This chapter will breeze right through the Obstacle Race event, as I feel the real meat of the Sports Festival Arc I am writing is going to be the Final Tournament, which will be the bulk and primary focus of the arc. It is what I am personally most excited about, and I will try not to let my anticipation get in the way. I will make an effort to at least give the race a proper due even if rushed, the same answer for the Second Event which in-MHA-canon was the Calvary Battle. I do have some idea of how that event will go down, but…
Does anyone have any alternative ideas to replace it if to not retread too much ground of the source material? I can work with the Calvary Battle, but if there's another event you want to see instead, I am open to alternative suggestions. However, I would like this potential alternate event to have a similar function to the Cavalry Battle and be an event focused on building up a team and utilizing teamwork…
Anyway, I won't keep you waiting on this chapter and how its events unfold…
U-A High Sports Festival Stadium
First-Year Competition, May 9th, 11:00 AM T.S.T.
Every student raced to the tunnel leading out of the stadium. In some regards, it was unofficially the first hurdle the students had to cross in the Obstacle Course. So, in a rush to get the early lead, the tunnel was cramped with students from every course trying to push through.
Izuku was in the thick of it as he was pushed and shoved by almost everyone. He then felt the air grow colder, which was his only warning as he jumped right as a sheet of ice froze a lot of the other students in their tracks. No doubt caused by Shoto Todoroki to delay them all as he took the lead.
The heterochromatic boy briefly succeeded as he gained a decent lead over everyone else. But this was short-lived as several of his peers managed to escape from his trap quite quickly or avoid it entirely as Tenya Iida, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Katsuki Bakugo had just demonstrated by jumping over the frozen students.
But, the ones all the current Hero Course students were wary of were still at the starting line, presently dead last in place as they were still stretching once the green light buzzed.
~"Stretched enough?"~ Sean asked his wife telepathically, maintaining a composed demeanor, as he got into position.
Rosa had finished stretching her arms as she heard satisfying and relieving "pops" from her joints. She assumed a runner's stance as she looked at her husband and replied with a competitive smirk…
~"Ready to go when you are…want to encourage the rest by taking a page out of The Tortoise and The Hare? Or what about The Turtwig and The Buneary?"~
Sean flashed a pleased, yet competitive smirk of his own as he replied, ~"I love you…so, freaking, much, Rosa…"~
The young woman giggled as she mentally counted down from 2…and then, the pair took off like rockets as they leaped over the struggling (and frozen for some) competitors. The force behind their speed generated powerful gusts of wind that effectively freed all those who were trapped, on top of getting them all caught up on the time they wasted.
Present Mic was quick to comment about it through the speakers, "#Whoa-whoa-whoa! Your eyes are not fooling you, my sports fans! Hashimoto of Class 1-B and Parker of Class 1-A had taken off like they were fired out of howitzer cannons after lagging behind the other contestants! The force of their speed has not only rendered Shoto Todoroki's clever plan worthless but also undermined it by freeing and speeding up all the others to catch up to the Recommendations student!#"
Hearing that made Shoto Todoroki himself turn his head back in shock and the act slowed him down enough for Sean and Rosa to sprint past him in a whirlwind of force that nearly tripped the boy over. His glance behind allowed the son of the number two pro-hero, to see the shocked faces of his competition who got past his attempt to slow them down. Tenya Iida was the most shocked, which was understandable, as his Quirk was all about speed.
It then registered in Shoto's mind when Present Mic exclaimed loudly, "#AND BOTH HASHIMOTO AND PARKER HAD OVERTAKEN TODOROKI TO BE NECK-&-NECK FOR FIRST PLACE!!!#"
"#Must you be so loud?#" Aizawa groaned as he rubbed his ears to rid himself of the ringing sound in them.
Sean and Rosa sped along the trail as they soon came up upon the first major obstacle for the race; The faux villains from the Entrance Exam, or for them, the transfer exam.
Given how the robots reacted to them quickly, it made Rosa wonder aloud, "Nezu and Power Loader must've upgraded them to account for us…"
Sean chuckled as he replied, "The goal of this race is to reach the finish line. But, considering what Nezu asked of us, we should leave these guys to the other participants…besides…"
Sean weaved around and dodged a blow from one of the faux villains, using the momentum to send it to the other participants, while Rosa slid under another and continued to keep pace with her husband.
She finished the young man's thoughts, "…Besides, you want to see how Midoriya handles this race…"
Sean smiled like a rogue swashbuckler as he said to his wife, "You know me so well…"
The two then noticed several of the huge Zero Pointer robots meant to be obstacles charging toward them. Rosa skillfully and nimbly dodged the giant robots' attempts to grab her, while Sean charged straight through and met with the fist of one Zero Pointer. Instead of getting knocked back, Sean used the momentum of the zero-pointer to not only block the punch, dead in its tracks but then, almost instantly, use that very momentum to send the giant robot flying in the opposite direction Sean was going.
He sent the robot clear over the stadium, and it crashed and broke apart inside the field within the stadium. Some of the audience members jumped, a few spectators even shrieked, but everyone was surprised at the display shown. The rest of the runners slowed down considerably or outright stopped in disbelief when they saw the massive machine soar over their heads. They were in such shock that they couldn't register what they saw right as they overheard Present Mic comment…
"#Holy–! Parker and Hashimoto have bulldozed their way through the first obstacle with little resistance. And Hashimoto straight-up threw one of them into the stadium, in pieces…!#"
Aizawa felt that Sean tossing a zero-point faux villain into a stadium full of people was unnecessary. And very dangerous for the audience if it fell a few feet shy of where it ultimately ended up. But, he knew that the young man would not have done it without reason. He could only guess what it was and thought about what such a demonstration of strength would say to his fellow competitors. The message was clear, and he thought it was a clever way to weed out those without the will to push themselves to their limit. He would've gone about it differently if he was included in the full plan between the pair and Nezu, but looking closely at the other participants, he decided it was acceptable. However, he'll need to talk with Sean about potentially endangering the audience.
Present Mic's commentary continued as he covered what the pair were doing, "#Parker and Hashimoto have cleared the first obstacle with ease, but they are swiftly approaching the second obstacle. How are they going to handle, the Fall–…AND THEY CLEARED IT ALREADY?!?!#"
That snapped Aizawa out of it to pay attention and saw through a quick replay, that Sean and Rosa did not slow down as they approached a huge chasm. The two then leaped over the whole thing to the other side and tumbled without losing speed once as they continued to soon face the third obstacle…
All the audience members either ate this up or were stunned into silence as the pair without slowing down, nimbly leaped across the third obstacle without disturbing the surprise underneath, a minefield. They made it across with little issue as they reached the entrance back into the stadium…
"#I…I…I-I-I'm speechless! Parker and Hashimoto have not slowed down after already clearing the second obstacle, and expertly maneuvered past the third without incident. And now they are in the home stretch, just several meters from the finish line. Who will claim first place between this dynamic duo!#"
"WHAAAT?!?!" Bakugo screeched, his voice cracking at the volume he shouted. He looked at a nearby monitor and saw the pair were indeed a few meters from entering the stadium. He was so shocked at what he saw, that he slowed down and stared at the monitor nearby, with everyone else doing the same with equal surprise.
Shoto Todoroki looked at the monitor in stunned silence as he was as stiff as a statue, completely gobsmacked at what these two had done. His mind started to slightly panic as he realized his plan, his goal, was directly challenged by the boyfriend/girlfriend duo. He was beginning to harbor doubts that he could win this competition with only his ice. Not with these two in the competition.
Izuku was stunned as well but for a different reason. He realized that this was a fraction of what Sean vowed to teach him to do if he impressed the visitor of another reality. He started to make comparisons to All Might's impressive speed. But, he then noticed the pair skid to a complete stop just a meter from the tunnel into the stadium.
Sean and Rosa stopped right in front of the tunnel, the pair then looked at each other silently with serious expressions as they turned their attention to the flying monitor afterward.
The act greatly confused and stunned everyone watching the Sports Festival…
Kamino Ward, Hidden Bar…
May 9th, 11:02 AM, T.S.T.
All present members of the League of Villains cabal were completely speechless, and their mouths were open wide like they were impersonating fish in shock. Tomura Shigaraki dropped his pen from his grasp, then dropped his drink on the bar table as he stared at the live footage with bewildered disbelief. The drink spilled onto the countertop of the bar, and Kurogiri was equally surprised as he cleaned up the spill, or at least tried as his mind stopped working as he tried to process what he just witnessed.
All For One from his seat, was speechless. If he still had his eyes, they would have bugged out like a 1940s cartoon character in sheer disbelief. He was brought out of his shock as he heard Tomura stuttering from the other line.
"They…th-the-they…" Shigaraki sputtered as his mind tried to articulate what words were appearing in his mind. But, he failed to provide what he was trying to say…
All For One replied (and finished Tomura's words) in a serious tone, "They are dangerous. The fact that they cleared the Obstacle Race as they did, makes them true, credible threats to our goals…"
All For One then asked, "Good Doctor, what do you make of them?"
All For One referred to a small, bushy-mustached old man with a passing resemblance to Dr. Eggman, the arch-enemy of Sonic the Hedgehog. A man named Dr. Garaki Ujiko, replied, "They must have extremely powerful or potent Quirks like the title of 'Dragon' would suggest. I would like to study them, maybe I can replicate their quirks for your use, All For One…?"
All For One smirked wickedly as he replied, "Oh yes. The fact they had practically the same quirk if under my disposal, would allow me to truly dominate any wannabe hero looking to oppose me…"
The evil manipulator then paused as this demonstration made him think of one possibility. He could tell that Tomura Shigaraki thought so as well, as his protege growled in contemplation, "Is it possible…? Could Hashimoto and Parker, be the black bastard and the white bitch?"
"Oh?" All For One feigned surprise, as he asked, "Whatever had you draw that conclusion, Tomura?"
Kurogiri replied, "No, it couldn't be them. They were in their mid to late 20s, these two looked to be not much older than the rest of these students. The girl, maybe, but the boy is too skinny to be that man. The girl must not be the one now that I think of it. According to our spy, Parker is very curvaceous, her chest is quite large, and the white-clad woman from the U.S.J. is nowhere near that size, she's quite flat compared to her."
Back at the stadium, Rosa let out a loud sneeze and felt like she was insulted by someone somewhere.
"A fair argument, Kurogiri…" All For One thought, "But, their quirks could easily allow them the ability to alter their appearance to throw people off their scent…"
Tomura growled as he grabbed a glass and it started to decay, "If those two are that bastard and bitch, then I will take enormous satisfaction in killing them, along with All Might, and that green brat. I will make them suffer!"
U.A. High Sports Stadium, Obstacle Race Grounds…
May 9th, 11:03 AM, T.S.T.
Everyone was stunned at the display they saw. Sean and Rosa, the two recent transfers personally invited by Nezu himself, cleared the entire Obstacle Race within two minutes–…actually, before even exactly two minutes had passed.
The two trainers were just about a meter or so from the finish line, and they didn't cross it, electing to instead observe the rest of the racers through the Jumbotron recording the race itself. For some, the message was clear (although they are off for thinking this) to them; Hashimoto and Parker, the pair were in a league of their own, and could easily dominate the entire competition. Quite a sizable selection of the students forfeited out of a sense of being in way over their heads if they thought they could challenge the couple.
Izuku was stunned, but not as much as his classmates as they looked ahead in disbelief. None were more shell-shocked than Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo, who looked like someone just de-masculinized them, and made them look, inadequate, small, and weak. Their faces made the boys look like they had seen ghosts.
While Izuku himself was shocked as well, he couldn't help but feel great joy. He was aware of what they did, how they did it, and why. They practically cleared the course "Quirkless", demonstrating that, if they had the proper teacher, even a Quirkless person could stand to rival the gods.
He also knew they were waiting, to see what the rest of the students would do with the hand they were dealt. Due to his sparring with and advice from Rosa Parker, he became emboldened to take advantage of the opportunity the pair were giving him and the rest of the students. He was the first to shake himself from his shock and continued the race, determined to claim first place from the Pokémon Trainers incognito.
His moving had allowed Midoriya to overtake several of his classmates due to them being stiff with surprise at the transfers' demonstration. But, as he was about to overtake Kirishima, his classmate noticed and said…
"Hey Midoriya! What are ya doing man?"
That shocked everyone in hearing range of the faux redhead and like that, like a wave or ripple, everyone who didn't decide to forfeit was back into the full swing of the race. Some were even more determined to claim first place as both transfer students were goading them all to try to claim it from them.
Shoto Todoroki quickly regained awareness of his surroundings as he heard the sound of people running, and took off to maintain his lead–…
Right, it would be Third Place if either Sean or Rosa decide to finish the race, he would remind himself as the faux villain robots came out in droves. He tried to catch up to the cocky pair with an almost obsessive drive to be the undisputed best like Bakugo was constantly spouting he was. Shoto had to, needs to, be the best. He had to claim first place.
He decided to take advantage of the fact that the two transfer students whizzed by so quickly, knowing there were faux villain robots as the first main obstacle. There were also Zero-pointer robots that were obstacles from the Entrance Exam, largely thanks to Sean throwing one into the stadium.
'Because I got into U.A. through Recommendations, I never faced the Entrance Exam like everyone else did. It was a waste of my time, I could have proved my power against these, instead of running some race. Now it is the perfect opportunity to prove I am better than everyone…' Shoto thought with a serious expression, but then remembered one detail as he finished his thoughts with an exasperated expression, '…barring Hashimoto and Parker. They could win this easily, yet they decide to wait before crossing the finish line. I will make them regret underestimating me…'
Shoto froze any robots that got in his way, enough so to allow the robots to refocus on the rest of the racers. It still shocked Todoroki that the couple purposefully left most of the robots unharmed for everyone else.
Once the remaining Zero-Point automatons got into range, Todoroki timed his freezing powers to make three of them block the others, and the first two topple over to further obstruct the other racers coming up from behind.
Todoroki wanted to smirk in satisfaction and was about to as he heard the creaking of falling metal, but then, he heard a noise and saw a bright ball soar overhead from the opposite direction he was heading for. He whipped his gaze around to see the ball of energy collide with the back of one of the Zeroes, and it blasted the giant to pieces. The shockwave from the blast also affected the trajectory of the other falling Zero and had it land off the track, leaving ample room for some of the other racers to keep pace and not slow down.
Shoto Todoroki was dumbstruck as he wondered where that energy ball came from. But, a gut feeling soon crept inside, and he turned his attention to the screen amid Present Mic's commentary, and saw his feeling was correct…
The monitor near the finish line showed Sean Hashimoto with an outstretched hand, and there was no doubt in the mind of Endeavor's Son. Sean was responsible for the energy blast…
Sean had a small smile as he lowered his hand and the glow of his Ki dissipated.
Rosa looked to her partner and asked, "I thought we were saving the Ki Blasts for the second and third rounds?"
Sean turned to her and answered, "Honestly, Todoroki's plan was valid and acceptable. However, it carried more risks of potentially hurting or killing the other contestants. That, and also I wanted to undermine his strategy just so I can see how well he handles pressure, to be backed into a corner…"
Rosa nodded in acceptance as she turned her attention to the monitor that was focusing on the other racers…and their solutions against the faux villains…
"Huh! Didn't expect Yaoyorozu to pull a cannon and launch a cannonball at the 'Thwomps' the school has…" Rosa commented in brief surprise as she saw the raven-haired deputy rep with an unbuttoned shirt and exposed sports bra, and a smoking mortar cannon by her right flank.
Sean acknowledged his wife's words and then chuckled when he saw Kirishima and Tetsutetsu still get robots falling onto their heads, then they busted out with pissed, yet fired-up expressions.
"Those two are more similar than they think, or care to acknowledge or admit…it's amusing…" Sean muttered as his attention was focused on Izuku Midoriya.
Rosa noticed too, and asked as the boy inspected a piece of the Zero-Point robot Sean destroyed, "What's Midoriya doing?"
Sean smirked and replied as Midoriya picked up a large plate of scrap metal from another faux villain, "He's being smarter…not faster…"
"Hey! What's your boy doing, Inko?"
Midoriya Residence, Mustafu, Japan…
Roughly During the Same Time…
A blonde woman who bears a remarkable resemblance to Katsuki Bakugo had asked the mother of Izuku Midoriya, Inko Midoriya. Her resemblance wasn't coincidental, as this was Inko's best friend, Mitsuki Bakugo, Katsuki's mother.
A man next to Mitsuki (Masaru Bakugo, Katsuki's father) answered her question, "I think Izuku is preparing for one of the obstacles further down the race track…"
"I wouldn't put it past that boy," Inko shyly remarked, "He's got a mind on him that has always been analytical. When we thought he was Quirkless, that didn't stop Izuku from his dream of being a hero…"
"So, little Izu-chan got smart to figure out how to be one in the event his Quirk never manifests? I like that spunk! Wish Katsuki fueled that instead of that over-inflated ego of his…" Mitsuki replied, smiling as she had always liked the son of her best friend.
"But those two," Inko said with slight worry, "The transfer students, Hashimoto and Parker. They are in a league of their own. You saw what that boy did with that massive robot. I heard from Izuku that they are good friends with him, but I am worried about my son facing such monstrously strong people like them. Especially if he makes it to the third round's 1-v-1 tournament."
"Oh yeah, Katsuki kept growling about some 'freakishly-strong foreigners' and how he would beat them," Mitsuki replied in acknowledgment, "I guess they match the descriptions. That girl is so beautiful, it's unreal. And that Hashimoto…"
Mitsuki fanned herself with her hand and the collar of her shirt as she playfully remarked with a cat-like purr, "Oh boy! He's so~ handsome~! If I wasn't already married to you, hon, I would be courting him…Heck! If we had a daughter, I would be trying to set her up with him and make him my son-in-law…"
Mitsuki then let out a mischievous laugh as Masaru chuckled himself, knowing his wife was kidding. He replied with a smile, "I'll be honest, I don't blame you, Mitsuki. Hashimoto would make a good son-in-law…"
Inko wondered aloud, "I wonder if Hizashi is watching the festival?"
Mitsuki asked, "Didn't the two of you get divorced?"
Inko replied immediately, "No! We didn't! His work overseas has been railing on him even more than usual in the past few years. He called early in the morning from overseas to wish Izuku good luck before he went to work for the day."
"Oh, sorry! Must have mistaken your home life for one of Masaru's co-workers'…heard one of them got divorced…" Mitsuki replied with a similar bluntness to her son's.
Masaru replied, "Yeah, the manager of another branch. His wife found out about his…eh, 'less-than-ideal' workspace behavior and filed for divorce…"
"Is that confidentiality code for: 'He was caught snuzzing with another woman at work' or something?" Mitsuki asked, which made Inko blush profusely like her son.
Masaru coughed in surprise as he answered, "No…it just meant that, as kids would say: He was a selfish jerk who did little work and got all the credit from others. He ended up caught red-handed, and subsequently fired for his less than stellar performance…"
Inko let out a huge sigh of annoyance as she commented, "Oh, I know that kind of jerk. I hate assholes like that…"
Before the conversation could continue, the three adults' attention was grabbed by Present Mic commentating on the racers once they reached the gorge, and the various hijinks some of the competitors did to cross the obstacle.
"Bwah-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Haa-HAA!!! He looks like an idiot in that ridiculous pose!" Mitsuki guffawed loudly at Tenya Iida effectively 'T-posing' across the small ropes connecting the pillars. Then, laughed even harder at a highly energetic girl with support-course gear and pink dreadlocks as she rocketed across the ravine.
Masaru remarked trying not to laugh himself, "Ahem… se-seems like this year's future heroes are quite energetic…"
Inko giggled a little as she remarked, "You're right…one would think they were in primary school again…"
Meanwhile…
As Izuku Midoriya fastened the wire attached to the metal plate he scavenged, he began shimmying across the gorge by the ropes. Tsuyu Asui walked along the rope with little problem as she walked right past him.
"Excuse me, Midoriya. Kero…" the frog girl croaked as she moved along.
"Nah-N-no worries, Asui-san…" Midoriya replied as he tried to not lose grip on the rope.
"I told you, call me Tsu-chan…" Asui immediately replied with a ribbit, then continued moving further ahead of Midoriya.
Midoriya kept his eye on the prize, but let out an inward sigh as he thought in his mind…
'Everyone is giving their all in this competition, and everyone had their whole lives to get a good handle on their Quirks. Me? I can't even control One For All without getting injured…I got a clue beforehand about spreading my energy throughout my body from Hashi-err-R-Rosa-chan, but I have yet to try it out for extended periods of time…'
Izuku sighed as he wondered, remembering he wasn't the only one with power and consciously withholding it, 'Those other heroes that Hashimoto and Parker mentioned being teammates with…I wonder how they would handle the Sports Festival?'
From where he and Rosa were waiting, Sean could sense Midoriya's aura and could only guess what the boy was thinking in his mind. Rosa had similar thoughts to her husband, while also wondering if Izuku will ever implement the new analogy she helped come up to help him control One For All.
In the private viewing box, Toshinori Yagi was watching Izuku as he wondered aloud, "I wonder what young Midoriya was thinking to make a face like that?"
Yvonne answered him telepathically, ~"He is wondering how the superheroes our trainers frequently fight beside would handle this competition, while also lamenting his lack of control over the Quirk you passed onto him…"~
The Symbol of Peace nearly choked on his tea as he responded in a way similar to Tenya Iida, "Th-That was a rhetorical question!"
~"Apologies, I thought it was a genuine question…"~ Yvonne replied while shaking her head slowly.
All Might soon saw one of Sean's other Pokémon, one that kept its distance in the back of the room, walk up beside him and look at the special private feed the hero had to keep tabs on Izuku. He recognized it as a Blaziken, a tall, fiery-fighting foul with long, muscular legs and skinny yet solid arms. The Blaziken looked at the hero's successor through the video feed with hyper-focused, narrow eyes, which made the hero nervous.
"Umm…" All Might gulped as he could feel the intensity behind the Pokémon's glare, "Is there…s-something wrong?"
The Mewtwo answered the hero, ~"Sean's Blaziken is his most proficient practitioner of close-quarters combat and martial arts. Chances are high Sean may resort to Blaziken to teach Midoriya martial arts. So, he's gauging Midoriya for when that happens. He is remarkably quick and decisive in his strikes. Most supervillains that Blaziken faced, tended to receive injuries that are shy of complete broken bones on a frequent basis…"~
Yvonne focused her eyes on All Might's eyes as she finished, ~"Supervillains capable of giving you significant trouble, even in your physical prime…"~
All Might shuddered as he feared to imagine fighting a Blaziken, especially this one right next to him, after hearing that.
"M-Mo-Moving on, you met these other heroes, correct? Well, how would they fare in the Sports Festival? Since we're on the topic?" Toshinori nervously said as he tried to move the subject to something else.
Yvonne closed her eyes and answered, ~"This wouldn't even be a proper competition to them. The first round would consist of exclusively these heroes and no one else. Made up entirely of members of the Justice League, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Teen Titans, and so on and so forth. No one in U.A. High, or any pro heroes in general could hope to match beings capable of moving many times faster than light, surviving supernovas, and pushing planets into or out of orbit…"~
All Might had tensed up and nearly choked on his drink for a second time, now regretting changing the subject after hearing the feats of these other heroes.
The pro hero didn't get to respond as Rosa's Gardevoir (named Faith-Heart) added, ~"There are several who would end up on that roster who lack any kind of superpower, or Quirks as you call them. They have simply peak human fitness and tactical know-how that allows them to stand among gods. One who I think Izuku would greatly admire would be Batman…"~
The Symbol of Peace raised a curious brow as he asked, "Who's Batman…?" and Yvonne explained and telepathically showed Toshinori everything she and her trainer knew about the hero called Batman…
Speaking of…
Elsewhere in Creation…
A caped crusader was walking through the halls of a fortress created by the being he wished to speak with, passing by some giant robots hauling glowing blue cubes of an energy source. One of the robots (a red one that looked like it had parts of a car make up its structure) took notice and said jovially…
"Oh! Hi Batman!" The robot spoke quite friendly in a feminine voice, "Where are you heading?"
The caped being, now known as Batman turned his head and acknowledged the red robot in a serious tone, "Road Rage…I am off to see Palkia in regards to our missing allies…"
Another robot with Road Rage, this one looked green and had parts of a tow truck on its person, asked the superhero, "You mean Sean and Rosa?"
"Yes…" Batman replied, "Their signal was lost, along with a few others in your team, Hoist…"
Hoist thought for a moment aloud, "They're gone too? Funny, the last we saw them was before those Pokémon Trainers went to take from old Buckethead-…"
"Hoist…" Batman interrupted, "We still do not know where, what, or who is feeding Megatron intel. It is best, for now, to keep quiet. For all we know, they might be the safety net those two have to keep them from becoming casualties in your war."
"Well…" Road Rage shrugged, "I recall you saying that our war is as much as yours some time ago…"
Batman sighed through his nose as he responded, "You're right…Megatron made it my war as well when he declared war on the Justice League and attacked Gotham, Metropolis, & Central City. I'm simply on edge, experience has told me to hold those you trust with slight skepticism…"
"Even Prime?" Road Rage asked, with Batman replying, "I hope that he never strays from his chosen path, but we must be ready, however slim, of the possibility that Optimus Prime would turn rogue. On us or the rest of the Autobots. I pray it will never come to pass, but I must always be ready, just in case. Optimus understood this and accepted it."
Hoist nodded as he said, "If Prime said so, then that's all we need to hear. Come on Road Rage, we got Energon Cubes to deliver to Tony…"
"Stark?" Batman asked as Road Rage answered, "Yeah, he thought the same as you, sort of. So he's building a 'Transformer-buster' armor and needs Energon to test it out…"
The two Autobots waved Batman goodbye, as the Dark Knight headed for the organizer of such an organization…
He entered the room to see a large, pearl-white dinosaur-looking creature with magenta accents. It spoke to Batman in a deep, powerful voice without turning to face him…
"Bruce…what brings you here?"
Batman spoke, "Are you still searching for Sean and Rosa?"
The creature then shifted into the shape of a young woman with pink hair and wearing armored garb in the likeness of her prior appearance. This was the Legendary Pokémon and God of Space, Palkia.
"Of course I am. They are my favorite toys, and I hate losing them as much as a girl would her favorite Barbie doll…" Palkia replied with a very different (feminine) voice from before, her eyes heavy indicating she hadn't gotten any rest since Sean and Rosa disappeared, by this point, almost a whole month ago.
Batman paused as he asked, "Do you need my help? I am certain I could provide some insight, and afford you some much-needed rest…"
Palkia huffed out an amused chuckle as she replied, "Right…sometimes, I forget you are also a detective…"
"I don't need to be one to tell what's what at this moment…" Batman replied with arms crossed.
Palkia stretched herself as bones popped in her human form, and said in an attempt to sound like her usual self, "If you're offering, then by all means…I'll afford you a fraction of my power so the search could be made easier…"
The deity held out her hand as a magenta glow emanated from it, Batman knew what this was, as he said, "I am aware deities cannot just give mortals their powers, even a fraction of it, without a cost. What is it?"
Palkia sighed tiredly, her lack of rest and her constant worrying about Sean and Rosa were finally catching up since the disappearance. She knew Bruce Wayne was the cautious type, if something didn't feel right, he kept his guard up and approached it with skepticism.
Palkia replied, trying to explain herself, "There is obviously a small price, but I am not going to trick you. Cut me some slack, I may be a tricky gal who out-foxes the mischief gods, but I am too exhausted to even attempt it. Not with my precious toys' lives on the line. The only downside to the fraction of my power I am offering is that you will be acutely aware of tens of thousands of realities per second at once. Something that would overwhelm any ordinary man, mortal, human, whatever. You might be able to handle it because~…"
Palkia smiled like a trickster as she sang that last word, then pointed her finger at the superhero as she finished her thoughts, "You are the Goddamn Batman…!"
Batman sighed as he knew those aware of him as a fictional character, that was the "sum-up" of why he could do anything. But, Bruce knew he was just a man under the cowl, money, and philanthropy. An ordinary man. But, one that made enough of a mark to have such a phrase coined to describe him.
The Dark Knight soon felt a familiar presence as he said, "Dialga…"
Palkia's mood greatly improved as she ran up to the deity in the form of a young man around Palkia's perceived age and exclaimed, "Nee-chan! I am so glad you are back!"
Dialga noticed his twin sister's appearance and asked with a BLUNT, monotone voice, "You have not gotten a moment of rest since Sean and Rosa went missing…"
Palkia sheepishly and bashfully confirmed, "Ye-yeah, I'm sorry."
Dialga gave a stare at his sister, which made the pink-haired deity squirm as she replied, "Alright, alright! I'll go get sleep! Geez, don't you dare get papa involved, nee-chan!"
Batman looked at the pair with a curious brow as Palkia walked away to get some rest. Dialga nodded once in affirmation in the direction his sister left, then turned to give one to the Dark Knight as the blue-haired young man walked up next to him, and then assumed his true form as a quadrupedal, dinosaur-like dragon.
Batman acknowledged Dialga by remarking, "Nothing the rest of us could do, could get your sister to get rest. What strategies are you willing to share for us to get her to comply?"
Dialga looked down at Batman and locked eyes with him as the deity replied plainly, "My answer is the same for anyone who has siblings, quote, 'you know her long enough to figure out how to handle her…' unquote. I have known her as long as I have lived. She is my twin sister…"
Batman nodded as he replied while activating the portion of Palkia's powers the deity gifted for the task, "I see…the rest of you Legendary Pokémon are–…"
Dialga interrupted the vigilante, "I am fully aware of your concerns, and accept them. You are never too careful, but we are bound by rules that are tied to our very existence. For now, focus on the task at hand, locating our missing compatriots…"
Batman sighed as he knew from Dialga's father, that some deities are bound to specific rules they are unable to break, and have created contingencies to exploit those rules. But, as he looked through several realities, he couldn't help but notice how Dialga said, "compatriots", the way it was said compelled Bruce Wayne to ask…
"Compatriots? Are you saying that Sean and Rosa Hashimoto are not the only ones missing?"
Dialga looked forward into empty space as the Deity of Time answered, "While they were sent on their own to recover the artifacts from Megatron's clutches, they were not the only ones aboard the Decepticon flagship when they vanished. A couple of our allies present just went missing two minutes and forty-one seconds ago this moment."
Batman paused his universe-searching upon a reality that had four warrior girls (colored in garb respectively in red, black, white, and yellow) the Justice League knew of, teaming up with a boy with a watch-like device that turned him into aliens fighting black monsters. Batman looked up at Dialga and inquired…
"Who was it, and why didn't you tell your sister?"
Dialga replied bluntly, "She already is quite stressed as the multiverse is in chaos, incursions between realities throwing several out of balance. And, there is the matter of letting things run their course or interfere with what will be the best possible outcome of the future."
"Right, maintaining the flow of time." Batman conceited, as Dialga said, "As for who…"
Dialga revealed the identity of the ally who went missing, and Batman found it a little concerning.
"Is this the plan of the Decepticons'? HYDRA's? The Legion of Doom's? Any of our enemies' plots?" he asked, with Dialga answering, "No, the residue energy indicates that it was the doing of my father's superior. One my sister frequently refers to as 'The Boss-Man' and you would call 'God'. I will confirm with him his reasoning. But, as far as the current flow of time dictates, all of our enemies are…concerningly quiet…"
"Likely keeping a low profile. They did suffer from setbacks…" Batman said as he managed to look around the area Sean and Rosa's signals disappeared from the spaces between realities, and did a sweep around there for a trail or a clue to where the pair of Pokémon Trainers went.
"…gathering their strength, resupplying their diminished resources…It's what I would do in their situation…" Batman said as he did find what he was looking for.
It was very faint and practically non-existent, but it was an energy signature definitively tied to Sean and Rosa.
"Found their energy signature…" Batman said, "It's fading fast and isn't their location, but it does indicate a trail of wherever they ended up if we act fast…"
Batman motioned for the God of Time to follow him at a quickened pace as he asked the deity, "How good are you at manipulating space and traveling between realities?"
Dialga answered without hesitation as he spoke in an even voice, "My capabilities are not as refined or easy for me compared to my sister. But, I am capable enough for the plan you set into motion…"
Batman nodded outwardly and inwardly sighed with relief for the two's safety, he won't show it but all the Pokémon Trainers are starting to grow on him. He then asked the blue god, "Any suggestions on who to send after your trainer, for the best possible outcome?"
At the Sports Festival Obstacle Race…
Izuku Midoriya managed to get past the second major obstacle, a gorge with pillars of rocks within, strung together with tightropes connecting the two sides. Present Mic called this obstacle by the nickname, "The Fall", but the boy knew he couldn't get distracted. He was still falling behind because he didn't want to use One For All yet. His thoughts were on his mind to try and go faster, and he knew Todoroki had already reached the third stretch of the race.
Now was the last, major obstacle, the minefield. Once Shoto arrived there, Present Mic explained the obstacle, saying he never got the chance to when Sean and Rosa quickly and expertly avoided the entire minefield without setting one mine off.
The mines were not very powerful, but they were loud and flashy and did have enough of a kick to send people not expecting it flying in pants-wetting fear. It was made to put those in the lead at a disadvantage, and allow those trailing behind to catch up.
'Though, little good that did for the Hashimotos. They avoided setting one mine off. Likely because of their ability to sense Ki…' Izuku thought as he heard Bakugo's explosions propel him above the mines and go to attack Todoroki, refusing the "Half-&-Half Bastard" as he often called Shoto, to get the better of him.
Bakugo wanted to teach Todoroki a lesson about declaring war on Midoriya, and he wanted to face Rosa as her threat to the General Ed student still rang rent-free in his mind. Unlike usual if Todoroki was in the lead, Bakugo really did not want to waste time with the red-and-white-haired boy, as both Hashimoto and Parker were waiting for a few meters from the stadium to see who had what when put under pressure. In this case, the prize of first-place in the first round of the Sports Festival.
'Icy-Hot is no concern, but I'll be damned if I let that bastard get ahead of me! Parker wants to throw down with me, then that's what the bitch will get!' Bakugo fumed furiously in his mind as Todoroki began to fight back at his attempts to push him back.
Rosa's eyes twitched with annoyance as she started to tightly grip the flesh on her arms and a scowl formed on her face.
Sean noticed his wife's mood change and asked, "Rosa? Is there something wrong?"
Rosa replied with a shaky, irritated voice, "I just have a feeling that I was insulted by an asshole who really needs to be knocked down several pegs…"
Hearing that, and seeing the face she made, had Sean gulp nervously and scoot a little from his wife in slight fear. He then felt pity for whoever it was that ticked Rosa off, especially as he heard her teeth grit tightly from her clenching jaws.
Rosa's tense position relaxed a little as she took a deep breath, then asked Sean, "So…you think this is enough time to give the others a chance to overtake us? Or, are we gonna rip victory from them?"
Sean replied, "So far, they are performing exactly as we were expecting them to. There were a few surprises, but I think we have seen almost everything we need from everyone…"
Rosa cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as she asked, "Almost?"
Sean then pointed, "It seems Izuku Midoriya has found a unique solution to not only overtake everyone else, but also to overcome this obstacle presented in front of him…"
Rosa looked over to the minefield and saw the green-topped boy her husband was gesturing to. She saw he still had that piece of metal from the faux villains and was using it for…
"You have got to be kidding…!" was Rosa's only response as…
In the Private Booth…
~"The boy is using his environment to his advantage. He is far more clever than I thought he already was…"~
All Might felt this commentary came from Damocles, Sean's Gallade, he still found it weird that he could communicate telepathically with the couple's Psychic-type Pokémon, or those who could use telepathic powers normally.
All Might had to say, "You're right. Midoriya is saving using One For All when he needs it most. So he's thinking of using his brain to find solutions to seemingly impossible odds."
The Symbol of Peace heard the door to the booth open up, and he wasn't surprised as there were few people granted clearance to this booth.
"Principal Nezu, what brings you hear?" All Might asked as the chimera sat in the only other chair in the booth.
Nezu spoke with a poker face that hid his excitement, "I caught the tail end of your commentary regarding Midoriya. And I have to agree. It is not the first time someone thought of using the mines when we do use them, to propel themselves ahead, but Midoriya is certainly the first I noticed to dig up the mines and use the collective explosion to launch himself ahead of everyone."
Yvonne remarked, ~"It makes sense as the mines you placed lack destructive power, but pack enough to knock someone off their feet. Collectively, the power will allow Midoriya to overtake his classmates and be in the running with my trainer and his mate…"~
Nezu replied with slight surprise, "Goodness me! You were actually communicating telepathically with our transfers' Pokémon, All Might? Now your talking makes so much more sense."
"You thought I was crazy?!" All Might balked in shock, and the principal and the Pokémon chuckled and giggled in response to the reaction.
Nezu cleared his throat as Izuku executed his plan, and replied to him, "Oh no, I thought you were channeling your inner Obi-Wan Kenobi, and narrating the events like a story…"
The two watched as Todoroki and Bakugo looked back once Izuku's collected mines exploded with considerable force, unaware of the boy soaring overhead, hanging for dear life on the metal piece he used to dig the mines up. If Present Mic had shut up, he would have gone unnoticed as the green-ette managed to overtake both Bakugo and Todoroki in the race to get ahead of the transfer students waiting at the final stretch.
"You would be correct, Yvonne was it? The mines do pack enough power to knock someone off their feet but leave them unharmed. You gather enough of them into a tightly packed divot, and it makes an excellent explosive thunderdrum effect to propel one if you hit the mines at the right angle." Nezu replied as he took a bite out of an apple, right as a silvery-grey Eevee (Rosa's Shiny Eevee named FairLilly) hopped onto his lap like a cat.
"Hello there, little missy…" Nezu replied as he scratched behind the small Pokémon's ear, which FairLilly enjoyed evidenced by the small Pokémon letting out a satisfied purr.
Nezu's eyes then focused on the monitors focusing on the race and remarked, "Oh! Look at that…"
All Might and all of Sean and Rosa's Pokémon present saw that Izuku was losing speed and distance as he fell back to earth, prompting both Bakugo and Todoroki to stop trying to push each other behind in favor of getting ahead of Midoriya.
Then, Izuku pulled a maneuver that surprised everyone watching (even Sean and Rosa) as he planted his feet onto both of Bakugo and Todoroki's backs, and then used the metal "sled" he carried to slam it onto the mines in front of all three boys. Izuku then used the momentum of the blast of the tripped mines to propel himself forward and tumbled his way across the minefield to the final stretch of the Obstacle Race track.
"Ha-ha-ha-HAA! Well done, Young Midoriya!" All Might exclaimed as he briefly buffed up flashing a huge and proud smile at his successor's quick thinking.
Yvonne smiled herself as she commented, ~"He is clever, Bruce Wayne and Steve Rogers would be proud…or at least, Captain America would. Batman might be a bit more critical of the young boy wasting time…"~
"If what I heard of those two from your trainers is any indication, I have to agree…" Nezu remarked as he saw both Bakugo and Todoroki desperately pick up speed to overtake Midoriya, who was running as if his life depended on it.
'Hmm…I am looking forward to their expert evaluation of all our promising suspects…let's see how they fare when they are not aware they are being evaluated at this very moment…' Nezu thought as his eyes then focused on the visitors from another reality.
Then, to everyone's surprise, punctuated by Present Mic screaming about it from the commentator's booth, Sean and Rosa did something unexpected…
#"HEY WOW! My eyes must be seeing things, but both Hashimoto and Parker, who maintained such a devastating lead in this race by waiting at the home stretch, just raced past Midoriya back on the track, technically making him the leader in the positions! TALK ABOUT AN UPSET FOLKS!"#
Bakugo and Todoroki had a momentary lapse in their attention hearing that, and thus were unprepared to meet both Sean and Rosa face to face as the two clenched their fists, and then with a powerful shout, thrust them forward with opened palms, and generated an invisible shockwave that pushed the two back across the minefield and nearly at the edge of the gorge.
But that wasn't the only thing the shockwave did, as, on top of knocking everyone else back (though not to the same degree as Shoto and Katsuki), the shockwave triggered all the remaining mines in the minefield, creating a massive explosion that slightly carved up the earth that was once the very obstacle.
The action left everyone a little dumbstruck as Present Mic and Shota Aizawa gave their commentary on what just happened, while Midoriya, out of breath and tiring himself out just to keep up, kept pressing forward. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slide and tried to push his own limits to try and claim first place.
"Wha-what the heck was THAT!?" Denki Kaminari exclaimed as he tried to get back onto his feet.
"That felt like I was hit by a moving, flying, invisible, brick wall!" Setsuna Togake shouted as she quickly used her quirk to get back the ground she just lost.
#"Hey Mummy-Zawa! I know you are more familiar with those two transfers, do you know what the heck we witnessed? Did both Hashimoto and Parker use their Quirks?"# Hizashi Yamada asked his co-commentator while adjusting his sunglasses.
Aizawa sighed in annoyance at that nickname his friend gave him, but answered, #"No, that was not their Quirks, I can tell you that much. That was a technique called the 'Kiai', where you can send a shockwave of your energy to launch opponents caught off-guard flying back, like hitting a solid wall made of air. Think of it as like the Force Push from Star Wars, and that is more or less the idea of what Hashimoto and Parker just did…"#
"You're kidding me!? They can do what I can do, only it isn't even a Quirk?! And they can use The Force, or something like it?! That's so unfair!" Kosei Tsuburaba shouted, as one voice among many others crying out about how unfair it is, only for Aizawa to remark…
#"Life is unfair, get over it. As future heroes, you are supposed to combat unfairness on a daily business, which was why we specifically kept the nature of Hashimoto and Parker's abilities under wraps. They are going to be your constant reminder of seemingly impossible odds thrown against you. So get your acts together or they will overshadow you…"#
That instantly shut up everyone complaining about the unfairness, only for the participants of the race to notice that both transfer students had already sped away to catch up to Midoriya.
Bakugo and Todoroki had furious expressions on their faces as they put even more effort into regaining their lost ground and overtaking not just Midoriya, but Sean and Rosa too. Their desperation is laced with the small bits of the poison that is vengeance.
'No! I cannot lose to them! I have to win! Just to show Endeavor I can do this with just my ice!' Shoto thought in his mind about Midoriya and the two transfer students. His glare intensified as he used his ice to propel him forward as fast as he could with it. Hyperfocused on first place, or at this point, get 4th and use the next round of the Festival to get vengeance on all three of them.
'FUCKING HELL! I! WILL! NOT! LOSE! NOT TO FUCKING DEKU! NOT TO THOSE FUCKING TRANSFERS! I WILL BE THE UNDISPUTED WINNER OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL, DAMMIT!!!' Bakugo roared in his mind as he intensified the explosions behind him to propel himself faster than he ever did during the race. His gaze was zeroed in on not first place now, but getting even with Rosa and Sean for forcing him back, behind everyone else.
As much as both boys absolutely HATE to admit it, they will have to settle for getting the closest place to first this round. It made both boys bitter as their setback caused by the couple that made them lose ground, made it clear that either Izuku or the transfer students would be the ones to claim first place. And the others second and third. Leaving fourth place their most sought-after prize at the moment.
'I will get my revenge!' both boys thought as they quickly surpassed most of the other participants who, a few moments ago, were ahead of them.
Meanwhile, At an Undisclosed Location…
"Oh boy! This is going to shape up to be THE Sports Festival to watch this year. Especially with those two…" A feminine voice remarked as the woman watched the UA Sports Festival with several of her coworkers.
They were the heads of the skeleton crew organization that was formed to monitor and handle matters involving the multiverse within this Quirk-focused world. The same organization that Agent Oda was part of. They watched the UA Sports Festival so they could, a.) get a good handle on what their visitors could do, b.) see how well the future heroes-in-training compare to heroes from another universe, and c.) they wanted to know more about their potential saviors, given they knew the phrases only the God that manages the barriers between realities, and the organization knew.
"Given who they are, they can just steamroll through the entire competition if they wanted. Why they aren't is what is bugging me…" an older gentleman's voice commented, rubbing his chin in curiosity.
A younger woman chirped up a reply, "Hey, maybe Agent Oda knows!"
The Agent named was present as he gave his opinion, "My experience has afforded me a great deal of reading a person's true intentions at a glance. While the two, especially the boy, carry a concerning darkness within their hearts, they are ultimately good-natured and well-meaning. Nothing to really fear…"
"Until you brought up that whole 'Darkness in their hearts' thing!" a somewhat skeptical voice chimed in, continuing, "What exactly clued you in that these two have such a thing?"
Oda replied stoically, "When I say nothing to fear, I mean there is nothing to fear. What I saw is something I have only seen once undercover…"
"What's that?" the leader of the organization asked, and Oda replied with his stoic expression melting a little in a sad frown…
"They clearly fought far more brutal battles than anything, even All Might himself, had experienced. They have the same look as survivors of a terrible war, multiple wars. The darkness I saw in them, it was exactly post-traumatic stress disorder. At least, that is what I saw in the girl…"
That made everyone worry, what kind of wars did their visitors endure, fought in, or are currently fighting? But, hearing the agent believe he only described Rosa Parker, made them extra worried for Sean Hashimoto.
"What about the young man?" the young woman asked.
Agent Oda's expression faltered a little as he explained, "I…can't really describe it. It's hard to, he went through the same things his wife endured, yet, there was more. So much more, that I am astounded his willpower is so strong for him to not buckle under the pressure. Even the most strong-willed heroes in society today, would be driven insane if they felt a fraction of what that young man carries on his heart."
He looked directly at them all as he finished, "…The only way I can describe it at this moment, is this: he feels like he is still recovering from an ordeal that 'stretched him thin' and that he was a brief moment away from insanity…what caused such a feeling, even I shudder to imagine…"
The council present could only guess, as the leader asked, "You caught some idea, thanks to your Quirk, correct?"
Oda nodded silently as he then said after a few seconds of silence, "As I said, the darkness they felt was deep, yet recovering. They have such inspirational willpower that it makes all the horrible things I experienced seem minor in comparison. That I can recover from such feelings. I have only seen willpower like that in what few surviving pre-quirk comic book superheroes have in spades…"
"Considering they were fictional characters from our perspective, that is a given…" the skeptical man said, then sighed, "Maybe they could pass some of that to the hero-hopefuls they are competing beside. We are all aware present, as they young girl said, 'All Might is not getting any younger' sooner or later, that smiling buffoon will have to retire if he doesn't croak first."
They all looked at some footage that was closer to the pair's faces, but their gaze was focused on Sean Hashimoto. Both of the visitors from another reality had already caught up with a hyper-determined Izuku Midoriya, the green-haired boy looking exhausted, while the pair were hardly tired or ragged. They wondered what the hell Sean went through to make Agent Oda, famously the 'Unfeeling Spy' say what he said and feel what he felt…
Back at the Final Stretch…
Izuku Midoriya ran as hard and fast as he could, Rosa and Sean keeping pace with him without breaking a sweat.
Rosa said to the boy, "I am very impressed with your quick thinking, Midoriya. If you were my pupil, I would be so proud of you…"
Izuku didn't respond as he tried to use as much energy as he could muster to try and keep ahead of the couple. But, he afforded Rosa a smile in response to her words of encouragement.
Sean said as all three entered the tunnel, "You smartly restricted yourself from using your Quirk because you still lack control over it. I will have to agree with Rosa, Midoriya. I am very impressed with your performance so far, and I am looking forward to seeing more…"
Sean then looked at his wife with a satisfied smile as he said, "In fact…Rosa, are you thinking what I am thinking?"
Rosa giggled sweetly as she replied, "Oh, yes. I think he earned it…"
That caught Izuku's attention as he replied between tired huffs while running through the tunnel, "What…do…you…mean…?"
Before Izuku could say another word, he felt both Pokémon Trainers place a hand on his back. Then, he felt them gently push him forward ahead of them, as he picked up speed. The sounds of Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki echoed as they tried to catch up to the three leaders of the race.
"Wha-Wha-Wha-wh-what's going–…" Izuku Midoriya tried to ask, but what silenced as he faintly heard Rosa reply to him…
And then heard Present Mic comment, "#It's such a close finish on account that Parker and Hashimoto are giving the rest of the participants an opportunity. And with Midoriya keeping pace with them, First Place of the Obstacle Race goes to…#"
Emerging from the other side of the tunnel into the stadium, everyone roared with applause as Izuku, Rosa, and Sean entered the stadium, and Present Mic announced the winner of the first round…
"#IZUKU MIDORIYAAAAAA!!!#"
Izuku was dumbfounded as he heard his name being announced to have claimed first place, and looked behind as Sean and Rosa gave him friendly, joyful smiles. He then remembered what Rosa had said to him back in the tunnel, right as the pair gave him a helping push to the finish line…
"You earned first place this round…Midoriya…"
The successor of All Might's attention was brought to Sean as he explained, "I want to see more of what you are capable of, the both of us. So, to help you recover a little energy for the next round, the two of us decided to help you in the final stretch…"
Izuku felt a little conflicted about being helped to the finish line in the final stretch. But, hearing how much they wished to see more of what he was capable of, he felt immense pride…
Especially as he looked to the booth he was made aware of and saw All Might stand by the window and gave the young man a satisfied smirk…
Meanwhile…
"MY BABY BOY!!!"
Inko Midoriya was crying waterfalls as she felt immense pride and joy for her only son to claim first place in the first round. And the fact he did so without any notable injuries was incredibly relieving for her…
Her best friend, Mitsuki Bakugo was proud herself, as she said, "Congrats for cute little Izu-chan getting first place, Inko! Honestly, Katsuki spent too long scowling, growling, and picking fights to keep his eye on the prize, so he deserves his placement that isn't first place…"
"He just placed fifth place, honey…" The Bakugo Patriarch said as he snapped a photo of his "unofficial" nephew on his knees and cried out a geyser of joyful tears, and a wide smile on his face.
"This is everything he had always dreamed of, and it's coming true! I'm so happy for my little Izuku!!!" Inko cheered as she cried happy tears, and was immensely relieved he wasn't hurt in the Obstacle Race.
Masaru noticed something as the television replayed the finish line, and pointed out, "Oh! It seems Izuku-san had help crossing the finish line. Hashimoto and Parker were giving him a push to the end."
"Really?!" Inko perked up and looked at the screen, seeing the pair were indeed helping Midoriya cross by gently pushing him from his back.
"But, why?" Inko said with worry, but still very relieved that the two dominating participants of the festival were helping her son out.
Mitsuki scrunched her eyes for a moment in thought, and then replied with a happy face, "My guess, is they saw something in Izu-chan that compelled them to help out your boy. And give first place to him, as if he earned it from them or something like that…"
Inko felt her heart swell hearing that, and if it was true, she wanted to meet her son's newest friends as soon as possible to thank them in person from the bottom of her heart for their support of her precious child…
This was on top of the desire to meet a few girls she knew from prior talks with Izuku, who had budding feelings for him. It was enough to make her giddy about having several future grandchildren to spoil in four years, at the soonest…
Back at the Stadium…
Around Noon, T.S.T.
The Obstacle Race had concluded as the last racer entered the stadium. Thus, the tally was made that determined who would make it to the next round, with only those who placed in the first 42 moving on to the next challenge. With many of the students recovering or recharging their spent energy for the said challenge, many ate some snacks or had water to drink, some feeling they needed it.
It was also a welcome break, as there were a great deal of photo finishes that had to be sorted out to determine who would make it into the top 42…
"Jeez, Deku-kun! What the heck lucky charm did you get to earn first? That was something else, especially at that minefield!"
Izuku was shyly hiding his face from Ochako Uraraka as she stated that, with Iida horribly embarrassed that, as the one with a Quirk best suited for a race, he didn't place within the top five.
"I saw what happened through the replay Midoriya, both Hashimoto and Parker pushed you ahead to try and trip you up…" Iida added, wondering what was the logic in their actions since the race started.
"That's not what was happening, class prez…" Rosa spoke up, which made the tall boy jump in surprise as he saw they young woman with an empty bottle of water in her hand.
Ochako asked with her curiosity piqued, "What do you mean?"
Rosa took a bite out of a snack bar as she explained, "The thing is, that there isn't any rule forbidding helping out the other competitors or forming alliances, Sean and I had listened and observed the rules carefully. This made us discover that there was a loophole in the rules that, I'm certain after this Sports Festival, will either be restricted or encouraged for future events. Sean wanted to see more of what Midoriya is capable of, so he used the loophole as an excuse to see to it that he made it to the next challenge, whatever that is…"
Some of the others in both hero-course classes overheard and walked closer. The first to pipe up was Denki Kaminari as he remarked…
"Dang! You're telling us we could have easily made teams for that race and claimed first place?"
"There were no rules forbidding teamwork, so I suppose that it is easy to overlook others seeking to take advantage of the loophole." Momo Yaoyorozu thought aloud.
Rosa giggled a little as she remarked, "Yeah, Sean and I are pretty competitive with each other. But, we thought that it would be more interesting if we did things at our own pace, even helping out the rest of the racers by undermining the plans of people like Todoroki who wanted a landslide victory. Due to a lack of rules pertaining to such specifics, it allowed both of us to determine who to help out, and such. Besides, the type of heroes I was talking about earlier are the kind that are willing to work together with others for a greater goal. No single hero has ever fought alone in high-stakes battles that determine the fate of the world, better to prepare for a situation like that even if it never comes to pass. I would think the U.S.J. would be screaming proof of adopting that mentality if what I heard is accurate…"
"Fair enough…" Itsuka Kendo hummed a response, "Villains these days are getting bolder, and the fact that there even is a 'League of Villains' is proof of, as you said Parker-san, for all of us to 'step up and do more'…"
Shoto was close enough to overhear the conversation, but far away enough to not draw attention, as he thought bitterly, 'So they were undermining my strategies. First with the tunnel, then the Zero Point robots, and finally with the minefield. Damn those two! I will not underestimate them again for the next round…'
Bakugo had similar thoughts as the son of Endeavor, and gritted the food in his mount between his teeth as he thought, 'I Fucking Knew It! They're Underestimating Us, Think We're Weak Retards! Fuck Them! I'll Show Them Who's At The Top Of UA!'
Setsuna Togake then said, "So, you guys were helping Midoriya? Then, could you explain why you let him claim first place?"
Rosa paused for a moment as she placed her chin between her hand, right between her pointer finger and thumb, in thought. The girl was hard to read to the rest of the hero course students, as they didn't know if she was serious in her thoughts, or if she was pretending, teasing them.
But, her thoughtful expression and pose garnered alarming levels of familiarity among several of the students, who felt that they knew Rosa from SOMEWHERE before, but couldn't pinpoint where or why she seemed so familiar.
Izuku knew the truth, and Iida to a lesser extent, but everyone else who felt the sense of vague recognition had the same thought running through their heads; Why does Rosa Parker seem so familiar?
Rosa could sense this and tried to restrain this little habit of hers by changing her pose where she crossed her arms. Unintentionally emphasizing her ample bust which distracted all the male students, those that had felt the recognition or not.
Rosa answered why she and Sean helped Izuku Midoriya, "As for why the two of us helped Midoriya cross first place in that final stretch. The answer is simple, we carefully watched all of you and saw how all of you performed in the race. Midoriya impressed the two of us through his being clever. The fact he did so without using his Quirk once was the determining factor."
'That is the surface-level reason, Sean and I are observing all of you first years, at the request of Principal Nezu…' Rosa thought as she remembered what the chimera principal asked both of them.
"So…because Midoriya ran the race Quirkless, and managed to do so in a way that impressed you, the two of you handed him first place?" Mina Ashido asked.
Rosa was about to reply, but Sean arrived with two water bottles and replied for his wife, "It is a little more nuanced than that. Rosa said that when you give the competition your all, that also includes parts of your being that are, for lack of a better term, normal. Becoming overreliant on your Quirks and using them not in creative ways is one way to guarantee your skills stagnate. A real skilled hero should be able to do hero work powerless as you would with your Quirks…"
Sean handed his wife one of the bottles as he suggested, "After the Sports Festival, you all should try to train yourselves to be capable "Quirkless" as well as you would with Quirks. They have limits and in emergencies, it's a good idea to fall back on if, you find yourselves in a situation where using your Quirks is either not viable, or they end up disabled or nullified for whatever reason. It is not out of the realm of impossibility, and you would be thankful to have backup skills to fall back on in any tricky situations…"
Tsuyu Asui replied, "Kero…That does make sense when you explain it like that. Aizawa-sensei's Quirk can disable other quirks, so the possibility of losing the ability to use your Quirk does exist…"
"Someone we know once said, 'It is better to be prepared for any eventuality, than not be prepared and regretting so after the fact…' You would be surprised how often things unravel from someone's under-preparedness." Sean said as he scratched his jaw, "Besides, looks like we are ready to move on for the next event…"
Yuga Aoyama groaned sadly as he hugged his arms tightly around his stomach and lamented, "Oui. I apologize for not making it to the top 42 mon amie…"
Mina patted the flamboyant blonde's shoulder as she comforted him, "Don't worry Aoyama. There's always next year, and you definitely showed your stuff during the race…"
"Yeah, don't worry about it. One of my classmates didn't cross the cutoff point as well, and that was partially my fault…" Sean added with a smile as Rosa beamed softly at her husband's friendly demeanor, and the boy soon added with a nervous chuckle that soon morphed into a depressed tone, "I owe Fukidashi an apology for accidentally getting him disqualified by knocking him out of the track by the minefield…and knocking him unconscious…ugh, I messed up, so I better do so when he regains consciousness…"
"Yeah! I think the two of you definitely owe the rest of us an apology for that!" Hagakure chirped with a playfully angry tone, and Kyoka added, "I mean, you guys literally used the Force to knock us all back some distance. I didn't think you could use it like a Jedi…"
Both incognito Pokémon Trainers nervously laughed as Rosa remarked, "Well, fair. So, sorry about that guys. Sean did say that a proficient master of Ki Control would be able to do all the things a Jedi from Star Wars can do, and then some. But things like the Force Persuasion technique, that's not possible on any front with Ki…"
Mineta snapped his fingers in disappointment, remarking, "Darn, and I was hoping that I could learn that…"
"Why would you say that?" Mina asked the midget with an annoyed expression that was shared with all the girls present.
Asui added with a slight frown, "You weren't thinking of using it for anything inappropriate. Right, Mineta?"
The small-statured boy panicked under the gazes of all the girls of Class 1-A & Class 1-B, as he quickly replied, "N-n-no! Of c-co-course not! I was just saying, it would be handy for catching villains, without any need to fight is all!"
Setsuna Togake rolled her eyes as she figured Mineta was hiding the fact he did think of using the "Jedi Mind Trick" for something inappropriate, and replied with a sigh, "I guess that is a fair point…"
Sean chuckled as he remarked, "Not like it would work if I could use the trick and teach it. It only works on the weak-minded or weak-willed. So if you think you could use it to have your way with anyone, good luck trying and ending up making yourself look stupid as a result…"
That made everyone laugh, with those who did think they could use the Jedi's trick to have their way looking slightly dejected. But, the fact that there's a possibility that learning how to use Ki could mean they could move objects with their minds like a Jedi using the Force made everyone eager to learn from Sean, and Rosa to an extent as a senpai in Ki.
Everyone's attention was soon placed on the podium where Midnight walked up and announced the results of the Obstacle Race. Gesturing to the monitor behind the R-Rated Heroine on the stage, Midnight congratulated all those who made it to the next round and assured the rest who didn't that they would have another chance to shine later in the day.
Sean looked at the final roster on the screen to see where he was placed.
{-}
Obstacle Race Placements
- Izuku Midoriya (First Place)
- Rosa Parker (Second Place)
- Sean Hashimoto (Third Place)
- Shoto Todoroki (4th)
- Katsuki Bakugo (5th)
- Ibara Shiozaki (6th)
- Tenya Iida (7th)
…
{-}
The incognito Pokémon Trainer didn't need to see further down the list to know where he was placed. And, thinking back on when he and his wife helped Izuku cross the finish line, he did acknowledge that by a fingernail, Rosa did cross the finish line a half-second before he did. Apparently, the Obstacle Race doesn't particularly like it when two individuals cross at the same time. It has happened before, and that usually messes up the order for the next event where those who got their tie, ended up splitting the point allocation regarding their placement.
For example, in his and Rosa's case, if they both tied for second place, they would have split the difference in points rewarded. Using the prior year's Sports Festival to illustrate, second place was awarded 755 points for the second event, there were three people tied for that rank, so it was divided by three for the three placers for runner-up for the race. There even was a past Sports Festival where that race's first place was tied by two people, resulting in the massive amount of points rewarded to the first place being split in half for the second event.
Technically, Sean and Rosa were tied for Second Place in the race, but a quick game of chance (Rock-Paper-Scissors) determined Rosa would be the one to remain in Second. Sean had a feeling about the upcoming second event, so he looked for Midnight to explain his intentions.
Yaoyorozu noticed and asked Rosa, "Hey Parker-san. What is Hashimoto-san talking to Midnight about?"
Rosa looked to see her husband was talking to the event's umpire, and replied, "I am not sure, he might be reporting on someone cheating that no one else noticed. I noticed quite a few people cheating during the obstacle race. None of them made it to the top 42, thankfully. But, maybe he did notice someone who did make it that did cheat."
Yaoyorozu let out a sigh as she said, "I hope not. I got a good handle on all the rules explained, and as much as I wanted him to be disqualified, Mineta didn't break any rules by latching onto my back with his Quirk…"
The raven-haired girl turned to Rosa and added with a smile, "Again, thank you for getting him off of me, Parker-san…"
Rosa waved a hand as she replied nonchalantly, "No problem, girl. With perverts like that little weasel, sometimes threatening serious bodily harm is a good way to make them keep their distance. You would have to mean it for them to get the message across, even if it's an empty bluff."
The deputy rep laughed nervously as she replied, "I personally think that threatening to forcibly pull him off by bending his fingers back in an unnatural position is a little extreme…"
Rosa replied, "It was a fair 'first warning' from me…my usual threats are more extreme than that, usually pertaining to the 'other head' guys like Mineta listen to instead of the one on his shoulders…"
Minoru Mineta had "casually" walked past and overheard their conversation, until Rosa brought up how her threats usually go, and the small-statured boy hugged his legs together and shuddered in fright. He vowed to never get Rosa mad after that, but whether he keeps his vow or forgets is really up in the air.
Yaoyorozu was initially confused about what Rosa meant by "other head", but recalling one of her romance novels, the "other head" is often a roundabout way of calling someone else's…
The heiress' face lit up a bright crimson in shock and embarrassment as she realized what Rosa was talking about. How could she even think about such a thing at this time, Yaoyorozu reprimanded herself mentally. She proceeded to hide her face behind her hands to avoid embarrassing herself any further.
Rosa gave a light giggle as she knew what the heiress was thinking, and felt sorry for her. But, her attention was refocused on the stage as Midnight had an announcement…
#"Due to a need to challenge himself, Sean Hashimoto has requested to be put in last place and everyone else moved up in their placement! After reviewing the rules, his request has been accepted by the event organizers!"#
"HUH?!" was what everyone who made it in the top 42 exclaimed in surprise, joined by exclamations from the entire viewing audience.
"THE FUCK?!" Bakugo roared, unintentionally adding to the entire audience's disbelief.
Shoto Todoroki was dumbfounded, because of Hashimoto's request, he was now in third place. Any ordinary guy might be a little satisfied with this news. But, he just looked at the young man with confusion and skepticism.
'What are you planning, Hashimoto?' Shoto thought as he recalled that in Midnight's announcement, she said that he requested this to challenge himself. But, for what?
As Present Mic spouted commentary that the now cheering crowd ate up, Bakugo looked at Sean with seething frustration. What made it worse is that, by doing what he did, he casually handed Bakugo fourth place from fifth. He was HANDED a better shot at winning the Sports Festival, a better spot to move to the next round after.
'YOU…! YOOOUUUUU!!!' Bakugo was glaring daggers at Sean as the boy walked to Rosa's side, glaring so intensely that Izuku noticed and freaked out, the green-haired boy had never seen his "friend" so angry in his whole life.
Bakugo's frustrated snarl soon morphed into a sinister grin that still held the explosive boy's utter contempt and fury. Izuku felt like wetting his pants as in all the time he knew Katsuki, he never made a face like that ever. A few others felt a hostile tension in the air and looked around, only to jolt in surprise and quickly pretend they never did once they saw Bakugo's face.
Sean reacted to the hostility directed at him by being alert, looking around, occasionally looking directly at Bakugo as he searched around, then shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to ignore the sensation he felt.
Katsuki Bakugo felt even more furious as he now had another target besides Parker, and that was her boyfriend/instructor. He thought darkly, 'I'm gonna wipe that fucking smile off your face, you bastard! I will beat you!'
Sean sighed as he thought, '*sigh* I know Bakugo is going to have it out for me. Compared to the powerful villains I had pissed off in the past, his vindication is actually quite refreshing. Oh well, he needs a harsh lesson in humility…'
Midnight proceeded to announce how the next event is going to go down, by revealing that those who scored high in the Race, will now be targets for others seeking to topple the current rankings for the top.
This next event was reliant on building small teams of two to four members with each team's worth being the total number of points they received by their placement in the race. It starts at 5 points for last place, and grows by five the higher, until first place houses a grand total of 10,000,000 points, and anyone who can take them from First Place, will guarantee their team reaches the next round. There was an added rule that the top four cannot be on the same team, and are the de facto leaders of the team if they so choose.
'Figured, good thing I asked to be placed at the bottom…' Sean thought with a slight deadpan look on his face.
Rosa hummed a little in thought as she remarked quietly to herself, "Oh, I guess that makes sense on why Sean asked to be moved to Last Place…but poor Izuku…"
Almost all of the remaining participants had frighteningly intense gazes on the shuddering young boy. Realizing the position he is now placed in, Izuku Midoriya starts to regret letting Rosa and Sean push him to First Place. Knowing everyone will be gunning for him, and also likely to not be on his team or risk losing their chance for the third event.
All Might (in his true form, Toshinori Yagi) stepped out of the booth with a fruit smoothie in hand as he thought, 'Young Midoriya, now you are getting a taste of what it's like to be at the top, and those eager to dethrone you. Now you have to step up to the challenge if you wish to maintain your lead…'
"Excuse me, are you Toshinori Yagi-sensei?" a feminine voice asked, which startled the pro-hero into spitting out some of his fruit smoothie in surprise, all over one unfortunate spectator ways down in the seats.
The thin man spun around and saw who it was who spoke to him, and he was pretty surprised to see who was it that spoke to him…
She was a young woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties with short black hair that not only framed her face, but also hid her ears from most angles, and a decent figure that beguiled someone who looks frail but hides experience in close-quarters combat. She was wearing an outfit that seemed like she worked in an office job, yet there were tells that this was a more casual outfit. The woman's eyes were an almost hypnotic yellow in color, and she wore very light makeup that at most would be a lip gloss and slight blush. She was a decent, yet average height for a woman, the hero would think she might be an inch or two taller than Sean Hashimoto.
All Might had to confess to himself as she sort of looked like an attractive background character in a movie or something. He could also sense that, despite the friendly face she had, this woman had an edge to her that he couldn't help but compare to Aizawa's. She was as serious as the 1-A Homeroom Teacher, maybe more so, but she was better at masking it than the insomniac in a "friendly" sort of vibe.
He could tell that if she was an assassin, she would be considerably dangerous even for him…
But, fortunately, he was already familiar with her as he said, "Yeah, that would be me…what exactly are you doing here?"
The woman chuckled in her throat as she replied, "I would think I would be allowed to, especially as your principal invited me to watch Hashimoto and Parker in the Sports Festival…"
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
The ratings have been decided, and to everyone's shock, Izuku Midoriya (like in canon) claimed first place in the first round of the Sports Festival. Sean and Rosa, by proxy of giving Izuku a friendly push to the finish line, tied with each other for second place.
There's also the fact the League of Villains was intimidated by the display of power and speed our pair of otherworldly visitors demonstrated. It terrified All For One, yet it also intrigued him in two ways. First, the possibility that these two transfers could be the Black and White Vigilantes who embarrassed and chased away the League from the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. And second, if this was a display of their quirks, then All For One wants them for himself.
Little do they know that Sean and Rosa are not using what they are calling their "Quirks", and what has been shown so far is merely the tip of the massive iceberg of what they are capable of.
Also, who is that mysterious woman, and what is her connection to our visitors from another reality?
Well, she and that "council" Agent Oda works for are characters unique to this story, and I actually have a request for you readers. I have their personalities down pat, even an idea about their quirks, but I am having a hard time coming up with names for these characters. Care to share your suggestions? If so, I will pick the ones I like and give credit for the names, provided you leave suggestions as a registered user, and not as a guest reviewer…
Still, the next event is proving to be a challenge, but there are additional parts I have in mind inter-spliced that could add to the story. Are there any additional perspectives you want me to delve into? Feel free to suggest some. With that out of the way, here's the preview for the next chapter…
Izuku Midoriya feels the pressure of coming in first place now. And with a bounty of ten million points, virtually anyone seeking the top is now gonna gun for him specifically. Fortunately for the Ninth Holder of One For All, the next event is one where teamwork is paramount. What are Sean and Rosa going to do now, and will circumstances allow Izuku to stay in for the Sports Festival's final round?
Next Time…: Competitive Spirit…(pt. 3)
Until then, I await your responses for the next chapter…
