He didn't need to use that attack yet.
As they pulled up to U.A. and rushed to their classes, Josefumi gave Karera a good luck kiss. Besides, both of them were going to need it. After that, they went their separate ways—Karera to 1 – B, and Josefumi to 1 – A.
A part of him was worried. Class 1 – A had been more than divided on the topic of a certain blonde. He figured that in The Sports Festival, it would be no different. If there was ever a time to prove one's worth, and another's unworthiness to be in The Hero Course, it was The Sports Festival.
Considering that the whole of Japan was guaranteed to be watching, it was all up to Kira to pull herself out of the rut she had found herself in. He wasn't going to help her in that regard. During The Sports Festival, it was every man for himself, so to speak.
And after all that training… he wasn't going to lose to anyone.
xxXXxxXXxx
Kyoka clenched and unclenched her left fist several times as she stared at the ground, the top of her uniform partially unbuttoned. Today was, beyond all else, the day where she proved herself. Proved to her parents that this was the life she wanted to lead. To prove to herself that she was worthy enough of becoming a Hero. To go beyond whatever preconceived notions she had about herself.
She had been training her Quirk in ways that some might consider… unorthodox ways. She had been training them to amp the amount of power she could emit from them, as well as just how sharp they could be. They were already sharp enough to puncture through thin walls. But now? If she focused hard enough, she could cut through a small building by herself if need be.
She knew her parents were worried about what it was she was doing. That she had been going to the more "unfortunate side of Musutafu" but that wasn't any of their business. For some reason, she felt more at home there than she ever did in her own home. She felt as if she belonged there rather than living in comfort.
That someone of her blood didn't deserve to live in modest luxury.
Kyoka didn't know why she thought this way. Maybe it was because of all the hate she heard about being a mutant. Maybe it was because she felt out of place in such a high-class neighbourhood. Or perhaps it was her inferiority complex shining through yet again. Or, it could be a mix of all three.
Her onyx eyes glanced over to the pill bottle on her dresser and felt her shoulders tense more than usual. She hadn't taken the pills in about a week, and ever since then, she had dredged up more and more memories.
How her father… might not actually be her father. And how her mother was hiding something. Something larger than she could understand. But no matter how far she remembered, she could never remember the specifics. Only flashes of the truth and only glimpses at her young eyes saw.
She also was beginning to remember bits and pieces about what had driven her to attempt suicide all those years back. It was cut up into a million different words and phrases that she couldn't understand. A lot of it made no sense, and it was like trying to fit together a puzzle. But there was one thing she did know wholeheartedly.
Like a lot of things in her past, it had something to do with her mother.
Maybe it had something to do with what her mother was hiding. If so, what was it that her mother was hiding, and why was she trying to make Kyoka forget about it? She knew her father wasn't exactly all too keen to keep her on the medication, and she had even heard the two argue about it.
How her father begged her mother to stop whatever it was she was doing to her, but how at every turn her mother refused to listen.
Did it have something to do with her random outbursts of anger? Was it because of something Kyoka had done? Did she do something so heinous in the past that it forced her mother's hand? And what her mother had done had driven her to Kyoka trying to get rid of what the past her saw as a potential burden, that being herself?
No… that made no sense. Because if that was the case….
"Something isn't adding up… I'm missing something. But just what that something is, I don't know… Maybe it really is what he said… maybe my parents can't be trusted…" Kyoka thought, frowning, fiddling with her left earphone jack as the tension in her shoulders began to disappear.
During her training, she frequently bumped into a man with black hair, purple eyes, and some rather uninteresting clothing. Usually a white T-shirt and blue cargo pants. During her training, he'd talk to her, and suggest things that she needed to do in order to get stronger. It was how she got the idea to make her earphone jacks sharper.
She had… done something stupid. She had opened up to the stranger. She had said that her home life was tense and that she had a feeling her parents were hiding something from her, and wouldn't tell her anything.
That was when he said one of the strangest things. And it was something that she had been thinking about ever since he said it.
"Jirou Kyoka, was it? Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, your parents aren't actually your parents? Or, more accurately, one of your parents isn't real while your other parent is? Maybe that is what they're trying to hide from you. And if that is the case, can they really be trusted? What else are they hiding from you? Who are they trying to hide from you? At the end of the day, whatever it is, clearly they don't want you to find out. But maybe you should try and find out. You never know what you'll find."
Ever since that day, she stopped seeing that man. Perhaps he moved on to something else more important. But the fact of the matter was that he was onto something. Otherwise, why else would it stick with her?
"After I win the Sports Festival… I'm going to find out the truth," Kyoka declared to herself, standing up from her bed as she walked to the door of her bedroom. When she opened it, she was met with her Mom seconds away from knocking on the door, her fist raised high, and her expression one of shock.
She was a few inches taller than Kyoka, with her hair done in a bob. She, much like Kyoka, had earphone jacks hanging off of her earlobes, only they were shorter and duller. She wore a pair of thin-framed glasses, and she had a few white hairs from stress. The woman was wearing a short purple dress, which had two thin straps that held the dress up.
The woman had a small golden chain around her neck, with a cross hanging off of the chain. It was embroidered with a red ruby in the center of the cross, and it was about as long and as thick as a thumb. It was polished enough to the point where one could see their reflection in it. And while her mother wasn't religious, it was something that she kept in near-perfect condition because of just how much it meant.
Apparently, it was a gift from someone close to her. Someone that she hadn't seen in a long, long time. A gift to remember their time together. Whoever that person was, it was someone that her mother seemed to still harbour some sort of affection for, even though it had been a long, long time ago.
Whoever it was, though, Kyoka didn't really bother to ask about it, because she didn't care all that much. It was probably an ex-lover of some kind, and while that could answer a few burning questions of hers, it really wasn't important at the moment. She'd save that question till after The Sports Festival.
"Ah! Kyo, I was wondering what was taking you so long. Did you take your pills?" Her mother asked Kyoka as she nodded silently, lying to her mother as the woman raised an eyebrow. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No," Kyoka replied, a firmness in her voice that signalled to her to drop the topic. The mother sighed, shaking her head, before stepping out of Kyoka's way. As she walked down the hall, and just as she was about to turn the corner to enter the living room, the woman spoke up.
"Kyoka… are you a hundred percent certain that this is what you want to do? You can always back out, you know? To walk out of the danger you're putting yourself in. You can't—"
"Shut up," Kyoka spat, interrupting her mother, who flinched. Kyoka's eyes burned with anger, the purplette's eyes narrowing in such a way that it amplified that anger tenfold. "All of my life… from all of that I can remember, it was always you that told me I couldn't do this, or I couldn't do that because it wasn't safe… Well, I've had enough."
"Kyo—"
"No." Kyoka sneered, which seemed to make the woman angrier.
"You listen to me, young lady!" The woman retorted, storming over to Kyoka, and staring down the purplette. Kyoka didn't so much as budge, meeting her mother's glare with her own. "I am your mother! And I am telling you to stop this. After this stupid festival, I am—"
Blood spread itself across the woman's right cheek, making the woman stumble backward and fall on the floor. A gash as deep as a knife cut leaked a steady supply of blood down the woman's cheek, her face turning ashen white, all the while Kyoka glared down at her mother, all the while finished buttoning up her uniform.
"You do not control me. No one controls me. Not you, not Dad, not my teachers, and not my friends. I will do whatever I want, however I want. If you know what's good for you, you'd back off and get that cut checked," Kyoka spat, before turning around and continuing out of the hallway.
Meanwhile, with Mika, her hands shook, as she slowly raised her hand to her bloody cheek. Closing her eyes, as tears began to fall down her face.
It was just as she feared.
It was happening.
She was remembering… she was remembering everything.
Once her memories fully returned, she would run away and find her real father. And to do that… it would break her. It would ruin her life. If she found her real father, her life would change, and not for the better.
And for a moment there, she could him in her. The tone of voice, the powerful aura, and the confidence of someone who wasn't naturally born from the Jirou Bloodline. The kind of fearless pride that was dangerous with the wrong mindset.
A haunting reminder of an affair that nearly ruined that man's career. It was why she hid Kyoka away from him. It was so that he could do what needed to happen. But now… she was beginning to regret even keeping her.
Because now… she was becoming more like HIM.
And it was all because of… all because she was seduced by that man. She should've known that this would've happened. But she didn't think about the consequences. And now that part of her was coming more and more to the forefront.
That was the point of the pills. But now she knew that Kyoka was no longer taking them. And because of that, more people would be put in danger.
She had made a mistake and one that she could no longer take back. And so all she could now was watch the carnage that would unfold thanks to the monster she gave birth to.
xxXXxxXXxx
The next day at school was filled with an air of excitement that, had Yoshihara not been prepared for it, would've overwhelmed her. Upon first getting to the school and ignoring the scathing looks she was used to getting, and upon entering the classroom, Aizawa entered the room looking over everyone with a pair of tired eyes wrapped up in bandages just like he had been for the last two weeks and immediately told everyone to get into their gym uniforms.
His reasoning behind it was obvious. The Sports Festival was an all-day event, and no time could be wasted mucking around and talking—a sentiment that she and her teacher shared. While she was getting changed, she felt several pairs of eyes glaring at her back, but she didn't mind it. She didn't mind the glare that some of them gave her.
It was clear that the stigma surrounding what she had done had not died down at all. What made it worse was that her class wasn't the only one in the changing room, which meant more people were glaring at her, and the most notable of those was Yaoyorozu. However, the ravenette seemed to be a bit more self-conscious about her choice to hate her, especially considering when she glanced at Yaoyorozu, the heir looked away with a scowl on her face.
It wasn't as if she cared what anyone thought of her. Yoshihara knew very well that she had enemies in her class, that being: Yaoyorozu, Sero, Rikido, Koji, Aoyama, Todoroki, Shoji, and Fumikage. There were also all of Class 1 – B, excluding Karera, all of the first-year General Studies students, namely Heimei Kishibe and Shinso Hitoshi, all of the Support Course students, and all of the Business course students.
So, pretty much the whole school was her enemy. It wouldn't be a stretch to say it was her against the world at this point. However, that would be a lie, considering that some people didn't see her as a monster. Those were the only ones who were on her side. The staff, Izuku, Josefumi, Karera, Uraraka, Ida, Jirou, Asui, Ashido, Ojiro, and recently, Kaminari.
Oh, and she was able to get a view of the big three of U.A., and judging by the conflicted looks they gave her only meant that the group of three wasn't on her side at all. Then again, none of them knew her, so she expected that. However, it was a bit of a scary thought to think that the strongest students in the school were against her. Thankfully, she wouldn't be facing them, so that was a plus.
After finishing getting changed, boarding the bus to the Arena was next on the list. The rest went down as expected, and if Yoshihara were to give her opinion, it felt like the whole world was spinning faster than usual.
Needless to say the slow morning for Yoshihara quickly changed to that of a fast-paced one. She was still dead tired from being woken up by Nemuri at 6:30, being rushed was the last thing that she wanted to be. Not that she had a choice, but that was beside the point.
The ravenette did her hair, practically making it shine, then made her do a quick spar to test her reflexes for the festival. The fight was heavily one-sided with Killer Queen's help and Nemuri's advice to not shout out the name of her Stand. It made it really hard for the pro hero to know that she was using her Stand.
The spar only lasted 30 seconds, something that Nemuri was proud of. Granted, the older woman didn't use her Quirk, but that was beside the point. The pro hero told her that she was rooting for the blonde, and that was more than enough to give her the confidence that she needed.
After reminiscing about what happened between her and her adoptive mother, she and the rest of her class were escorted to her class's prep room, which was right next to Class 1 – B's prep room—again, something to be expected considering it was like that on campus. Before they entered the room designated to them, however, Karera smiled at her as well as Josefumi and wished them good luck, to which Yoshihara did the same to her, as did Josefumi.
Upon entering the room, Class 1 – A was greeted with four cheap fold-out tables with five chairs each. There were several inspirational posters in the room with different top-tier heroes, namely Mirko, All Might, a hero by the name of Blackwell, and of course, Endeavour. When Shoto saw that poster, he grumbled to himself about something, though Yoshihara wasn't able to make it out.
Everyone took their seats, and once they did, it was clear that there was a sense of excitement and joy in the class. Everyone in the room was jittery. Nerves were high and the competition was fierce, that much was for certain. And because of that, despite it going against everything that Yoshihara had believed in, she wanted to win this thing.
Typically, Yoshihara never really cared about winning or losing. She wasn't the kind of person to want to make enemies. But, for an occasion such as this, she saw no real qualms for making an exception that time around.
Yoshihara and Izuku were standing side by side, the latter looking a bit nervous, while Yoshihara looked indifferent at best and annoyed at worst. Though on the inside, she felt a bit nervous. Yoshihara knew that her Stand was strong, but she had no idea how it would stack up against people like Todoroki or Bakugo. Hell, even Midoriya was now a decent threat thanks to his Full Cowling.
Not to mention that Midoriya had both a personal trainer, as well as his mother, who was a Stand user. It gave him an edge against her, seeing as he was able to better read the air movements whenever her Stand attacked.
Josefumi was strong, but she beat him in the past. Although thanks to whatever training he had done with Zeppelli, it was clear that he undoubtedly got stronger, and if the two came across one another in a battle, it most likely wouldn't end in the same way as it did the last time. Whatever Kujo was up to with Gyro Zeppelli, she'd find out in the first event. At least, she hoped so, anyway.
Yoshihara glanced over to Izuku, who gave her a half-hearted smile, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. She didn't know what was going through his mind right now but seeing as she pretty much confessed her love to him not too long ago, i.e. last night, he was probably feeling a little bit anxious standing next to her. Considering his hands were fidgeting, and considering that he was shaking like a leaf, he was no doubt nervous and anxious.
Slowly, the blonde reached over to his left hand with her right, interlocking her fingers with his hand, which seemed to only make his anxiety spike due to the tension in his shoulders rising. Although, after a few seconds, the boy seemed to calm down, and slowly returned the gesture.
Now it was her turn for her to get a little bit red in the face. Deep inside, she felt something that she didn't know she could feel anymore, that being the feeling of happiness. Completion. It was almost as if just being around Izuku made her whole. Like she had finally found that missing part of herself that she lost and partially regained after killing her mother.
Freeing that weight off of her shoulders made it so much better. She only wished that her moment hadn't been ruined by the media trying to paint her out to be a villain in that scenario. As the two teens kept around each other, holding hands like a pair of middle-schoolers, their little moment was ruined when someone spoke out to them.
"Midoriya. Kira," a cold-sounding voice broke them out of their funk, the two's hands snapping away from one another before Kira gained back her stone-cold expression, turning around to meet the person who spoke, that being one Shoto Todoroki. Izuku quickly followed suit, and when he saw who spoke to him, the green-haired boy froze for a split second before regaining his composure.
The three teens regarded one another with an air of certainty, though Izuku was a bit nervous compared to Yoshihara, who kept her stone-cold demeanour. Shoto shot a half-hearted glare at Yoshihara, who shot a similar glare back as the green-haired boy cleared his throat, calming himself enough to talk. "Todoroki, uh… what is it?" Izuku asked, the half-and-half-haired teen adverting his attention to Izuku first.
"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you and more capable than you," Shoto regarded coldly, making Izuku flinch. "All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he?" Shoto prodded, his expression becoming dead serious, making Izuku a little bit uncomfortable. "Now I'm not about to pry into why that is, but… I will beat you."
Shoto's declaration seemed to shake the room just a little bit, and when he was finished talking to Izuku, he turned his attention to Yoshihara. "And you. You being here illudes me. I don't understand why you weren't expelled for your actions and for the murder you committed, but that's not why I'm talking to you," Shoto stated, earning an even stare from Yoshihara, who was a little bit relieved that she wasn't about to get chewed out for something as insignificant as that.
"From what I've seen of you, you seem to have a similar, albeit a more powerful version of Bakugo's Quirk, if what Kujo said back during the combat trials is to be believed. However, my Ice will overpower you, and I will beat you as well," Shoto continued, earning a dry expression from Yoshihara.
The two stared at one another, both exchanging cold gazes filled with contempt, if not only because of the competition between the two, then because of each other's mistrust of one another born from what she did two weeks back.
"You know nothing about my Quirk. I plan to show off the fullest extent of what I can do at this Sports Festival. If anything, Shoto Todoroki, you should be afraid of me," Yoshihara spat back, unleashing a small wave of killing intent into the room, making a handful of people flinch, while most others looked in their direction. Shoto felt a small bead of sweat fall down the side of his face, breaking his once stoic composure.
"Hey you two, cut it out! We're about to go on…" Kirishima cut in, walking up to the two and placing a hand on both of their shoulders. Shoto simply shrugged the redhead's hand off of his shoulder, the stoic teen letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here," Shoto responded, both to Kirishima and Yoshihara. The blonde was about to interject, but Izuku spoke up before she could.
"I'll be honest, Todoroki. I don't know why you feel that way. I don't know why you wanted to tell me you were going to beat me. I can't deny that you're stronger, and I can't deny that compared to me your control over your Quirk is far superior to mine," Izuku began with a slightly determined look on his face. "However, you know nothing about what I've done to get this far. All you've seen is what I can do at school. Besides, you're not the only one who's aiming for the top. Hell, it's not just the hero course students, it's everyone else as well. From the General Study students to the Support Course students. Even the Business Course students are giving it their all!" Izuku continued, staring directly into the eyes of Shoto, a burning fire of determination deep within his emerald eyes.
"So, let me say this, Todoroki. If you're going to reach for the top. If you're declaring war on me. Then I'm going to do the exact same thing. I'm going to beat you, Shoto Todoroki!" As Izuku made his declaration, The dual-haired boy scoffed, turning around and looking away from Midoriya.
"Right." That was all he got from the son of the number 2 pro hero. However, he wasn't the only one who overheard his little speech. The whole class did, which included a certain blond-haired red-eyed bomber, who was scowling at the successor to All Might.
"So, Shitty Deku grew more of a backbone than before, eh?" Bakugo thought, clenching his hand into a fist. His eyes wandered to Kira, and then his scowl deepened. "Ever since that pipsqueak met that bimbo, he's become more confident. Shitty little Deku and his shitty little girlfriend. I'm going to kick both of their asses and when I do, I'm going to make them understand that they can't hold a candle to me!" Bakugo's thoughts lingered as one of the heroes on the job for helping with security gathered the students to take them to the main field.
Once the doors to the main field opened up, the class was greeted by the sounds of a loud crowd cheering, whooping and hollering. Amongst the whooping and hollering, Yoshihara could make out the voice of one Present Mic, who was the announcer for the event. "Introducing The First Year Stage! Here come the Students now!"
"The whole country's watching me…." Yoshihara thought, slowly raising a fist to her chest. "No doubt the villains who attacked us at the USJ are as well. And if that's the case…" Yoshihara's thoughts continued with a determined look shining in her normally vacant eyes. "Then I'm going to make them all see just how strong I am!"
And with that mini-declaration in her mind, she walked past the gates along with her fellow Classmates, gathering with the other first-year students, her class being the one in front of them all.
"Let's give a warm welcome to the first years of The Hero Course! First up, is Class 1 – A!" Present Mic's booming voice echoed out into the stadium, with roars and cheers of those in the nosebleeds and seats throughout the stadium.
"Following them is Class 1 – B! Then after them are Classes C, D, and E of General Studies! Following them are the Support Course classes F, G, and H! And last but certainly not least are Classes I, J, and K from the business course!" Present Mic continued as he listed off the classes for the first-year students. All of them pooled together to make a massive crowd of over 300 people.
Yoshihara looked over to Izuku, a nervous expression on his face. It was clear that he hadn't been expecting the utter amount of people to be watching, and it seemed that all of his bravado in the prep room had pretty much faded. Her class was making idle chatter, not that she was going to add to any of it. However, it was cut short when a certain someone that Yoshihara recognized made themselves appear on the stage.
Yoshihara felt herself cringe when she saw Nemuri wearing her hero costume, but then again, it didn't matter all that much. However, what confused her was why Nemuri was the first-year student's event organizer. From what she heard, last year it was Vlad King, but this year it was Nemuri.
"Now! It's time for the Athlete's oath!" Nemuri shouted as the crowd practically started gawking at the pro-hero, much to her annoyance. "Oi! Pipe down, everyone! Your student representative for this year is Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1 – A!"
The blond bomber walked up to the stage and stood next to the R-rated hero, taking the microphone from her. "Hmph. My original oath was scrapped because it was crap. The principal said it would only make things a nuisance," Katsuki began, scoffing as he overlooked the crowd. "Whatever. You clowns came here to prove yourselves, right? Especially you General Studies shmucks. You think you got what it fuckin' takes to worm your way into the Hero Course, right?" Bakugo roared, a sinister smile on his face. "Well, I doubt it. But if you think you can then prove it! Prove to everyone and yourself you fuckwits got what it takes! 'Cause if you can't, then I'd say you lot would make the perfect stepping stones to MY success!"
The crowd practically roared to life in anger and annoyance at Bakugo's words. However, the blond bomber created a loud explosion to snap everyone back. "Shut the fuck up, you morons! I'm not finished!" Bakugo roared, glaring down at everyone.
"I dare you all to give it your best. All of you, don't wimp out cause you're seen as the underdogs! I want a challenge, not a complete stomp! I know some of you bastards in the General Studies Course have some above-average Quirks. I want to see'em at their fullest! If you bastards didn't train them then you have no reason to be here. The same goes with you bastards in the business in Support Courses. You assholes better show me and the rest of Japan a damn good time! I don't want to get bored in this sea of mediocrity!"
The same reaction was garnered, though it was largely quieter than before, as some of the people in the crowd were beginning to decipher the blond bombers' words and make their own interpretations of them, ranging from him being arrogant to being slightly supportive in an aggressive tone, kinda like an American footballer.
Meanwhile, all of Class 1 – A felt just a tad bit annoyed that Bakugo pretty much turned the crowd completely against them, some people telling them to not get cocky or calling them dirty bastards. All in all, it only served to make Yoshihara feel just that bit more justified in beating the ever-loving shit out of him, legally, when an opportunity showed itself.
"With that passionate speech out of the way! Let's get the first event started!" Nemuri announced, a big screen showing up behind her as several events began to spin like that of a slot machine. They were going by so fast that, even with Killer Queen's enhanced eyesight the blonde couldn't make out what they were.
"These are the Qualifiers! It's in this stage that so many are sent home crying every year!" Nemuri explained, turning to see the screen as it slowed down. "And the fateful first-year event this year is…!" Nemuri continued as the event name showed itself on the massive television screen. Obstacle Course Race. "THIS!"
The crowd erupted into loud applause as the name of the event showed up on the massive jumbotron in the center of the enclosed stadium. Many of the students from all the different courses began to worry about their probability of making it through the Sports Festival, while others felt their chances skyrocket. For Midoriya, he felt a bit nervous, but with his Full Cowling, he felt just a bit confident. Yoshihara, too, also felt confident, along with Josefumi, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Shinso Hitoshi, who had a wooden doll in his right hand.
The lights above the gate began to countdown as Yoshihara drew out her Stand as it overlapped with her. She felt her body double in physical strength, agility, and speed. After all, at this point, she and Killer Queen were one and the same. As the final light glowed, a horn sounded, and Nemuri's voice rang out through the stadium.
"START!"
As soon as that voice boomed, Yoshihara stepped hard into the ground, creating a small spider-web crack where she had stepped with Killer Queen's added strength, slipping the balance of those around her, and with a powerful kick to get her moving, the blonde burst forth at the same time as Shoto froze the ground as he declared that the gate was the first filter. The two teens shared a glance, Shoto's eyes filled with shock while Yoshihara's were devoid of anything.
There were a bunch of complaints coming from those stuck at the rear, all the while Bakugo, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Aoyama burst forth from the frozen ground. Bakugo made some sort of a taunt to confuse the half-and-half-haired teen. Yoshihara smirked, using her jumps to break the ground and bound ahead of the rest of them.
The only one who was able to keep up was Shoto, who was skating on his ice. The rest of their class such as Tokoyami, Ashido, Ojiro, Midoriya, and Uraraka broke through the thick ice trap. However, Hitoshi Shinso also broke through, a smirk on his face, as Everybody Loves Me slammed its fist into the ground, cracking the ice and freeing a bunch of other students.
"That guy… He's got a pretty handy Quirk. Hmph," Hitoshi scoffed. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Yoshihara. "That girl… she's got a Stand too. Who knows how many others do as well," Hitoshi remarked, glancing over to his left as a kid with a pompadour that he didn't recognize summoned a Stand of his own and smashed the ice, freeing his legs. Shinso scowled, taking off running at the same time as Josefumi.
Shoto looked back at everyone who escaped, frowning. "I expected it from our class, but… More made it past the blockade than I thought…." As Todoroki thought that, he felt a sharp impact knock him in the face, causing him to tumble on his ice, knocking into some of the crowd and slowing his advance.
"What the hell?!" Todoroki thought, his eyes raising in alarm while a small stream of blood spewed from his mouth. "What hit me?" The son of Endeavour's thoughts were frantic as he picked himself up. Up ahead were several robots, and he watched as Kira was blowing them up in a flash just by tapping them. "It was probably shrapnel from Kira and her blowing up the robots… but, was it planned?"
However, Yoshihara quickly stopped dead in her tracks as three massive 40-foot-tall robots towered over all of the students. "These are the robots that Midoriya, Karera, and Josefumi had to face? This should be easy…" Yoshihara thought as Present Mic spoke up through the speakers.
"EVERY OBSTACLE COURSE NEEDS OBSTACLES! INTRODUCING THE FIRST BARRIER! ROBO INFERN—OH!" Before Present Mic could finish his sentence, several of the Zero-Pointer Robots exploded into bits before they could even get the chance to initiate their attack, all in a straight path that allowed Yoshihara to slip past them, simultaneously distracting the robots with the sudden explosion of their comrades.
"WELL! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?! IT WOULD SEEM THAT KIRA YOSHIHARA FROM CLASS 1 – A IS MAKING AMPLE USE OF HER EXPLOSIVE QUIRK TO BUST THROUGH THE BARRIER WITH FORCE!" Present Mic announced. "BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!" This caused Yoshihara to flash a glance behind her as the rest of the Zero-Pointers were encased in ice. Several people tried to follow Todoroki, who had been the reason behind the freezing of the robots, only to be rudely awakened when the Zero-Pointers unthawed and fell over, creating an even bigger barrier than before.
"ANOTHER ONE OF CLASS 1 – A'S STUDENTS, TODOROKI SHOTO, IS BUSTING THROUGH AND SABOTAGING THE OTHERS IN ONE MOVE! THIS GUY'S COLD!" Present Mic announced as Kira smirked, Todoroki going back to skating on his ice as the blonde continued her bounding forward.
"Even after Killer Queen knocked him in the face, it would seem as if he was able to recover quicker than I thought…." Yoshihara thought, placing bubbles underneath her feet as they exploded, sending her high up in the air, overlooking the next obstacle. The blonde's eyes widened upon seeing it and then smirked. "It's tight ropes. But unlike the exam…" Yoshihara's thoughts continued as she blasted forward using her bubble bombs, practically flying in the air at the constant replacement of her bubble bombs on her feet. "I don't need to cross them!"
"IT WOULD SEEM AS IF KIRA HAS COMPLETELY BYPASSED THE SECOND OBSTACLE, THAT BEING THE FALL, BY ONCE AGAIN USING THE EXPLOSIVE QUIRK OF HERS TO FLY!" Present Mic announced. "BUT IT SEEMS LIKE SHE'S NO LONGER IN FIRST PLACE!" As Present Mic said that, Yoshihara looked around her before seeing Josefumi casually floating above her. The pompadour-haired teen smirked, waving at her as Soft & Wet swam in front of him, to which he was grabbing the leg of his Stand as it dragged him through the air.
"IT WOULD SEEM AS IF CLASS 1 – A's KUJO JOSEFUMI USED HIS QUIRK, PLUNDER, TO STEAL HIS GRAVITY SO HE CAN FLY OVER THE COURSE! IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED ERASERHEAD?!" Present Mic questioned as their shaggy-haired teacher sighed.
"The Sports Festival is being used to show off one's Quirks and mastery over them. So yes, he's allowed to do that," Aizawa replied to his fellow announcer.
Down below, beneath the two Stand Users, a pink-haired girl was using some sort of propulsion device to swing from cliff to cliff, bouncing off the edge of the cliffs with some sort of boots that allowed her to stick to the walls and safely grapple herself to the next cliff, all of which had been pre-allowed by the staff.
Meanwhile, Shoto, who was now in third place and a fair distance behind his two other classmates, grit his teeth as he watched them practically fly above him, all the while he carefully ran on the ropes with perfect balance. He knew damn well that there was something up with those two. Something about those two had always rubbed him the wrong way.
And no, he wasn't mad because he was in third place, though it did annoy him that he was being outperformed by them seeing as his father was no doubt watching in the stands. Not that he cared all too much about what his father thought of him or what he was doing, but that was beside the point.
The fact that he was being beaten by a murderer and a Joestar really ground his gears—especially because he was being beaten by a murderer. The Joestar? Not so much. But it was the fact that Kira was making good on her word back in the prep room that seriously pissed him off.
Meanwhile, the crowd was watching the events play out with cheers and shouts of excitement. However, there were a select few who, upon hearing the name Kira Yoshihara, began jeering and shouting. And by a few, it was more like half the stadium. Some of them who knew that she was going to be at the Sports Festival brought signs for protesting, while some of the heroes who were watching straight up left.
Then again, it wasn't as if Kira cared all that much.
Present Mic looked a bit worried and muted his and Aizawa's microphones, watching as the protests got louder and louder. He had even read a few of the signs, some of which wished death upon Kira for what she did, despite what she did being an obvious case of self-defence. How they were able to slip those signs past security was beyond him, but that was beside the point. "This can't be good… I mean, I knew the media whipped up a storm, but this is ridiculous…." The blond hero said, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead as Aizawa sighed.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Though I doubt any of them will try something. If they do, we have security that'll stop them," Aizawa replied, a frown forming underneath his bandages. He was sure that the public would've forgotten about what happened by now, but it seemed like they were still aware of it. Whatever the case might have been, he wasn't about to lecture a bunch of adults over the microphone. He wasn't there to police protestors, he was there to commentate over the obstacle course.
The mics were turned back on, and just in time for the third obstacle. Josefumi was floating just above it, while Yoshihara was still jumping on top of explosive bubbles for her to practically run above it, meanwhile, Shoto was running the course the proper way.
"AND OUR THREE LEADS HAVE REACHED THE FINAL BARRIER! THAT IS TO SAY… THIS MINEFIELD! IT'S A DEADLY AFGHAN CARPET! A QUICK GLANCE IS ENOUGH TO REVEAL THE MINES' LOCATIONS! SO KEEP BOTH EYES OPEN AND WATCH YOUR STEP!" Present Mic announced, chuckling to himself for a brief second. "I SHOULD MENTION, OUR MINES DON'T PACK A DEADLY PUNCH BUT THEY'RE LOUD AND FLASHY ENOUGH THAT YOU MIGHT NEED A CHANGE OF UNDERWEAR WHEN IT'S ALL OVER!"
From behind, Midoriya was covered in green electricity, keeping his movement fluid and his eyes ahead of him as he finished the tight rope section. That part had really slowed him down, namely because using Full Cowling back at the tightrope section would've been a bad idea. He wasn't that good with it yet, and using it while balancing wouldn't have helped.
Upon making it to the minefield, he was able to dash past Shoto, glancing at him as his half-and-half-haired classmate had his eyes wide. As he slammed his foot down on the ground, he bound forward, narrowly avoiding a mine. He bound forward once again and put a good distance between himself and the red-and-white-haired teen.
"IT WOULD SEEM AS IF MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM CLASS 1 – A STOLE TODOROKI SHOTO'S THIRD PLACE SPOT! WHAT A SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS!" As Present Mic said that, Kira glanced just underneath herself and smiled, seeing her… was it boyfriend or friend? Was that still in question?
"Whatever now's not the time to question that. If our date's successful, then It'll be official," Kira thought as she adjusted herself. Right now, Josefumi was in the first place, and by a good margin. Midoriya wasn't too far behind her, and from the corner of her eye, she could see that behind Shoto was Bakugo ripping and roaring angrily.
Yoshihara smirked, grouping four explosive bubbles on each of her feet, and then, with a click of her thumb, she pointed her hands above her head to mimic a spearhead, snapping forward and zooming past Josefumi, confusing the pompadour-haired teen, the size of the explosion matching the size of one of Bakugo's, but unleashing ten times the power.
The blonde dived toward the finished line, did a tuck and roll, and just as she was about the cross the finish line in first place, a green blur cut just past her making her eyes widen. Izuku gave her a side glance, then a smile, and exited the gate, coming to a screeching halt.
"THE FIRST PERSON TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE STADIUM IS NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYA, STEALING THE FIRST PLACE POSITION FROM KIRA YOSHIHARA BY A LITERAL HAIR!" Present Mic announced, a roar of cheers erupting from the stadium.
Yoshihara followed behind him, just narrowly getting second place. Josefumi came in third, Shoto in fourth, and Bakugo in fifth. Speaking of Bakugo, his teeth were grit with a fierce rage, his arms were bulging with anger, and his blood-red eyes were set on the back of Izuku's head.
Two weeks ago, Deku was breaking his limbs to use his Quirk.
Two weeks ago, he was nothing but a pebble who had a little bit of confidence.
But now? He was different. He was using his Quirk without breaking his bones with some sort of flashy green lighting dancing around his body as a result, and to make things worse, Deku was fast. Really fucking fast. Not as fast as four eyes, but faster than him.
Meanwhile, Shoto was using a slight amount of heat from his right side to heat his body. He had used his ice a lot back there, and using too much of it would've caused hypothermia. So, to counter-act it, he heated himself using his father's flames, though that would be the only time he used them, to heat himself back to normal temperatures.
He made a vow, a vow that he would never use the flames that belonged to his father. He would become a hero through his mother's ice only, just to prove Endeavor wrong.
Meanwhile, Nemuri was standing on stage, smirking as she overlooked the giant TV behind her. As the rest of the competitors came up into the stadium, the ravenette cleared her throat and spoke into the microphone. "Now that the first event is over, let's take a look at the standings!"
1st Place: Class A. Izuku Midoriya
2nd Place: Class A. Yoshihara Kira
3rd Place: Class A. Josefumi Kujo
4th Place: Class A. Shoto Todoroki
5th Place: Class A. Katsuki Bakugo
6th Place: Class B. Ibara Shiozaki
7th Place: Class B. Karera Sakunami
8th Place: Class B. Juzo Honenuki
9th Place: Class A. Ida Tenya
10th Place: Class A. Fumikage Tokoyami
11th Place: General Studies: Heimei Kishibe
12th Place: Class A. Eijirou Kirishima
13th Place: Class B. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
14th Place: General Studies: Hitoshi Shinso
15th Place: Class A. Momo Yaoyorozu
16th Place: Class A. Ochako Uraraka
17th Place: General Studies: Tatami Utusagi
18th Place: Support Course: Mei Hatsume
19th Place: Class A. Kyoka Jirou
20th Place….
Yoshihara watched as the names and faces flashed up on the billboard and frowned. In total, 42 students qualified for the next round. Over 75% of the contenders were cut from the pool of opponents. Instead of it making the stress lessen, it only made it double. These 42 contenders were the crème of the crop, which meant that this next event might actually be challenging.
She recognized a lot of the people on the board, the obvious ones being from her class, as well as Karera, and Kishibe. But the rest? She had no idea who they were. Then again, she didn't pay attention to most of the other contenders. The only one she recognized the face of was a guy by the name of Hitoshi Shinso, the boy who declared war on her class. The boy that was a Stand User.
"So, he made it past the obstacle course. Interesting. I kinda hoped he didn't, but I guess he's putting his all into this…" Yoshihara thought, scanning the crowd to try and find the boy, only to completely miss him entirely. Before she could go looking out for him, Nemuri spoke to them all, catching her attention.
"The top 42 from this qualifying round will move on!" Nemuri began, looking over the crowd of students before smiling. "But for those who placed lower, don't worry! We still have plenty of things that you guys can do to show off your mettle!" The R-rated hero continued as she gained a fierce expression.
"But now, the real fun begins!" As she said that, Yoshihara rolled her eyes at her theatrics. It seemed like she was getting a lot of mileage out of this whole event. "The main selection really begins! The Press Corps' are going to be jumping out of their seats, so give it all you got!" Nemuri declared, several shouts coming from the crowd as the R-rated hero smirked with glee.
Walking over to the TV as it began to spin just like the first time. "Now, on to the second event! I already know what it's going to be, of course, but the suspense must be killing all of you! Next up is… THIS!"
Two big words showed up on the screen, and Yoshihara could practically hear Bakugo laughing in the back of her head. Why? Because the name of the event practically explained itself.
All Out War.
xxXXxxXXxx
Sitting in a dingy apartment, staring at a TV screen, a scarred man sat on a couch with a smile on his face. "Well, I'll be damned. She made it out of that mess mostly unscathed. I'm glad, I really am…" the man said, cracking his neck from left to right, crossing his arms whilst he turned off his TV.
He had a few things to do to prove his worth to them. Once he did that, he knew that he could earn their trust. But, he would keep tabs on that festival. Especially because his masterpiece was there. He couldn't not keep tabs on his stupid little brother. What kind of sibling would he be if he wasn't looking after his family?
He might have gone no-contact with them, but that didn't mean his job as the Eldest Brother was forfeited. After all, he had been watching them all, lying in wait for his time to reveal himself to the world and ruin that piece of shit.
He used to think that he had to be the worst of the worst. To show the world hero society needed to be torn down. But then… he had been approached by a certain someone to become something more. To redeem himself so to speak.
He wasn't really all about redemptions. But avoiding prison time? Yeah, he'd rather not rot in a cell for the rest of his life. So what was there left to lose?
As he got up from his spot on the couch, he put on his black duster that had been covered in tears and patches before walking out the front door. "I can't wait to see you again, Yoshihara Kira, because the next time we see each other, we'll have all the time in the world to catch up. Although I wonder if you remember me…" Dabi said to himself, before looking back over to the door, glancing at his phone and the list that he was given by him.
He had some work to do.
-To Be Continued-