The students were so engrossed in their training that before they knew it, the day for the sports festival had finally arrived. During their week of training, many of the students had gotten some quality training and improvement with their quirk, a few of them even coming up with some new moves to utilize during their fights.
For the bowl-haired esper, controlling the amount of energy utilized in his fists and other parts of his body was a piece of cake. By the time the sports festival arrived, Mob had already figured out the internal mechanism and focus needed to restrict the output released from his fists.
54%
All Might was astounded by the level of progress that the young esper was making. He truly wasn't expecting him to manage to get the hang of it so quickly, and when he asked Kageyama how he'd picked it up so quickly, he shrugged his shoulders and gave him the same response All Might had given Kageyama for the same question: it just flowed for him. The number one hero had heartily laughed at Mob's response: it seemed that his phenomenal psychic power also gave him an extremely advanced growth rate and an ability to quickly pick up concepts with minimal practice. Who knew what else Kageyama could do with this kind of potential?
News crews from all over the country and other parts of the world had come to record this event live. However, actually getting into the event was more difficult than anticipated due to significantly increased security, and there was a very long line to get passes inside. Many heroes had also been called to protect students in the event of another villain attack, which only went to show how important this festival was to the school.
With the festival close to starting, almost all of the students of Class 1-A had already changed and were conversing amongst themselves in the waiting room. Many of them were wondering what this festival had in store for them, what challenges it would bring, and whether they would be able to endure those challenges.
"Everyone!" Iida shouted loudly as he entered the waiting room. "We're entering the arena very shortly, so put your game faces on!"
Now that the festival would commence shortly, Shoto decided to use the little time they had left before it started to talk to the two people he was most prepared to confront during this festival: Kageyama and Midoriya. Coincidentally, the two of them were talking and standing at the center of the room, but stopped their conversation once they saw Todoroki approach them.
"Hey Todoroki. How's it going?" said Midoriya. The other students watching could tell that Todoroki had something important he wanted to say. The cold, serious look in his eyes was an obvious tell, and the first one those eyes went to was to Midoriya.
"Midoriya, from an objective standpoint, I'm stronger than you." The green-haired teenager parted his lips in surprise but slightly tilted his head in agreement. Next, the dual quirk-wielding teenager turned his attention towards Kageyama, and he felt a small vein in his head throb at what he was going to say next. "And you, Kageyama, as much as it may annoy me to admit, are stronger than I am from an objective standpoint, as you proved during our battle trial."
"But both of you have All Might in your corner helping you out." The two teenagers were surprised that Todoroki had made such a bold statement and had figured this fact out about both of them. "I'm not gonna pry into the details of any of that, but know that I will beat both of you and avenge my loss against you, Kageyama."
Izuku and Shigeo parted their lips, both feeling a sweat bead fall down their faces. A few of the classmates watching this debacle unfolded could tell this and were slightly annoyed by it.
"Man, there're a lot of these declarations of war coming out," Kaminari remarked. Kirishima, who was sitting beside the electricity-wielding teenager, got up from his seat and attempted to defuse the situation, placing his hand on Shoto's shoulder.
"Yeah, Todoroki, what's the big deal? Why d'you gotta start picking fights like this right before the festival's about to start?" The white-and-crimson-haired student pushed Kirishima's hand away from his shoulder.
"We're not here to be each other's friends. This isn't a team effort."
"I disagree." Once the esper decided to speak up, the class immediately tuned their ears in to listen, knowing that whatever Mob was going to say would be long and profound.
"Back at my middle school, I was part of a club called the Body Improvement Club. All of the members were dedicated to strengthening their bodies and improving themselves. Everything we did was a team effort: none of the members ever tried to brag about their strength or argue about which one was the strongest, and the club always tried to make sure that every member could keep up."
The young esper began rotating his head so that he could look at every student in the class. "To me, I see this class as the same thing. Everyone here came to this school to become an amazing hero. We're all in this together, which makes us a team. So why not help each other? Why not try to be there to help our classmates when they fall?"
Kageyama stood in anticipation, waiting to see how Todoroki and the rest of the class would react to the esper's words. In a move that surprised the bowl-haired teenager, light applause came from students all across the room. Some of the students, like Todoroki and Bakugo, didn't move a finger, whereas other students, like Kirishima and Iida, engaged in fierce applause.
"Dude, you're awesome at giving those short speeches," exclaimed Kirishima.
"I am?"
"Absolutely." The spectacled teenager was likewise impressed by the esper's ability to give very impactful and supportive speeches, which was ironically the thing that Kageyama envied about Iida, his cool-headed nature and ability to talk to a crowd. "Not only are your messages impactful, but your delivery is also extremely well-done."
Standing beside Kageyama, the green-haired fanboy's face beamed. As always, Kageyama was able to bring the class together. He had intended to give his own response to Todoroki's proclamation of war, about how he would also be aiming for the number one spot, but giving such a speech after hearing what Kageyama said seemed like it would take away from the esper's message.
Before Kageyama could give his thanks to both Kirishima and Iida for their words of praise, Todoroki cut him off with the same icy tone in his voice as before. "You can say whatever you want about teamwork, Kageyama, but at the end of the day, there's only gonna be one winner of this festival. Or am I wrong?"
For this, the esper could not give a proper response, and his lips were tightly sealed.
"That's what I thought." The dual quirk-wielding teenager glanced at the clock briefly and, upon seeing the time, began heading toward the door. Iida also looked at the clock and took the same directive as Todoroki.
"Alright, everyone. Let's all head out." The students of Class 1-A pushed themselves out of their seats and headed toward the door. As they began heading toward the door, a few of them stopped at the center of the room to talk to Kageyama.
"Dude, don't listen to Todoroki's negative vibe," said Kirishima, "What you said was still pretty deep."
"Glad to see that somebody's not totally obsessing over beating other students," Kaminari said.
"Uniting this class under a common goal and shared similarity is definitely a good start to forming a strong bond within our class." Yaoyorozu, despite having her own desire to win and prove herself during this festival, also liked the esper's attempt to create smooth relationships between the class. "Your line of thinking, while it may not directly apply to this festival, is undoubtedly important."
"Well..." As expected, the bowl-haired esper's cheeks lightly blushed at the praise he received. "I just don't like seeing so much anger around me." The other teenagers definitely saw where he was coming from: the competition and desire to win were very strong motivators, but they could also create very large rifts if the students took it too far.
With that out of the way, the class walked in silence towards the exit. As they were pacing outward, many of them were beginning to feel butterflies growing in their stomach. Outside, there were thousands upon thousands of spectators waiting for them, eager to see how they would perform and what they could do. Not only that, but several heroes would be scouting and picking out fresh talents. For many of the students, especially Kageyama and Midoriya, this was a very big pressure and way out of their comfort zone. But the two training partners knew that they couldn't afford to let their nervousness get the better of them. All Might had explicitly put his faith and trust in both of them to do the best they could during this festival.
"I won't let you down, All Might." These were the thoughts running through Shigeo and Izuku's minds as they both passed through the open entrance and got a good view of the enormous crowd cheering for all of the students of U.A. High.
Once Kageyama and Midoriya saw the crowd in person, the butterflies in their stomach began to fly faster. Serving as the announcer with his boisterous persona and loud voice was Present Mic; the energy with which he was speaking served to invigorate the crowd.
"Welcome back, everyone, to the U.A. Sports Festival, where the students are all ready to put everything they have on the field in a massive all-out brawl! This first group is no strangers to the spotlight! You know them as the students who defended themselves against a villain attack! The hero students of Class 1-A!" The crowd's cheers only became more massive as the students from Class 1-A came into view.
"So many people watching us," muttered Kageyama.
"Well, heroes often have to deal with spectators and their acts of justice being televised, so we should begin to adjust to this attention," replied Iida.
Kirishima noted the very dramatic and grandiose manner in which Present Mic was announcing their arrival. "Man, Present Mic's really talking our class up, and it's kind of making me nervous if we can really live up to all this hype surrounding us. Bakugo, you don't seem really nervous about this."
The blonde-haired teenager reveled in the public's attention and praise, his red eyes burning with excitement. "Nope. It just makes me even more pumped to win this thing."
While Class 1-A was making their entrance, Present Mic continued announcing the other classes entering from the tunnels. "Though they haven't received as much attention, this class is still brimming with talented young students! Welcome hero course Class 1-B to the arena! Up next, General Studies, Classes C, D, and E! Support Classes F, G, and H! And finally, Businesses Classes I, J, and K! Give it up for all of these first-year contestants!"
The uproar continued, though many of the students in the non-hero classes could tell that this applause wasn't directed towards them; it was directed towards the students with the most talent, the ones who could put on a good show and entertain the crowd.
All the students from the different classes were now bunched together in the center of the arena. Standing on a podium with a small rubber whip was the hero Midnight, a gorgeous heroine at U.A. High whose charm and revealing outfit made her very popular with male citizens. In the spectator's crowd, the males were all enthralled with Midnight, their cheeks lightly blushing in attraction. The students weren't as attracted to the teacher's revealing outfit, their cheeks blushing in embarrassment.
"Someone really needs to talk to Ms. Midnight about her clothes," Kirishima said.
"Her costume needs to come with a warning," added Kaminari.
"Is that costume really appropriate for school activities?" asked Tokoyami. While these male students were flustered by Midnight's clothing, Mineta was absolutely digging the teacher's dominatrix clothing and gave a very big thumbs-up of approval.
"Welcome all!" The dominatrix raised her whip into the air. "Before we begin the festival, we have the introductory speech given by Shigeo Kageyama!"
"Kageyama?" All of the students of Class 1-A turned their heads toward the esper, whose face was now blood red.
"He's the first year-rep?" Midoriya exclaimed.
Mob's brain was too shaken to think properly, his breath catching in his throat as his heart stopped beating. This was the last thing he was expecting or wanted. He had to give a speech? To everyone in the stadium, which consisted of thousands and thousands of people, not to mention all the other people in the world watching this live? He couldn't even muster the courage to talk to his middle school after days of preparation! How was he supposed to say something on the spot in front of an entire arena? He didn't know what to say, what could possibly be potent or powerful enough to reach so many people! This was something that Iida would be great at, not him!
61%
While the esper had absolutely no faith in his public speaking abilities, several of his classmates believed this would be a very easy task for Mob.
"Come on, don't be nervous! You're great at this!" The red-haired teenager gave him a reaffirming slap on the back. "Just go up there and say something cool like you did in the waiting room!"
"Maybe you can even give us some good rep for the other classes!" added Kaminari.
Tokoyami attempted to give his words of encouragement, for he also thought of the esper very highly after seeing his humility and lack of aggression. "Stand proud and tall, Kageyama. You have no need to fear this."
"With your modest nature, I'm confident you will think of a meaningful message to give." Yaoyorozu was also beside him, attempting to put the esper at ease. Midoriya put his hand on Shigeo's shoulder and smiled confidently.
"You can do this, Kageyama!"
Still too flustered to form a voice, the esper could barely form the smallest smile and the shortest nods to his classmates before he made his way to the podium. His entire body felt like concrete, and every step that got him closer to the microphone only made his heart race even more. While Kageyama was going up to the podium, many of the students began whispering amongst themselves.
"Whoa, that's Shigeo Kageyama?"
"I heard about him! He got first on the entrance exam with a crazy high score!"
"Pfft." One of the girls from the general studies course merely scoffed, annoyed by all the glory the hero course was receiving. "Yea, only for the hero course exam." The students from Class 1-A overheard these comments and began to get headaches. This was the hate their class was receiving, probably partly fueled by Bakugo. But it would please them to know that not all the students shared the same mindset.
"Huh. He wasn't what I was expecting him to look like. He looks kinda... plain."
"I actually heard from some of our classmates that he tried to defend the students who weren't from the hero course the other day when another guy from Class 1-A tried to bash them."
"He did?"
"You'd think a guy like that would be all arrogant and self-righteous, but he doesn't seem to be that kinda person."
"Maybe Class 1-A isn't as self-absorbed as we thought they were."
"Who knows?"
Many of the students of Class 1-A felt their spirits lifted. Kageyama was actually managing to salvage some of their reputation. Maybe this speech was the chance their class had to recover their lost standing with the rest of the school.
Shigeo Kageyama was now standing at the center of the podium, facing all of the students from all the different classes. Every single pair of eyes was focused on the esper. Sitting with the rest of the U.A. High faculty, the symbol of peace gently bit his lip, waiting in anticipation to see what Kageyama would say to this crowd and to all of the people. This was a very big moment for the esper: not only was he being forced to confront his weakness of public speaking, but what he said would essentially serve as the stamp on his public image, how the world would view the esper's personality and his ideals. So what was Kageyama going to say?
On the podium, Kageyama's mind was going into overdrive, the adrenaline causing multiple thoughts and emotions to race through him while he remained silent. Kageyama looked at the crowd of students and noticed many of his classmates smiling at him and giving them a thumbs-up. All of them were cheering him on, giving him their confidence.
68%
He couldn't blow it this time! Last time, he'd let himself and his embarrassment get the best of him, and he'd ended up looking like an idiot! If he simply stood there and said nothing now, he'd end up looking like an idiot to the school, the country, and maybe the entire world! So he had to step up! He'd changed from that first speech he gave! He had to overcome this!
But what could he say? Kirishima had said that he was great at giving these speeches, going up on the podium, and simply saying what he usually said! But what did he usually say? Kageyama's first focus was determining what made everyone admire his speeches, what he did and said that impressed his classmates to see if he could somehow replicate it now.
Well, whenever he talked to the class, he usually tried to tell them his point of view or simply express his thoughts and opinions. When he did that, his mind was only focused on delivering his message, as if the presence of multiple people wasn't there. All that mattered to him was getting through to all the people he was speaking to.
As he looked at the crowd of students, besides his fellow classmates from Class 1-A, he noticed the classmates from the general studies courses and other courses, barring the hero course. He noticed the way several of them looked annoyed and irritated. Kageyama could partly see why: all of the attention was being pointed at their class and the hero courses. Then he noticed the purple-haired student who'd confronted their class the other day. He'd really wanted to get into the hero course but simply didn't get the chance. That didn't mean his passion or presence should be ignored, and the same applied to any of the other students there! They all made it to U.A. after all! That in and of itself was proof of their worth!
"U.A. High... is a pla-place with very hi-high standards." After a seven-second silence, the esper decided to try and do what he'd always done and speak his mind rather than say something scripted and dispassionate like he did for the class president election, and it turned out he actually managed to spew some words out of his mouth. His voice was shaky, his face was still blushing, and his body was lightly trembling, all selling the image of a child with low confidence, but he still had something started. That alone was a milestone for the esper, and he felt his heart do a very tiny flip. Now he just had to keep going!
"...99% of the people who apply don't get in. But-but every student in every class standing in this arena made it here, all... all driven by their dreams and goals for the future, and... they should-should all feel proud that they're standing here right now." As he continued to speak, for some reason, the esper felt like it was getting easier, that he could talk more clearly and concisely. He couldn't explain it, but he began to slowly feel the tension beginning to fade away, the redness in his cheeks nominally subside. He was still feeling a great deal of pressure, but by simply talking and expressing himself, he felt as though it made this less of a burden.
For a split second, Shinso swore that he and Kageyama made eye contact as if what the esper was about to say was being directed towards him. "For a lot of students here... they've put in their best effort in preparation for this day. This Sp-sp-Sports Festival is their chance to fu-fulfill their dreams, make large strides toward their goals. So... I truly hope that every student here gets the chance to make the most out of this festival... and show everyone the... the results of their hard work. Th-Thank you."
The crowd of students began a rapid onslaught of applause. Many of the students of Class 1-A were clapping as loud as possible, shouting Kageyama's name with their hearts bursting with joy. The students from the other courses were likewise impressed with the esper's words: while his speech may have been viewed as fake, many of them could see that Kageyama had truly put his heart into it. Even Shinso, who'd said to Kageyama that he wasn't exempt from his declaration of war, gave a few small, soft claps of approval. There was no cynicism or mockery in his words, he could tell. Some of the students, such as Bakugo and Todoroki, remained silent and composed, unimpressed with Mob's words and refusing to clap in praise. A few of the students from the other courses were also unimpressed, finding the esper's words to be more focused toward those in the hero course and still choosing to view him as the high-and-mighty student standing atop all of them.
The spectators in the crowd burst into a mad frenzy of cheering. The teachers of U.A. also showed their respect through applause, though All Might's clapping was by far the loudest in the room and his smile the widest.
"That's the way, Kageyama!" said All Might. Despite a rough start, he still managed to push through and give a compelling, heartfelt message to all of the first-year students.
On the podium, Kageyama was utterly overwhelmed by this onslaught of applause. His mind was mixed in with so many different emotions, the primary ones being shock and relief that it was finally over and he'd managed to actually put some words together in a coherent manner. The blush on his face was still a deep red, and that red only became deeper when Midnight spoke to Kageyama with a lecherous look in her eyes and a sly grin on her face.
"You know, you're kind of cute when you're embarrassed," Midnight said in a tone that caused the esper to actually yelp with disconcertion. "Now go join the rest of your class. Good speech."
The esper did as the dominatrix asked and stepped down from the podium. Once he stepped down and got on the level of everyone else, he only became more flustered by the applause and the smiles on everyone's faces, and the esper couldn't help but smile back. The students of Class 1-A all gathered around him. Kirishima wrapped his arm around the esper's shoulder and shook him with high energy.
"THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! You killed it like I said you would!" Kirishima said.
"I think you might've saved our class's reputation! Awesome job!" added Kaminari.
"You really spoke to all of the students and gave them a sense of motivation," Tsu remarked, "Good going."
"Remarkable words as always," said Yaoyorozu.
"I'm just relieved that I managed to actually say something up there," muttered Kageyama, wiping his forehead in relief.
"Yea, you were sweating like a pig," Sero said, "But you still nailed it."
"OK then!" Midnight's voice rang through the stadium, and all of the students refocused their attention towards the female hero. "Without further ado, it's time to get things started! The first fateful game of the festival-" A monitor screen appeared behind Midnight, showing a large spinning machine. The spinning machine ran for a few seconds, and then landed on the "obstacle race" option.
"So this'll be an obstacle course," muttered Midoriya.
"All eleven classes will participate in this treacherous contest. The track is four miles long and loops around the stadium." The curvaceous hero cracked her whip. "I have no desire to restrain anyone in this game," she said, licking her lips with a sadistic smile.
"As long as you remain in the obstacle course, feel free to do whatever you wish!" After the explanation of this first phase of the sports festival finished, the classes crowded around a large red gate with three lights at the top. With everyone ready to go, the three lights glowed green, and one by one, the lights flickered off as a sign of the countdown. Almost all of the students felt their stomachs twisting in knots, for it was only seconds before this race began.
Standing in the crowd, each in their own worlds, Izuku and Shigeo stood crouched and ready to sprint. Both of them remembered All Might's words, how they were to introduce themselves to the world and proudly state they were there. Izuku, though, knew he was still at a disadvantage: he couldn't control One For All yet, meaning he had to be careful to choose when he'd use it, so he'd have to go beyond.
"I hope you're watching, All Might!"
The final light flickered out, and the dominatrix hero threw her hand down.
"BEGIN!"
All of the students began a quick and hectic frenzy through the gate, determined to get as much of a head start as possible.
At the top, the announcer, Present Mic, did his job. "And we're off to a racing start! How 'bout some colored commentary, mummy man? What should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the race?"
The answer to that question was much more obvious than one might imagine. "The doorway."
Unfortunately for the students, the passageway into the obstacle course wasn't nearly large enough for all of the students to fit through at the same time. It was like a den of pigs, all squirming and writhing as they tried to get out. For many of the students, it was proving to be a very challenging first part of the obstacle course. For a certain bowl-haired esper, however, he found that the solution to this was quite simple.
His body glowed light blue, and he began to float in the air. As determined as many students in Class 1-A were to beat Shigeo in this sports festival and obstacle course, they quickly realized that this was going to be a much more impossible task than they'd imagined, especially when he was fighting to win like everyone else.
In the passageway, the esper disappeared from sight. A powerful sonic boom reverberated through the passageway, standing up the hair of many students. For the few competitors who looked up, all they could see was a light blue blur speeding past them. For many of the students of Class 1-A, it wasn't hard to figure out who that was.
"Damn it." Todoroki clenched his hands and his teeth in frustration. He never imagined that Kageyama could fly at such incredible speed! He thought that the large crowd would give Todoroki a head start over the esper, but he was wrong. Not only that, but his ability to fly gave him significant maneuverability and would likely allow him to overtake the obstacles they were to face. With that kind of speed and maneuverability, there was no way Todoroki would be able to bridge the gap in distance.
As expected, Bakugo saw this brief blur and screamed out in absolute anger, coming to the same realization as Todoroki.
"NO! GET BACK HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Midoriya saw this display of speed and was left baffled. This was the level of power Kageyama was at, a level that far exceeded anything their classmates were at and gave him abilities none of them could hope to match yet. As All Might said, he was already near the level of the Symbol of Peace.
Blitzing through the air like a speeding bullet, the esper took one somber and regretful look at the students who were all attempting to claw their way to the exit. "I'm sorry, you guys. All Might's counting on me to show what I can do, and I just can't let him down. Midoriya, I wish the two of us could place first, but only one person can win. I hope you'll manage to get second place, though." The esper's fuel that drove him to take this seriously was All Might's words and everything he'd done to help him through his struggles. Not living up to All Might's expectations would be an insult to him and everything he'd done for Mob, and the esper wouldn't allow that. So he had to proudly declare "I am here!" through a definite victory!
71%
These thoughts ran through the esper's mind in the blink of an eye, and in that same amount of time, he'd already made it to the next obstacle in this race through speed that far surpassed sound. He wasn't using his full power, but the power he was outputting was still something no other student in U.A. could currently go up against.
"And with lightning-fast speed, Shigeo Kageyama pulls to first place and reaches the first obstacle!" In the stadium, many of the spectators almost found it hard to accept what they'd just seen: Kageyama had gone so fast it looked like he'd teleported. Well, if they found that hard to believe, they'd find the esper's next feat to be downright impossible.
The esper stopped when he saw an army of robots standing in his way and floated back to the ground.
"I recognize these robots..." A blast from the past, U.A. High had decided to repeat their entrance exam and placed a great number of robots to block the students' path. There were several dozen regular-sized robots in the one-to-three-point range, but towering behind them were at least nine zero-point robots. Kageyama was surprised that they'd managed to get so many of those zero-point robots ready for this festival. However, these robots posed absolutely no threat to Mob.
"Let's see how this talented young hero-in-training fares in this robo-inferno!"
"I shouldn't waste my time trying to fight these things. I'll just move them out of my way." The esper's aura once again flared to life, and suddenly, the robots began to float. In a jaw-dropping display of power, not only were all of the regular-sized robots being lifted up, but the building-sized machines were also being lifted up several meters into the air.
In the stadium, the crowd felt as though they were seeing some sort of illusion. How could this be real? How could a child lift objects the size of buildings like that?
"Ha-ha-ha!" The symbol of peace howled with amusement and delight. Kageyama certainly wasn't afraid to show what he could do when the time called for it. That would definitely turn the heads of everyone in the arena. A few of the other teachers, though, were displaying a much more awed reaction. Present Mic did his best to capture the magnitude of what the crowd was witnessing.
"Can you believe what you're seeing, folks? Kageyama passes through this army of robots and lifts them all into the air like he's lifting old newspapers! This contestant is definitely someone we should all keep our attention on! Looks like this kid didn't get first in the entrance exam for nothing!"
"What raw power..." Aizawa was in a state of awe, like the rest of the faculty, at the level of power being displayed. What was perhaps more unnerving was that even as the esper sprinted under the robots, his face remained as stoic and neutral as always, as if this was just child's play. Hell, it probably was for Kageyama: it frightened Aizawa to know how much more he could lift if he was serious like he was during the U.S.J.
The esper had already finished his quick run underneath the robots. Lifting so many heavy objects at the same time was not something he did very often, and Kageyama felt a strain from the weight. As he made it to the other side and past the robots, he dropped his hand, thus dropping the robots. The height that Kageyama had lifted them was not too much, though a great deal of them sustained some damage and had some of their mobility hindered. Mob had considered lifting them high enough so that their fall would leave them beyond functionality. But this obstacle course was the time for the students to show off their Quirks: getting rid of an entire obstacle of this race would deprive them of that chance, so he left the robots be.
Now that the robots were out of the way, the esper activated his psychic power once again, though he decided to stay on the ground this time. With this phenomenal speed, it only took less than two seconds for the esper to reach his next obstacle. It was a very large ravine with multiple rocks, which seemed to serve as stepping stones for the contestants to make it to the other side. In addition, many ropes were connected to all of the rocks, which would give the contestants an easier time getting across. Mob made a quick decision to make a very small jump across the ravine. However, he overshot his landing point, and instead of landing on the other side of the ravine, managed to get so far up ahead that he accidentally landed directly on the final obstacle.
The esper was moving so quickly that the spectators barely had time to process what was happening.
"That kid, he's unbelievably fast."
"He's like a human torpedo!"
"Just who in the hell is this Shigeo Kageyama?"
"He's an absolute monster!"
"I think every hero agency in Japan's gonna fight to the death to decide who gets this kid as a sidekick!"
Likewise, Present Mic couldn't even properly narrate what was happening with how fast Kageyama was going. It was just about to prepare to announce the large ravine obstacle and ask how Kageyama would deal with it when instead, the cameras focused on a very large boom and pink smoke. It was a land mine filled with a non-deadly but still damaging smoke substance that would cause damage if any students stepped on it.
"What's this? Shigeo Kageyama, the speeding bullet, somehow managed to overcome the second obstacle and landed himself straight in the third and final obstacle! Will he continue this absolutely crazy lead?"
Every spectator in the audience glued their eyes to the screens to see what would happen next if the esper had managed to sustain some damage. But when they looked at the screen, all they saw was the smoke fanned away from some gusts of air, and before they knew it, Kageyama was running through the gate. It didn't take long for the esper to figure out that he'd accidentally landed on a minefield, though the mines didn't possess the power to hurt him. He could probably walk through the entire field without getting a single scratch, but he decided to do the easiest thing and activate his flight. With his speed, it took him less than a second to reach the gate. In fact, he'd gotten through the obstacle course at such an unbelievable speed that by the time he made it end, the students had only just gotten out of the starting gate.
"Th-this is jaw-dropping, ladies and gentlemen! In less than a mind-blowing, world-shattering twenty seconds, Shigeo Kageyama has taken first place and established himself as the indisputable champion of the first trial! It's absolutely unfair what the rest of the students are up against here! Who can keep up with a living bullet like him?"
In the teacher's box, all of the teachers got out of their seats and fervently applauded the young esper, with All Might being the loudest and the most excited. Even he could have never imagined that Kageyama would shine with such an overwhelming brightness. Even if the esper didn't win the sports festival, this first round had already done more than enough to cement Kageyama as a rising hero.
"Didn't think it would be over so soon. I might have overdone it." Standing in the center of the arena, the bowl-haired esper took in all of this praise and applause with indifference. He didn't really care about whether or not he'd gotten in first or what the spectators thought of his power; all he cared about was fulfilling the goals All Might had set for him. He also began to feel a sense of nausea: he still wasn't very used to using his telekinesis to fly at such fast speeds. Usually, when he was at full power, this weakness didn't really affect him, but now, he could feel his senses knocked slightly off-balance.
The esper's eyes shot through the stadium, trying to find where the hero might be. When he found him, he was relieved to see the number one hero not only applauding but heartily laughing with a smile reaching up to his chin.
The esper's neutral expression changed to a proud one. He'd done what All Might had said he should set out to do, and he did it just like he wanted. That alone meant much more than the fact that he won.
76%
"This is a competition where everyone aims for the top," thought All Might, "Even though that means defeating your friends and classmates. To be honest, I thought that you wouldn't be able to go through with it, that you'd just let someone else take the lead, but you proved me wrong!"
While All Might was internalizing these thoughts, a few students stood among the crowd who were taking Kageyama's victory with burgeoning interest. They were part of the business course, and this sports festival was their opportunity to measure the potential of all the competitors in the future hero market.
"I think it's abundantly clear that Kageyama's stock is about to skyrocket."
"Abundantly, yes. I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that every hero agency in Japan will be hunting him."
"Still, he doesn't exude confidence. You saw the way he paused during his introductory speech. And appearance-wise, he's also rather plain looking."
"Those factors are practically irrelevant in the face of his overwhelming power."
The business course students continued to debate how much Kageyama's stock would be worth, while All Might listened in with a cheeky grin on his face. Some things never changed.
The esper didn't bask in the glory of his victory: while he did what All Might had said to do, he still felt guilty for leaving all of his classmates in the dust with such an inconceivably large lead. They deserved their chance to shine, too, and he hoped that they'd get their chance to prove their worth as he said in their speech.
Having finished so quickly, the bowl-haired student stood in the stadium silently, staring at the gate to see the next person who'd come out of that gate. So who would take second place? Would it be Midoriya, as he was desperately hoping it would be?
Shigeo was correct: even without using his quirk, Midoriya was able to use his wits to find a way to overtake the other two leaders, Todoroki and Bakugo. As the green-haired teenager made it through the gate, he was overcome by personal joy and pride in everything he accomplished. Against all the odds, against more experienced and more powerful students, the fanboy had actually persevered and defeated them. As he heard the crowd cheer, he looked around, taking the setting in and coming to terms with his victory. He'd done just as All Might had said. As he looked through the stadium, he found the symbol of peace standing with the other heroes and applauding the teenager. He saw the number one hero beaming with pride, and it couldn't help but cause Izuku to beam as well. He was overtaken with emotion and began to form tears in his eyes, the weight of his victory too much to contain.
He was so proud, however, that he had completely forgotten about Kageyama, the fact that he didn't get first place, and had to be reminded by Present Mic.
"The second one to make it back to the stadium is Izuku Midoriya!"
"Midoriya!" The esper had gotten rather bored waiting for the rest of the students to come and was relieved to see that his friend and training partner had gotten second place just as he'd hoped he would. As Mob approached Izuku, the green-eyed teenager wiped the tears away from his eyes. "You got second place! Amazing! I knew you'd pull it off!"
"And you got first. That's pretty amazing, too." Even after overcoming both Bakugo and Todoroki, he was still woefully outclassed by Kageyama. Furthermore, he'd only won through experimentation, making gambles that could have easily gone the wrong way, while Shigeo won through pure power. And by how much did the esper win? How big was the gap between them?
Observing the two interacting with each other from afar, Todoroki felt a tick in his brain. As he expected, Kageyama had gotten first place and made it to the finish line far before any of them, and then there was Midoriya, who managed to get the edge over him without even using his quirk. This had turned out worse than he'd anticipated.
Likewise, Bakugo was seething with anger and frustration. After that all-out sprint, he was catching his breath and caught a glimpse of Midoriya and Kageyama talking with each other. He grabbed his forearm and began to tremble.
"Deku, the bowl-cut, not again..." As much as he wanted to deny it, Bakugo had once again lost to the same people he swore he'd defeat, with Todoroki to add to the pile of shame. What made it worse with Kageyama was that he couldn't even do anything to stop him: he was just helpless to watch as he flew on ahead.
"Deku, that was awesome!" Uraraka, close to passing out from exhaustion, ran towards the two teenagers and congratulated Midoriya for his second-place victory. "You got second place! And Kageyama, you got first by a huge margin! I'm so jealous!"
"Oh, don't be, Uraraka."
Midoriya internally disagreed with the young esper, twitching his fingers ever-so-slightly. It made sense to be a LITTLE jealous of Kageyama, given his awesome power and the way he had won first place.
The rest of the students quickly came one after the other. After a few minutes, all of the contestants had finished the obstacle course, though almost all of the teenagers were completely exhausted. As things settled down and the classmates began to converse with one another, one of the main topics that they couldn't help focusing on was Kageyama's performance. The students were all wrapping their heads around the fact that the esper could move at such speeds and fly so fast that the eyes couldn't follow. Even those in Class 1-A were talking about the fearsome abilities he possessed. Through every challenge and every competition, it was becoming more and more clear to them Kageyama stood as the strongest in the class and the entire grade.
After the obstacle course was over, all the students gathered back at the podium, where Midnight was waiting.
"The first game for the first years is finally over, and what an exciting event it was! Before we start the second phase, let's take a quick look at the standing, shall we?"
A screen appeared behind Midnight with the order of the victors, and Kageyama appeared in the number one spot. Many of the top spots went to Class 1-A, although a good number of the top spots also belonged to Class 1-B, proving that they weren't simply hacks and could hold their own.
"Only the top 42 will advance to the next round, though don't get too down if you didn't make the cuts. There'll be plenty of opportunities for you to shine," Midnight said, licking her lips again in erotic delight. "Now the real fun's going to begin. The chance where you'll fully move yourselves into the limelight, to give it your best."
Midnight cracked her whip, and the large slot machine appeared again to decide the second phase. "Let's see what's in store for you next! Will your wildest fantasies come to life? What could it be? The waiting is torture! Prepare yourselves for this!"
The slot machine stopped on "Cavalry Battle". Upon seeing this, Kaminari's brows furrowed in concern.
"Cavalry battle? I suck at those."
"I wonder how they're gonna pair us up since it's not an individual event," Tsu said.
Midnight was ready to explain all the details of the game. "Allow me to explain: the participants will form teams of two to four people as they see fit. In a sense, it's the same as a regular playground game. However, there is a significant difference: each player has been assigned a point value based on their ranking in the obstacle course."
Uraraka built on what the teacher said: "That means each team's gonna have a different point value based on which students are on it." Ashido, who was standing next to her, pointed her fingers to compliment her assessment. Midnight, however, took anger in being interrupted and cracked her whip.
"Maybe shut up and let me explain the rules!" The monitor screen changed to show the number of points going to each contestant. "Now then, the point assignments go up by increments of five, starting from the lowest spot. For instance, 42nd place is worth five, and 41st is worth ten. And the number of points first place is assigned: ten million!"
Kageyama broke out in a cold sweat. Did he hear that right? Ten million? The reaction to this revelation among the crowd of students differed: they were all baffled by how many points Kageyama was worth, sure, but what they'd choose to do with that varied. On one hand, it made Kageyama a very big target that everyone would be going for to ensure victory. On the other hand, it actually made Kageyama an extremely desirable partner. They'd all seen his incredible speed, and the students of Class 1-A watched his performance in the battle trial, the quirk apprehension test, and for a few, the U.S.J. Someone as strong as him would be the perfect way to guarantee victory by keeping his headband.
Regardless of this, the esper still felt a great deal of pressure being put on him, unsure of how this would play out.
Midnight saw Mob break into a cold sweat, and her sadistic side flared up. "That's right: it's survival of the fittest, where those at the bottom will have the chance to overthrow the top." Whatever was going to happen, it could not be denied that the Cavalry Battle would be undoubtedly dramatic, and the audience was hungry to see it.
As expected, Mob absolutely dominates! This is me sort of ranting, but the counter is a representation of how much energy he's using. It's not a countdown of his emotional state, though there're a few things that are unclear that kinda annoy me. For instance, it seems like he has a certain degree of control over how much energy he releases, given when he increases the counter whenever he's fighting, such as with Mogami in their first encounter, though it seems he's not very precise with it. Furthermore, it doesn't seem like he can decrease his power once it reaches a certain level, and he has to wait until a 100% explosion to reset the counter. Besides, in all his battles, he'd either won with 100% or just in his base. In all his battles, such as Koyama, Tsuchiya, and Suzuki, he never increased his counter to try and match the power of his enemy, and even when it did happen, no significant change in the battle occurred except when 100% was reached. He's never needed to really dial back his power or increase it enough to get an edge over the enemy, and when he did increase it, there never appeared to be a significant change in destructive potential, though that's just my take of it.
Regarding Mob choosing to take first place, it might seem slightly OOC, though I still think it makes sense that he'd want to win for All Might after giving him a home and guidance for almost a year. Hope you guys enjoyed the speech Mob gave, cuz that was my favorite part. Anyway, the Cavalry Battle will commence next chapter!