A/N: This is by far the longest chapter, coming in at around 1944 words. O.O
The sports festival is officially starting! How do you guys think Hitomi will do?
EDIT:
Art-
[Complete Gallery] Add /21axlkt3bolc to the DeviantArt Stash URL.
[Ch. 11] Add /21kspxr6q4qo to the DeviantArt Stash URL.
Hitomi heard Present Mic announcing their class as they stepped out into the sunlight.
The large crowd made Hitomi tense up, feeling overwhelmed with the massive amount of attention.
It's being broadcasted on TV, too…
A loud crack was heard, revealing the pro hero Midnight standing on a stage. Some of the boys commented on her outfit, before Midnight shushed them.
"Representing the students is Katsuki Bakugou from Class 1-A!"
"Wha-?! It's Kacchan?" Midoriya exclaimed.
"Must be because he placed first in the entrance exam," Sero replied.
The stadium was silent as Bakugou trudged up to the microphone, as if holding their breath.
"I pledge—
That I'll be number one."
All of Class 1-A gaped at him, all thinking the same thing:
I knew he'd do that!
All the other classes booed at Bakugou as Iida tried to lecture him, but Bakugou simply ignored their cries and said, "At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of."
Hitomi watched as he walked off the stage, in utter disbelief that he'd make such a bold declaration in front of all of Japan.
The large screens around the stadium made a beep noise, showing the words "First Game" as Midnight called for everyone's attention.
"Now, let's get started right away!
The first game is what you'd call a qualifier!
Every year, many drink their tears here!"
I hope that won't be me…
"Now, here is the first fateful game!"
A large screen was projected behind Midnight, displaying something akin to a slot machine, before stopping on the words "Obstacle Race".
"This year, it's this…!"
Midnight went on to explain the rules of the obstacle race, saying it was a lap around the stadium and that anything goes as long as you stayed on the course.
The crowd cheered as Midnight ushered the classes to the starting line, which was a large red gate leading out of the stadium.
Hitomi felt her nerves flare up as the three green lights at the top of the door lit up.
A light turned off as Hitomi looked around her.
Everyone is watching.
Another light went off.
Aim for the top.
The third light shut off.
"START!"
Every single student ran towards the gate as Hitomi heard Present Mic start his commentary with Aizawa. The crowd started to get dense as Hitomi tried to get through, only to find that no one could move forward.
The hallway was too narrow.
Students pushed and elbowed each other, reminding Hitomi of when the media broke in, only this time much worse.
She felt herself get elbowed in the back before the temperature seemed to drop drastically behind her.
A freezing gust of wind blew past Hitomi as she was nearing the exit, the wind forming ice along the walls and the floor.
The ground ahead of her got coated in ice as she realized Todoroki was running past.
Noticing the people around her stopped moving, she tried to run after him only to find she couldn't move her feet.
Some people had gotten their feet frozen to the ground from Todoroki's attack, and Hitomi turned out to be one of them.
SHIT!
She saw her classmates advancing when she heard Bakugou's screams, and realized she needed to act fast if she wanted to qualify for the next round.
Trying to calm herself, she focused on forming force fields around her iced feet. Concentrating on creating denser force fields, steam started to rise from the ice as the air around it superheated.
Just focus on getting out first.
The ice continued to melt from the hot air Hitomi's quirk created, before she was finally able to break her feet out of the ice.
Steadying herself atop Todoroki's ice, she saw Midoriya and Uraraka a ways away.
Just trying to run or walk on the ice directly isn't going to cut it.
Aim for the top!
Hitomi made a small force field platform by her feet, extending it about five feet in front of her to make a small path. Tentatively setting her feet on it, she tested her weight on it to make sure it stayed several inches above Todoroki's ice.
This will work.
Hitomi then broke out into a run, extending the path to always be five feet long in front of her while the rest of the path behind her dissipated.
She was fast approaching Midoriya, finally bypassing him as he cried out.
"Kanetsukabe-san?!"
She continued to run forward, dropping her force field path when Todoroki's ice ended.
The sight in front of her made her halt.
It was the faux villains from the entrance exam.
There were way more than she would've expected, and she could see the gargantuan zero-pointers a distance away.
There was a large crowd of students all staring at the faux villains, and Hitomi heard Present Mic call it "Robo Inferno".
Todoroki was closest to the zero pointers at the very front of the crowd, causing one of the ginormous robots to charge at him.
The temperature dropped rapidly, a telltale sign Todoroki had activated his quirk, and Hitomi watched in shock as Todoroki singlehandedly immobilized the zero pointer in ice.
She stayed back as people tried to run through the mist past the robot, already noticing it start to fall over.
That's underhanded, Todoroki-san!
Present Mic's commentary permeated throughout the stadium, complimenting Todoroki's skill as the robot fell over, creating a large cloud of dust.
Students stared at the mess Todoroki left behind, before someone shouted, "Hey! Someone's trapped underneath!"
"Wouldn't that kill them?"
"Will people die at this sports festival?!"
Hitomi stared in worry until noticing movement near the top of the debris, before bright red spiky hair jumped out.
"Like I'd die!"
Kirishima!
There was more movement in the debris next to Kirishima, until the boy from Class B Hitomi saw two weeks ago emerged.
"That Class A really is filled with bastards!"
Hitomi watched as the two boys ran across the large robot, noticing Kirishima's tears over the Class B boy's similar quirk.
She heard an explosion behind her, looking up to see Bakugou and two of her other classmates go over the robot.
I can't waste time!
Hitomi launched force fields at the smaller faux villains, destroying them as she ran past. As she was approaching the zero pointers, large explosions sounded near the top, leading to the zero pointers to fall over. Hitomi turned around and see Yaoyorozu had made a cannon behind her, before turning back to face the course.
The path is clear!
She continued to run forward, stopping as she approached the edge of a cliff. Rock platforms were connected by several tightropes, and the drop was so steep it made Hitomi's stomach turn. Present Mic introduced it as "The Fall".
Her classmates had gathered around her, before Tsuyu leapt from the cliff, making a large jump and landing on one of the ropes.
A laugh sounded behind Hitomi, the voice sounding oddly familiar. She, Uraraka, and Mina, who had been standing next to her, turned around to see a face Hitomi recognized.
"It's you...!"
It was Mei Hatsume, the girl in the Development Studio who had wanted Hitomi to be her guinea pig.
She was decked out in support items from head to toe, proudly explaining how the support course was allowed to have items they invented themselves.
A grappling hook shot out from the pack Hatsume was wearing on her back, catching onto one of the sides of the rock platforms before pulling the girl with the help of hover boots she was wearing. Dust billowed behind her, causing Hitomi and the others to shield their faces before seeing Hatsume had already made it halfway across the terrain, her laughs echoing through the air.
I can't fall behind!
The blue-haired girl turned to Uraraka and Mina, giving them a sheepish smile as her pupils glowed. "Sorry guys, I'll be going ahead."
"Hitomi-chan?!"
Hitomi made another path across the cliff to a platform, the same way she had with Todoroki's ice.
Crawling is too slow.
She heard Present Mic's voice as she stepped on. "What's this?! Hitomi Kanetsukabe from Class A has made her own path across the Fall, ignoring the ropes entirely!"
Hitomi proceeded to run across the chasm, seeing Todoroki and Bakugou had made it far ahead of everyone else, already at the end of the second obstacle. As her force field behind her disappeared, her other classmates followed behind her, crossing the terrain with their quirks and making it to the other side.
Hitomi had finally crossed the chasm, hearing Present Mic's voice again as she continued to run through the course. "And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier. The reality here is…
THAT IT'S A MINEFIELD!
It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to exploit your eyes and legs!"
Is first place already there?!
Hitomi stopped as she finally reached the minefield, seeing other people had started to navigate through the bombs.
Students set off mines ahead of her, creating pink smoke in the air.
I'm really going to be pulling the same trick this entire race, aren't I?
Present Mic announced there was someone new in the lead as Hitomi made another path, extending it in front of her again as she made her way across the minefield. She passed the people around her, seeing Todoroki and Bakugou fighting up ahead.
"Oi, oi! Kanetsukabe's using her force fields again to cross the minefield and is gaining ground on our two leads!"
Hitomi continued to run towards them, before a large explosion behind her made her stop. She turned around to see a huge cloud of pink smoke, struggling to keep herself steady as the wind blew.
From her place on the minefield, she saw the faint outline of a person emerge from the smoke, sailing through the air on what looked to be a piece of the faux villains' armor.
She'd recognize that curly green hair anywhere.
Present Mic was freaking out in his commentary, announcing, "Was it an accident, or did he do it on purpose? Class A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!"
Midoriya continued to sail through the air, flying over Hitomi and even Todoroki and Bakugou.
"Actually, he's taken the lead!"
Bakugou set off a large explosion, flying after Midoriya while Todoroki made ice over the mines to run after the two of them.
As Hitomi chased after them, she saw Midoriya rapidly approach the ground as the two boys caught up with him, before planting his feet on their shoulders and smacking the piece of armor onto the ground.
So that's his plan…!
A large explosion went off, creating a smokescreen that hid the boys from view.
Hitomi charged after them, some other students following her through the pink smoke.
As she was approaching the hallway that led back to the inside of the stadium, she heard Present Mic's voice.
"Eraser Head, your class is amazing! What're you teaching them?!"
"I didn't teach them anything. They got each other fired up all in their own."
Hitomi ran towards the entrance of the stadium, the footsteps of Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugou echoing through the hallway up ahead.
Hearing Present Mic announcing Midoriya was first place caused Hitomi to speed up, as she heard the footsteps of other students hot on her tail.
Two students she guessed were from Class B slowly overtook her, and she heard Iida's engines close behind her as she stepped out into the sunlight of the stadium.
She had finished the obstacle course.
A/N: Since Hitomi finished the race relatively quickly, that means the entire roster has been moved down one place. It also means the one that was in 42nd place didn't make it, so...
Sorry Aoyama ;-;