Note: Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well! We're gonna finish up the First round in this chapter. I was nervous about this one but ended up actually liking it quite a bit. I had a lot of fun writing the parts for Present Mic and tried to throw in some more Peter and Momo moments that further their story and dynamic.
@Drake G. Reaper: Sorry if you had some confusion. I shouldn't be allowed to name things in all honesty. I am not good at it. I actually even named my first Skyrim character Jim because after like thirty minutes of indecisiveness I just kinda said "f*ck it" haha. If you're still following along, I hope you're enjoying the story!
@Toasthatisordinary: Buckle up my friend, hope you enjoy this one! The anime focuses a lot on Midoriya and Todoroki which left me with a lot of improvising to do. Hopefully it worked out.
@SulliMike23: The deaths of Aunt May and Uncle Ben haven't really been dove into just yet in the story. But at this point she has already passed away before Peter came to Japan. No need to worry about anything taking away Peters focus (Unless you count his feelings for Momo). I'm actually still debating on the best way to fit their stories into the plot. But I'm working on it :)
@spider of the leaf: Edge shot will probably end up taking the spot of Momo's internship due to his proficiency with the types of weapons Momo uses. He was my original pick for her, I just have been testing the waters for the sake of due diligence. I'm currently stuck on Peter's internship possibilities but I have narrowed it down to two, Mirko being one of them. Either way a lot of names are gonna appear on their lists. Be sure to stay tuned :)
Any deleted scenes I end up saving will end up being posted at some point as well.
Thank you guys for continuing to read along! almost 100 follows now! We passed my goal of 50 a few chapters ago and now I'm just excited to see how many it gets to by the end of it all. I miss being able to look at story traffic...
I do not own any of the characters depicted in this story...
The race for first place was a competitive one. Momo's slight lead she had managed to take was slipping as Peter finally closed the gap between him and Shoto and were now neck and neck trying to reclaim the lead from the girl in question. They were now close enough for her to hear their voices as they picked back and forth at one another.
"You're just determined to be a problem for me today aren't you Parker." Shoto said as he pushed himself even harder, widening his stride.
Peter grinned under his furrowed brow as he matched Shoto's speed. "Sorry man! You looked a little lonely up here in first place all by yourself! We just figured that we'd come keep you company!"
The three in the front continued on as the lead continued to change hands between them.
"WHAT A START TO THE FIRST ROUND AS WE HAVE A THREE WAY RACE FOR THE LEAD AS THEY HEAD TOWARDS THE SECOND OBSTACLE!!!" Present Mic continued to spur on the crowd as Aizawa watched behind them as each of his students began to make their own chase towards the three front-runners.
Class 1A was living up to all the hype so far as they charged forward with a pace that was unmatched by the other contestants. As the race continued, it was all about the hero courses of class 1A and 1B as they began to find their stride. Slowly but surely, the hoard was beginning to make up ground on the three in the front, but none were moving quite as fast as Bakugo as he tore through the air with a look of death in his eyes.
Peter, Momo, and Shoto were pushing themselves hard as they rounded the first curve. Shoto gave consideration to using his quirk again but decided against it. A precision move would almost certainly miss at the pace they were moving and he couldn't afford to sacrifice any speed at the moment. He had no choice than to leg it out for now.
'Come on Momo push harder! You can do this! Just pace them for now and make another leap forward at the next obstacle! Just keep breathing!' the girl mentally encouraged herself. Todoroki was beginning to pull ahead. She allowed herself to glance towards Peter...
'Wait... Why is he slowing down?!'
Peter's Spidey Sense was going off the charts. Something was wrong. They had been running unhindered for too long. They had to be coming up on the second obstacle... but what was it?! And why was he sensing so much danger?! His pace instinctively began to slow down. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he spotted a metallic claw stretching out towards him...
Midoriya was struggling. Todoroki's ice trap had set him back at the very beginning of the race as he clumsily made his way off of the ice. He was the last hero course student to escape the door way. Using his quirk wasn't an option at the moment. He couldn't afford to break himself. He had to get by on his physical conditioning and his quick thinking. Luckily for him, his training with All Might translated well into his non-quirk related physical abilities. He still wasn't too far behind to lose hope yet. If he ran as hard as he could, he could catch up to the first forty two!
As he sprinted, ignoring the burning sensation in his lungs, he found that luck was on his side as it seemed that a large group of students had stopped for some reason...
He didn't question it. Instead he weaved his way between the motionless competitors but then skidded to a stop himself as his eyes grew wide.
Peter slid to his knees and leaned backwards parallel to the ground, gliding underneath the outstretched claw of a green training robot. "Hey! Bad touch!" He said unable to help himself.
He swung his body around as he jumped back to his feet and shot a web against the hand of the mechanical assailant just before it could grab Shoto instead. He yanked the bot towards him and drew his fist back. As soon as it was within his reach, he sent a full powered punch crashing into the machine, obliterating it upon impact.
"No kill quite like overkill it seems." Shoto quipped as he and Momo put the brakes on in wake of the attack.
"Yeah that might've been a bit much... But I guarantee that looked good on camera." Peter said with a smirk as he pointed towards the multiple camera bots circling the pathway feeding the broadcast to the world.
"Hey you two! Focus up! We've got company!" Momo called out as more robots came into view. They readied themselves for a fight when all of a sudden, a massive shadow enveloped them.
Shoto and Momo's eyes widened at the "zero point" robots from the entrance exams thatformed a wall in front of them and blotted out the sun.
"Targets acquired. Terminate them." The red lights of the machines began to glow brightly.
"HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS FOLKS, IT SEEMS THAT OUR THREE LEADERS HAVE JUST STUMBLED ACROSS THEIR NEXT CHALLENGE!!! A TEST OF STRENGTH AND SKILLS, ITS A ROBO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
The hoard finally caught up to them as they also slowed down to a halt. A massive swarm of robots blocked the path forward. The general studies students who managed to make it past the ice turned pale.
Kaminari began to freak out as he took a couple steps backwards. "Are those the zero point villains from the entrance exams?!?!"
Murmurs of anxiety were heard throughout the mass of students.
"You mean the hero course students had to fight those things?!"
"What in the hell are we supposed to do about that?!"
"I knew I should have stayed home today..."
Momo looked at the group of robotic enemies and created herself a metal bo staff. "Where on earth did the school get the funding for all of this?" She wondered out loud.
"Asking the real questions over here." Peter agreed. This was nothing new to him however, as he had piled up a literal mountain of them during his particular exam.
"So, this is what you had to fight when you took your entrance test huh? What did you do to get past them?" Shoto asked Peter out of curiosity.
"Ever see Empire Strikes Back?" He answered his friend's question with another question.
"What?" Shoto cocked an eyebrow.
"Ah, so you went for the legs huh? I love that movie..." Momo said with a grin.
Peter raised his eyebrows, 'Oh. My. God. She's perfect...'
"I have no idea what you two are talking about right now but I'm getting tired of just standing here. You mind?" Shoto asked Peter before proceeding with his attack.
Peter just motioned towards the army of bots with an open palm then crossed his arms, "By all means man, don't let us keep ya waiting." He chuckled.
The other students looked between the three of them as if they were completely and utterly insane.
Shoto's right arm began to swirl with frost, "Well, they obviously went through a lot of trouble, but I wish they had prepared something a little more difficult..." he muttered, 'especially since my dear old dad is watching.' he mentally finished his sentence.
'MORE DIFFICULT?!?!?!' The students behind them couldn't believe what they just heard.
Todoroki bent down and swept his arm upwards powerfully creating a miniature ice age, freezing most of the robotic threats completely solid before running between their legs.
"No way! He took out so many of them in just one attack!"
"Quick between their legs! There's a path through now!"
Shoto turned around as he ran forward, "Careful now... Some of those were frozen off balance..."
His warning fell on deaf ears as a few students sprinted for the other side.
"WHAT A DEVASTATINGLY POWERFUL DISPLAY!!! SHOTO TODOROKI HAS JUMPED BACK INTO FIRST PLACE LEAVING EVERYONE ELSE IN A MASSIVE CLOUD OF ICE AND DUST!!! HOW WILL THE REST OF OUR RISING STARS DEAL WITH THE REMAINING ROBOTS?!"
Peter watched as the multiple trampling footsteps caused some of the giant frozen robots to begin to topple over. He acted without hesitation. As the zero point titans fell to the ground, Peter fired a rapid barrage of webs and all 6 of the students who were directly underneath the bots were jerked backwards out of harms way. The mechanical threats began to create a domino effect, each shattering under the weight of their own impact. The unfrozen metal menaces began to charge forward towards the students.
Momo spun her staff around and prepared for combat as she was rushed by three smaller green automatons. She immediately identified several openings for attacks as she began to agree with Todoroki, this was going to be too easy.
As they attempted an attack on the pony-tailed heroine, she was able to effortlessly dodge and counter. Her elegant twirling of her staff seemed like a long rehearsed fight scene from an action film as she skillfully bashed the first two into pieces. As the third approached she turned, tossed her staff into the air, and caught it in a throwing position. She steadied her aim and fired the metal pole directly through the glowing red eye of the bot, sending it to the ground. She place a foot on top of the hunk of now useless metal and freed her weapon with an upward yank.
Midoriya looked on as the rest of the contestants jumped into the fray. He tried to desperately think of a way through the battlefield without the use of his quirk. He looked around for inspiration but no one else was constricted the way he was. Uraraka was slapping robots and dropping them to the ground like stones. Yaoyorozu and Ojiro continued to display their impressive martial arts skills as they disposed of enemy after enemy. Ashido had already melted three of them with her acid, and was covering her fourth victim in the sizzling substance while Kaminari and Jiro were causing them to short circuit left and right. Suddenly a blur zipped past him followed by a cluster of explosions. Bakugo wasn't wasting any time fighting for once. He changed his trajectory as he blasted himself up and over the one remaining frozen zero pointer.
"No way am I letting Scar Face beat me..." He muttered through his focused grimace.
He was followed by Sero and Tokoyami as the three raced onward towards the next obstacle.
Midoriya was brought back to his current reality as a robot slipped through the chaos and charged straight for him. Izuku remembered the last time he faced these machines during his miserable performance he displayed in his entrance exam. Back then his feet wouldn't move... This time would be different. His footing changed into a combat stance as he prepared to make a minimal sacrifice of one of his fingers. He felt his inherited power flow into the middle finger of his right hand as he prepared to flick the machine away.
Just before he executed his attack, a large sheet of metal sliced through the robot and stuck into the ground inches in front of his feet. The chosen successor looked up to see Parker bring two fingers to and away from his forehead with a smirk as he pounced back into the battle. Izuku looked at the hunk of metal that had dug its way into the ground before him and got an idea...
To Peter's surprise the vast majority of the crowd was still fighting the remaining robots. He looked over at Momo who was handling herself extremely well. They locked eyes for a moment and both knew it was time to get moving. Before Peter turned around, a loud crashing sound was heard as the final zero pointer began to fall to the ground. He whipped around to see the purple haired general studies student frozen in place as the robot fell towards him.
Peter glanced quickly at Momo as if to tell her to get moving as he raced in the direction of the falling robot. The petrified student flinched as the torso of the titan grew closer. After a few seconds of waiting for the inevitable, he opened his eyes to find the boy he challenged days ago, separating him from his certain death. Peter struggled to hold up the massive green giant as the veins in his head bulged and his knees tried to buckle. The student stared at him in disbelief of his incredible display of strength.
"L-listen... I'm not... G-gonna be able... To hold this thing.. much longer!" He strained as he spoke to the boy. "You have to move! Now! I don't care what direction JUST MOVE!!" He shouted as his face began to turn red under the massive weight. The mysterious student couldn't speak, he could only quickly move backwards as he began to look around for anyone with a strength quirk that could help.
"PETER!!!" Momo shouted in horror. She knew she had to do something fast. Those things definitely weighed more than the ten tons he was able to lift. She quickly unzipped her gym uniform and began to create a massive object from her stomach. She began to panic but forced herself to focus. An object this big required her full concentration and took a bit more time to manifest. 'Just hold on! Please Peter! Just hold on a few more seconds! COME ON MOMO HURRY!!!' She mentally screamed at herself.
Peter's legs began to shake as the sweat dropped down his face. He felt the weight pushing him towards the ground as he fell to one of his knees. At that moment he noticed Momo out of the corner of his eye standing beside... 'Is that a cannon?!' he thought to himself as the heavy artillery weapon fired towards the mass of metal that was about to crush him.
The entire top half of the gargantuan robot exploded as pieces of debris landed here and there. The weight of the load pushing him down decreased dramatically as he tossed the wreckage to the side and looked around as the students began to run past him. Momo ran towards him and he was at a loss for words. He stared at her as if she had moved an entire mountain.
"Oh my God Mo... Yo-"
"Later! We have to move! We've fallen behind!" She called out as she ran past him. She grabbed his hand and led him back onto the course before letting go. They found themselves in the middle of the pack, but there was still plenty of time to mount a comeback.
All Might and the other teachers observed the screens from their private section in the stands. They were all conversing over the performances of each student as the topic began to broaden a bit.
"Looks like all the pack leaders are from 1A, at least for now..." Snipe said as the others nodded.
"It's not that 1B and the other students are doing poorly... Class A just has a certain edge to them that only comes from staring death in the face..." All Might said as Present Mic's elation sounded through the loud speakers.
"ERASER HEAD, WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TEACHING THESE KIDS?!?! THEIR SKILLS ARE ABSOLUTELY OFF THE CHARTS!!!!"
"This isn't due to anything I've taught them..." He said into his microphone. A glaring intensity took over his face... He was sending a message. The man in black knew that somewhere out there, the group that attacked his students were watching the broadcast, gathering information, and making another plan to strike. His warning was chilling. "Class 1A has learned not to hesitate. They've seen first hand what the real world is like. They've felt the fear of facing villains... Yet they fight on, never failing to overcome that fear. They've grown... All of them. And they know that they have to act quickly if they want to stay alive. Take a good look at them now... Because before long, they will be able to stand against the world... I'll personally make sure of it."
Todoroki raced on and approached the next obstacle. He had jumped out to a substantial lead after freezing his way through the robotic army and now was the first person to reach the next challenge. He surveyed the situation quickly as Bakugo's explosions could be heard faintly in the distance. Though his headstart had offered him a cushion, he had learned from his hubris at the beginning of the race that no lead was safe. He looked at the challenge in front of him. His quirk wouldn't help him here... But he had to keep moving if he wanted to keep his lead.
Izuku was beginning to make progress. He had carried his makeshift shield through the first obstacle and was even able to use it to bash through a few lingering bots that targeted him. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The small boost in confidence kindled the flame of hope inside the boy that still believed he had a chance in this race. He ran with a purpose as he began to pass a few other contestants along the way, earning a spot amongst the main pack. He continued to push himself to keep up the pace as the group reached the next hurdle, where they found Todoroki finishing up on the other side.
"FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO FOUND THE FIRST TWO TEST A LITTLE TOO EASY, LETS SEE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEXT ONE!!! TREAD CAREFULLY, IF YOU TAKE A SPILL THEN YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED!!! WELCOME TO THE PIT!!!!!"
The students looked on in disbelief as a massive canyon system stood between them and the rest of the path. A series of ropes connected the platforms together, acting as a route to the other side of the sizable ravine.
"Seriously?! When did they even have time to build this?!" Uraraka blurted out in disbelief.
The crowd of students began to balk at the task at hand until a pink haired girl stepped forward and began laughing maniacally. She strolled towards the edge.
"Yes... Finally... This is my chance to show off what I can do...EVERYONE! OBSERVE WHAT MY BRILLIANT GADGETS ARE CAPABLE OF! BEHOLD! WOMAN AND MACHINE WORKING HAND IN HAND TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMO-"
Her sudden announcement was cut off as Tsu leaped past her and began to climb across on one of the ropes. "Easy peasy! I was hoping I'd get the chance to show off my skills! *ribbit"
"HEY WHAT THE HELL?! I WASN'T FINISHED YET!!!" The girl in goggles screamed as two grappling arrows fired from her hips and launched her across the steep drop off.
The students looked at each other and immediately began to resume their race, each making their own ways across "the pit".
Peter turned to Momo with haste, "Todoroki's already made it to the other side along with Bakugo and a few others! We don't have time to use the ropes, we need to get across now!"
"Right!" She agreed and the two ran towards the edge. Somehow the two had managed to turn the individual contest into a powerful team effort and it was pushing them forward with great success. They were working in tandem each bringing out the best in the other.
Peter plunged off the cliff side and swung over to the nearest platform where he sprinted along the vertical tower of rock and dirt before swinging to the next.
Momo acted as she had at the beginning of the race, creating poles from her palms, vaulting her way across the canyon.
They both reached the other side in a hurry and grinned at one another as they sped ahead towards the front of the pack.
Behind them, Midoriya had tied the loose wires from his shield together and bound the piece of scrap to his back as he made his way across the ropes. He would not give up. He would never concede. No matter how challenging things got, he would manage to find a way...
Shoto sped towards the final test. He ignored the burning in his lungs and legs as he refused to slow down. Behind him, Katsuki was closing the distance between them as explosions continued to propel him through the air. He was now close enough for Shoto to hear his insults clearly.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?! GUESS AGAIN YOU OVERRATED WANNABE!!!!"
"Looks like he's finally getting fired up... Took him long enough."
Other students began to catch up to them as Todoroki reached an suspiciously plain clearing.
"AND NOW WE'VE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE LAST OBSTACLE! YOU STUDENTS BETTER WATCH YOUR STEP!... YOU'RE HEADING INTO A MINE FIELD!!!!"
"Now is probably a good time for that disclaimer Mic." Aizawa reminded him.
"YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ERASER! THESE EXPLOSIVES WERE DESIGNED FOR THE GAMES SO THEY AREN'T ALL THAT DANGEROUS, BUT THEY ARE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WET YOUR PANTS!!!!"
"Take it down a notch." Aizawa scolded his co commentator.
Shoto looked at the final hurdle in front of him, "A mine field huh? So those in the front are actually at a disadvantage then... Clever. I guess it makes for good entertainment." He told himself as he took a deep breath and began to carefully step into the blast zone.
As he made his way through the field of explosives he heard the voice of Bakugo directly behind him coming up fast.
'No!' he thought as he turned around in dismay.
"BASTAAAAARD! Your declaration of war... WAS TO THE WRONG PERSON!!!!!!" The blonde yelled as he shot out his left hand in the direction of Todoroki's face preparing an explosion.
As the blast shot from his palms, Shoto leaned backwards, just barely managing to dodge the attack.
"JUST LIKE THAT A NEW STUDENT TAKES THE LEAD! THE CROWD IS GOING CRAZY AS IT LOOKS LIKE WE COULD VERY WELL HAVE AN UPSET!!! AND LOOK!!! THE OTHER STUDENTS HAVE CAUGHT UP TOO!! CAN THE TWO LEADERS STAY IN FRONT OF THE COMPETITION AND FIGHT EACH OTHER OFF AT THE SAME TIME?!?!?!"
Peter and Momo arrived with the herd as they saw Bakugo and Todoroki battling near the end of the mine field. They needed to come up with something fast or this race would be over. They quickly looked around and noticed Midoriya digging into the ground and scooping a pile of mines together.
"Is he... No way he's gonna do what I think he's gonna do!!!" Momo said in surprise as she understood what his plan was.
"...Let's do it!" Peter said suddenly as Momo looked at him bewildered. "Look! They're almost at the end, if we try to cross on foot there's no way we'll catch them!"
She looked on and understood his reasoning but she was still apprehensive.
"Trust me!" He said to her with a fire in his eyes.
Two words... Two words was all it took for her to partake in the most insanely reckless decision she had ever made in her life. Two shovels were created from her arms and the two began to dig, earning wild looks from the students who passed them. Once they were satisfied with their piles, she created two shields and tossed one to Peter. Momo, Peter, and Izuku backed up and prepared for a wild ride.
Peter grabbed her hand as they ran forward and jumped, placing the shields underneath their feet before landing on the pile of explosives.
Midoriya was in perfect step with them as he dove onto his own cluster of mines, placing his sheet of metal between his stomach and the ground.
Ahead of them, Bakugo and Todoroki continued to grapple as they navigated the mines. They were each just about to deal a devastating blow to the other when an ungodly loud explosion sounded off behind them.
"WAIT WHAT'S WITH THAT HUGE EXPLOSION IN THE BACK?!?! THAT IS WAY MORE POWERFUL THAN IT SHOULD BE!!! WHATEVER THE CASE, CLASS A'S PARKER, MIDORIYA, AND YAOYOROZU ARE SUDDENLY IN HOT PURSUIT OF FIRST PLACE!!!"
The three soared past the two leaders as they were left behind to stare in disbelief. They quickly abandoned their duel and raced forward in a desperate attempt to regain their spot in front.
"SCRATCH THAT! THE LEAD IS THEIRS!!!!!"
The roar of the crowd could be heard from miles away as Peter and Momo landed into a tuck and roll just beyond the last row of mines and began to run for their lives.
Midoriya however had carried a much heavier object which handicapped his distance. As he began to fall towards the ground, he decided that enough was enough. Nobody would stop him from claiming victory. Not anymore. He did something out of his character and decided to take the two, who were beginning to pass him back up, out of the running. He flipped himself over and slammed the piece of scrap metal into the ground, sending him flying forward once more. He would show the world who he is!
He rolled onto his feet and sprinted towards Momo and Peter. Eventually he caught up to them but none of them were able to pull ahead. Todoroki began to create another ice path as he ran protecting him from the explosions as Bakugo took to the air once again. Unfortunately, the gap between them and the three leaders was too great, with a rapidly decreasing distance between the leaders and the finish line.
Izuku, Peter, and Momo charged forward as fast as they possibly could as they entered the tunnel and sped towards the finish line.
"OH MY GOODNESS FOLKS IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE IN FOR A PHOTO FINISH AS WE HAVE A THREE WAY TIE FOR FIRST PLACE!!!! THE FIRST PERSON THROUGH THE TUNNEL WILL BE CROWNED CHAMPION!!! WHO'S IT GONNA BE?!?!?!?!"
The three leaders burst into the stadium at the same time. As they collapsed to the ground, they tried to catch their breath amongst the thunderous cheers from the stands.
Midnight looked at the three with wide eyes as she brought the microphone up to her mouth.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IT APPEARS WE HAVE A THREE WAY TIE FOR FIRST PLACE! PRESENT MIC, PLEASE PUT THE INSTANT REPLAY UP ON THE BOARD SO WE CAN DETERMINE THE WINNER!"
The three looked up at the jumbotron along with the thousands of fans as cheers erupted once more. The screen showed Izuku Midoriya appearing into view milliseconds ahead of Momo, and Peter just slightly behind her.
"THIRD PLACE GOES TO... PETER PARKER!!!" He picked himself up off the ground and extended his hands to both of his classmates as he pulled them both to their feet. He received a standing ovation from the entirety of the stands, who had remembered his speech from earlier.
"USA!" Chants rung out from the other side of the world as his native country celebrated emphatically.
He waved to the crowd in appreciation.
Todoroki and Bakugo crossed the finish line. The son of Endeavor's scowl was noticeable, but as he looked on at his best friend receiving the cheers from the stands, his frustration disappeared.
Bakugo however remained furious as he tried to contain his rage and remain focused on the next task. Though it didn't stop him from holding his grudge against the winner of the competition. "Deku... No way... Not again..." He shook with anger as the words escaped under his breath.
"IN SECOND PLACE... MOMO YAOYOROZU!!!"
The girl beamed brightly as the crowd showered her with well deserved praise. She turned to see Peter smiling more widely than when he was receiving his own round of applause. The boy her heart skipped a beat for and his best friend, along with Midoriya, began to clap for her along with the deafening applause from the crowd.
Her parents jumped up and down in their luxury box as they screamed in elation. Even Midnight, who was tasked with remaining impartial, couldn't help but smile as the girl's eyes welled with tears of happiness and pride in herself. Cameras flashed rapidly. Her impressive performance was well documented over each television broadcast, as little girls across the globe looked at their screens with sparkling eyes filled with adoration. She had no way of knowing it, but she had just solidified herself an incredibly large fan base composed of young women and girls everywhere who would follow her career as their own personal idol.
"AND WITH THAT, IT BRINGS US TO OUR CHAMPION... IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!"
The noise was turned up to an entirely new level as All Might stared down at the boy with pride. Izuku released his emotions and tension simultaneously. For a brief moment he allowed himself to feel the pride of his accomplishment. His mother at home had exploded into a fit of prideful tears as her son was shown on nearly every TV screen around the world. His impossible dream was officially becoming a reality before her very eyes. Though the broadcast showed the boy in the beginning of his heroic prime... a young man with a bright future ahead of him... Inko Midoriya saw her four year old son dressed up in his All Might costume proudly announcing "I AM HERE!!" in the mirror of his bedroom.
One by one the rest of the pack raced through the tunnel and across the finish line, with Present Mic announcing their names. After a short wait the forty second contestant crossed the finish line as a loud horn sounded, signaling the end of the qualifying round. Those still racing on the course slowed down to a stop. Some slumped their shoulders and hung their heads in disappointment. Others breathed a massive sigh of relief that they were finished competing for the day and could finally enjoy the rest of the day in the stands.
All forty students from both classes A and B managed to qualify for the next round and two other students made up the remainder. One from general studies... And one from the support course.
Midnight granted the final forty two a short reprieve as the competition committee tallied their scores and prepared the ins and outs of the next round.
As the contestants made their way back into the tunnels, they each excitedly conversed with one another about the events that had taken place in the first round. Each one lamenting and reflecting on their own performances, while making their own predictions on what the second round held in store for them.
Peter and Momo brought up the rear as class A disappeared from the view of the spectators. The young lady was all smiles. Her self doubts were starting to fade. It was a freedom she had not tasted in what felt like such a long time. Sure she didn't win, but it was such an enormous leap forward from what she ever would have expected herself to be capable of.
"I will absolutely never understand how you talked me into jumping onto a pile of active explosives." She laughed.
"If you want to persuade, appeal to interest, not to reason. Benjamin Franklin." He grinned as Momo rolled her eyes with a smile. He stopped walking as the others turned the corner in front of them. "Hey Mo..."
She stopped and turned around to face him. "Yes?"
He looked straight into her eyes. "Thanks... For earlier. If it weren't for you I'd be a goner right now."
She smiled and took a few steps towards him. "Peter you jumped off a building for me. It's something I'll never forget. I wouldn't be here without you either." She said as she ran a hand through her hair.
Her soft expression captivated him. In that moment he wanted to tell her. He desperately wanted to speak every word of how he felt about her. He knew exactly what he would say and how he would phrase every sentence. The way she was looking at him gave him every bit of the strength and confidence he would need to throw caution to the wind and confess the deepest emotions he had ever felt for another human being... It was nearly impossible to hold it in as her eyes began to hypnotize him, unwilling to let him look away... But even though it was everything he wanted in that moment, he knew how important this competition was to her. She had finally begun to free herself from her own doubts. She had put in so much time preparing for this day and was just beginning to see the fruits of her labor. She had worked so hard and taken so many strides forward... He knew how hard she was working to get scouted... To open as many doors as possible for her to further her dream of being a hero. They still had the next round to mentally ready themselves for, he refused to risk causing her any distraction that could jeopardize her focus on reaching her goals today. There would be more opportunities down the road for him to tell her everything.
As the two stared at each other, Ochako walked around the corner.
"Hey YaoMomo! Parker! We were all looking for you! You coming?!" She called out.
"Yeah we're on our way!" Momo responded as the two hesitated before beginning to walk towards the waiting room once again.
Peter continued walk at her side completely unaware that she had just fought the same exact battle as he had...
The moments spent waiting for the next round seemed to drag by at the pace of a snail. The class 1A waiting room was refocused on the task at hand. The first round was pretty intense for a qualifier, so they all had to assume that the challenges brought by the second round would be even more arduous. The discussions had all disappeared as the time for patting themselves on the back had passed long ago. As the minutes continued to march on, the members of the class began to get antsy.
Momo, Todoroki, Jiro, and a few others watched as Peter began to pace in his usual, yet unusual fashion. The boy placed his hands in his pockets and began to walk up the side of the wall. Their eyes followed him as he seamlessly transitioned from the wall to the ceiling. Gravity only affected his dark brown hair as it dangled towards the ground. He continued to pace around on the ceiling as the two girls, along with his other classmates watched him with both confusion and amusement. It took the anxiety out of the room as smiles began to appear on their faces. Momo giggled as she found it to be kinda cute. Jiro looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.
"What's up with him?" She asked the two sitting next to her.
"I'm not quite sure... I've never seen him do this before." Momo said as they both looked at Todoroki.
"He tends to do this when he's either nervous or when he's thinking really hard about something." Shoto explained as he continued to watch his friend pace around the ceiling. "Which is it Parker?" He asked the boy who was currently too deep in thought to hear the question.
"Dude it's like he can bend reality!" Kaminari said in amazement.
"Yeah it's kinda starting to mess with my head actually." Kirishima added.
Momo decided to try to break him out of his trance. "Everything alright up there Peter?'
Her voice registered in his mind. He turned his head to see her staring up at him with a ln amused grin.
He suddenly realized what was happening and noticed everyone's eyes on him.
He hopped down and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "S-sorry, just a habit I've had since I was a kid."
"What were you thinking about?" Todoroki asked him as everyone awaited his response.
"Oh... Um nothing really... It's just that every year I watch these games and there's only one consistent similarity... they always only keep the top sixteen students for the final round. I was just wondering what kind of competition they would choose to cut that many of us this time. I think there's a chance we're about to have to work together in small groups to make it easier to decide who moves on."
As he finished his thought, the PA system came to life with Midnight's voice, "All remaining contestants please report back to the field at this time for the announcement of the second round."
"Well, it looks like we're about to have our questions answered. Let's go everyone! Get ready for anything!" Iida said as he stood. One by one, the students made their way out of the room and towards the tunnel.
The students stepped into the arena as they were welcomed by the crowd. The remaining forty two were ready to fight for their right to move on to the final round, no matter what Midnight and the committee had in store for them. They made their way to the stage as the R rated hero smirked menacingly, whip in one hand, and microphone in the other.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE THE WAIT IS OFFICIALLY OVEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR!!!!! LETS JUMP INTO THE SECOND ROUND OF SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT!! WE'VE GOT ONE HECK OF A CONTEST IN STORE THIS TIME! GET READY TO SCREAM!!!!"
Midnight prepared to speak as the jumbotron showed the results of the first round.
"Congratulations to all of you standing before me! You have done well to earn your next opportunity!!!" She licked her lips. "This is where the fun begins... This next event is where you'll have a chance to fully move yourself into the limelight! So you'd better give it all you've got!"
The participants looked on with determination as Midnight built the suspense.
"NOW!!! THE SECOND GAME OF THIS YEARS FESTIVAL IS!..." She pointed her whip to the screen beside her as the words: CAVALRY BATTLE appeared.
"A CAVALRY BATTLE WILL DETERMINE THE FINALISTS FOR THE THIRD ROUND!"
"Oh man I'm terrible at those!" Denki groaned. Electricity was a fickle beast, though the boy could control it (to some degree), it was an entirely different story to try to tame it. He knew that the use of his quirk could be limited if he was placed in a less than compatible team.
"Looks like Parker was right *ribbit! This isn't an individual competition... I wonder how they plan on splitting us up?" Tsu pondered.
"Allow me to explain, combatants will form teams of two to four as they see fit. It's very similar to an ordinary playground game..." An example of the game played on the screen using depictions of some their teachers as a reference. "Except for one difference." She narrowed her eyes, "Each student has been assigned a point value based on their performance in the obstacle race. The student in forty second place will be worth five points, forty first will be worth ten. The points assigned to each student will be increased by five points all the way to Momo Yaoyorozu who finished in second place..." Her smirk grew into an unhinged smile and snapped her whip out from her side. "And since Izuku Midoriya claimed first place in the last round... He will be worth TEN MILLION!!!"
One by one the hoard turned to him with sinister grins dripping with mischievous intention.
"Reeeeaally?..." Kirishima turned to the green haired boy.
"Is that right?" Parker said as he also began to stare at Izuku, who was suddenly overtaken by the fear filled realization that he was now public enemy number one.
He began to inwardly panic as dread washed over him. Sweat droplets formed on his forehead. As he looked around to find he was the center of everybody's attention, a certain blonde, spikey haired hot head fully turned his entire body around to face him. His red irises burned with flames of excitement as the world's most intimidating smirk formed on his face. Midoriya was frozen in place...
HERE'S THE PREVIEW!!!
Midoriya: *Nervously muttering to himself
Peter: "Uhhh... I think he's broken."
Momo: "Nahh he just does that sometimes..."
Peter: "Can't say I blame him for freaking out, ten million points is an insanely large target to wear on your back... But at least he's handling it with grace and dignity."
Midoriya: *Vomits from anxiety
Momo: "Well so much for that..."
Peter: "Well maybe not the most graceful thing I've ever seen... But I said dignity too."
Shoto: "Tell that to the wet spot on his pants."
Peter: *Facepalms
Shoto: "By the way, I'm borrowing your girlfriend to fill the last spot on my team."
Momo: "Cool... See ya Peter!"
Peter: "Wait! What?! Who am I supposed to team up with then?!"
Momo: "You'll figure something out! Think about that next time you jump out a window on me."
Peter: "I thought you said you were over that?!"
Momo: "Good luck handsome! See ya after the round!"
Peter: "Great... what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
Midoriya: *Continues to vomit
Peter: "CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GET THIS KID A BUCKET?!"
Kirishima: "Hey Parker! Come be our fourth!"
Mina: "Yeah you haven't found a team yet have ya?"
Katsuki: "WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU IDIOTS THINK I'D EVEN WANT THIS JACKASS ON OUR TEAM?!"
Peter: *laughs nervously "Well you heard him... theres no way he's letting me join you guys. Thanks anyway though."
Mina: *rolls eyes "Just repeat after me..." *whispers in Peter's ear
Peter: *eyes widen "U-Uhhh... F#@... Deku...?"
Katsuki: "GET OVER HERE YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD!!! WELCOME TO TEAM BAKUGO!!!"
Peter: "I genuinely cannot believe that worked... NEXT TIME! Cavalry Battle Royal!!! Go Beyond!!!"
Midoriya: *Vomits again
Team Bakugo in tandem: "Gross!/Ew!/Seriously dude?!/Pathetic.."