"I am here, huh? Well, when I win, I'll shout it out to the world so everyone can hear it." I told him, grinning at him before taking my own lunch and digging in.
"You're certainly confident you will win." He told me, watching me swallow, pounding my chest to get a particularly large bite down.
"I don't mean to downplay the strength of my classmates or the other courses, but when I use One-For-All, I can still feel something more growing inside me, like I'm close figuring something out, and I know that when push comes to shove, I'll go above my own limits to win." These words were of someone determined to win. I'd never guess what they'd leas me to doing.
"What do you mean when you say you're "Close to figuring something out"? He questioned, looking at me with confusion and interest.
"I mean, when I let go of thought, and just try to do, sometimes I fell this weightless feeling in my body, and as suddenly as it's there, it's gone." I told him, going back to my meal, finishing quickly. Being a hero in training worked up an appetite.
"My master once said something similar about her own quirk. That when she used it, it wasn't done with thought but rather instinct. Perhaps you've inherited a bit of her instinct as well, kid." He told me, coughing into his handkerchief before flashing a smile.
"Do you think she'd have approved of a skinny quirkless kid inheriting your power?" I asked her, my stomach twisting.
"Hah! She'd love you, kid. You're as heroic as they come, and while you're a little cocky lately, you're gonna do great things."
Pride flooded me, my stomach untwisted, and I blinked away tears before I could flood his office, the two of us sipping tea until the bell.
After our last class, plenty of chatter came from the halls, but unlike usual, it lingered around our door, and when Uraraka opened it, dozens of people I didn't know stood outside of it.
"What's going on?!" She cried, looking nervous in front of the crowd.
"No way! What are they doing here!?" Mineta asked, looking at them
"Scoping out the competition. We're the kids who survived a villain attack." I answered, swinging my bag over my shoulder.
"No point, though. Move aside cannon fodder." Bakugou told them, looking as friendly as ever.
"Can we please not resort to calling those we don't even know as "cannon fodder"? Iida asked, and I raised an eyebrow. I kinda wanted to see how this went.
"Don't mind Bakugou. He's the exceptionally arrogant amongst us. I, for one, look forward to testing my abilities against everyone here." I smiled, a sleepy looking guy with purple hair stepping forward.
"Are all the kids in the hero course like this? Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're offering." He rubbed his neck, but he didn't look nervous or awkward, just judging us.
"Those of us who didn't make the hero course are stuck in general studies and the other tracks. There're quite a few of us, did you know that? Depending on the results of the sports festival, they may even consider moving us to the hero course. I understand the opposite is true for you... Scoping out the competition? For a general studies student like me... this'll be a perfect chance to knock you off your pedestals. Consider this a declaration of war." He told us, turning on his heels and walking away.
"That guy is cool as hell. I hope he replaces Mineta!" I cheered, watching him leave.
"Hey! Not cool!" Mineta cried, and I didn't bother to look at him.
"Neither is sexually harassing girls." I replied, another guy, this one with silvery/grey around his eyes came into view, and he kind of reminded me of Kirishima just with grey hair and the eye things.
"Hey. I'm from class 1-B, next door!! Heard you guys fought some villains, wanted to figure it out more, but all I'm seeing is this arrogant bastard!" He looked at Bakugou, and I laughed.
"Woah, hey, it's all cool, man. We're gonna all have good, clean fun. Izuku Midoriya, class president. I can't wait to see what cool quirks your class shows us! I'm so excited!" I offered my hand, and he took it hesitantly, his grip much, much firmer than my own before he pulled away.
"I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Good to meet you." He told me, going about his way before Bakugou pushed past the others in the halls and left, the others kind of moving along with him.
"You really handled that well." Iida told me, and I shrugged.
"Honestly, I just want to prove I'm the best, and if everyone's against me, I have to work harder to do that." I whispered, taking my things and leaving.
"I see. Well, you've done a fine job regardless." Although now he looked at me with a brow raised as though he didn't approve.
"What? I'm fighting for the top. It's easier if I'm not fighting every course to get there."
It was dumb. Everyone wanted the top spot, and me being friendly wouldn't deter them. Determined to give it our all, each of us prepared in his or her own way. Those two weeks flea right by.
Iida was more concerned with keeping everyone alert the day of, but I needed him to stop yelling in my ear.
"Is everyone good and ready!? The event's about to begin!!" Yelled the bluette, and I sighed.
"All you're doing is making everyone a little more anxious." I told him, patting him on the shoulder.
"He's gotta point, though. If you aren't ready, finish up. We're gonna go show the world the power of class 1-A and remind them of why an army of two-bit loser villains couldn't take us or our sensei down!" I tried to cheer them, getting most of them more excited.
"Midoriya." A lone voice spoke, flat and a bit bored sounding.
"Yeah? What's up Todoroki?" I turned to him with a smile, looking at him in the eyes. I could tell this was going to be serious.
"Objectively speaking... I'm stronger than you, more capable. All Mights got his eye on you, doesn't he? Now I'm not about to pry into why that is, but... I will beat you." He told me, determined and fierce.
"Ooh!! A declaration of war from the strongest in the class?!" Kaminari commented while I thought of how to reply.
"Hey, man, why pick a fight now?! We're about to go on..." Kirishima tried to calm the situation, but Todoroki had gotten me fired up as well now.
"I really don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here." The half and half boy spoke, and I grinned at him.
"I'm not really sure why you felt the need to tell me you're going to beat me unless you're trying to psych me out. But everyone, even the kids from the other courses, are aiming for the top. I'm not gonna fall behind, I'm gonna go for it too, with everything I've got!" I told him, feeling myself getting excited, hoping I got to have the chance to take him head on.
"Anywho, I'll see ya later, Todoroki. It's almost time, and I got something I gotta do." I waved, switching up and heading over to Ashido.
"Hey, do I get a kiss for luck? We can make it into a little tradition." I flirted, watching her roll her eyes before kissing my cheek.
"You're such a hopeless nerd. Lucky for you, I've decided you're my hopeless nerd." She told me, taking her spot at the front of the line behind Aoyama before we all marched out, my own thoughts blocking the sounds of Present Mic screaming.
We walked out in a single file before spreading out in rows of four, with five in a line like in our classroom.
Slowly, the other class and courses came out, and I greeted the few that I'd seen with a wave.
Up on a podium, Midnight- The R-Rated hero stood, making an announcement.
"Now for the athletes oath!" She called, while Tokoyami pondered if an R-Rated hero should be in a high school, and Mineta told him to shut up.
"Pipe down!! Your student representative is... From Class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya!" She called, and I felt myself moving towards the podium. Couldn't they have warned me ahead of time?
"Must be because he came in first during the hero course entrance exam." I heard Sero whisper, looking at the crowd of my peers.
"The athletes oath... make no mistake, we're all aiming for first place, and I'm no different! I'm going to give it my all to win, so we should all push past our limits and go beyond, plus ultra!" I pumped my arm in the air with a great big grin.
"This is gonna be easier than I thought." A support course student spoke, and I didn't argue. The results would show him how wrong he was.
"What riveting words! I can feel my own excitement rising!" Midnight called, pausing for the cameras so guys at home could pretend they were talking to them.
"Now, without delay, let's get the first event started! These are the qualifiers! It's in this stage that so many are sent home crying every year!! And the fateful first event this year is... this obstacle race!" She pointed, posing for the cameras before continuing again.
"It's a race between every member of all eleven classes! The course is a four-kilometer lap around the stadium itself! Our school preaches freedom in all things!" She laughed, leaving us wondering what was coming.
"So as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game! Racers to your positions!"
We lined up, and the gate was too narrow. Unless you were smart, you'd be left behind from people pushing and shoving to get through.
A short countdown up top, red, red, red, green, and Midnight yelled, "Start!" All of them taking off while I waited a moment, powering up a little before I bended my knees, jumping over their heads, only a few people ahead of me, dodging Todorokis' ice and punching a robotic arm away from Mineta before it could smack him.
"Oh yeah, this is my kinda obstacle course!" I exclaimed, Todoroki froze the zero-pointers from our entrance exam. At least I thought that was he doing, just blocking the way and trapping most of us with them.
I focused the power in my arms, pulling them both back before using my full power briefly, and watching them break away, the ice behind them shattering as well.
I moved past the wreckage, past anyone who'd kept moving, and up to my goal.
"Not bad, Todoroki, but it's not enough to keep me from catching up! You wanted a challenge. You've got one!" I yelled, wrapped up in the competitiveness of it all.
"See ya!" I pushed forward, leaving him behind me before I came up to a giant pit filled with stone pillars connected by only ropes, charging up and jumping it entirely.
I heard them announce the minefield, jumping as far as I could and closing my eyes, plugging my ears, the explosion hard enough to knock me off my feet, but I opened my eyes long enough to get my baring and jumping again, about a fifth of the minefield behind me as I kept going, over and over, a clear patch coming into view as I jumped one last time, my feet already moving as I pushed past the final stretch back into the stadium, holding my left arm above my head in triumph.
"Can my mom see me? Hi mom!" I waved, grinning at a camera before they turned to the others, taking a seat in the grass and resting. Knowing U.A., I'd need all the rest I could get.