AN: Hi everyone, thanks for your patience. I am so sorry this chapter took so long but a lot of things happened. Mainly my grandfather had a stroke and fell a little while ago. He's currently confined to a bed and recovering, thankfully, though who knows how long it'll take. He's making jokes about it so he'll be fine. So me, my mom and her boyfriend had to go to California to visit my grandmother to help, spending a few days in Menifee where they live.
On a more positive note, yesterday (October 7th) was my birthday. I'm now 25-years-old. But enough about that, it's time to get the sports festival started!
Back at the Midoriya apartment, Inko sat on the couch, watching the festival on TV. The screen showed the tunnel where the students were going to be walking out.
"Come on, Izuku," she said, getting a little nervous. Her anxious thoughts were interrupted when the house phone started ringing. Getting up and walking over, she reached down to answer. The caller ID was a surprise, though.
'Bakugo?'
Bringing the phone to her ear, she did her very best to at least sound polite. "Hello?"
"{Inko-chan! It's been forever.}"
"Mitsuki?"
Taking a moment to collect herself, Inko tried to remember when the last time she had actually talked to her old friend. They had exchanged a few texts here and there, the most recent when she congratulated her over Izuku getting into U.A. An actual conversation though? It must have been close to a year by this point.
"It…has been a while, hasn't it?"
"{Well, the faults definitely on my end over that.}"
"Oh, oh no. I could have just as easily picked up the phone."
"{Inko, we both know what's kept that from happening. Only one of us has a son competing to become the biggest fucking prick this side of Japan. Now, on the subject of our sons, how's yours doing? Has he snagged any of those girls yet?}"
"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time!" Inko giggled mischievously. "I can't wait to hold my first grandchild."
"{I'm glad you have the chance. Katsuki's attitude won't land him any girls anytime soon.}" Inko could hear Mitsuki lament over the phone. "{Still that might change.}"
"How so?"
"{Lately he's been coming home late, saying something about training with a tutor. Katsuki hasn't said much, but he did say that he'll introduce us to his tutor and their assistant when they're not too busy. The assistant happens to be a girl around his age. It makes me hope my son will view her not as some random 'extra'.}"
Inko giggled as she glanced at the TV. "Oh, looks like Izuku and his classmates are on the field."
"{Guess we better end this call, then. I'll call again later to check up on you.}"
"Mitsuki, there's no reason for you to check up on me."
"{Inko, you and Izuku-kun can literally cry up a river.}" Mitsuki countered.
"…Fair point."
"Today, before the first round is selected, we will have the speech from the student representing the first years. He placed first in the entrance practical exam with a total score of 88!" She pointed her whip at Izuku. "Midoriya Izuku of Class 1-A! Come up and give your opening speech!"
Izuku blinked, not sure he had just heard right. 'Wait, WHAT!?'
"I didn't know you were giving a… speech… Izuku-san?" Ibara had started off excited, but that was quickly drowned out when she turned and looked at Izuku, who looked just about ready to die.
Some of the others noticed Izuku shaking. "Uh, Midoriya, you okay?" Hyde asked.
"No one told me!" Izuku scream-whispered, sweating profusely.
"Wait, what?"
"Midoriya Izuku! Hurry up! We don't have time to wait around!"
Gulping loudly, Izuku robotically made his way up to the stage.
"No one told Midoriya-kun he had to do a speech today?" Milia asked.
"Apparently," Hyde nodded.
"Damnit, Aizawa," Ochako silently cursed, having figured out their homeroom teacher was at fault.
Izuku made it to the stage where Midnight was waiting for him. With every step closer to the stage and microphone Izuku tried to desperately come up with something to say.
'Crapcrapcrapcrap! What do I do? Should I just say the school motto? Plus Ultra!… No, that won't work…'
[Brat, calm down.] Ddraig said as Izuku reached the microphone. Once he did he stopped and held his breath. He hadn't been there for more than a second, but in his quickening mind, it was an eternity. [You're not calming down.]
'DDRAIG, WHAT DO I DO?!'
[Calming down would be a good way to start!]
"You'll do great, Izu-kun!" Rias called out from her seat.
"You realize that he can't hear you, right?" Sona asked.
Closing his eyes, Izuku took a deep breath. If he stalled any longer, it was going to be obvious that something was up. He just had to speak from the heart, and hope he didn't stutter too much.
'Ddraig, any advice for the situation?' Izuku thought hopefully.
[Try not to make a fool of yourself… even though you likely will.]
'I sometimes can't tell if you're on my side or not.'
So with another calming breath, Izuku approaches the microphone leaning in, he takes another deep breath before beginning.
"A-All men are not born equal," with that the whole stadium seemed to grow silent. "Some are born with everything. Wealth, power, prestige. Others aren't as lucky. They're the few who don't have any of that and are shunned because of it. I was one of them… I was told that I could never be a hero. But I've been given a chance and I've been working hard to not let this chance go to waste. And ever since, I've been through so much and so much has changed in my life, and every day I'm reminded of that." He had powers now, he has friends, people that willingly support him, and now his entire worldview has been expanded far more than he could have ever conceived on his own.
"And now here I am ready to take on the next big challenge in my life," Izuku gripped the microphone off its stand before turning away to face his fellow competitors. "I've been made aware that many of you today are seeking to carve out your destinies. You want to defeat me and my classmates. You want to become the very best there is," his eyes drifted towards Bakugo. "And you want to become heroes yourselves," he glanced over to the Gen Ed students. "Well, if you want any of your dreams to come true then you better be willing to work for it. To fight for it!"
He turned back to the audience. "No matter your background, abilities, or even where you may come from. Then you must fight tooth-and-nail for your dreams and uphold what you believe in!" Izuku raised his fist high into the air, "PLUS ULTRA!"
Many of the students follow suit, "PLUS ULTRA!" Soon the school cry of Plus Ultra was echoing throughout the stadium.
As the crowd cheered, Izuku bowed and quickly got off the stage and made his way back to his class. He got more than a few thumbs-ups and claps on the back from his classmates and a smiles from Ochako, Ibara, Momo, Itsuka, Milia, Tsubasa, Setsuna, Mina, and (maybe) Hagakure.
Iida claps Izuku on the back. "Well, done Midoriya-kun! That was a fine speech!"
Kirishima grins widely. "No kidding. Ah! I'm so pumped!"
"How long did it take you to come up with that little speech?"
Izuku blushed and rubbed the back of his head at Hyde's question, "Oh you know… it was mostly just stuff off the top of my head, hahaha."
With a crack of her whip, Midnight spoke over the students gathered. "Now, let's get started right away!" She yelled. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many students drink their tears here!"
"That's a harsh way of putting it…" Izuku muttered.
"Now, here is the fateful first game!" Midnight yelled as a holographic screen appeared with a lottery spinner on it. "This year it's-" the movement on the spinner then stopped. "-this!"
Obstacle Course Race
"An obstacle course race…" Izuku said.
"Are you going to be okay, Celica-san?" Milia asked her friend. "If you want I can stay close so you won't-"
"I'll be fine, Milia," Celica reassured. "I'm not going to get lost."
"I… think you will…"
"All eleven classes will participate in this race! The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, about four kilometers!" Midnight shouted as a map of the race emerged on the screen. "There is also a time limit of 30 minutes. Whoever makes it to the finish line before time runs out automatically moves on to the second event! As long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires!"
["I'd like to add that you have to go around the 4 km course,"] piped in Aizawa, ["That means no going out and then back into the finish, even if they are at the same location. You must run the full course in order to win. We'll know if you step outside the course."]
["Ah, good catch!"] said Present Mic.
"Now then, everyone, take your place!" Grinning, Midnight pointed to the red tunnel exit.
Everyone moved to the starting gate that had three green lights lit up.
Unknown to everyone, someone was watching with great interest. Standing on the stadium's roof, a figure stood. Using the long-range scanners of his helmet, he paid close attention to all of the students, especially Izuku. "Record all events today. Do not miss a single moment," he instructed a drone next to him.
"Yes, master," the droid replied.
Black Knight turned his attention back to the field. "Now, let us see if he can be of use."
"Now then, take your places, contestants!"
The students immediately turn and gather around a large red archway that leads into a narrow passage leading to the outside of the stadium. Atop the archway, there are three glowing lights that will be used to signal the starting countdown.
As Izuku got ready, the words of All Might reverberated in his mind.
"I want you to stand up in front of the world and tell them 'I am here.'"
And, as he looked into the eyes of the other students, he could see nothing but the unbreakable will and determination to do their best and excel. He now realized the effect his words had had on his peers: he had lit a fire in their hearts, urging them to go beyond what they would have had if it were not for his pledge. Seeing this brought a smile to his face, as his words had had the effect he had wanted them to have.
The countdown started as the first of three green lights went out.
'Mom, Rias, Yuuto, Koneko, Ravel, and All Might have put all their faith in me. I can't let them down. I have to win. I have to go even further!' Izuku thought.
The second light went out.
Up in the stands, All Might folded his hands, anxiously waiting for the race to begin.
Green and red scales pears on Izuku's body as he spread his wings, ready to win.
The final light went out.
"Start!" Midnight finished.
Most of the students surged forward as soon as they heard the starting signal. A few, though, more from the Business Course classes, chose to step the side, not even bothering to participate in the race.
["Okay, let's get started on the play-by-play! What should we pay attention to in the early stages, Eraserhead?"] Present Mic asked.
["The doorway."]
"Hey, hey!"
"This is too narrow!"
"KYAH! Someone grabbed my butt!"
"Mineta-kun, do not take advantage of the situation!"
Inside the tunnel, complaints aroused as the participants were smashed up together, all trying to run through the tunnel at the same time. It was too narrow and small for all of them to fit, and many thought it had been built precisely to test how they would go through it.
Suddenly, the temperature dropped, and many students felt their feet and legs getting frozen up, just as a bi-colored teen easily ran past them.
"Apologies, but I have to win," Todoroki said, leaving a trail of ice right behind him, while those afflicted were left trying to hack the ice apart. Many of them yelled in agony as they couldn't move forward, due to the ice that trapped them. Izuku was one of the few who wasn't affected, having formed his wings and shot over the rest of the students.
["And right off the bat, Todoroki has already frozen the competition, but a few managed to avoid such an icy fate!"] Present Mic shouted. Sure enough, most of the students failed to keep their footing on the sheet of ice and fell over, but some like Izuku had no such issues.
"DEKU! DON'T YOU DARE GET AHEAD OF ME! YOU AND HALF-N-HALF ARE DEAD!" Bakugo yelled, using his explosions to jump above the other students and past Todoroki's ice trail.
"Nice try, Todoroki!" Momo huffed, using a long staff to jump over the ice.
"Naïve, Todoroki," Liana said as pole-vaulted over the ice with a long bone staff.
"Like this is gonna keep me down!" Tetsutetsu said as he smashed the ice with his steel arms while Itsuka blocked the ice with her enlarged fists.
"Whew, that was close!" Mina shouted, using her acid to melt the ice and skate across towards the exit.
"I can't even use my Quirk yet…" Ochako lamented, walking across the ice trail with difficulty.
Meanwhile, Shinso, a general studies student who had scoped out 1-A a while ago, had four students carry him across the ice. "Looks like they're pretty good with their Quirks," he commented.
Todoroki looked back and saw that his trap had not been as successful as he had hoped. "Looks like more people outside of 1-A and 1-B dodged than I had expected…" He muttered before he looked in front of him and struggled not to let his jaw drop in shock.
Izuku had already passed him and flew above the track. He glanced back toward Todoroki, a confident smile on her face before he sped up. 'I didn't even see him catch up! I won't let this win that easily!' Todoroki began to propel himself with ice, speeding up to catch up with Izuku.
["WHOA! It seems like Midoriya is already in the lead! I didn't even notice until now!"] Present Mic shouted, surprised as were most of the spectators at how the green-haired devil had, somehow, taken the lead without being seen moving. ["But he better be careful, cuz Todoroki is hot on his tail! Or should I say… Ice on his tail!"]
["…Really?"]
["Yea… not my best one, I admit. Anyway, it looks like our leaders have reached the first obstacle!"]
Izuku stopped himself in midair to avoid hitting a large metal object. "You've gotta be kidding me…" He groaned as Todoroki stopped underneath him.
"Targets acquired… Terminate!"
Izuku looked up to see the One, Two, and Three pointer robots, and even some Zero pointers, from the Entrance Exam, their red eyes gleaming down on him.
"What are these things?" Todoroki asked, having not expected to see robots appear in the Sports Festival.
"They're the faux Villains from the Entrance Exam!" Izuku answered.
["Obstacles have shown up suddenly! Starting with… the first barrier! Robo-Inferno!"] Present Mic announced as multiple Zero Pointers began emerging and setting their sights on the participants.
"Aren't those the Zero-Point Villains from the Entrance Exam?" Kaminari said in horror as there was a horde of the robots in front of the students.
"Not those things again!" Hyde groaned.
"The Hero Course had to fight those?"
"This is what they meant by obstacles?"
"There are too many! I can't get through!"
"So, this is what the rest of my peers had to fight in the Entrance Exams," Todoroki said as he was looking at the Zero Pointers for the first time.
"Where does the school even get the money for these things?" Momo said as the robots seemed very expensive to manufacture.
A Zero pointer charge towards the students, Izuku specifically. With grace, Izuku voided the Zero-Pointer's attack and flew over the massive robot.
["And just like that, Midoriya of Class 1-A zooms pass the Zero Pointers like they were nothing! What a display of skill and speed as he continues forward and is in the lead!"] Present Mic exclaimed
"Tch, I can't let him outperform me!" Todoroki growled as ice began forming on the ground and on his right arm. "The school obviously went through a lot of trouble. But I wish they would prepare something a little more difficult," Todoroki said, placing the iced hand on the ground, creating a shockwave of icicles around him. He looked up to see the Zero Pointers getting closer to attacking him. "Especially since my dear old father is watching."
Todoroki swiped his right arm up to launch another icy blast, freezing several of the other zero pointers also. After doing so, he ran forward to chase after Izuku.
"He stopped the robots!"
"Between their legs! We can get through!"
Many of the participants began to go through the opening that Todoroki made.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Todoroki began as he started trekking ahead. "They'll fall over since I froze them while they were off-balance… On purpose!" As the Zero Pointer collapsed on a good amount of students, effectively immobilizing them.
"What incredible power," Xenovia muttered, she and the other devils watching in awe as the race continued.
["Todoroki from Class 1-A attacks and defeats multiple Zero Pointers in one hit, only to use that to trap his fellow competitors under the ice! He is now on Midoriya's trail, catching up to him from second place! You know, don't you think this is a tad unfair?"] Present Mic stated, with the audience clearly agreeing at how overpowered Todoroki's Quirk was.
["His actions are rational and strategic,"] Aizawa said, observing how his aloof pupil advanced towards Izuku.
["As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He had never fought them before, but even Robo-Inferno could not survive his elite moves!"]
"I always know that the hero course students had incredible powers, but Todoroki's on a whole other level," Rias observed.
"Imagine if he was reincarnated into a devil. He could easily become a high-class devil in no time," Sona added, silently wondering if she could get Todoroki for her peerage.
"Like hell, I'm letting Half-n-half and Deku surpass me!" Bakugo yelled, throwing his Quirk into overdrive to blast himself up towards the head of one of the Zero Pointers.
["And Bakugo, also from Class 1-A, clearly does not intend to throw the towel! Since the bottom's blocked, he goes overhead! Clever!"] Present Mic announced as Bakugo landed and, with a grin, fired a focused blast right into it.
As he expected, the robot was weak enough to not survive the blast, losing its head while he flew away. "Now, nobody can accuse me of not taking out one of these!" Bakugo smirked as he propelled forward behind Izuku, Todoroki, and… "Bone Girl!?" He gasped, seeing Liana had already ran passed the robots without anyone seeing and was trailing close behind Todoroki.
["Whoa! Liana Kozuki of 1-A has cleared Robo-Inferno without anyone seeing! How'd she do that?"]
["She likely used the falling zero pointers Todoroki froze as a distraction,"] Aizawa noted.
Bakugo ground his teeth in anger as he blasted himself forward.
It wasn't just those four from 1-A that made it through easily, though: it was only a matter of seconds before the other students from the Hero Course blazed through the obstacle as if it wasn't there.
"As expected, 1-A and 1-B are the fastest to make it through the obstacle," Snipe, one of the teachers of U.A., noted.
"The other students aren't bad either, especially those that want to get into the hero course," commented Thirteen, "But…"
"Classes 1-A and 1-B have learned not to hesitate," said Aizawa from his booth. "Both classes have experienced firsthand the world that awaits them during USJ. They've come in contact with true fear, dealt with it, and pulled through. They're using their new experience to drown out their hesitation."
The audience gazed at the screens that were being streamed by various robots with cameras, showcasing the students breezing through the obstacles.
Iida ran across the dirt and, using his Quirk, leaped forward to deliver a kick on a One-Pointer's neck. Another One-Pointer tries to sneak attack him, but Jurota, activating his Beast Quirk, jumped on the robot and ripped it apart like a wild animal before roaring in victory.
Tsubasa skid along the ground, avoiding the hit of a One-Pointer, her right hand touching the body of the robot, allowing her to absorb the metal. Grabbing hold of the robot, Tsubasa swung it toward another One-Pointer, the two robots shattering upon impact. A Two-Pointer tried to jump her from behind, but Milia's claws impaled it before she sliced it to ribbons.
Hyde, without missing a beat, drew the Insulator and cut down two One-Pointers with ease. A Three-Pointer tried to jump him, but the ground beneath it softened, causing the robot to sink. Hyde glanced at Honenuki, who gave him a thumbs up.
Kyoka ran between two One-Pointers, jamming her Earphone Jacks into both, the vibrations causing the robots to short-circuit before collapsing. Before she could move on, though, a Two-Pointer got in her way. Kyoka was about to attack it with her Quirk like with the One-Pointers, but the robot was suddenly lifted into the air by itself. Looking around, she saw Reiko using her Poltergeist Quirk to throw the robot aside.
"Release," Ochako said as several One-Pointers fell from the air behind her.
A multitude of explosions were heard as several Zero Pointers collapsed as they were destroyed. "Hmph! Piece of cake!" Momo said as she stood by a smoking cannon. She had her PE shirt open due to her needing to reveal some skin to use her Quirk. She was able to create a cannon to effortlessly destroy the Zero Pointers as if they were playthings.
"She defeated those Zero-Point Villains so easily?!" Mineta asked, gobsmacked at the fact that Momo could just create a cannon out of nowhere and just shoot down the faux Villains. "No wonder she got in through recommendations…" Mineta then got an idea. If he could "hitch a ride" he can easily both finish the race and he gets to feel up Momo at the same time. 'It's perfect!'
Drooling, lust clouding what little judgment he had, Mineta began throwing his sticky balls along the course, bouncing off them rather skillfully and dove for Momo, his intent clear. "Take this, Yaoyorozu! Grape Ru-" The back edge of a red blade suddenly hit the little perv, sending him back toward a pack of robots.
"Oops, sorry Mineta," Hyde faked apologized, wincing slightly with a smile as the robots ganged up on the pervert.
"Thank you, Kido-san," Momo nodded before the two ran forward. "I did not like the way he was staring and moving his fingers."
"No problem," Hyde nodded.
Further ahead, the flying Izuku slowed down a bit to take a peek back to see Todoroki, Liana, and Bakugo quickly pursuing him, followed by most of their classmates. Pushing that for later, he looked forward before blinking in surprise.
["If you thought the first obstacle was too easy, then get a load of the second one!"] screamed Present Mic.
In front of them was what seemed to be a bottomless pit. There were tall platforms spaced out between each other but they were so far apart that it seemed like it was impossible to simply jump from one platform to the next. In between each platform were long and narrow trails of rope that honestly didn't seem like they were stable enough to hold the weight of a couple of students.
["If you fall, you're out! If you do not want to fall, then you have to crawl! It is THE FALL! And the leader of the pack is already getting through first!"] Present Mic announced as the Izuku flew over half of the obstacle. ["You know, Eraser, I think a student who can fly kinda defeats the point of all this."]
"So, you think you can win that easily, Midoriya? Think again!" Todoroki yelled, creating an ice bridge connecting the platforms and sliding across.
"DAMN IT, DEKU! Don't think you are going to keep that lead for any longer!" Bakugo yelled, irate at the fact that Izuku did not seem to be even tired. Several explosions lifted him and even more boosted him across, ignoring the pit and the platforms as he made it over the obstacle.
Liana didn't say anything as she created two long pillars of bone to propeller herself cross the gap with ease.
"Midori being able to fly is so not fair," Mina complained as she, Ochako, Tsuyu, Setsuna, Milia, Tsubasa, and Yui ran up to the edge of the obstacle.
"That's a long way down," Tsubasa noted.
"Do we really have to travel across those wires?" Milia nervously asked.
"How did the school even build something like this?" Ochako questioned.
"Damn, look at Midoriya go!" Setsuna grinned.
"He's fast," Yui said.
Tsuyu steps past the size-manipulator and squats down.
"What are you doing?" Milia asked, she and the other girls noticing.
"Kero!" Tsuyu jumps out and lands onto a tightrope with no issues. "Kero," she starts moving forward one hand and foot moving at a time. "This is my moment. Easy peasy," Tsuyu then looked head to where Izuku currently was at. 'Midoriya-chan's so cool. I still need to thank him for saving me back at the USJ. Maybe after the sports festival?'
"Well, that's one way to cross," Setsuna said as she and the other girls awed at Tsuyu's progress.
"Mwehehe…" Suddenly, the girls heard another girl laughing. They turn around to see a student who was likely from the support course based on all the gear she was wearing. This girl had pink hair and a rather crazed look on her. "Yes, this is my chance to show off what I can do. My support items will steal the spotlight from the heroes. Everyone! Observed at what my brilliant gadgets can do! Wire Arrows and Hover Soles."
"You're from the Support Department," Milia said.
"Hey! How come you get to bring all that stuff?" Mina asked.
"Students from the Hero Course get all that combat training by using their Quirks. In order to keep things fair and give us a fighting chance, students in the Support Course can bring whatever gadgets and costumes we want into the game as long as we develop them ourselves. So, sit back and enjoy the show!" She said, launching one of her Wire Arrows, connecting them to one of the rocks. She then activates her Hover Soles, going straight off the cliff, thinking she's going to fall. She then activates the lines, sending her upwards to the sky thinking she was flying with a big smile on her face, making it to the other side with ease.
"I won't lose," Ochako said with a determined look as she used her Quirk to float over the obstacle.
"Aww, this is so unfair," Mina said as she followed suit by using her Quirk by sliding on the ropes.
"I'll show that girl that I can do better," Setsuna said as she uses her Quirk by using her body parts to get through the obstacle while the other students followed.
Further ahead, Liana looked behind to find Bakugo gaining up on her and Todoroki.
"He's started to get fired up. Must be a slow starter," she said as she kept running forward.
"Damn it!" Bakugo growled, noticing that Todoroki and Liana were picking up speed even more than before, so he gave more of a boost to his explosions, increasing his speed as well.
Iida was standing at the beginning of The Fall, catching his breath as he saw everyone jumping and crawling on tight ropes to get to the next large stone pillar.
"My older brother is probably also watching, I can't let him see me act so uncool!" Iida said, before doing a T-pose, he jumped on the rope and used his Engine Quirk to slide across.
["That's so uncool!"] Mic said as he and the crowd watched Iida did the opposite of what he said. Then the screen switched to Todoroki and Liana.
"The two students behind Midoriya are way ahead of the rest of the pack!" A member of the audience commented, he and many others were impressed at the strength that Todoroki and the ingenuity that Liana showcased.
"Yeah. Todoroki's Quirk is really strong, but his natural athletic ability and judgment are also a cut above everyone else's. Kozuki, while her Quirk isn't as flashy or strong, is just as athletic as Todoroki, maybe even more, and her creativity with it is helping her keep pace."
"It's not that surprising. Todoroki's father is the number two hero, the Flame Hero Endeavor. And Kozuki's parents are the number four and five heroes, Zero and Guren."
"Wait, for real?!"
"No freaking way!"
"Everyone will be fighting over who gets them as sidekicks!"
["The leaders of the pack, Midoriya, Todoroki, Kozuki, and Bakugo, are a step ahead, but below them, everyone's clumped together!"] Present Mic exclaimed as when the students heard that, they hastily continued through the obstacle course, not wanting to be left behind.
Izuku nonchalantly flew over the course before he abruptly stopped at the last obstacle ahead of him. There were signs that read, "Danger Mines!"
["And now, we have quickly arrived at the final barrier! The reality here is… that it is a minefield! It is set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to exploit your eyes and legs! By the way, these landmines are for games, so they are not that powerful, but they are loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!"] Present Mic announced as he revealed the third and last obstacle.
["That depends on the person…"] Aizawa commented as he didn't think those mines would make everybody pee themselves.
'I get it. Anyone in the lead will be at a disadvantage here, and it'll give anyone lagging behind the chance to catch up and possibly take the lead themselves. Guess it's also entertaining for the audience. So glad I can fly,' Izuku thought. But before he could move on…
*BOOM!*
"YOU GET BACK HERE, DEKU!"
The startled leader turned to look behind him and saw Bakugo, who was still launching himself with his Quirk, quickly approaching him.
"This shit doesn't affect me!" Bakugo screamed, exploding his way above the minefield, passing Todoroki and Liana and immediately gunning for Izuku. "Don't you fucking dare get ahead of me, Deku!"
Bakugo threw an explosion at Izuku, who immediately dodged the attack and retaliated by firing a Dragon Shot. Instinctively, Bakugo managed to dodge the shot and began to pepper the ground with explosions, trying to knock Izuku out, but the latter was more than capable at the art of avoiding being struck.
["OH, MY! We now have a new competitor taking second place and gunning for first! Rejoice, mass media, it's the kind of development you guys love!"] Present Mic yelled through the speakers as the crowd cheered loudly, finally getting to see two students duking it out for a place, head to head.
With Izuku and Bakugo busy fighting each other, Todoroki created a path of ice to run across the minefield, taking advantage of their distraction. 'This ice path will help others, but I can't worry about them now.' When Izuku blocked a blast from Bakugo, Todoroki struck. A giant glacier suddenly appeared, encasing the two of them.
"Apologies, but I need to prove a point," Todoroki stated as he passed by the two frozen bodies, "I'll unfreeze you after this race is done."
"IZUKU!" Rias cried out.
"Is he okay?!" Ravel desperately asked while Koneko could only watch in shock.
"Is that even allowed?" Xenovia asked.
["Ooh, and Todoroki freezes his fellow contestants! Let's hope they'll chill out later!"] Present Mic shouted.
["Smart tactic,"] Aizawa nodded, ["Striking while they're distracted with each other. The two leaders may have just lost their chance of going to the next round if they don't escape out of the ice block."]
Todoroki suddenly felt something hit his left side, knocking him down, his ice the only thing preventing the mines from going off. Liana, a giant clawed gauntlet made of bone covering her right arm. "Thanks, Todoroki, for giving me the lead!" She smirked as she ran ahead.
["What a plot twist! Just like that Kozuki has taken the lead! And with a terrifyingly cool Demonic Bone arm too!"]
Todoroki cursed himself for forgetting about her as he ran after her, failing to notice the glacier start to crumble. 'She's faster than before,' he noticed. 'She must have been conserving her energy until now.'
The stadium was now in sight. Todoroki needed to overtake Liana soon. Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion emanating from behind him. Unable to resist the temptation, Todoroki and Liana turned their head back just in time to see the glacier he created to trap Izuku and Bakugo crumble into pieces. Suddenly, Bakugo bursted out of the glacier in a large explosion rocketing in the. "NICE TRY, HALF-N-HALF!"
"C-C-Cold!" Izuku shivered as he stepped out of the hole Bakugo had made.
[Get a move on brat, you're falling behind!]
Seeing the Ddraig was right, Izuku took a deep breath and concentrated. His entire body lights up in a dazzling green aura as One for All courses through him, keeping the power only at 6%. Focusing even more, the light flowed to his wings. Feeling One for All gathering in his wings, Izuku spread them before taking off like a rocket, early closing the distance. He easily passed Bakugo, who let out a stream of curses and caught up to Todoroki and Liana.
["Wha!? It's now a four-way brawl for first place! Eraserhead, your class is amazing!"] Present Mic shouted into the microphone, right next to Aizawa's ear.
"Hey, I heard that, Yamada!" Vlad shouted from the teacher's seats. "Don't discount my class!"
Present Mic ignored him as he continued, ["Just what are you teaching them!?"]
["This has nothing to do with me. Each of them is powered by their own drive to succeed."] Aizawa answered.
Present Mic laughed. ["There you have it, Eraserhead is a terrible teacher!"]
["I'm what!?"]
["It's gonna be a close one, listeners! Which one of these four outstanding students is going to take the gold in the first round?!"]
Everyone in the stadium was on the edge of their seats. Who was gonna win? There were four students that looked like they could take it. It was nearly impossible to predict.
But then it happened.
After what felt like forever of waiting…the first student crossed the finish line and reentered the stadium…
["AND THE WINNER IS MIDORIYA IZUKU!"]
Rainbow-colored confetti dropped as the crowd cheered furiously, as Izuku crossed the finish line and stopped running, turning his movement down to a fast walk. He was slightly burned out, but still standing and grinning, and as he took a moment to look around and observe everyone that was cheering and applauding for him, he stuck a fist into the air in victory.
Inko was moved to tears after seeing her son take the win. So much so that she slipped right off the couch as tears started to geyser out of her eyes comically. "Oh, my baby Izuku!"
In a dark room, a certain young man who happened to be the leader of the League of Villains was watching the Sports Festival from a computer.
"That damned brat…" He growled as he began to viciously scratch his neck.
On the stadium's roof, Black Knight clapped at Izuku's success. "Most impressive, Red Dragon Emperor. You've exceeded my expectations, but can you keep it up."
Rias, Ravel, and Koneko released a sigh of relief. "That was close," Ravel muttered.
"Looks like your dork is moving on," Kudelia smiled.
"Emphasis on dork," Rias agreed, earning a laugh from the group.
"But what was that glow?" Yuuto asked. "That wasn't the Boosted Gear, was it?"
"No, it wasn't," Sona nodded. "Do you have any idea, Rias?"
"No, I don't," Rias lied. She had a good idea what it was, knew this wasn't the best place or time to talk about it.
Meanwhile, Liana and Todoroki, who had arrived second and third a few seconds after Izuku crossed the finish line, were panting, trying to regain their breath from the enormous effort they had made in running the entire obstacle race. Todoroki was fairly calmed down, staring at Izuku.
Liana, meanwhile, smiled and walked up to Izuku. "I guess congratulations are in order, Midoriya, for finishing the first event in first place."
"Uh, thank you, Kozuki-san," Izuku replied. He then noticed her Liana's arm seemed stiff. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just pulled something is all," she replied.
Bakugo, who had come in fourth, clutched his arms, trying to stop them from shaking after so many explosions in such a short time. "Damnit… not again! Damn you, Deku!" Bakugo cursed, gritting his teeth. Well, at least this couldn't get any worse.
["And now, they are finishing one after another! We'll show the list of the results later, but for now, good work, and congratulations to all of you!"] Present Mic announced as the pack started to filter into the arena.
Slowly but surely, the rest of the students started trickling in. Among them were Ibara, followed by Momo, then Iida, Ochako, Tsubasa, Milia, and finally Kyoka. Each one had taken Todoroki's ice path that he had conveniently left while chasing after Izuku and Katsuki.
However, when the main group of students arrived at the minefield, it became a battle to see who would take the ice path. Quite a few opted to make their own paths instead of fighting over the ice path.
"Izu-kun! You were amazing!" Ochako cheered joyfully as she hopped over with Tsubasa, though there were slight bags under her eyes, showing she had slightly overworked her Quirk. "Congrats on first place!"
"Indeed, congratulations are in order," Momo nodded.
"I knew you could do it, Izuku-san!" Ibara smiled.
"You did amazing, Green," Tsubasa complimented.
"Ahh to think I'd place so low with a Quirk like mine," Iida mumbled in depression.
"You still did better than me," Milia said.
"Yeah…" Kyoka panted.
"This should have been my area of specialty with my Quirk," Iida sighed before looking up. "I'll just have to try harder next round!"
*REEEEEE!*
"The 30-minute time limit has finished! With that, the first game of the First-Year stage is over!" Midnight announced as the last of the students trickled in. "Students who managed to cross the finish line before time ran out will move on. Let's take a look at the results!"
1st: Class A, Midoriya Izuku
2nd: Class B, Celica A. Mercury
3rd: Class A, Liana Kozuki
4th: Class A, Todoroki Shoto
5th: Class A, Bakugo Katsuki
6th: Class B, Shiozaki Ibara
7th: Class A, Yaoyorozu Momo
8th: Class B, Honenuki Juzo
9th: Class A, Iida Tenya
10th: Class B, Tokage Setsuna
11th: Class A, Asui Tsuyu
12th: Class A, Uraraka Ochako
13th: Class A, Yura Tsubasa
14th: Class B, Kendo Itsuka
15th: Class B, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu / Class A, Kirishima Eijiro
16th: Class B, Monoma Neito
17th: Class A, Ashido Mina
18th: Class A, Tokoyami Fumikage
19th: Class B, Jurota Shishida
20th: Class B, Togaru Kamakiri
21st: Class B, Yanagi Reiko
22nd: Class B, Pony Tsunotori
23rd: Class B, Milia Takamaki
24th: Class A, Shoji Mezo
25th: Class B, Rin Hiryu
26th: Class C, Shinso Hitoshi
27th: Class B, Kodai Yui
28th: Class A, Jiro Kyoka
29th: Class B, Kaibara Sen
30th: Class B, Kaminari Denki
31st: Class H, Hatsume Mei
["Wait, huh?! Celica A. Mercury is in second place?! When did that happen?!"]
All of the students in the stadium looked up in surprise, seeing that Celica from 1-B really had reached second place, somehow. "Huh, I got second? That's not too bad, even though I don't know how I got here," she smiled.
"HUH?!" Practically everyone in the stadium exclaimed. Well, everyone except for the Newspaper Club members, Class 1-B and Vlad King.
Kyoka stared at Celica in disbelief. "…she's joking, right?"
Itsuka just sighed, rubbing her hand down her face. "I really wish she was…"
"I somehow knew that would happen," Vlad grumbled.
["Uh, did she stay on the course?"] Present Mic asked.
["According to the transponder Vlad King had her wear, yes. She did…"] Aizawa's tone indicated that he was close to having a mental meltdown.
["You mean to say that she got so lost she won second place without anyone realizing it?! HOW THE HELL DOES THAT MAKE SENSE!?"] Present Mic yelled as the last students arrived.
Sona and Rias both looked to Kudelia, who simply nodded. "Yes, she's that hopeless with directions," Kudelia groaned, her Queen currently having a twitchy eye.
Once the shock of Celica coming in second wore off, everyone let the results of the race sink in. The students who failed to finish in time all had varying reactions.
Aoyama was holding his stomach in pain, trying desperately not to poop his pants.
Hyde let out a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a groan.
Mineta wailed as he slammed his fists into the ground, crying tears of blood. "I could've made it and grabbed some boobs if Kido didn't stop me!"
"Dude, you need to get a life," Sero reprimanded.
Hagakure had collapsed due to exhaustion.
Komori was close to tears, though Kuroiro did his best to comfort her.
Awase and Tsuburaba groaned in disappointment, while Fukidashi didn't say anything, for his speech bubble head already did. "Shit…"
"Moving on," Midnight continued with her announcement. "The top 32 will proceed on to the next round!" She announced, ignoring the complaints of mostly the General Ed. Students who hadn't made the cut. "It is unfortunate if you didn't make the cut, but don't worry! There will be a special event later on where anybody can showcase their skills to the audience that'll take place after the main event!"
While she finished that statement, she licked her lips in excitement, causing a shiver of excitement in those watching her. "But now, the real show will begin! The press will be all over this event, so for those participating in it, look sharp! This is your next big chance to shine!"
Almost all the 32 students looked up eagerly at another chance to shine, especially those near the bottom. Midnight swiped her whip back to the projection with the slot speeding through once more.
"Now then, onto the next heart-pounding event! I already know what it is, but the suspense is so exciting! Now, what could it be? What should it be? Here it is…"
Calvary Battle
"A cavalry battle? Man, I'm bad at those," Kaminari mumbled, clearly not excited for the next event.
"Since it's not an individual event, how will it work?" Tsuyu asked, confused, much like everyone else, about what they were going to do this time.
"Allow me to explain! The participants may form teams of two to four people, as they wish! It is basically the same as a regular cavalry battle," Midnight explained, as a screen showed an image of Thirteen holding up All Might as the horse rider with Snipe and Present Mic supporting him from behind. "The main difference is that… based on the results of the first game, each person will be assigned a point value!"
"I see. It's like the Entrance Exam then," Liana nodded. "That seems simple enough."
"So each team each team is worth a different amount of points depending on who's on the team!" Said Ochako.
"Ah, I see!" Mina exclaimed as she caught on.
Midnight violently swiped her wipes towards the ones talking, "Don't say what I was planning to say before I say it! Let me speak, or it's detention! Though I don't mind if the boys want to come."
Before Mineta could get himself detention, Kyoka jammed her earphone jacks into his ears to shut him up.
"Anyways, before you all get carried away, the points are assigned based on your placement in the obstacle course, in increments of 5. So 32nd place will be 5 points, 31st 10 points, and so on. But there is one key exception," Midnight licked her lips sadistically. "The point value assigned to first place is… TEN MILLION!"
Izuku suddenly turned ghost white, feeling glares from all around aimed at him. "Ten… million…?"
AN:
Again, sorry this took so long. Aside from what I said up top, I think the hardest part of the chapter was Izuku's speech. Good thing he didn't die on the podium huh?
And Bakugo's in 5th pace again? He can't just catch a break, though he kinda deserves it for being such a prick.
Up next is the Calvary Battle. Until then stay safe and stay healthy. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!