The First Year's part of the Sports Festival had been turned completely on its head and Shota couldn't help but feel utter PRIDE in his class sticking their tongues out at all attending and watching and declaring, "We aren't your monkeys, this isn't your circus anymore".

What had started with Uraraka and Shinso had infected the rest of the students. Todoroki had taken on Kirashima and the audience had clearly thought they were in for an epic showing of quirks, considering how much Endeavor had been hyping up his son in the press. But then the two of them had gone into a long sparring match, never even considering using their quirks. The stadium had been shocked by that, watching on as the only visible quirk usage was Japan's Number 2 hero screaming his head off demanding that Todoroki use his quirk already and stop 'embarrassing me and your family with this failure!'

Then, either in a show of solidarity or because they both thought it would be hilarious, Inasa and Hatsume from the Support Class had used half of their match to have Hatsume demonstrate all her inventions while Inasa merely ducked and weaved and avoided her explosions before she'd bowed and stepped out herself. That at least had given a bit of spectacle to those watching that just wanted flashy explosions but it wasn't the jaw dropping battles they'd clearly expected to come. Instead it had been a lesson in the importance of Support items as well as using evasion to your full advantage.

'Very important things to know… and things the public dismisses as being worthless,' Shota thought to himself in a huff. 'Until a hero is injured or dies because they relied only on their so amazing offensive quirk.'

Currently Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were finishing up their match, the final one of the first round, and they had decided to make it a bit more interesting in that they were using weapons. Yaoyorozu had created two bow staffs with her quirk, tossing one to Midoriya before the two had gone at each other, Midoriya removing his guns and setting them to the side. The crowd had gotten far more into that match than they had Todoroki's win over Kirashima and it amused Shota to no end that the teen with the flashiest quirk had probably, in the eyes of the audience, the most 'boring' match.

And to make it all the better Kenobi and Hizashi were, to borrow a British term Shota had once heard, taking the piss out of everyone. Just when the crowd looked ready to boo or holler out their complaints over how the matches were going one of them would bring up how a move was 'so important' to a hero and their work. That it allowed them to take down criminals without property damage or restrain someone who wasn't a villain but merely had their quirk acting weirdly due to someone else's quirk. Shota had more than once seen some loudmouth get out of their chair, ready to scream at the students to do something (and he made a mental note to talk with Nedzu about that… these were students and not trained performers and didn't need loudmouths screeching at them as they competed) only for Kenobi to suddenly begin commenting about how amazing their actions were and shut them right down.

It was glorious.

'These kids are making enemies right and left,' he thought with a dark grin, one that had those around him slowly edging away. Down below Midoriya managed to disarm Yaoyorozu and she declared that she was defeated, the two bowing respectfully before walking off together. 'I knew they were going to be special.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Get Nedzu on the phone!" Saku snarled in frustration, watching on the screen as the Year 1 Sports Festival became an utter mockery. "Tell him to either fix this now or we'll fix it for him!"

"Might I remind you, Saku," The President of the Hero Safety Commission said coolly, "that you are not in charge of this organization. And you certainly do not give orders to ME?"

Saku flushed at that, still clearly angry but also sane enough to realize that he was one step away from finding himself in a world of pain. "I would… never assume to command you," he said quickly. "I was speaking to Mera-"

"I speak with Mera, not you," she replied. "And I will decide when we need t contact UA."

That caused Saku's temper to flare up again, though this time he kept it more in check. "But you must see what an outrage this is! The Sports Festival is about showcasing future heroes and here they are, not taking it seriously! They should all be expelled! Every last one of them!" He shook his head in disgust. "That quirkless boy should have already-"

"Careful now," Thrawn said, reminding them all he was in the room still, "it wouldn't do good for someone who is supposed to be dedicated to the safety of our society to be seen as only caring about certain people within it." He smiled as he picked up his tea cup, taking a slow pull from him, ruby eyes burning even as every action he took spoke of utter control and calm.

That's what frightened the President more than anything: that Thrawn could do with a soft word what others couldn't with a bellow.

"As for your concerns with the Sports Festival I fail to see the problem."

"Fail to… fail to see the problem?" Saku demanded, waving at the screen where the first match of the second round was taking place. "Bakugo has one of the most powerful quirks we've seen in ages… and he's currently not USING IT!" He slammed his hand down on the table, causing the glasses and cups to tremble.

"He seems to be enjoying himself," Thrawn said simply. The President had to admit that he was right on that account; the blonde was grinning fiercely as he and Tsuyu traded blows.

"I don't care if he's having the time of his life! This is supposed to be about showcasing the best of the upcoming generation of heroes! The First Years always draw in interested viewers who want to see something completely new and different but now the ratings are tanking!" He held up his phone and the President winced as she saw the numbers that were far below what they were the year prior. That was troubling because it meant that there was a chance that people wouldn't tune in the next year to see the students in their Second Year Sports Festival… that one always saw a decrease in viewers as it was as people tended to either watch the First Years for the new quirks or the Third Years to try and determine who might be the next popular hero-

"Come now, you can't have it both ways," Thrawn said simply.

"What are you talking about?"

"You claim the Sports Festival is about showcasing future heroes… and then claim it is about ratings. One has to be what is most important to you."

"Both are important and they go hand in hand!" Saku challenged.

"And that, good sir, is where you are completely and utterly wrong," Thrawn said with a slight smile. He waved his hand towards the TV screen, where Tsuyu was attempting to put Bakugo in a choke hold only for the blonde to twist around and, through sheer raw strength, wrap his arms around her middle and slam her hard into the ground. "I have taken the time to look at most of the crimes that were stopped by heroes within the last 5 years. Nearly 80% of them never appeared on the news. Many involved limited quirk usage by the heroes or the villains. When they did see a quirk used it was usually the hero."

"And?"

Thrawn reached over and grasped Saku's water glass. "This is empty." He then suddenly hurled it across the room causing it to smash against a wall.

"What the hell!?" Saku cried out in shock.

The blue-skinned man smirked slightly. "You will get a new glass, won't you? That got everyone's attention and alerted them to the problem." He then looked over at one of the attendants, lifting up his tea cup. At once she came over and refilled it. "And I have gotten more as well. The same result… one was just overly dramatic."

"You are a fool!" Saku declared and the President quickly glanced towards Thrawn, worried on how the man would react to that comment. She knew he was prideful and didn't take well to insults; someone had once made the mistake of mocking his choice of clothing and he had proceeded to calmly explain to the woman how it was clear that her children weren't those of her husband and he had already sent all the findings to her spouse. "You come in here and think you can talk to me about what matters? I have been doing this job for 10 years!"

"And you've been doing it poorly, that is clear," Thrawn merely replied, never bothering to raise his voice. "Unless your quirk allows you to appear to be a grown man and you are in fact a child then you have little understanding of what the Hero Commission should be doing." He leaned forward, a slight smile growing on his lips. Sharp. Cutting. Like a cold blade. "We are about promoting the safety of our society. Ensuring that the public is protecting. And as I just stated most crimes do not see quirks used and those that do are usually by the heroes. And quirks are dangerous. I am not denying that one should learn how to use their quirk but it shouldn't be the only thing that a person uses. It would be like a carpenter using only a hammer when screws and saws are needed."

"What are you talking about?" Saku complained. "Why are we talking about carpenters? These are supposed to be young heroes and instead of using their quirks they are… are wasting our time!"

"You mean they aren't entertaining you," Thrawn replied and the President grimaced at how he hit that fact so squarely. While she hadn't said a word she did agree with Saku that this was hurting the ratings for the Sports Festival… and just considering that made her wince that she was more concerned about viewers like they were producing a movie rather than the young heroes being able to effectively battle villains and protect the innocent. "Let us be clear on that. Your concerns are not about these youths but because your life has left you with little joy and thus you need to be entertained by children risking their bodies in what ends up being a meaningless contest." He reached and selected his tea cup, taking a sip of it. "I, on the other hand, am rather delighted that these students decided to make the Sports Festibal no longer about your enjoyment but growing as heroes."

Thrawn waved towards the television screen where the next match was beginning. The President looked to see that it was the pink skinned girl, Ashido according to the records she had, and Tano Ashoka. The latter was one the President had been keeping an eye on due to how unusual her records were. She had appeared rather suddenly, 20 months ago roughly, her and her family asking for asylum from UA. Apparently they came from a small remote island (and the President was eager to find out where but Nedzu was blocking her every attempt to learn) where many of those living there had similar quirks. Known as 'The Force' it allowed for all sorts of actions, making them all rather powerful. Her guardians were Skywalker Anakin, Sir Steel, and Amidala Padme who had recently begun working for All Might.

(The President had the theory that the island was where Star Might had grown up, with Tano's family being selected to help prepare for her arrival)

Skywalker's brother (half, the President assumed) was Kenobi Obi-Wan, The Negotiator and new Heroics Teacher for UA. Also, much to the President's surprise, he had apparently been in a secret relationship with hero Midnight and they had a child, Kenobi Eri. And rounding out the group was Captain Ceetea Rex, the hero Dualshot. Captain Rex just also happened to be training the first Quirkless Hero Student UA had ever had, Midoriya Izuku.

'According to reports she's worked to make friends with many in her class as well and is well liked by the staff. And her quirk…'

Yes, all of it meant that she was keeping a close eye on Tano.

"There are many ways one can learn about the measure of a person. Through how they dress, the art they surround themselves with, the friends they keep and the enemies they make. But find me a master at their craft… a sculptor, a blacksmith, a writer… and tell them to create outside of their chosen expertise… and you will see who they truly are. It is easy to be brave when you are the best at something… but remove that from someone so that they suddenly find themselves a novice once more… and their character is revealed. These children… they have shown that they are true heroes. They do not care about the petty desires of men like you, Saku. They care about growing stronger and show that they are not merely shackled by a single quirk."

Saku had become red with rage. It wasn't Thrawn's words that were angering him, the President could tell that. Rather it was how Thrawn was treating him, seeing the entire discussion as almost tedious. The disrespect was driving the man into a rage.

"Of course you wouldn't see the importance of all this! You wouldn't have even made it past the first round! Your quirk merely changes how you look!" He jabbed his finger right under Thrawn's nose.

"Please do not invade my space," Thrawn said simply. "This is your finally warning."

"I'll do whatever I want you-"

Thrawn, lightning fast, grabbed the man's finger and snapped it like one would a pretzel rod.

At once Saku was on the ground, screaming, but Thrawn wasn't finished in the slightest. He was out of his chair before the President could blink, wrapping a hand around the back of Saku's neck before driving the man's face down into the ground, causing his screams to turn into gurgling wet sounds. Thrawn drove his knee into the small of the man's back before latching onto the wrist of the hand that hadn't suffered a broken finger and pulling hard, making the President wince as she saw him easily dislocate it.

"You threatened me and refused to deescalate. Thanks to the Hero License I obtained for my self it is in my right to detain you. And should I decide to use excessive force… well, that is me merely apprehending a villain." He leaned down and whispered, "And all this… without a quirk."

He slammed Saku's face down onto the ground one more time before he rose, brushing off his white suit before turning to the President.

"Would you like to call for security… or should I?"

The President swallowed and pressed a button to signal her staff, Thrawn returning to his chair like nothing had happened.

~MC~MC~MC~

Enji grit his teeth as he marched out of the Sports Arena. His hands were balled up into fists and the air around him was distorted thanks to the heat he was producing.

Taika was used to seeing the warning signs of an upcoming explosion.

When he'd graduated from UA's Business Program 23 years ago he'd assumed that he would find some agency in need of someone that could answer phones and make copies and slowly work his way up the ranks. Learn from the old timers until it was time for him to take over. That was how it was in the Hero Community, where family connections were what mattered. Sons took over for their fathers and had children of their own to take over for them. Starting out meant either finding a mentor or working as hard as one could. Live in a tiny apartment, eat barely-a-meal meals, make do with a cracked cell phone. Work towards a comfortable life in his late 40s. That was the plan.

However, being in the right place at the wrong time had change the entire direction of his life.

He'd only stopped off at the restaurant in order to get out of a sudden downpour. They'd been rather firm though that they didn't want him loitering, and thus he'd been forced to buy a drink that would utterly destroy his budget for the week. As he'd waited through he had heard shouts… followed by a blast of heat and the cry of patrons. Without thinking he'd poked his head into the main part of the restaurant to find Endeavor ranting and raving, sprinklers going off thanks to the fires his body had sent out all around him. The hero (not even 10 years into his heroic career but already in the Top 10 in Japan) had become upset over… something… his agent had said (Taika honestly couldn't remember what it was, it was so long ago) and had become so overheated that his quirk had begun to go into overdrive. Steam had burst from his body as the sprinklers tried to deal with his flames and he had been looming over the startled and stuttering agent when Taika had found himself heading towards his table.

Even years later he didn't know what had caused him to think it was a good idea to talk to Endeavor. Even back then the man's temper was well known. But Taika had, explaining that perhaps it would be better for them to go outside rather than keep making a scene. Enji had glared at him but finally agreed and four different garbage cans had been reduced to slag before the man had gone from full rage to merely brooding anger. And with that change had come the ability to think and process what had happened, leading Enji to ask Taika how he wasn't roasting from the heat he was giving off.

Taika's quirk allowed him to convert heat into energy. It hadn't been much use because it took a great amount of fire to equate just a single cookie's energy production. And Rescue Hero Work had never been an option, as he'd explained to Enji later when he'd shown his prosthetic left foot.

But… it did make him the perfect person to handle Endeavor's outbursts.

Within a week he'd gone from working at an agency for a minor deep sea expert hero to being Endeavor's personal aide and assistant, weathering the heroes rages and tempers without fear.

And at that moment Taika was using all he had learned to keep his boss out of another sticky situation.

"How dare they ask me to leave!" Enji snarled in anger, pacing back and forth, glancing back at the Sports Arena. His flames were so thick that he looked to have more of a full bushy beard than a mustache and he weren't in his hero costume Taika was pretty sure that the ground under his feet would have begun cracking and breaking.

He also didn't mention that 'ask me to leave' was quite a spin, as Enji, after letting off an explosion of flames as he glared at his son and his refusal to use his fire OR his ice, had been approached by Ectoplasm and informed that he needed to either leave of his own power OR be forced to leave.

"We'll see how that rate likes it when I yank Shoto out of his precious school! UA will be destroyed when the Hero Community realizes what he's been doing to the students…"

"I would advice against that," Taika said, not even flinching as Endeavor twisted around and glared at him. He was long used to the man sending him foul looks and glowers.

"You want me to let this insult go unanswered?"

"Of course not," Taika stated. "But there are ways to get back at someone that don't risk your reputation." Enji's fires lessened and Taika decided to push on. "Everyone knows you left but they don't know why… just that you had to leave. I've already asked the Agency to find us some active villains. You head out and make a big show of defeating them. The press will be alerted, of course, and you will tell them how Nedzu alerted you to a threat that only you could handle."

Enji glared at that. "Give the rat credit-"

"He will be boosting you up and won't be able to do anything about it." Taika didn't dare smile… Enji had injured more members of his staff when they smiled as they talked him down. That made him think they were talking down to him, mocking him. But conversely one couldn't get angry, as that would make Enji think one was trying to 'control' him and would get him mad. No… the trick was to be firm but neutral. Even with his quirk the man could still hurt him. "Nedzu's smart… he wouldn't risk contradicting you if you said that he gave you information. You were frustrated because you knew you needed to go, wanted to see your son, and unfortunately the villains cost you the chance." He motioned for Enji to follow him and after a moment the hero thankfully did so. "We play it up and people will eat it up."

"And dealing with Nedzu?"

"We put out to the other agencies how you won't be selecting a single intern this time. No one. All Might never takes interns, neither does Hawks. We reach out to Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Crust, and Yoroi Musha. Bring up our own concerns for how UA handled the Sports Festival. Suggest that perhaps it would be wise to make a statement."

Enji slowly nodded at that. "Ryukyu and Gang Orc won't listen… they'll take some 2nd and 3rd years. But the rest of the hero community, when they hear that so much of the Top Ten aren't going for Interns from UA… they'll avoid the school like the plague."

"And allow us to convince Nedzu to make some changes." Taika paused. "It… will mean hurting Shoto's chances-"

"Then do it. He wants to rebel then he will know the costs."

And with that Enji stormed past Taika.

"Now… find me a villain."