The Sports Festival
Estelle stood in the locker rooms with the rest of her class. Her classmates stood in clusters while they conversed; there was a rumbling tension in the air as the students were nervous. Estelle remained in the far-right corner leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.
When she had informed Nona that she was participating in the sports festival, she sprung up in elation. It turned out that she loved attending them. She used to go with her husband and son when they were still here and hadn't watched last year with them gone. She was happy that she had a reason to go this year. That landed the final nail in the coffin of the reason why Estelle never backed out of participating.
She left the ecstatic woman by the stands before making her way here. The lady swung around a little UA flag as the announcers spoke about the event. Estelle had to hold back her chuckle when she saw Nona's happy jumps. She was glad that the woman decided to come even with the memories hogging her mind. She was also pleased that she was there to support her; it was a new feeling.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Todoroki walked up to Midoriya with a severe expression. "Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you", He started. Estelle rolled her eyes at the male.
Midoriya stuttered while the class watched. "Huh? Y-Yeah."
"But All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he? I'm not trying to pry about that. But I'm going to beat you, that includes you, Estelle," Todoroki continued while Midoriya stood panicked about the situation he was in. Estelle just ignored him, her eyes closing like she was having a nap on the wall.
Kirishima walked up to the two in hopes of relieving the tension. "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Not now, we're about to start!"
"We're not here to play at being friends. So, what does it matter?" Todoroki replied and turned to walk off. Midoriya stepped up finally after finding his words.
"Todoroki, I don't know what you think when you say you'll beat me, but of course, you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people looking at it objectively," he started. Kirishima stepped up to stop Midoriya from speaking so negatively only to be ignored. "But everyone, including the students from the other courses, is aiming for the top with everything they've got! I'll be going for it with everything I have, too."
Todoroki turned back to face Midoriya, stating a simple "Yeah."
Bakugo stood to the side, his eyes blazing at the fact he was omitted.
After hearing their cue from Present Mic introducing the classes to the crowd, the students all moved to the entrance, "These new starts overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, Class 1-A, right?!"
The class walked out in front of the crowd while they cheered in excitement. Estelle scanned the audience to find Nona standing, screaming her lungs out with her arm raised, waving her flag. Estelle couldn't help but crack a brisk and brief smile.
A few of her classmates caught the sight and turned swiftly in a double-take at the rare moment. They couldn't help but question what would make someone so closed off smile like that. They also couldn't hold back their slight gushing at how enchanting she looked at that moment. Todoroki being one of them turned his head away in a blush. This caused Bakugo to glare at the two-toned boy since he saw both events, inwardly flushing at the girl himself.
The hero called Midnight takes the stage with provocative clothing that makes Estelle avert her eyes. She cracked her whip to gain the student and audience's attention. "Quiet, everyone! Representing the students is Estelle and Bakugo Katsuki from Class 1-A!"
They both made their way to the stage; they heard their class muse their amazement. Bakugo walked up to the microphone first and stated his pledge, "I pledge that I'll be number one."
The students who stood behind them roared in disapproval at Bakugo's statement. He looked down at them in a smirk. "At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of."
"How overconfident can you get?! I'll crush you!" Estelle heard someone yell back.
Bakugo made his way off the stage whilst Estelle stepped forward towards the microphone. The area had turned silent as they focused their attention on the girl who held a deadpan expression. Their hopes plummeted for a good speech.
"A dear friend once told me that hard work is useless for those that don't believe in themselves. You see, the strongest people aren't always the people who win but the people who don't give up when they lose. So, keep going, even when it's tough. You're the only one who can change your destiny to what you want it to be; you just got to have the courage to do it. Go plus ultra. I believe in every single one of you."
Silence permeated every ounce of the arena before everyone rose, and the stadium filled with applause. Estelle looked down at the students. She was glad to find that everyone had wide, excited grins on their faces like they were ready to get out there and show their worth. She smiled in her mind.
Estelle stepped down from the podium. The classes turned to her in enthusiasm and surrounded her. Voices rang out around her while she struggled to make out their words.
"That was amazing."
"I guess some people from the hero course are decent."
"I'm so pumped up now; let's do this!"
"Your friend is wise as hell!"
Estelle was annoyed that she didn't have her bubble, as much as she wanted them to have the enthusiasm to give it their all and give her a challenge. She wasn't here for the opportunity to make friends.
Estelle walked away from the crowd to settle by herself with her usual cold and poker-faced expression placed back on her face. Her class's crestfallen expression followed behind her. With the speech she had just given, they hoped that she was beginning to warm up to them. It seemed that they were wrong.
Midnight began speaking again once the stadium had quietened down. "Now, here is the fateful first game! This year, it's... this!" She exclaimed while she cracked her whip towards the screen as it read out the words - Obstacle Course.
"All 11 classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium - about four kilometres! Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Now, take your places, everyone," Midnight explained.
The students lined up at the entrance behind a tunnel. Aware of what the first test would likely be, Estelle broke away from the class again. She received some looks when she moved to stand behind all the students.
The buzzer sounded off, and the students raced forward. Estelle stood in place to see if her assumption was correct. The students were all jammed in the tunnel struggling to make their way out; it looked like her theory was correct. The commentators noticed that Estelle hadn't moved and brought it to the audience's attention.
She decided to give them a show, setting her hands and feet ablaze with her fire, she raised up into the air. Letting out focused condensed air, she shot up into the sky faster than lightning and stopped in the sky to allow the camera to pan to her. She heard the crowd roar in approval at the fact Estelle was flying.
Deciding that was enough of an ego boost. Estelle zipped off in the sky and passed the majority of the students trickling their way out of the tunnel. She looked down, eyeing Todoroki not far ahead skating with his ice and the rest of the obstacle course.
Estelle realised that the course wasn't really made for someone who could fly; in essence, she could just pass through the obstacles and finish first. But that would be too easy and absolutely boring. She heard Present Mic voice mutter out the same thought to Aizawa "This course wasn't really designed for a flyer."
"We didn't know she could fly", muttered back Aizawa, who could be heard through the mic. Passing by the robots quickly, who was now frozen, Estelle nodded to the commentators in approval before landing back on the ground.
"Looks like Estelle has decided to challenge herself because she's landed back on her feet!" Present Mic screamed.
Estelle ignored the commentators in favour of using her earth bending to help her cross the pit and disintegrated the mud bridge once she was done. Running next to Todoroki, they eyed each other while they raced towards the finish line.
Estelle made a quick decision to annoy the male. She copied his ice skating moves and glided next to him with a smirk. The two-toned boy narrowed his eyes at the girl before grinning alongside her and using his ice to propel himself further. In response, she did the same.
A pair of flaming eyes watched the interaction with intrigue, a smirk of his own on his face.
Estelle and Todoroki ran side by side, giving up on their last challenge. They were met by Bakugo using his explosions to help boost him across the course. He screamed his fury at the two of them when they reached the final obstacle, which was a minefield.
Bakugo immediately leapt forward, using his Quirk to help him over the minefield while he yelled, "Urgh, this doesn't affect me! Bastard, don't declare war on the wrong person!" Before trying to land an attack on Todoroki, who dodged.
Estelle ignored the two, using her earth bending to locate the mines and ran through them. Estelle was making her way across with ease, Todoroki and Bakugo behind her battling it out. A hot gust of air and a loud bang rang out, causing her to look up, only to find Midoriya soaring through the air with a metal plate.
Estelle smirked up at the male, watching as he landed on the ground, using the chunk of metal to hit a few landlines to disorientate those behind and give him a second blast to push him further ahead and past Estelle.
Bakugo and Todoroki stopped their fight to race towards the finish line, with Midoriya in the lead and Estelle close behind him.
Midoriya made his way past the finish line for first place, Estelle following after leaving Todoroki third place and Bakugo fourth. She watched the crowd chant Midoriya's name with a hidden smile. All Might gave him a proud look causing Midoriya to create rivers of tears from his eyes as he achieved the win.
She was okay with that. Midoriya deserved it. Though he didn't need to cry about it, lmao.
She read about abbreviations online. Sue her.
Turning back to lean against the wall. Estelle watched Bakugo berate himself for being fourth, and Todoroki looked like someone had kicked his puppy. She couldn't help but be slightly amused by their reactions.
Walking up to Midoriya, Estelle placed a hand on his shoulder with a smirk while others watched the interaction with envy "Not bad cry-baby, not bad at all."
Midoriya whimpered before letting out another wave of tears, a lost thank you in the midst of it. Estelle patted his shoulders once again before leaving, allowing Uraraka and Iida to walk up to him for congratulations.
Estelle observed Yaoyorozu tiredly make her way past the finish line. Once she turned and Estelle realised the cause for her exhaustion, she made her way to the slumped girl. She grabbed the pest from her back and lifted the insect up to face her.
"Wahaa~! I killed two birds with one stone! I'm a genius!" Mineta cried with his eyes closed.
Glowering down at the disease, she waited for it to open its eyes. Once Mineta did, the happiness in his expression turned to fear. The glare Estelle bestowed onto him was otherworldly since he froze for a moment and then flailed his body to escape her grasp. Hissing at him, she sneered, "Oh look, a parasite clinging onto a host like a pest it is. I wonder what I should do to exterminate it. A lethal injection, maybe?"
Those around her shivered in fear at the woman's voice; the air around her turned dark since she was clearly plotting a murder. She was stopped by Yaoyorozu, who held a slight reassuring tilt to her lips.
"It's alright, Estelle, leave him be."
"You're too nice for your own good, but fine I won't kill him", she stated, causing Mineta to sigh in relief. "Yet."
He froze again, and Estelle brought her face up to the tiny man. "If I find you doing something shitty again, you'll either be in a hospital room or a grave. Got it?" She asked only to be given a quick and fearful nod. Letting him go, she faced back to the stage where Midnight stood, a big circle surrounding her as the people close by stepped back in fear. She didn't mind; she liked her bubbles.
"The real competition begins next! The press cavalry will be all over it! Give it everything you've got! Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be? I just said it, and now here it is!" She announced, pointing to the screen which wrote - Cavalry Battle.
After explaining the rules of the match and Midoriya's point boost, the students that made it to the next round stared down at him as if they were dogs and Midoriya was the bone. Estelle almost felt sorry for him.
"Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!" Midnight ended with the buzzer going off.
Ignoring those making their way towards her, Estelle immediately walked to Shinsou Hitoshi and stood next to him. He jumped when he realised that she was there but nodded down at her in understanding.
Quickly explaining his Quirk to the girl as they looked around for teammates, she met Aoyama and Ojiro, who still needed a team. Nodding to them, she turned to Hitoshi to introduce them.
"Should I brainwash them?" Hitoshi queried.
Estelle shook her head in response. "There's no need; they willingly joined Hitoshi."
"Call me Shinsou," he answered.
"Alright. Shinsou."
He smiled down at the girl, pleased by her answer. Estelle gave a small smile in response. Bakugo, Todoroki, Kirishima and Midoriya watched as the girl they were going to invite onto their team shared a moment with the general studies student. They couldn't help but feel irritated by that fact and at her quickness to join his team.
"Whatever, I don't need her", Bakugo muttered in annoyance.
"Huh?" Kirishima asked, only to be put in a headlock by the blonde.
"Come on, wake up, Eraser! After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are lined up on the field!" Present Mic stated.
"There are some interesting teams out there", Aizawa commented with apathy.
"Now, raise those battle cries! It's time for UA's bloody battle! Light the signal fire!" Present Mic exclaimed excitedly.
The battle started, and the teams began moving. Estelle was the rider in charge of collecting the headbands and held the best offence and defence ability. The perfect place to be.
Using her air bending to whip the headbands off other teams and earth bending to block those heading towards her own team. They were doing great so far; she was bored.
Most teams struggled to find a gap in Estelle's defence and found themselves giving up by looking for easier targets. Estelle's team just stood there while other groups chased after Midoriya and his headband.
She was surprised when she heard an explosion over her head and faced Bakugo, who held a wild grin on his face as he violently headed towards her. She smirked back at the blonde, flicking up an earth cylinder for him to wrap in a crushing hug and waved a gust of air to fling him in the opposite direction. He howled and screeched whilst thrown across the arena and was abruptly yanked back with Sero's tape quirk.
The rest of the round was pretty peaceful for her team since they spent the rest standing in the same spot. They watched other teams run around the ground. She watched Todoroki and his group back Midoriya's
group into a corner for the winning headband.
She held in her wonder when the half and half male raised his arm and set it alight, holding a determined expression. She was disappointed that he stopped himself in disbelief at his own actions. They then decided to use a different plan to grab the win. Luckily Iida had an ace up his sleeve, using his speed to grab the win before Midoriya's team could retaliate. Bakugo jumped in soon after, but the buzzer went off. He dropped to the floor as everyone stopped the round. His screams could be heard while he suffered another loss. Estelle wasn't amused by the blonde's cracked ego since having large egos only helps ruin a person.
The students gathered by the podium for the scores. Leaving Todoroki and his team first, Bakugo second, Estelle and Shinsou third and Midoriya last. She sighed, exasperated, when she watched Midoriya be a cry-baby for the millionth time today.
Turning to Shinsou, Estelle gave a small and brief smile which he reciprocated. She gave him quick good luck for the final round and left to head to the stands where Nona stood cheering joyfully.
Unfortunately, when Estelle was making her way across, she was called over by Todoroki, who stood next to a nervous Midoriya. "Follow me," the half cold half hot male said. He swiftly turned, making his way to an empty corridor while the two followed behind quietly.
Estelle stood by Midoriya as they both faced the serious-looking male. He looked deep in thought while he brooded over his use of his fire aspect. "Are you All Might's secret love child?"
Estelle snorted at the boy and his absurd assumption; it was comical to see him trying to figure out the duo. Midoriya was the complete opposite since trepidation overtook his features. "No! That's not it! I mean, even if I was, I wouldn't say so I don't think you'll believe me."
Todoroki frowned and replied, "You're saying that that's not how it is, but you've still implied that there's a connection that you two can't talk about, right?"
Estelle raised a brow, her amusement fading. It seems this boy was brilliant in some areas but was completely dumb in others. It was almost endearing. Todoroki's eyes darkened when he spoke his following words.
"Endeavours, my old man. I'm sure you know that he's been stuck as the number two hero forever. If you have something with the number one hero, then I have even more reason to beat you."
Estelle watched the boy with mild surprise when he revealed the information about his parentage. It was odd to find the resemblance between the quiet and cold boy and a loud and violent hero like Endeavour. She could already see where this conversation was heading, and she was not pleased; why was she here again?
"My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world. As a hero, he won a name for himself with crushing force. Because of that, the living legend, All Might, is a great eyesore to him. Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved on to his next plan."
Midoriya stepped forward in confusion and asked, "What are you talking about, Todoroki? What are you trying to tell me?"
"You've heard of Quirk marriages, right? It became a problem for the second and third generations after superpowers appeared. They married based only on strengthening Quirks and passing it onto your children. He won over my mother's relatives and got a hold of my mother's Quirk to fulfil his desire of raising me to be a hero that would surpass All Might."
Estelle winced because her assumption was correct; it sounded just as bad when she first heard about it. The fact that quirk marriages were still done today, even on the down-low, is horrific. She could imagine the scenarios of those suffering tragic fates like that. She still did not understand why she was here, though.
Todoroki continued, "It's so annoying. I won't become a tool to scum like that. In my memories, my mother is always crying. 'Your left side is unsightly,' she said as she poured boiling water on me."
Basically, I picked a fight with you to show him what I can do without using my damn old man's Quirk. No. I'll reject him altogether by winning first place without using it."
I don't care if you can't tell me how you're connected to All Might. No matter what you are to All Might, I will rise above you with just my right side." He finished; Estelle slumped slightly at the information the male just piled onto them. He turned to the quiet female finally and opened his mouth once again.
"You're a powerful rival, Estelle. I had called you here because I had wanted to ask if you were also a product of a quirk marriage?"
That was when it clicked for Estelle, she wasn't usually this slow, but she struggled to figure out the point. She answered with an impassive expression, replying with a simple "No."
Todoroki nodded and turned to leave as Midoriya sweatdropped at the blunt girl next to him. He finished the conversation with "Sorry for wasting your time" while he walked away.
Estelle felt the urge to comment, so she did.
"Todoroki", she started.
The male stopped with his back facing the girl. He was surprised she had actually initiated the conversation rather than ended it. He turned slowly as she spoke her following words.
"I may have not been a product of a quirk marriage, but I can relate to your words in a way. I was raised by a man who wanted me to do his bidding. I learned once I left that what I have is my own, my own Quirk, my own body and my own mind. Not his. So, don't give him the satisfaction of influencing your actions because by not using your Quirk. You are doing just that. The only way to be free is to live by your own rules. Goodbye."
She walked away swiftly while Midoriya and Todoroki watched with wide eyes. They weren't expecting something like that to leave the girl's mouth. Granted, it was extremely vague, but it was enough to give an idea of the struggle she held internally.
Todoroki felt a little warm at the fact she understood, even if it was just a little.
While Estelle left, she heard Midoriya shout out his words of empowerment at his own belief in himself. The boy continued to catch her off guard.
'He really does embody my speech, doesn't he?'
She made her way to the cafeteria; she really wanted a bento.
Bakugo stood behind the wall and listened to the conversation in silence. He walked off in irritation and thoughtfulness whilst he regarded the trio's words.
Estelle's words only bring forth more questions to the hot-headed male.