Things can blur together a lot, especially if you're anticipating something. Of course, the opposite can happen too. Your anticipation can slow things down, make it feel like an eternity, even if whatever you were anticipating was only an hour away. Once the USJ was over, and the sports festival was announced, I had two whole weeks to wait before an event I was massively looking forward to.

Normally, I'm pretty good with waiting. Things came to me, best to just let it happen, and this didn't entirely go away really. Mina whined and moaned the entire time, but I think I rubbed off on her, because as the days wore on, she seemed to complain less, though she never stopped entirely. At the same time, I started to see her point. Waiting became harder as time ticked by, which felt new to me. I chalked it up to Mina rubbing off on me as I rubbed off on her.

Luckily for my own health, training was there to make up the time. Shinso and I hung out of course, but Kirishima and Kaminari were the ones I trained with, though Shinso was sometimes along as well.

Training with Kirishima was old hat, we'd done so before school started, but now we were practicing skills as we learned them. Plus, Kaminari was thrown into the mix. He was quite an interesting fighter, with a quirk like his, though he was vulnerable and new to fighting. Kirishima had some form of fighting lessons he went to, I had dance to fall back on, but he had clearly never done it aside from basics.

It made me worry a bit. The downside from his quirk may even be detrimental to his brain if he overused it, though he tried his best to tell me it wouldn't, though it had been when he first used it. That may have explained a few things, though I didn't say anything to him. It wouldn't have been nice to say out loud "Maybe your quirk damaged your brain and that's why you fail at school".

Besides, not like I could judge. I was confident I knew what was coming, I had graduated highschool already, but already I felt like I was drowning. It was just…harder than I thought, and though I wasn't catastrophically bad, it still wasn't good.

But I digress. Once I started training and hanging out, getting to know some classmates (it's amazing how much you can fit into a seemingly small time), the two weeks passed by, and it was sports festival time.

One of the things Shinso had been doing was convince me of an idea he had had shortly after the USJ. Both me and Mina, Plus the Shinso in his head (we called them Prime if we needed to refer to them) were reluctant, so he was facing an uphill battle. I was coming around a little, but Mina and Shinso prime still needed convincing. That was the situation we'd found ourselves in while we were changing for the sports festival.

It wasn't as awkward this time. I wasn't sure why, maybe my identity had shifted again? Or the conversation? Maybe both.

That's crazy.

'Yep'

Completely insane and and and-

Mina, calm down

Right. It's just so crazy. Why would he even tell us that? Prime was even against it, he has to talk his body's owner into it!

'I get it. Still, we should hear him out. Maybe it's more elaborate than we think. That was usually the case before.'

Huh. So his plans were always smart?

'...No, but they always had thought behind them.'

Bluh.

Understandable.

I looked around after I'd gotten ready, and headed into the shared waiting room from the lockers. Most of the guys were there already. I gave Shinso a high five, Kirishima a fist bump, and Kaminari gave me finger guns, which I replied to with a light punch to his shoulder, before I sat down to watch the fireworks. This was gonna be good in person.

Oooh. Drama?

'You bet. Should be happening as soon as…there he is.'

Shinso knew too as his eyes watched Todoroki's entrance

"Midoriya"

Said greenette turned to see Todoroki approach him, looking as intense as always.

"Hey Todoroki. What's up?"

Everyone in the class was watching now too. Curious as to what was happening. I kept myself from grinning too hard at seeing a moment like this. Already you could feel the tension.

"I think it's fairly clear from an objective standpoint that I'm stronger than you."

Bold. I think that's the most he's said to anyone.

'He gets better…a little.'

"Uh, yeah."

'Midoriya's great speaking skills strike again'

"However, you've got All Might in your corner helping you out."

Midoriya gasped, as if this was some big secret.

'He's not very subtle about it. Even you figured that out, right Mina?'

Yeah, he was- wait. Hey!

'You're getting quicker on the uptake.'

Thanks, I've been- was that another insult?

'Way quicker'

I ignored the vile things Mina said in response and watched the rest of the scene unfold. The tension only got thicker as Todoroki said he would beat Midoriya. Kirishima got up and went to inquire about the reasons, only to get brushed off.

"Don't forget, this isn't a team effort."

I snorted a bit, but it was Shinso who spoke up next.

"Man, aren't you charming. You know part of heroics is working with other heroes, right?"

Todoroki fixed him with an unreadable expression, before turning and walking away without a word. It was then Midoriya responded, and now you could tell it was on.

'Ah the good old Shonen speech. Gotta love how they say "It's on!" with so many words, with a healthy dose of inspiration.'

I liked it. Midoriya's pretty cool. He gets me pumped to win.

'Let's do it then.'

"I'll be aiming for the top too."

I grinned as I jumped out of my chair with Midoriya's last statement.

"You're not the only one."

Once everyone had their eyes on me, I smirked.

"You guys and your posturing. Can't let you have the top that easy."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you challenging me?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe it's to you. Maybe to everyone. Either way, It's on."

I kept standing as Shinso did the same, a more competitive grin than usual on his face.

"Good speech. But I do have to say Midoriya, bit rude to put us all down. Potential isn't really something you can measure like that."

He smiled and clenched his fist bringing it up to his chest.

"Guess I'll just have to prove you wrong."

He turned to the rest of the room.

"You guys going to do the same? Push yourselves and prove we have what it takes. Let's make this a day to remember."

Kirishima chimed in after.

"Right! A man never gives up! I'll give it my all!"

Everyone else cheered too, similar declarations coming from all over the room. Todoroki showed the most emotion I'd seen of him thus far, seeming a little shocked, before he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine."

He was the first to walk out, followed by a smiling Midoriya. I fist bumped Shinso as I followed, before giving Midoriya a pat on the shoulder when I caught up.

"Good job starting to get people pumped. You sure you aren't the leader type?"

Midoriya blushed a bit.

"O-oh it was nothing. It wouldn't have had the same effect if you and Shinso hadn't jumped in, Ashido."

I smirked a bit, and drifted backward to walk with the girls. They'd insisted, and I guess it would be good to talk to them. I did leave one last parting reply though.

"Don't sell yourself short. See you on the competition field, Midoriya."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was quite exhilarating to walk out to such a huge crowd. It can be hard for animation to convey a sense of scale like that, so it was shocking and exciting. I was never one for stage fright, so I smiled and waved as we walked out and gathered around the stage where Midnight now was. The pro was smiling rather strangely, though I guess when your brand is "The R-Rated Hero", you don't get by by acting normal.

I kind of ignored the awed statements from most of the guys (and a few girls). Sure, she was attractive, but that was her brand.

Why is she hosting the games?

'Because she's a teacher? It's usually been hosted by UA staff in the past. You know that.'

I do?

'Yeah, because I do. Your memories have been leaking into my brain, remember?''

…right. I don't like thinking about that.

'Fair. But let's hear Bakugou speak. I bet it will be…great.'

That isn't helping, ya know?

'Yep.'

"All I want to say is that…I'm gonna win."

'Truly an oration for the ages.'

Ooooh, you were being sarcastic. I get it now!

'Great job Mina'

Thanks!

Within the erupting crowd of student, I noticed Shinso, barely holding in laughter. I shared the sentiment, my own face twitching slightly as I tried not to grin like an idiot at the class hothead's blunt declaration. The guy was just…special in a way that was hard to describe.

Once things calmed, and the relay race was announced, everyone lined up. I waved to Shinso, who just grinned and went to talk to Iida, saying something that Iida responded to, and then went blank. Looks like he was taking a note from the original timeline and using someone as a horse to get through this one.

Me? I didn't have that luxury. I had to win on my speed. Luckily one of the things I'd been practicing had been my acid slide, so speed wasn't going to be a problem really. I just worried about the obstacles.

I shook my head when the worry started to hone in. Not the time. We could do this. I could do this. Whatever obstacles I encountered, I would melt through and get to the finish! I would give this my all!.

Yeah! Let's do it!

I grinned and stretched a bit as the countdown began. Time to do this.

"GO!"

And it was with those words that the sports festival really began, dozens of students cramming themselves into the doorway, Aizawa commentating on that fact. I stood back a bit, and then pulled a maneuver I had practiced way too much, in anticipation of situations like this.

A full flip onto the shoulders of several students was hard, but I pulled it off, hearing several grunts and shouts as I did so. At the same time I heard cries of surprise from further ahead as Todoroki's ice hit those in the doorway. Taking advantage I moved from person to person, before reaching the end of the door, leaping down, and turning any momentum left into a slide. The ice may have had a slightly different feel, but it was as slippery as the acid I used for my acid dashes. And that meant I was gliding easily, watching as others made it over the crowd, and had their own solutions for the ice, Yaoyorozu pole vaulting, Tsu doing something similar to my strategy, and Bakugou…flying on explosions. Looked like it was mostly 1-A in the lead too, with a few 1-B kids. I saw Shinso on Iida's back race past me, nearly bowling me over. Shinso looked back and gave me a mock salute as they passed, which I returned.

Shouts of alarm alerted me to the next obstacle ahead, the robots. Had to admit, it was cool seeing Todoroki freeze them like that, though only barely avoiding getting crushed by coming out the other side was harrowing, with me only looking back briefly to see Kirishima burst out of the rubble before I had to leap to the side to avoid a strike from the smaller faux villains.

Right. Almost forgot about them.'

Let's melt 'em and get going!

'Right'

I followed the leap back with a concentrated blast of acid that left one of the villain's legs disabled,and followed that with a seamless transition back to my dash.. Adrenaline fueled my actions as I moved, dodging, blasting, and just going fast.

Still, I wasn't the fastest. Todoroki was already at the next obstacle and I knew a few others were as well. I wasn't that far behind, but I needed to step up the pace. So I did, I ignored the burning in my muscles, a bad sign already, and pushed myself harder.

Pulse pounding, I had to slow down to avoid falling off the wide cliff before me. Obstacle two. I really, really hope there was some sort of precaution or else there were going to be bodies. Then again, this was UA.

Putting aside those thoughts, I began making my way across the pits, not looking down and focusing on my balance. Lucky for me I had the body of someone who had exceedingly good balance and it wasn't a huge problem, it was just slow going, no quirk aiding me here, just my own reflexes. My quirk would only make it harder to cross, in fact.

Ahead I could see others making their way across, Todoroki already gone, with a muffled furious voice confirming Bakugou was close behind. I could see the unwilling Iida and Shinso tag team making their way across. Would've thought the brainwashing would cause some decrease in Iida's ability to grind across ropes like that, but no. Shinso was way less limited than I thought.

I nearly jumped when I heard faint voices behind me, before a pink haired girl in goggles zoomed past, cackling like a gremlin. I nearly lost my balance too, wobbling in place for a moment. The sheer terror I felt at that moment was unimaginable.

But I did manage to catch my balance again, but it was time that cost me. I could see several people ahead of me now that hadn't been before,Including Tsu, and so with a huff I kept moving. I had to do this, I wasn't going to let this pass me by. The feeling of soreness did not help my balance at all but I pushed it down yet again.

It was a few more moments before I reached the end, and had to keep moving. I had already heard the minefield announcement, so I had to move faster than before. More acid came from my feet as I raced forward in the fastest dash I had used, rapidly throwing me past a few people, nearly hitting a few that I struggled to dodge, the momentum making control difficult. I could hear some explosions going off in the distance, making me go even faster despite the already waning control I had.

Things were passing by fast as I nearly missed the edge of the minefield, but the plumes of smoke and sound were what alerted me. Lucky for me I stopped just short of hitting a mine, but it left me stunned for a moment, which one person took advantage of to race past. I didn't get a clear look, but from the hair it looked like one of Class B.

I shook off the shock and moved, carefully, though likely faster than I should have, just narrowly jumping away from mines I had set off. It was halfway through I heard the massive explosion behind me, looking up to see Midoriya fly past. I saw his small form catch up, and slam down, only to be propelled further by another explosion.

Oh my gosh, was that Midoriya?

'Yep'

He used the explosions to throw himself forward?

'Yep'

That's crazy

'Par for the course for Midoriya really.'

Really? He's cooler than I thought!

'I know. But let's focus. We're almost there.'

Yeah! Let's go!

One last burst was all I needed as I raced forward, dodging a couple explosions and moving past two more of my classmates. I heard the announcement of first place followed by second and third. Finale time.

"Hey Ashido! Race ya!"

Looking to my side, I saw a strange sight. A head poking out of the ground was grinning at me, though it was hard to say if he was actually grinning. Juzo Honenuki. I had never even talked to the guy, so why was he acting like he knew me? Whatever, the cocky aura the guy was giving off made me want to take him on. My eyes narrowed and I pushed on as he leapt out of the ground and did the same, doing this strange dolphin like movement, diving in and out of the ground to give himself momentum. And it was working.

He was moving faster than I was too, putting aside the fact that I had to take care where I stepped lest I get my foot stuck. But I was not going to be beaten, so I went faster, and pulled off a few fancy moves to help get ahead, managing to just make it ahead as we reached the tunnel back to the stadium, Honenuki having to get up and run normally there, and I wasn't sure if I was going to beat him, my pushing starting to catch up as my legs were burning, but finally…

I crossed the line, making it in, hearing an announcement of Honenuki crossing the line soon after. I nearly collapsed on the spot, relieved. I barely even heard Shinso come up and pat me on the back, but I looked up and smiled regardless. He smirked back.

"Good effort. I guess we all can't have horses to get us through tough spots."

I nodded before looking over at Iida, who seemed completely bewildered, but glad at the high placing, around fifth place. He was waving stiffly in his Iida like manner, though people didn't pay much attention.

"He seems rather cheerful considering he doesn't recall the entire event."

Shinso shrugged.

"I sense I'm going to get a lecture later, but hey. Use your resources."

I grinned at him.

"You know that's what every cheater says."

"You mean every bad cheater."

"You're implying you cheated and were bad at it."

"Touche"

We both ended up giving giggles though mine were a bit less enthusiastic, being sore and tired already. Not a good sign. I think I may have overdone it.

But we did it! We're moving to the next round!

'But the soreness may mean we bring ourselves down at the next event.'

Oh. But we still made it through the first event! Go us!

'Heh. Yeah. Go us.'

Positive as ever. But I shook my head and looked back at Shinso.

"So, I wanna team for the next event. The cavalry battle?"

Shinso grinned.

"I wouldn't know who else to pick. Let's rock 'em"