AN: Well here is chapter 5. I know a lot of people are tired of most of the story so far is dialogue heavy. I just really wanted to work with the buildup before we get into the action which I hope everyone will enjoy. Managing life is tricky but I'll do what I can. On a positive note, I managed to get 100 follows. I hope everyone enjoy this chapter. I also wanted to thank everyone who helped edit and beta read this chapter. Please fave, follow, and comment on this fic since I have taken the time to have it looked over.
I do not own either MHA or OP as it belongs to their respective owners.
Chapter 5: Let the Games Begin
Today's the day. The U.A. Sports Festival is about to start soon. Outside one of the locker rooms, Silver looked over class 1-A as he gazed upon them. "Well, most of you here have trained your asses off for the Sports Festival. This is your time to shine." Most of 1-A were excited at the prospect of showing their worth to the world.
"I'm ready to show my goods, sensei!" Mina exclaimed as she was bouncing on her heels.
Silver gave a hearty laugh. "I know you're excited Pink but phrasing will take you a long way. Especially when making a first impression for your future internships."
"Hai!"
Silver gave the rest of the class the go-ahead as they entered the locker room to prepare for the big day ahead of them. Silver decided he wanted to check in with 1-A's sister class, 1-B, and wish them luck. As Silver walked over to the locker room of 1-B, he overheard a rather odd speech from Monoma. He can see the blonde boy was trying to rally up his class but Ibara gave him a disapproving look. "This plan will surely put us in the spotlight compared to those glory hounds known as 1-A." He stated proudly.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" spoke up Yui giving her opinion.
"Your deception with these tactics is sinful, Monoma-san."
"I don't think this will work," responded Tetsutetsu.
"Oh, it's all about tactics. And by doing this, we will surely steal victory from 1-A." Monoma proudly stated.
"How is underperforming in the first round good in any way?"
"We get the underdog victory over 1-A if we do this, Tetsutetsu."
"... wouldn't it be better just to perform well in the first round?"
Silver decided to interject into the conversation. "If I can be honest, it's pretty counterproductive to show your best by not doing your best, Copycat."
Monoma looked at the old vigilante for a moment. "It's not counterproductive since everyone loves a dark horse victory. No offense, Pony."
"None taken." Said Pony in English.
"Now where was I? Just stick to the plan and...WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!" Monoma shouted as he jumped in the air and moved back a few feet.
"Oh, just say a few seconds ago." Silver answered. "I thought the point of the Sports Festival was to do your best and show your potential?"
"I agree with Silver-Sensei's logic" Yui replied.
"As do I." Chimed in Ibara.
"This chance to face my fated rival shall come to be!" Kuroiro exclaimed with a burning passion. The rest of his classmates followed suit.
"It's time to prove myself in this Sports Festival." Said Hiryu as he cracked his knuckles.
"Hmm... maybe this won't be so bad," Juzo remarked. Before long, most of 1-B headed to the locker room to prepare for the festival leaving only Silver and Monoma together. The latter had an expression of a gaping fish as he slowly turned his head to Silver.
"You... ruined my brilliant plan!" He shouted in anger.
Silver looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Kid, that was a very hare-brained plan. Those pros are going to be looking for people who give their all. If you don't give it your all during a sports festival, what does it say about their work ethic?"
"B-But... it would be a surprise victory!"
"A surprise victory that might backfire too."
"What do you mean backfire?! Are you telling me that my own plan won't survive out there?"
Silver groaned in irritation at the young man's naive and pompous attitude.
"Yes, and would you rather have it backfire here or out in the field?"
Monoma was stunned. He was at a loss for words and took a moment to think about the implications. If this kind of plan were to backfire when fighting Villains…
"N-no…" That was all Monoma could stutter.
"Well, you seem to be getting it," commented Silver as he put his hand on his shoulder. "Just give it your all, that's all you can do."
Monoma was silent before looking up at Silver. "OK, it's my time to take the stage in the Sports Festival."
Silver smirked at the newfound determination. He patted him on the back to signal him to get ready. With a nod, Monoma ran off to join the rest of 1-B.
Once Kendo saw the rest of her class left, she decided to stay behind to talk to Silver for a bit. "Thank you for stopping him with that stupid plan, Silver-sensei."
Silver scratched his beard. "Not a problem, Red. However, I want to know if
The other staff members had a problem with him about his obsession?"
The redheaded girl nodded vigorously.
"Did anyone try to curb this odd obsession of his?"
Kendo for her part was rather hesitant. "Well yes, but he kept circling back to it the next day."
"Alright, I'll see what I can do to keep him on the straight and narrow. You should get to your classmates in the meantime, Red."
Kendo gave Silver a quick thank you before running off to the locker room. With both classes in the waiting area, Silver decided to head to the teacher's stands so he could watch the festival. But before that, it's time to get some snacks to watch the event.
Strolling through the halls, Silver found stalls with a variety of different types of food. So many choices, so little time. But soon he laid his eyes on a small stand, a taiyaki stand. A small smile crept up onto Silver's face. 'Sora, I wonder what you've been doing since we last met. Heh, the amount of trouble we both caused was legendary.' Silver thought to himself. 'I wonder if the taiyaki will be good?'
"I'm really excited for the taiyaki, old guy," a voice stated excitedly. Silver turned around to see the voice belonged to a cute girl with long periwinkle hair that reached up to her knees twisting itself around her waist. She has royal blue eyes shining with enthusiasm, matching long eyebrows and eyelashes. She was slightly shorter than Midoriya and has a fairly slim build which could be seen from the standard U.A. tracksuit she was wearing. The girl was looking at him enthusiastically while waiting for the taiyaki.
"Well, I'm hoping it tastes good err…"
The girl perked up at hearing the confusion in Silver's voice. "Oh! My name is Hado Nejire! I'm a third-year student at UA. Are you a new teacher here? How long did it take you to grow your beard? What are your thoughts on All Might? Are you..."
Silver put his hands up. "Whoa, easy there kid I can only answer one question at a time. But to answer your three questions, Yes I'm the new assistant heroes course teacher exclusively to the first years, it took a while to grow, and All Might is an idiot but a good friend."
Nejire tilted her head at the rude remarks about All Might. "How is All Might an idiot?" A new voice spoke up. Seeing where the voice came from, it belonged to a fairly tall and built male teen with blonde hair in a cowlick hair style. Silver couldn't help thinking he looked like an old comic character he used to read. Behind the tall teen was a very lanky teen with messy indigo hair and tired-looking eyes. He looked like he was trying to hide from the world since kept trying to hide.
"Oh, he managed to get lost on a straight path, blondie." Silver answered the buff students' questions without batting an eye. It took a moment for the old vigilante to recognize the blonde. "Ah, would you by any chance be that stick in the mud, Mirai's protégé?"
Mirio blinked owlishly before he nodded in confirmation. "Why yes I am, my name is Mirio Togata. Wait, how do you know Sir?"
"Trust me. We tend to mix like water and oil over different views of life. Anyway, I believe you must be part of the 'Big 3' all the staff here talk about?"
"Correct, sir!"
Silver studied all three as he saw how they looked. "Purple and you seem to have the appearance of being the best of the best, but the scrawny one looks like he's afraid of his own shadow. Then again I'm not one to judge a book by its cover."
The scrawny boy had an aura of depression around him as he curled into a ball. "No matter how I picture him as a potato, I'm still not good enough." He muttered to himself as Mirio pats him on the back.
"One step at a time, Tamaki. Sorry Sensei, he's really shy." Mirio answered for his friend.
"Eh, don't fret too much. I understand so he can relax a bit. Plus if your the best of the best, you probably earned some recognition from the top Hero agencies." Silver responded while waving it off.
All 3 couldn't help but blush at the praise from the old man.
"Tell you what. I have an after-party set up for the first-year Heroes course. Since you 3 are a huge deal, I thought you would like to meet your underclassmen personally."
Mirio perked up at the offer while Tamaki looked like he was going to have a panic attack. Nejire on the other hand…
"A PARTY?! Will there be cake and sweets? Are you going to have balloons? Is it just us that's invited? Will we…" Nejire rattled off as she bounced from her spot.
"Ok easy there, the party was going to be a surprise for them, and I don't want them to know just yet" Said Silver trying to calm Nejire down. Hearing that it was supposed to be a surprise party, Nejire gave a cute pout over keeping it a secret.
"Look at it this way, you can make new friends once the surprise is set." This caused Nejire to smile in response. A chiming noise from the PA systems caught the crowd's attention.
"Attention. The Sports Festival opening ceremony will start in 3 minutes."
When the announcement was finished, almost everyone started to head for the stands.
"Alright then, I have to get going now, the party will be in the back of the building near Gym Omega at 3 on the dot." Silver stated.
"You got it Sir and will see you then." Said Mirio as he ran off followed by Tamaki. Nejire gave a quick wave before going off to catch up with her friends. Silver waved back before heading to the teacher's seats.
'Guess I'll wait till there's a break to get some Taiyaki.'
1-A Locker room
Everyone was getting prepared for the festival and decided to talk while they waited for the signal.
"Oh, why can't we use our hero gear? It's unfair!" Mina complained as she tied her shoelaces.
"It's for the sake of fairness, that is all," Tokoyami answered Mina as the latter pouted.
"I really hope to stand out!" Said an excited Toru.
"Don't worry, you will," Ojiro remarked.
As everyone was chatting, Shoto was deep in thought. "Am I really that lonely? Maybe Silver-sensei is right..."
Flashback to his private talk to Silver
Silver had walked Shoto to the front gate with no one to hear them talk for their private conversation.
"Alright, where do we begin, Gemini?" Asked Silver.
Shoto for his part was rather hesitant but took a deep breath... "I feel so pressured by that bastard I call my father. He ruined my life... all for the purpose to surpass All-Might." He growled out.
"Ah... the type that couldn't succeed on his own." Silver's expression then turned serious. "So he decided to give you the 'help' to succeed where he failed."
Shoto nods, teeth-gritting.
"No wonder you don't want to use your full potential, it's to spite him."
Shoto tightened his fist. "Yes... I don't want to give him the satisfaction."
Silver scratched his chin. He had to choose his words carefully to defuse this metaphorical bomb. "So what happens when you have a choice, but to use your flames?"
Shoto paused for a moment. "I'll make sure I won't use it..." He answered.
"So, what you're saying is that you're not willing to use your flames even if it means that it can save innocent lives. Let me tell you, something kid, ice and fire may be the polar opposite of one another, but they're one and the same", said Silver confusing Shoto.
"Fire can burn and incinerate, but given the right conditions, it can give birth to new life. Ice can freeze and disintegrate, but it can also clear a path to new views no one thought possible. The absence and presence of heat, but what some don't know, is that it's never one and the same. I can melt an ice cube in my hand and turn it into water. But if I get another one, it'll do the same, but it's still not the same ice cube as before. The same with a match. I can light it and make a flame until it goes out. If I light another one, it'll still make a flame, but it won't be the same as the first one. Now tell me kid, are you an extension of your father's flame or are you your own?"
Shoto didn't know how to respond as he thought about what Silver said when he tapped him on the shoulder, "Something to think about before you head on out there. If it still bothers you, well I find a match sometimes helps clear things up. Especially, when a good friend is out there watching out for you."
Shoto thought about Silver's words. Is making a friend going to make him a better hero? He didn't have much time to think before Silver looked at his watch. "Well, better head back. Don't want Suzi to think I ditched him again."
Shoto nodded and followed Silver back to everyone else at the front gate.
Flashback ends
Shoto shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned his attention to Izuku. The green-haired boy was currently talking with Ochako and Tenya. Soon, Shoto marches up to Izuku. "Midoriya… There's one thing to ask you. Is it worth it to have a companion?" Asked Shoto.
Midoriya tilted his head in confusion, wondering if he misheard. "Huh?"
"Companionship. Is it worth it, Midoriya?"
Izuku was fidgeting with his hands. "Uhh…yes, it is?" Izuku was still new to the concept of having friends at all. "What brought this up, Todoroki?"
"Silver-Sensei had a talk with me… and…" Shoto paused for a moment to figure out what to say next. "I want to try and make some friends. I don't want to end up like my father."
"… Are you serious, Todoroki?" Izuku asked feeling confused at Shoto's statement.
"Yes… I am." Shoto answered firmly.
"Are you trying to make amends? Or… something?" Midoriya said.
"I want to have some companions or… friends," the word sounding like a foreign concept to Shoto's mind.
"This is rather unexpected for you to ask Todoroki-san." Momo chimed in.
"This seems a bit unusual for Todoroki-san, considering how closed off he is." Iida added.
Tsu puts her finger on her chin. "Hmm... maybe Silver-Sensei's talk with him might have gotten through to him, ribbit."
"Hey, Jiro, isn't this kind of weird?" Kaminari asked the punk girl.
"What do you mean, Kaminari?" Jiro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean, we may not know each other that well, but you have to agree Shoto's is acting odd."
Jiro thought about it since he never really talked to anyone and has kept to himself. "Yeah, it kind of is."
Kirishima was ecstatic at seeing his normally anti-social classmate reach out.
"I can't believe it, Todoroki! It's good to finally see you coming out of your shell." Said Kirishima as he looked excited for his classmate's attempt.
"Aww... " Mina cooed. "He wants friends, I call second dibs!" Her energy started to radiate with almost everyone in the room.
"Icey-Hot's being weird..." muttered Bakugo. He was going to be number one and no one else.
"Even by my standards he's being weird." Says Dark Shadow while Fumikage just groans at his quirk's commentary.
"That's enough Dark Shadow. Let's just leave it be."
"Uhh…" Was all Izuku could muster.
Soon the chimes for the PA system caught everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone. The U.A. Sports Festival is about to begin. Please make your way to the main arena." The PA system announced.
Todoroki's face becomes concentrated at the announcement. Izuku wonders what exactly is going through his classmate's head. Ochako tapped on Izuku's shoulder. "Let's do our best, Deku!" Said Ochako as she walked alongside Izuku who gave her a smile in return for her encouragement.
Everyone in 1-A was ready to send the world a message that will be heard, loud and clear.
They are here and they are ready.