The faint sounds of fighting could be heard behind the closed doors leading into the gym from the hall but despite all that Kendo could not hear anything over her own beating heart. Blinking a few times she could not stop the blush from creeping up her neck and along her face. Slowly, she opened her mouth to respond.
"Huh, who knew the guy had it in him? I kinda thought he would be bumbling around you, for...forever." Said Tokages voice through the phone.
Letting out a sigh Kendo was laying on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling of her room in thought. Blinking a few times her friend's words finally hit her, slowly sitting up with a raised eyebrow.
"Wait...you knew Tetsutetsu was into me and didn't say anything?"
"In my defense it was pretty obvious."
"Set this is serious." Fidgeting with her phone she shifted her weight. "Atleast let me finish my story before chiming in."
"Right right, my bad. Continue."
"W-wait...what did you say?" Her voice came out more surprised then she would have liked. Tetsutetsu frowning a little as he tried to regain his courage. Shifting his weight he tried again.
"Would you like to um...go on a date with me after the sports festival? We...we can do whatever you want!"
"Pfft. 'Whatever you want' huh."
If they were in the same room Kendo would have punched her but since she wasn't Kendo let out an annoyed groan instead.
"Set! What did I just say?"
"Girl. You dont have to tell me everything that was said. Give me the cliffs notes, I'm trying to get some sleep before the Sports Festival tomorrow."
Sighing she combed her fingers through her ginger, unponytailed hair. "Alright fine! He asked me out and I kind of just flopped around for a while surprised...no ones ever asked me out before."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Its true. I had a reputation at my old school for beating up bullies." Turning her head she stared out the window into the night air. "Apparently guys don't want to date someone who gets in brawls with other guys in their free time."
"Go figure."
Letting out a snort she couldn't help but smile. "Shut up."
"Fast forward a bit. What happened after you guys were both super awkward?"
"Well...I said yes."
"No kidding? Congrats, I guess. What are you going to tell Greenie?"
Her body got a little tense in bed, the faint thump of her heart skipping a beat. Eyes shifting, her chest clenching in a way it's never done before.
"Why...would I need to tell him?" She muttered softly, twirling a finger through her hair. "He doesn't need to know everything going on with my life..."
"He's your best friend right?"
"O-of course."
"Then usually you tell your best friend this kind of stuff."
Setsuna was right...yet why did she hate the idea of telling him so much?
Her silence must have spoken for her because after a few moments of nothing being said Setsuna filled the quiet air. Her voice sounding softer, not a hint of teasing found.
"You know he's gonna find out eventually. No point in dragging it out."
"Yeah, you're right." She did not want her to be right though. Hearing a yawn from the phone Setsuna let out a hum.
"Well, while you stew on that I'm going to bed. Night Kenken."
"...night."
Pressing the end call button on her phone she set it down on her desk before turning over to flop down into her pillow face first. A mix of emotions moving around inside of her as she closed her eyes, letting a groan.
Hopefully she would be able to atleast get some sleep tonight.
Snapping her still tired eyes awake the next day she found herself sprawled out on the bed upside down. The sound of her alarm going off nearby.
Why does the world hate me?
Reaching an arm out she tried to swat at it, missing the top part a few times before finally pressing it. Blinking slowly up at the ceiling of her room she contemplated whether or not she should get up. The thought of closing her eyes and getting a few more minutes of sleep was a very tempting one. The sound of knocking at her door, however, had stopped that thought in her tracks.
"Itsuka...aren't you supposed to meet down at the stadium early today?" Her mother said through the door.
That got her awake.
Springing out of bed she ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth, not even bothering to look at the clock. Power walking over to her dresser she opened it with one hand as she brushed her teeth with the other.
"Shit! What time is it!?" She muffled through her tooth brush.
"Almost 8am. Didn't you set your alarm?"
She did...but sometimes she sleeps through those. Mostly when she's stressed.
8am only left an hour for her to take the train down to UA! That's not a lot of time. Raising her school's button up shirt she took a quick sniff before nodding.
Clean enough.
Throwing on the skirt of her uniform, she hopped on one foot towards the door as she fiddled with her uniform, sliding her other leg through. Swinging the door open she blinked surprised, the handle of her tooth brush poking out of her mouth as she stared at an empty hall. In all of her floundering her mother must have just walked back down stairs. Pausing to grab her hair brush she rushed down the stairs two steps at a time, running the brush through her messy orange hair as she ran.
Turning the corner, there to greet her was the normal morning chaos that she was so used to.
Kojo was up and about, going to town on his dog bowl, messily chomping on his food as his tail wagged side to side. Her grandpa was watching a movie too loudly, obviously annoyed at having woken up early. Mother and auntie Ren were making breakfast as they chatted and the twins were already sitting down and eating. There was no sign of her dad and uncle Matsuo which meant they both were most likely still sleeping and would be for another thirty, forty minutes. She may be a heavy sleeper but her father was the king of heavy sleepers...she remembers a time when she was younger that he slept through an earthquake.
Rushing into the kitchen she grabbed at her plate, shoving some of the bread into her mouth as she chewed quickly. Moving over to sit down at the table.
"Chew sweetheart chew! The sports festival isn't going anywhere." Her mom called out to her, not even looking away from her oven top as she cooked.
"Sorry mama, It's just a big day!"
"I am aware sweetheart, we're all very excited. But we can't go see you 'kick butt' if you choke on bread and die."
"I think I can survive some bread." She said while rolling her eyes.
"I don't know. It'd be kinda funny if you did though." Happily chimed Yuki next to her, taking a drink before smirking evilly.
Squinting back at her little sister she was reminded of a time when Yuki was super nice and bubbly not even three years ago...guess she was at that age.
"Sorry to disappoint but it'll be a cold day in hell if bread does me in."
Chiming in from the other side her younger brother Sora sat up a little to mumble. "Ah actually um, ive been meaning to ask. Is...big bro Zuku gonna be there too?"
Big bro Zuku
Smiling at that she chuckled. Sora had always looked up to Midoriya. The fact that he saw him as an older brother made her happier then she ever thought it would.
"Yes Midoriya is going to be there. Maybe I'll convince him to spend time with our family after the festival. I hear there's going to be a lot of booths this year."
Sitting up quickly Yuki's eyes widened as she turned and ran up the stairs. "I need to change into something cuter!"
Shaking her head Kendo quickly slammed down her breakfast, looking down at her phone as she chewed.
"Shit! I gotta go! I'll see you guys later!"
"Wait! At least bring your plate back over to the..." Turning Hada Kendo watched as her daughter ran down the hall and out of sight, the sound of scrapping telling her the front door was opened. "Sink..."
Rolling her eyes she huffed before turning back to the sink.
What was she going to do with that girl?
Leaning against the window of the moving train car she let out another yawn, the slow bouncing of her seat only trying to lull her back into sleep. She ran out the door so fast this morning that she didn't even have time to drink any coffee like she usually did, the lack of caffeine feeling like extra weight weighing her down.
She may have spent too long last night trying to think about what to say to Midoriya to not make it weird between them...which was weird cause it wasn't like they were dating. They were just friends, so why would her having a date be weird? It wouldn't be weird if HE had a date so why is she feeling weird?
Stop thinking of the word weird.
Staring out the window she could see the massive tower of UA in the distance, the crowd of people already visible even from this far away.
What would it be like if Midoriya had a date? Like what if Uraraka asked him out?
...
She didn't like that thought at all.
The faint image of her frowning shifted along the reflecting glass.
Ok, so maybe things were already weird between them. Ever since their heart to heart a while back she's been feeling a fuzziness whenever he was nearby that was foreign to her. At first she just thought she was happy to have her best friend back but lately she wasn't sure anymore.
The train lurched to a stop, the doors opening to let her and the other passengers off. Following the flow of people off of the train she finally reached UA. Walking up the busy street she looked left and then right, gulping nervously at the size of the line for entry. The line practically stretching around the street and out of sight. Civilians and reporters a like looked around excitedly in the hopes of seeing a hero, one of the reporters even turning towards her. Recognizing her uniform he raised a camera to take a quick picture of her, her vision warping a little under the flash.
Letting out a frustrated growl at him she rubbed her eyes as she walked on.
Other than that, the civilians along the wall were simply content with standing around chatting, clearly anticipating what was about to come as they pointed up at UA and stared excitedly at the thought of finally passing through the school gates of the fabled campus.
The sports festival was almost on the way, they only had to wait another hour for the festivities to begin. The air was almost palpable with excitement.
Some people never even get to go to the sports festival with how high the prices were for tickets so she could imagine this being a big deal to some.
Squeezing past some people she heard some objections before they stopped to see her uniform. Waiting to greet her up front was Present Mic, the pro hero and teacher smiling at her as she walked past, allowing her onto the school grounds. Walking past she heard the heavy gates close behind her as she climbed up the many steps and onto the campus grounds. All around her booths were in the process of being set up. People running back and forth in a frantic attempt to get everything ready in time.
She was finally here.
After two long weeks of grueling training and preparing she was here. In a few hours she was going to be on live television, performing for the whole world to see and she wasn't even nervous.
...ok so she was a little nervous. She was only sweating the regular amount about it.
It was just her being in front of hundreds-potentially thousands- of people. She's performed in martial arts competitions before and that was what? Couple hundred people, that's close to hundreds of thousands...kind of. She was fine, not a big deal at all...it's not like her whole career as a hero was staked on how well she performs here or anything.
Before she could dwell on that thought too much she felt something warm slide into her open palms. Blinking a few times in surprise she looked down to find a white Styrofoam cup with a black lid and a brown ring of cardboard around it. Small billows of steam drifting from it telling her that it was freshly made.
The smell was heavenly...
Turning towards where the mystery coffee came from she smiled softly. Her best friend Izuku Midoriya standing next to her. Giving her a soft smile back he nodded.
"Thought you might like some coffee this early in the morning."
Ignoring the warm feeling on her cheeks she lifted the cup to her lips and took a quick sip, letting out a satisfied hum. Black, just like how she liked it. A warmth spread through her as she looked down at her steaming cup, the fuzzy feeling from before spreading through her core and making her feel tingly.
That was the good stuff. Sweet sweet caffeine.
"Thank you. Midoriya."
"Anytime." He laughed before gesturing next to him with his thumb. "We had to go get coffee anyway because of this one gets cranky if he doesn't. One of the perks of living on school grounds. Eh Shinso?"
"Mhmm." Appearing from out of view was Shinso, doing one long, tired blink at her before sipping from his own cup. "Morning."
Smiling at the constantly tired boy she chuckled. "Morning Shinso, I didn't know you drank coffee too?"
"Yeah except this one loads his coffee with so much sugar, I'm surprised he could even taste it." said Midoriya with a head shake.
"Says the man who doesn't even drink coffee. Sorry for having good taste." Muttered Shinso with an eye roll.
Kendo personally couldn't help but grimace at that. She didn't mean to judge but that sounded like Shinso liked those crazy sugar coffees that were more like sweets then actual coffee. Thousands of calories in a single cup. She tried to be subtle about it but it looked like Shinso picked up on her look right away, him turning towards her to frown.
"Not you too. How do you drink it?"
"...black."
Now he was the one grimacing, almost looking like he was going to gag. "God why? That's so bitter."
"That's just how it's always been with Kendo." Chimed Midoriya with a shrug. "She likes everything either super bitter or super spicy, there's no in between with her."
...ok now she's starting to feel attacked here. It's bad enough that she has to defend herself against Shinso of all people but now Midoriya was joining in!?
This would not stand.
"Hey! Atleast I eat more then just Katsudon for every meal!"
Taking a sip of his coffee Shinso nodded along at that. "I agree with her Midoriya. You should really try other meals sometimes."
"Who's side are you on here Shinso!?"
"Whichever side is winning."
A throat being cleared made the three of them stop their argument, all of them turning to see a hobo looking man standing nearby.
"Good morning Mr. Aizawa." Chimed Midoriya.
Where did she hear that name before?
Looking him over he didn't look like much if Kendo was being honest. He was tall and lanky with messy looking black hair. Wearing a long black sleeved shirt and a grey scarf wrapped multiple times around his neck. Heavy bags that rivaled Shinso's clung to the bottom of his eyes and a crazy looking scar peeked up on the side of his face. You could barely see his scowl poking through the top of the scarf.
You would think in a world of professional heroes that he'd wear a little more color to stand out more.
Didn't Vlad King mention a Mr. Aizawa before?
Slowly the pieces clicked in her tired brain. This was the homeroom teacher of 1A? The same guy that has been training Midoriya and Shinso after school? No wonder Midoriya looked like hell when she saw him again if this guy was the one teaching him? He looked like he was going to pass out any second...she might've gotten the better teacher with Vlad King.
Gruffly Mr. Aizawa reached into his pocket and pulled out some tear drops, lifting the tiny container up and dabbing at his eyes before speaking.
"You all are supposed to meet up with your homeroom classes for roll call in thirty minutes. I may not be your homeroom teacher but I will not stand for tardiness."
"Yes Mr. Aizawa."
"Sure, my bad..."
Blinking she realized that he was looking at her now. "Yeah uh sorry, I was just about to head to 1B."
Looking the three over he nodded, letting out a small hum as he turned and walked away without another word.
He was weirdly intense for a man who didn't look like much.
Letting out a breath she wasn't even aware that she was holding she turned toward her friends with a smirk.
"Guess I'll see you guys on the other side."
Smirking back he stuck a fist out towards her. "Try not to lose too early. I plan to go all the way."
"That's my line!" Letting out a laugh she thrust her arm forward, her fist meeting his. "Challenge accepted! May the best person win."
With a nod him and Shinso started to head off into their own direction. Shifting her coffee in her hands she let out a small giggle, her face feeling warm.
It's weird how a single interaction could blow her nervousness away with a single punch...
Taking a slow, drawn out breath she sighed, turning towards the massive H in the distance and slammed her fist into her open palm.
Let's do this thing!
"Hey hey there listeners!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the stadium, giant monitors and speakers dangling up high for all to see. Each tv monitor showing every nook and crevice of the arena. "It's almost that time once again for the first year sport festival! Let me hear some noise!"
The crowd let out a cheer so loud it practically shook the ground and rattled teeth.
"Radical! Without further ado, it's time to kick off the 55th UA Freshmen games! Look closely because you might see the start of a new legend in the making here today! Sounds pretty exciting if you ask me!"
Another cheer just as loud echoing down below. The noise traveling through halls and hallways until it stopped on a crowd of general study students.
The group of young adults have been waiting there for a while now, the sound of the crowd sounding more like jeers then of excitement in their nervous brains. Shifting his weight Izuku Midoriya let out a slow calming breath like he was taught, trying his best to ground himself amongst the wave of nerves and jitters. Next to him his friend Shinso was not seeming to be fairing much better, his eyes flickering around every once in a while but refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
Raising a hand he placed it on his comrades shoulder to give it a small squeeze. His voice quiet but just loud enough to be heard over the growing noise up in the stadium.
"Hey, we got this. This is what we've been training for."
It was hard for Midoriya to tell what Shinso was thinking sometimes but that seemed to help a little. The purple haired man looking back at him and nodding.
"Yeah. We got this." His voice was so quiet it was hard to even hear him right now.
"First off let me start the introductions properly. They survived a villain attack and are raring for more! It's class 1A!"
The cheering that time was even louder, the thrum of feet stomping in sync coming up from above. Looking up Midoriya could see some dust knocked loose and gently fall down from the ceiling.
"But that's not all! Not to be outdone, coming in hot on their trail it's class 1B!"
The noise that time was less crazy, which was a little understandable with some of the power houses in class 1A. It was no secret that the son of Endeavor was in that class, the crowd clearly having their favorites.
"and last but certainly not least! They're the under dogs! I'd be careful on betting against them, it's General studies!"
Pushing forward their large group filed out through the tunnel, the sound of cheers getting louder as they got closer. Squinting against the sunlight up above he rubbed at his eyes, his eyes too used to being in doors. Opening them slowly it took a second for his eyes to adjust, the sight of the arena making his heart skip a step.
That. Was a lot of people...
Row after row of people sitting almost shoulder to shoulder, spanning so far out in every direction they almost stopped looking like unique faces and more like a wave of colors. It was disorienting to see, the sight plucking at his anxiety like strings. There wasn't a single open seat in this stadium. Pulling his gaze away he decided to look across the grassy field instead, in the hopes of maybe seeing someone he could recognize in the other classes.
Nearby he could hear Sango, one of Jirou's friend, mutter to herself. The blue haired girl staring around starry eyed and shell shocked. "Wow..."
"Alright! Don't they all looking raring to go ladies and gentlemen!?" Shouted Present Mic. "Coming at you live from the radio booth it's your favorite radio host Present Mic! With his grumpy co host..."
"Ugh..."
"That's right! Underground hero Eraserhead!"
That earned a few chuckles from the crowd.
Slowly the three groups started to converge to the center where a cement square shaped arena was made.
"The stage has been set, the actors primed and ready! All we need is a referee...Everyone! Give it up for R-Rated Heroine: Midnight!"
The sound of her clicking heels could be heard as she parted the group of students, walking up the steps with a saunter as she moved. Swinging her hips from side to side the crowd was eating it up, roaring with cheers and catcalls. Hundreds of thousands of hungry eyes drooling at her arrival. Not that it mattered to her, she was eating up the attention, smiling sweetly at the crowd as she waved, even blowing a few kisses for good measure.
It was funny, it was so different from what he was used to seeing in class as his art teacher.
Climbing the final step she turned towards the amassed crowd of students, looking them over with a glint in her eye. Practically drooling at the excitement and passion they were going to reveal. Raising her hand up she brought it down with a crack, her whip silencing everyone in an instant.
"How exciting! I do love being the referee for the first years!" Holding her mic a little tighter she playfully licked her lips. "I can't wait to see what you all have cooked up for us! I hope there are no naughty men or women this year...or else be punished!"
Camera flashes went off all around them as Midnight struck a few poses, the sight almost silly with how much the crowd adored her.
Throwing her hair back she smiled, giving them a more genuine kind look. "Now then, before we select the first round we have to have a few words from our Freshmen Representative. He placed first in the entrance exam with a whopping 120 points! Eijiro Kirishima of class 1A!"
Izuku blinked a few times at that, completely unaware that Kirishima took first during the entrance exam...now that he thought about it he did destroy the zero pointer with a single punch, so he shouldn't be THAT surprised all things considered.
Slowly, Midoriya saw Kirishima march up the steps. He looked, stiff, like he was trying to walk with his quirk activated. He was clearly extremely nervous, each motion taking extra effort and focus. Midoriya would be nervous too if put in the same situation. Atleast he was told before hand about the speech and prepared accordingly. Watching him take an extra long time to climb the steps he blinked, a thought coming to him.
He...he was told about giving a speech right?
After what felt like forever Kirishima shakily took the mic from Midnight, her turning towards him to give him a few words of encouragement that Midoriya couldn't hear.
Gripping the mic tightly he went to speak, accidently causing a reverb throughout the speakers making everyone flinch at the noise.
"Sorry! My bad...um"
Oh god, he was floundering out there.
Letting out a few coughs Kirishima went in for a second try. "Ah, all of my life I've not really been the best with words. So me giving a speech probably wasn't the best idea."
That brought a chuckle out of Midoriya. Kirishima growing a little more bold when he heard a few more laughs around him. Taking a breath his back straightened.
"I'm going to be honest, I'm really nervous man. This festival will be my first step into what I become...and I guess the same goes for all of you! I don't know what the future brings but whatever happens next I promise everything will be ok...and I hope, I hope that all of you do your best! Because I promise you I will be doing the same!"
Giving them a flex his arm hardened in a display of toughness. Giving them the best smirk he could he gave them a thumbs up before going back to his awkward stance.
"And uh, I guess that's it!"
Silence filled the stadium as everyone kind of just stared...Mina and Inasa from 1A clapped at his speech and soon other people followed. It wasn't an uproarious display or anything close to what All Might has said in the past but everyone enjoyed it all the same. It was a sweet sentiment.
Letting out a laugh Kirishima rubbed at the back of his neck as he started to head back to his group, the other members of 1A patting him on his back and saying a few words of encouragement.
It may not have been perfect but it weirdly was exactly what Izuku Midoriya needed to hear. No matter what hardships they have faced or will face in the future, everything was going to be ok.
Watching the crimson headed young man as he interacted with his friends Izuku smiled before shaking his head.
Yup. Definitely a himbo.
Clapping along with the crowd Midnight's smile grew.
"With that lovely speech out of the way its time for the first event!" Cracking her whip again the massive screen behind her came to life. A roulette of names rolling past the screen quickly accompanied with the types of sounds you would find at a slot machine in a casino. The names sped by so fast it was hard to even read them. "Lets see, our First Round Preliminary is..."
Sliding to the stop, the words snapped into place.
OBSTACLE RACE
Gesturing to the large flashing text Midnight waved her arm in a flourish.
"An obstacle race! Now I know that sounds pretty easy but this is UA, be assured that this will be anything but easy." Her smile turned sadistic as she let our a small giggle. "The goal, like all races, is to cross the finish line before your opponent. The race will be 2.5 miles in length and take you through a specialized obstacle course custom made by the principal of UA himself! Be warned, only thirty two of you will make it to the next round so you best run your little legs off!"
Only thirty two huh...
Looking around he counted way more then that.
Guess they really want to weed people out early...
Strutting around a little to showboat more camera flashes went off as Midnight tucked some hair behind her ear.
"We at UA pride ourselves on freedom...so anything goes for this part, so long as you cross the finish line before your opponent! Just nothing lethal against your opponents or you will be disqualified. You are trying to be heroes after all. Going out of bounds and being rendered unconscious will also mean you are disqualified. Now then! Enough talk! Everyone go to the starting line and await for my signal!"
The crowd cheered as the massive group started to head to the starting line, Midnight giving them a passive wave.
"I for one can't wait to see what kind of heroes you all become!"
Standing near the starting line Midoriya looked left and then right, a wave of faces both familiar and unknown all around him. Everyone had moved back into the tunnel, a good football field length between them and the entrance out into the obstacle course.
Who knew what laid on the other side.
Words of bragging and conversation went on around them.
"On your marks!" Midnight began, raising her whip.
Silencing the voices he got into a runner stance, Shinso getting into the same one next to him.
"Get set!" Her arm tensed.
A beat, a second beat. His hands clenching and clenching slowly.
...
"Go!" Cracking her whip she shouted.
All of the contestants rushed at the entrance all at once with a shout. Almost like a stampede they bowled over each other, pushing and shoving as they went. Wind parted around them as the first to emerge from the tunnel was Inasa in a matter of seconds. Pushing in front of the pack in an instant, Todoroki following not far behind, followed quickly by Bakugo. His explosions rocketing him past most of them.
"And the first to leave the tunnel is Inasa Yoarashi! His wind quirk pushing him ahead in an opening advantage! Followed by the son of Endeavor, Shoto Todoroki and Bakugo Katsuki!"
Shoving his way towards the front Izuku's physical strength pushed him past a majority of the other contestants, Shinso managing to keep up thanks to his new work out routine.
The tunnel entrance was too thin, they had to get out before the majority blocked the entrance.
A cold shiver ran up Midoriya's spine, his eyes widening as he could practically feel the temperature drop. Cold whisps drifting from his breath. Lunging forward he grabbed hold of Shinso's sides, ignoring his friends cries of indignation as he threw him upward. Jumping up into the air he landed on someone's shoulders, using them to get off of the ground.
In a rush of cold power, ice exploded outward, covering the entrance and dancing along the floor in a straight line. Instantly coating people's feet in ice.
"In a startling display of raw quirk power Todoroki managed to freeze the entire entrance in an instant! Guess we're not playing around in this race!"
"Hey! What the!?" Cried out Kirishima up front, wrenching one of his legs free of the ice trap. "Not cool bro!"
"What in the world!?" Shouted Iida, the bespectacled man trying to get ice out of his mufflers.
Many others wiggling to try and free themselves as well, one of the people being the large hairy frame of Shishida.
"What in the name of..." Looking over onto his shoulder Shishida was surprised to find Midoriya laying on top of him. "Midoriya!?"
"...hey Shishida hows it going?"
"Why are you on my shoulder!?"
"I didn't know how else to avoid the ice."
"So you jumped onto my back!?"
"...pretty much."
The sound of shattering filled the air as Kirishima wrenched his legs free, pulling a fist back and slamming it against the ice wall. Red lightning coursing through his arm as he punched a hole clean through it, ice sprinkling from above.
"Did Kirishima just destroy all of that ice with a single punch!? What are you teaching your students Eraserhead!?"
"To be precise with their actions and not draw attention to themselves..."
"You heard it here first listeners! Eraserhead's students don't listen to him at all!"
Even though Midoriya had seen Kirishima's quirk first hand before did not make it any less impressive...
With power like that he might one day be as strong as All Might...
Letting out a huff, Shishida grew in size, easily freeing his legs before setting Midoriya back onto the ground. "While I understand it was an action you had to do I would appreciate next time asking before jumping on top of me like some kind of attraction."
Absently nodding along Midoriya turned his head, clearly not listening to anything Shishida was saying. Spotting Shinso crowd surfing on some people up ahead he quickly darted to chasing after him. "Right...my bad, sorry Shishida!"
"W-wh...Midoriya!?" Pausing the large hairy man sighed, the green haired young man already gone. Adjusting his glasses he ran back into the fray.
Helping a dazed Shinso up they didn't stop, pushing out of the tunnel and into the chaos of the obstacle course. An open area of the track field greeted them with trees on both sides.
Explosions and the sound of combat went off around them as they ran. The same type of robots from the entrance exam zooming about, a one pointer being split in half by a screaming Kamakiri, his blades cutting through their wiring like they were made of toilet paper. Pony was covering his blind side by firing her horns at an incoming assault while Juzo was submerging a two pointer into cement.
He didn't have time to take in the scene because bursting out of the foliage came a crazed one pointer rushing at them.
"It looks like contestants are finally escaping the tunnel and starting to come across the first part of the leg race, THE ROBOT INFERNO!"
Juking to the side he drove a fist into the robot's chest, the machine falling down faster then the last time he fought it. Running up from behind Shinso jumped on his shoulders, using it as a spring board to land onto a two pointer and driving two boot covered legs into its eye. With a crack he blinded it instantly, the machine flailing about. See two missiles incoming Midoriya ducked behind the blinded two pointer and used its massive body as a shield. Shoving it forward and into the incoming attack, chunks of metal shooting off of it.
Hoping off the back of the destroyed robot to keep running Shinso was followed after by Midoriya, the two pushing farther into the mechanized battle field.
Dashing and weaving through the incoming robot army they only engaged when they really needed to, covering each others backs as they went. They may not have powerful quirks but they could still protect each other.
The ground rumbled, multiple zero pointers emerging from the ground and stomping forward only to get pushed back from canon fire. The metallic behemoths falling back against the ground. Yaoyorozu panting nearby with some self made cannons at her side.
"Incredible! Multiple zero pointers were taken out by Momo Yaoyorozu of class 1A paving the way for others to get through! All while the three power houses are in a power struggle for the front of the line! It could still be anyone's race, who knows what could happen next!?"
Shoto Todoroki was pretty pissed. Originally, he thought that just freezing the entrance to the tunnel would put him ahead of the competition. Yet when he did Inasa had already passed him in a blur as soon as Midnight said 'go." Obnoxious as the man was he clearly had the speed advantage over Todoroki, his quirk's power rivaling even his own. That in itself was a little disheartening but the really big thing that irked him was what happened after.
His ice wall was destroyed by a single punch...by that smiling, red headed weirdo.
When he first met him he thought nothing of the smiling fool, that he was just a speed bump on his way to becoming greater then his father ever was. Yet, time and time again he showed a type of power that was something to not take lightly. Even crazier still was that All Might himself seemed to have taken a shinning to the boy, pulling him aside any chance he could to chat.
That man had the potential to be great. He didn't want to admit it but All might clearly saw it so Todoroki had to as well. He had no idea what their relationship was but he also did not care. The man was a mountain that Todoroki knew he had to climb to prove himself the best, both to his toxic father and to himself.
Looking over his shoulder as he surfed along the ground on ice he could see others were already starting to catch up with him and they were gaining speed on him fast. Bakugo was rocketing not far behind him followed by the classes speedster Tenya Iida and a woman with long green hair that had split her body into multiple body parts in order to fly.
Once his ice wall was destroyed the other contestants were spilling in, the slower ones having to fight off the waves of robots.
Hopefully that would slow most of them down until he could secure his victory.
Facing forward he realized that zero pointers were forming a wall before him, a feat that would intimidate a weaker hero.
Nothing his mothers quirk couldn't handle.
Raising a hand he swung it forward, freezing the incoming attack instantly and sliding past. Creating massive ice statues that tettered under their own weight before falling over.
Yet no matter how fast he moved he could not seem to pass Inasa, the guy soaring far ahead of all of them.
In his frustration he thought about using his other side. A traitorous part of his brain reminding him that a well placed fire blast could easily rocket him far ahead in an instant...
Shaking that thought away he frowned.
He didn't need his fathers side. He refused.
"Icey hot!" A loud shout came from behind, Bakugo roaring in with a furious shout. "I refuse to let you beat me!"
Rolling his eyes he turned to face the loud shouting blond.
First he had to deal with him...
"Next on the obstacle course is THE PIT! Careful! One wrong step could mean plummeting into utter defeat!"
Making their way through the robotic carnage Midoriya had to slide to a stop to avoid falling into the pit.
A massive hole spanning out in every direction with a spider web of mesh wires zig zagging across it in a sporadic fashion.
They cant seriously expect him to move across that? Right?
Midoriya didn't even need to take a single step on the wire to know that it was a very bad idea for someone of his size to try and walk across.
"Sit back and watch Support companies! The power of my super amazing babies!" Screamed a pink haired woman as she ran past, heading straight for the pit. The woman not even hesitating before taking a long leap into the massive hole.
Eyes widening Midoriya watched as the woman taped her shoes together to make them glow, a tether fired from her hip to latch onto one of the pillars. Swing up and over she used the moment to come up the other side, laughing maniacally all the while.
Tilting his head to the side at the sight he blinked a few times.
B...babies?
Looking at the pit and then the woman he seemed to have had an idea. Quickly looking around he spotted Kendo as she made her way over to them.
"Kendo!" She turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. Pointing at the other side he smiled back. "Throw me!"
...
She was just staring at him.
"Look I get it, it's a crazy idea. But you have to..."
Before he could finish his sentence his friends face changed from one of shock to a wide toothy grin. Enlarging her hands she wrapped them both around him, cocking her arm back before shouting.
"Hell yeah! I've always wanted to do this!"
Blinking a few times it took a second to process what was happening.
"Wait...what do you mean you've always..."
Air soared past him as he found himself football tossed into the sky. Soaring up and up and up he went, his hair thrashing about in the wind. Arcing up and over he found himself descending at a fast rate, the ground coming to meet him quickly.
He should really think his plans through better...
For a second it looked like he wasn't going to make it, plummeting down into the pit to be disqualified. Instead, he slammed against the cliff side, air escaping his lungs as he automatically scrambled to take hold of anything he could. Grabbing hold of a rock his muscles tightened as he pulled himself to safety, rolling onto his back before giving a shakey thumbs up.
From the other side Kendo happily cheered, thrusting both of her fist into the air as she hopped up and down like an excited child.
"Fuck yeah dude! That was awesome!"
Looking over to Shinso next to her expectantly the boy took one look at her, exclaimed 'nope' and started to slowly climb across the normal way.
Shrugging at the display she smiled before following after them.
"Oh well, suit yourself!"
"Inasa, Bakugo and Todoroki have made it to the final stretch of the race! THE MINEFIELD! You better mind the field, else you come across an explosive surprise!"
"..."
"Don't give me that look! I thought it was clever!"
The minefield was no big deal with Inasa who could stay afloat for long periods of time, zooming over any potential danger while the sound of fighting went off behind him.
Ice and explosions clashed in the air, the two 1A powerhouses firing off volley after volley of attacks as they flew.
"GOD DAMNIT! FUCKING STAY DOWN!" Shouted the angry blonde, floating towards the ground and firing off a small blast to stay airborne.
"I could say the same to you..." Todoroki said coldly, ice coating the side of his face as he blocked another explosion. He was running out of time, unable to break away from his furious opponent.
The two were too busy bickering that they almost missed Tokage and Pony flying up from behind in an attempt to pass them.
"Hey there angsty and angry! Don't mind us." Chimed Tokage, giving them a playful wink and a salute.
"Please ah uh, exclaim us!"
"It's EXCUSE us pony."
"Ah yes! Excuse us!"
"THE FUCK YOU ARE!" Turning in the air Bakugo fired off a massive explosion just barely missing them as they sored past. Letting out furious shouts and curses he turned away from Todoroki, choosing to chase after them instead.
Todoroki letting out a sigh as he too chased after them.
"And first place goes to Inasa Yoarashi without much of a challenge! An impressive time if I do say so myself! But who will take second!? Tokage and Pony from 1B are so close to the end but Bakugo and Todoroki are not far behind!?"
Past the minefield they entered a long tunnel stretching out with light at the end.
This was the final stretch, the final push.
Cursing under his breath Todoroki pushed his quirk as hard as it could go, surfing along the icey ground like it was a tidal wave.
Sweat dripped down Bakugo's face as he flew, his wrist shaking and tensing.
Pony's head was starting to bleed with how many horns she needed to stay afloat.
And Tokage's body ached and throbbed under the strain of being apart for so long.
"What's this!? Someone is racing in from the back and he's gaining fast!?"
All of them looked to their left, Tenya Iida running past in a blur. The bespectacled blue haired man zooming past.
"Recipro Burst!" He shouted, blue fire erupting from his mufflers as he crossed the finish line in the blink of an eye.
"In a crazy upset Tenya Iida passed them all in an instant taking second place!? Did someone get the license on that vehicle? I'm pretty sure it was moving WAY faster then the speed limit!"
That was enough of that...
Gritting his teeth Todoroki thrust his arm out, firing off an icey blast knocking Setsuna and Pony back, launching them both off course long enough for him to pass them. Taking third place.
The three fliers were left, none of them backing down as they were neck to neck now. Pushing his way to the front Bakugo growled, every muscle in his body hurting under the strain.
There was no way he was going to let these two nobodies beat him. He was going to pass them, he was going to show all of the naysayers that he deserved to be a hero. That he was going to be the be...
He teeterd, a sharp pain slamming against his chest.
Damnit, not now!
Tensing he gasped out, drifting to the right and pressing against one of the walls of the tunnel. Rolling forward he fell to the ground, toppling over like an over weight domino.
"What's this!? Bakugo has collapsed!? Someone should check on the explosive boy!"
Letting out raw and throaty coughs he clung to the wall, managing to pull himself to his feet with enough time to see Tokage and Pony cross the finish line before him. His teeth grinding together at the sight. He was sure that others were starting to pass him as well but he couldn't convince his body to move. All he could do was stand there and go through the waves of painful coughs. Even standing there was a chore for him. He was filled with a mix of guilt and shame.
There was no way this could get worse.
"...Bakugo?"
He stands corrected.
Turning towards the incoming tunnel Midoriya and his shitty friends were there, the sleep deprived man and the red headed bitch. They were all looking at him with concerned looks...at him of all people! None of them knew what to say yet of course it was Midoriya to speak first.
"Are you alright?"
He always hated that look, so full of caring and condescending concern. Like he thought HE was weak one. Like he was someone that needed to be helped. He didn't NEED anyone's help.
Especially not Midoriya's.
"Don't. You fucking. Touch me."
Despite his growling Midoriya still looked at him with those damn eyes, not coming closer but not backing off either. People ran past them but even then Midoriya didn't move on.
God damnit. Just fucking finish already.
"What the fuck are you looking at?"
"...what." Midoriya seemed to rethink his question. "Did, did something happen?"
Wait.
Does he seriously not know? How!? How the fuck did he not hear about what happened!?
His coughing fit had finally come to a stop, either from well placed timing or just sheer shock he was not sure. Wiping his mouth Bakugo turned away from him.
Anything to get away from that look.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
Straightening his back he started to jog down the tunnel, refusing to meet the concerned looks from his childhood friend.
After what felt like forever but was really only a few minutes they waited as the last person crossed the finish line. Have finished early they were given waters to recharge some of their energy. The remaining thirty two branching off into groups to chat.
Midnight cracked her whip, calling for everyone's attention. "The first round has concluded! Here are the results! Those who placed in the top thirty two will advance to the next round!"
Everyone in the stadium turned to the jumbotrons as the list came to life. The first places name lighting up before drifting down.
1: Inasa Yoarashi
2: Tenya Iida
3: Shoto Todoroki
4: Setsuna Tokage
5: Tsunotori Pony
6: Hanta Sero
7: Juzo Honenuki
8: Bakugo Katsuki
9: Izuku Midoriya
10: Itsuka Kendo
11: Hitoshi Shinso
12: Fumikage Tokoyami
13: Yui Kodai
14: Ochako Uraraka
15: Eijiro Kirishima
16: Ashido Mina
17: Yosetsu Awase
18: Mei Hatsume
19: Kyouka Jirou
20: Jurota Shishida
21: Kabari Sen
22: Togaru Kamakiri
23: Rikido Sato
24: Reiko Yanagi
25: Momo Yaoyorozu
26: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
27: Shiozaki Ibara
28: Mezo Shoji
29: Neito Monoma
30: Toru Hagakure
31: Kaminari Denki
32: Minoru Mineta
"Congrats to those who made it to the next round!"
Staring up at the jumbotron Bakugo's hands clenched into fist, sparks popping off of him as he growled.
Eighth, he got fucking eighth...
This was his time to shine and show everyone that he was the best and here he was barely cracking the top ten. He lost to people who didn't even have impressive quirks. Some horse bitch that can shoot horns? Fucking putty man!?
This was unacceptable, he would not leave this injustice lying down.
The R rated hero breaking him from his thoughts.
"If you didn't make the top thirty two don't fret, we at UA have planned some fun games for you to show off your amazing skills! For now please head back to your designated seats, we'll call on you after the second event!" Crossing her arms she pushed up her chest a little with a smile. "Speaking of the second event! Let's see what it is!"
The same roulette of names came on the screen, quickly recycling through them. Names rushing past before stopping on the words.
TAIL TAG
They all blinked in sync...tail tag? None of them had heard of such a thing before.
"That's right! Tail tag! In tail tag everyone will be given specialized bands that you will wear around your waste." Brandishing one such band she wrapped it around her waist before gesturing to the long part dangling down. "These bands are built to come off when tugged like so!"
Pulling at the part dangling down it snapped off with a click, holding it up to show everyone.
"Each band will have a color and a certain amount of points tied to it, the goal will be to take as many enemy bands as you can before the time is up. You all will be randomly shuffled into teams of four and put against each other battle royale style! The four teams with the most points will move on to the next section!"
Letting out a giggle Midnight clicked the bands together. "The twist my dear little ones is that once bands are stolen they MUST be given to your teams designated leader to be protected! The more bands you have the more your leader will be a sitting duck! So be careful else you have everyone breathing down your neck."
So whoever was the teams leader had to deal with God knows how many other teams trying to get their points back. That and you didn't get to choose what teammates you have, it was entirelly the luck of the draw if you were teamed up with someone your quirk worked well with.
Frowning in thought Bakugo clicked his tongue. They were clearly testing them to see if they could adapt to any environment given.
"Before you go on your thirty minute break let's see who your teammates are!"
The screen shuffled all thirty two of their names together, flickering colors before pairing them together.
Red team: Shinso, Kodai, Bakugo, Kirishima
Blue team: Todoroki, Inasa, Uraraka, Iida
Orange team: Midoriya, Mei, Sero, Monoma
Green team: Kendo, Jirou, Tokage, Shishida
Purple team: Awase, Hagakure, Pony, Mina
Yellow team: Sen, Kamakiri, Shoji, Honenuki
Black team: Yanagi, Sato, Tetsutetsu, Tokoyami
White team: Mineta, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Ibara
Looking up at the list Bakugo's eyes widened, a scowl growing across his face. He got paired with one of his most hated people. Someone that made his blood boil everytime they were in the same room. Mr. 120 points at the entrance exam, Eijiro fucking Kirishima.
Looking over their eyes met and he frowned even harder.
Turning away he started to stomp off the field, heading down and farther into the stadium. He had to prepare and train when he could. Putting his hands into his pockets he disappeared from sight, slinking into the darkness.
"Watching how long you fought off against that weird slime guy kind of inspired me to be a hero."
What a fucking joke.
Notes:
The Sports Festival has begun with a full blown race! Midoriya did not bad for himself despite having no speed quirk at all. Shinso did better then in canon because he actually exercised. Tokage got to shine because I like her sass and Bakugo is still on the struggle bus because he has an arc to go through.
But the most important thing that happened this chapter was...
That Kendo finally got to throw a person! It's a proud day in the Kendo family.
Anyway.
I hope it wasn't too hard to follow, there were a lot of characters to consider and I bounced around a lot. I for one am dreading writing the next part, there are too many characters! Cant I just go back to one on one fights!? How do writers do this!?