On the morning of the Sports Festival, Izuku found himself sitting on one of the folding chairs provided for them within the Class 1-A waiting room. As he sat there, hands clasped together while his elbows rested on his legs, the shield user looked out at the rest of his classmates through the strands of his messy green hair. Like him, they were all dressed in the U.A. blue gym uniforms. But, unlike him, there was a bit of nervous excitement going around as most of them sat at the tables provided, some even standing next to them as they chatted with each other. However, all Izuku could do was watch them knowing they would clam up should he try to approach them. Even if he tried to talk to Kirishima, Tsu, or Uraraka the rest of the class would then cut them out of the conversation until he left and he didn't want that. So, he was left sitting there with no way of dealing with just how nervous and disappointed he felt.
A disappointment caused due to a certain phone call he had the night before.
-x-Flashback-x-
"Izuku," said the boy's mother just after gently knocking on the door. Both these sounds drew the attention of the teen as he looked up from his work table. Off to the side were a few trinkets, commissions he had been working on in his spare time. While not as many as he would have had in the past, he was thankful that there were a few people who could look past his shattered reputation to see the quality of his work. It was during these moments that he could, for a time, forget about the things he couldn't control to work on something he could. Though, for how long he could continue like this, only time would tell.
However, it wasn't one of his commissions that he had been working on. Rather, it was the speech he would be giving at the beginning of the U.S. Sports Festival. A few days after Filo had joined their class, Mr. Aizawa had pulled Izuku aside after class to inform him that it was tradition that the student who scored the highest in the Entrance Exam for the Hero Course delivered the opening speech. It didn't need to be anything too fancy and not too long.
"Just make sure it is short and rational," said the tired homeroom teacher. When he heard that, Izuku mentally told himself that it was for the best. While he hoped that the crowds attending the event would at least show some respect and be silent when he spoke, he would be under their gazes. Ones that would carry the same or greater intensity as the ones he had been getting at school as well as when he walked around town.
So, every night since then had been spent the same. Izuku would look up previous speeches to get an idea of what to say. At the same time, Filo would be doing her homework on his bed. The only time she would interrupt him would be when she needed help with a problem.
"Yeah Mom," replied Izuku, pulling himself away from the paper and into the present to look at his mother. She hadn't entered the room, just standing there while ringing her hands and biting her lower lip.
"There's a call for you, sweetie," she began. "It's the school. Principal Nezu wanted to talk to you."
Dual emotions battled within Izuku when he heard this while ignoring Filo as she looked back and forth questioningly between the pair. Best case was that the Principal was calling to say that they had uncovered something that would help clear his name. On the other hand, he could also be calling to ask that he leave U.A. While Izuku trusted what Mr. Aizawa said about the principal believing in his innocence, there was probably a lot of pressure for the Principal to expel him.
Slowly, Izuku got to his feet as dread and hope battled within him. He then made his way to the landline with his mom standing off to the side. It seemed she was having similar fears.
"H-Hello," answered Izuku after taking the phone off hold.
"Greetings Mr. Midoriya, I hope you are in high spirits this fine night," replied the Principal, sounding almost the same as the last several times that Izuku had interacted with the mammal of unknown origins. But there was something a little off that Izuku could not put his finger on.
"As good as I can be," replied Izuku. "All things considered."
"Yes, that is understandable," said Nezu with a sigh. "Unfortunately that is why I am calling you this evening. I am very sorry to inform you that, due to your current circumstances, you shall not be giving the first year speech at the Sports Festival. When Mr. Aizawa spoke to you about giving the speech, it was done with the belief that things would have died down. Judging by how your homeroom is still treating you, the incident in All Might's class, and how you are still being brought up in the media proves this isn't the case. With this in mind, myself along with several members of the U.A. staff believe that having you standing there like that would be unwise."
"…I see," said Izuku, turning around so he could press his back against the wall. Conflicting emotions continued to persist within him. On the one hand, he was grateful that he wasn't being expelled or anything like that. Even more so that he wouldn't be standing there with a spotlight on him given everything that had been going on over the last couple of weeks.
But while Izuku understood, another emotion began to bubble within his gut. Like so many people growing up in Japan and watching the Sports Festival every year, he had dreamed more than once about being the one to stand there giving the speech before the world. Now that he had the chance to do so only then to be denied made him feel more than a little cheated out of a potential once and a lifetime chance.
"Please, do not take this as that we believe that you are guilty in any way," continued Nezu, clearly understanding how Izuku was feeling at the moment. "Myself, Aizawa, and the rest of the staff here at U.A. would like to avoid a situation that might cause undo mental strain upon you. I do hope that you understand."
"Oh, ah, I understand," replied Izuku quickly, lifting his head as he spoke. "It's just that this…on top of everything…well it's…" Izuku knew his words were failing as he tried not to sound like a sulking child when speaking to one of the few people who believed in him. But it was still a lot to take in. And so soon before the big event!
Thankfully, Nezu let out a positive hum. "You don't need to explain anything to me," said the unknown mammal kindly. "If there is any fault between us, it would be on our end for dropping this news at the last moment. We just wanted to ensure that we gave you as much time as we could. Please, rest assured that we shall do everything in our power to make it up to you for this loss."
-x-End Flashback-x-
"Hey Izuku," came Raphtalia's voice, snapping the teen out of his memories. Izuku looked up to see that she was now standing in front of him, doing her best to smile. "Let's do our best."
A small smile appeared on Izuku's face as he looked up at his friend, the bracelet he had made for her still on her arm. But, just as all his negative feelings were about to lessen, another voice spoke up.
"He won't get far."
Izuku blinked as he looked past Raphtalia, spotting Todoroki standing there with a cold gaze fixed on the forest-haired teen. It was so cold that Izuku thought he could see a cold mist flowing down the dual-haired colored teen's body. The other teens in the room spotted it as well as the room became silent.
"Objectively, in terms of pure power, I think it's fair to say that I'm the stronger of the two of us," continued Todoroki in an icy tone. "Similarly, when it comes down to planning and making the most out of your resources, you come up on top. With that said, do you think you can honestly win when all you have on your side is one person? Against the entire first year?" Todoroki then looked over at Raphtalia. "If you want some advance, then I suggest that you stay away from Midoriya."
"Hey dude, that's going way too far," said Kirishima with a frown.
Raphtalia however, did not back away. "I will not abandon my friend," she said while staring at Todoroki square in the eye with a determined look. "If the time comes where an event in the festival requires teammates, I will stand by his side. And, together, we will take down everyone that comes after us!"
"Alright, that's enough. Ribbit," spoke Tsu, getting everyone's attention. "We need to get going to the stadium now." With that, Tsu ushered them all to the door while shooting Izuku a worried look.
-x-
"Welcome back to the U.A. Sports Festival," came Present Mic's voice over the speakers. "Where up-and-coming heroes leave everything on the field where they have the chance to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity! Our first group is no stranger to the spotlight as they were the ones to survive a villain attack not too long ago. Let's welcome the hero course students of class 1-A!"
With Present Mic's bombastic announcement, Izuku and the rest of the class walked out onto the field with Raphtalia on one side while Kirishima was on his opposite. As soon as they were out in the open, the shouting and cheering of the crowd could almost be considered deafening. Everywhere the teen looked, he could see heroes mixed into the crowd dressed in their hero costumes as they threw up their fists in celebration. He also noticed something else, Raphtalia looked like she could no longer contain how nervous she was. Her body seemed to tremble as she stared out at nothing, the poor girl's tail becoming rigid like that of a scared animal.
Without thinking, Izuku moved his hand so that it took hold of the girl's. The touch almost instantly snapped her out of it.
"T-Thanks," she whispered. "I sort of needed that."
"No worries," replied Izuku back, keeping his voice low. "It was the least I could do for you standing up for me back there."
As 1-A took their spot in the middle of the stadium in front of a large white stage, Present Mic called out the other courses starting with their sister heroic course 1-B. From there, the DJ hero called out the support courses followed by general studies, and then finishing up with the business course students.
Then, once everyone had gotten onto the field, Midnight strode onto the stage in a manner that made nearly everyone there, both in the stands and on the ground, blush. Not helped by the fact that, when she stopped, she made a pose after flicking some of her long hair out of the way.
"And now the introductory speech," announced the R-Rated Hero. "This year's student pledge shall be given by Katsuki Bakugo!"
Izuku blinked in surprise as he looked over at Raphtalia just in time for Bakugo to come between them from behind, breaking their hold for a moment as he moved towards the stage with a sour expression on his face. Quickly, they reconnected their hands without their eyes ever leaving the retreating back of the explosive blond bomber. Said explosive lover had his hands in his pockets, back slouched as he made his way to the stage with a scowl on his face.
"That's weird," murmured Izuku as he leaned closer to Raphtalia. "I thought for sure you would be giving the speech."
"Well, they did ask me," admitted the Tanuki girl before frowning. "But I turned them down when they told me the reason you weren't going to be giving it. I guess Bakugo was their third choice. Honestly, I thought he'd be more thrilled."
Izuku didn't say anything to that, though he had an idea why. He just kept his gaze on Kacchan as the bomber blond took his place up there at the center of the stage.
"Before I begin," started Bakugo. "I just want to let everyone know that I'm not exactly happy to be standing here. The reason? I was their third choice. Third choice! When I heard that, I nearly told the Principal where he could shove this 'honor' before blowing up my own phone. If I wasn't hands down their first pick, then this meant nothing to me. But, if I did that, then they would just keep going down the line till some other spineless sheep said yes. And listening to someone like that speaking here, when they didn't earn shit, would have made me sick to my stomach."
Izuku watched as Bakugo then eyed the students before him before sending what felt like a death glare at class 1-A. They all seemed to feel it as many of those under his gaze began to shift uncomfortably.
"With that said, here's my speech," continued Bakugo before his anger shifted into something neutral. "I'm going to win."
As several students quickly made the shift from uncomfortable to angry, shouting while raising their fists at the explosively tempered blond, Bakugo slowly made his way off the stage with his hands in his pockets.
"Well, thank you for that…interesting speech," said Midnight. "I suppose we'd better not waste anymore of our time and get on with the fun!"
From behind the Rated-R hero appeared a holographic slot machine which began to spin wildly before the crowd. When it stopped, Izuku and Raphtalia could see the smirk on Midnight's face as she held up her whip.
"The first round has been decided: the obstacle course race!" announced Midnight before explaining to everyone the rules which seemed simple enough. Students were to run on the predetermined course set by the facility leading out and around the stadium. Anything goes as long as you stay on the path. The first one back gets first place. But while Midnight was explaining this, Izuku knew this wouldn't be so simple. He had watched these events plenty of times when he was younger, seeing plenty of the types of challenges that the school provided. So he had a feeling that, whatever was going to be on that path, was going to be something nobody was expecting.
"One last thing!" exclaimed Midnight with a snap of her fingers as her explanation was winding down. "It is said that great heroes are those who come prepared. To honor that spirit, for those of you who have stabled your dragons, Filolials, or devices created by the support department here at U.A. and had the foresight to fill out the proper paperwork may use them in this challenge! With that said, only those they are registered to may ride on them."
"Ah man! My dragon is still way too young to ride!" cried Kirishima as his hands went to his head in frustration. Besides him, Ashido patted him on the side.
"And mine just won't listen to what I say!" yelled Mineta as he stomped a foot onto the ground.
"Alright! Time to show the world what my babies can do!" cheered Hatsume, bringing her hands together. Pure joy seemed to radiate off her face while sparkles surrounded it.
Izuku couldn't help but grin as he felt relief wash over him. He was glad that he had asked teachers like Aizawa, Midnight, and Present Mic how to sign up Filo in this contest, both teachers helping with different levels of enthusiasm. But, one thing was clear: they both wanted to see what Filo was capable of. And so did Izuku!
As the various students took their mark at the exit to the stadium, Izuku reluctantly let go of Raphtalia's hand before making his way to the opposite side of the field. As he walked, already missing the warmth of his friend's hand, he saw the ground opening up and a platform being raised onto the field. In the middle of this new platform was Filo, thankfully in her Filolial form, who was munching on some sandwiches that were no doubt made for her by Lunch Rush.
But that wasn't the only item on this new platform. On the other side of Filo was a large pile of support gear that Hatsume was approaching with a spring in her step. The biggest piece looked like a steel backpack judging by the straps with what seemed to be some sort of grappling hook devices on the sides. Said backpack lay on the very top of the pile with everything else looking like it had been dumped there by someone. But if this bothered Hatsume it didn't show as she seemed to just reach into said pile to pull out a large boot before strapping it on.
"You ready Filo?" asked Izuku as he approached his Filolial, gently patting her beak as he spoke.
"Of course Master!" replied Filo, flapping her wings excitedly as she spoke. Thankfully, her voice didn't carry into the crowd nor were there any mics near the area. Izuku thought that this must have been Nezu's doing to help protect Filo.
As Izuku got on Filo's back while Hatsume continued to equip her own gear, the crowd had finally taken notice of the lone Filolial rider. Many of them began to laugh mockingly at the large bird, some wondering very loudly how it had gotten so fat or if it was really a mutated chicken. Others began to boo, with a few of them throwing objects down in his direction. No doubt these people remembered what he was being accused of. It honestly made Izuku even more glad that Filo hadn't been lifted up in her human form. If they had seen that, there was no telling how angry the crowd would have become.
Once he was mounted, Midnight approached the pair. When she spoke, it was done without the mic so that only they could hear her.
"To make things fair, everyone else will be given a ten-second head start," she said before leaning a bit closer to Izuku. "Not that it will matter in the end. Right, little hero?"
Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but Hatsume beat him to the punch. "Ha! That makes it all the better!" she announced while double-checking one of the straps to her backpack. "This handicap will only prove how amazing my babies really are!"
"We'll do our best! Right Master?" said Filo.
Izuku nodded, causing Midnight to smile at him and Filo before turning to Mei to do the same for her. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something more to them or to even pat Filo's beak in a sign of affection. But it seemed like she wanted to maintain the appearance of being neutral in all this, instead turning around with her head raised.
"Begin!" declared Midnight.
Izuku watched, holding onto Filo's feathers, as he witnessed his fellow first-years moving through the narrow hallway to leave the stadium. Or, at least, they were trying to. With so many students of various sizes trying to move through a confined space like that at once made the very act of movement difficult.
Made even worse as ice began to cover everything and everyone in it as well! Biting his lower lip, the green-haired teen watched as students, mainly those from general studies and the support course, trying their best to free themselves. Izuku's eyes scanned the crowd before him as he worried about his friends. Raphtalia was a very agile person with great instincts, but if that ice caught her off guard it would be difficult for her to free herself without the use of her sword. The same went for Uraraka, though more so since her combat abilities were far weaker than Raphtalia's. With Tsu his worries were doubled as he feared that the corridor might act like a mini-freezer for a time. Due to her quirk giving her the same weaknesses as a frog, if she got caught in the ice then she might go into hibernation.
The only two he wasn't worried about were Kacchan and Kirishima. The moment he saw the ice, Kacchan would use his explosions to propel himself through the air to the other side. And, on the off chance he failed to notice the ice in time, he could use smaller explosions to free himself. Meanwhile, Kirishima could just harden his body, using that to break out of the ice.
Then, Midnight gave the signal for the Izuku and Hatsume to head out.
"This is nothing for my babies!" announced Mei with a mad laugh as she dashed off, her boots lifting her into the air while the backpack she wore somehow propelled her forward. When she got to the corridor, the grappling hooks latched onto the ceiling instantly, putting her above the rest of the students who were still stuck as she made her way over their heads.
"Here we go!" cried Filo at the same time Hatsume left, flapping her wings in excitement. A loud explosion filled the stadium, silencing the crowd for a moment, while a massive pillar of dust and debris shot up to the sky as Filo took off, their images nothing more than a blur as they passed through the tunnel. As they flew by a number of still-frozen students, Izuku kept his gaze out for Raphtalia only letting out a sigh of relief as he exited. She wasn't there. Meaning she was still in the race!
Once they were out, Izuku spotted the first obstacle outside of the stadium. Though it was clearly not one set up by the staff. All over the path were a number of Mineta's sticky, purple balls. Upon seeing them, Izuku quickly deduced that the pint-sized pervert was trying to use them to his advantage. Partly to bounce from one orb to the next while also being a trap for the students behind him.
"Be careful Filo!" warned Izuku as he began looking out for Mineta. "If you touch them, you'll get stuck!"
"Right!" responded Filo.
Wasting no time, Filo leapt into the air where she soared over the field. As they did, Izuku could see that a few people were already caught in the purple land mines. Several of them, he noticed, had made the unfortunate mistake of trying to grab a hold of them with their bare hands in an attempt to pry the orbs off of them only to get further stuck. Others were using their time to try and slide out of their gym uniforms without a care how it looked.
Then, when Izuku looked up again, he spotted the rest of the first-year students. Some were off to the sides, fighting hordes of the same robots as in the entrance exam. One of them was Raphtalia! The Tanuki girl had managed to get her hands on a steel pike with a jagged end. No doubt something she had picked up from one of the damaged robots. Using her skills, she wielded it like a saber, stabbing into the weak points of the various robots before her. Near her was Tsu, hopping around at just the right time so that the robots ended up hitting each other.
As for the rest, they were just standing there while staring up at the remains of three Zero-point robots from the entrance exam! Judging by the ice and scorch marks, Izuku had a pretty good guess as to how they were taken out. And the good news was that it seemed like it had happened recently! Meaning Izuku was quickly catching up to the front of the pack thanks to Filo.
As the pair landed near a fallen Mineta, his face now sporting a massive bruise, Filo leapt to the side in order to dodge one of the metal arms of a One-pointer robot. The machine didn't let up, speeding up in order to close the distance while pulling back its other metallic arm ready to strike Filo's head. However, Izuku not only saw this but acted instantly by leaning forward and raising his shield to block the attack. The One-pointer's arm bounced off the shield with a loud clank, making an opening for Filo to unleash a spinning kick to its midsection.
"Thank you Master!" said Filo as she landed back on her feet, looking behind her to look her rider in the eye.
"No problem," said Izuku, a slight smile tugging on his lips from how well they were working together. "Let's keep going."
Filo nodded, wasting no more time as she quickly took off at high speeds shooting through anything that got in her way. As she did, little metal debris landed on top of her. Some of it were small shards no larger than a small coin while others were large chunks of the metal foe villains. Deciding to make the most of this, Izuku began to feed his shield the various pieces of metal in the hopes that it might unlock a new shield or something. Sadly, nothing happened. But at least it was off Filo so there was that.
Just then…
"I won't let you pass me Midoriya!" came a sudden and familiar voice.
Izuku looked over to his side to see Ida matching pace with Filo, an expression of anger on his face as he looked at the teen.
"I shall not allow a scoundrel such as yourself to pass me in this prodigious heroic event! Especially not when my big-" As he spoke, the blue-haired bespectacled teen failed to notice the slight movements of Midoriya's lips as he whispered something. Nor did he seem to be aware of the green flash in front of him. So it was little surprise to Izuku or Filo that he didn't notice the Air Strike Shield right in front of him until it was too late, crashing into it like an old Saturday morning cartoon character.
And perhaps Izuku had done Ida a favor as the next obstacle was mere moments away: a deep trench right in the middle of the path so deep that no one could see the bottom!
"Too easy!" laughed Filo who sped up while everyone else began to slow down. When she reached the edge of the gorge, Filo leapt into the air. Now airborne again, Izuku noticed that there were several thick wires connecting one side of the trench to the other which students were trying to either balance upon or shimmy across. But that wasn't what Filo was aiming for. No, she was aiming for one of the various pillars sticking out of the darkness. Still laughing, Filo landed on one of these pillars without losing any of her momentum as she continued to run. She then made another leap to the next and the next until finally they were on the other side where Todoroki and Bakugo were!
"Midoriya!" cried Todoroki, his eyes wide in surprise at what he saw.
"Damn it Deku!" growled Bakugo, gritting his teeth.
Both Midoriya and Filo ignored the two as they landed. At that moment, Filo gave another mighty burst from her legs creating another large pillar of dust that shot high into the air. This took both of the other boy's by surprise as the two were temporarily blinded by this action. Then, by the time they had cleaned the dirt from their eyes, both Izuku and Filo were way ahead of them.
"No," growled Bakugo again, taking in deep breaths to rein in his frustration. "I won't let him! I won't let him!" Bakugo then shot both his arms behind him before massive explosions erupted from his palms, sending him flying through the air toward the vanishing form of his childhood friend. Behind him, Todoroki stood there for a moment as his fists began to clench tightly. Ice then began to form behind him, taking on the form of large ice spikes before taking off at full speed.
Meanwhile, with Izuku, both he and Filo were coming up to the final challenge: a landmine field! Thankfully, the two of them got plenty of warning thanks to Present Mic who continued to narrate the events as well as the helpful signs in front.
"Master, should we slow down or go faster?" asked Filo.
"Can you go faster?" was Izuku's response.
"Of course! High Quick!" cheered Filo. A new burst of speed nearly caused Izuku to go flying off Filo's back. The world around him became a blur for a moment as large, pink explosions erupted from the ground behind him. The next thing he knew, he was in a long hallway leading back into the stadium. Filo hummed happily as she ran towards the bright light on the other side, Present Mic's voice echoing loudly.
"And we have our winner for the first event: Izuku Midoriya!"