When Todoroki had woken up, he found himself staring at the nurse's office ceiling. The sight made Todoroki frown quietly, having realized he again lost. Slowly the teen sat up from his bed and cringed as his arm throbbed in pain. It only reminded him of his failure. During the exercise, Akatani had sabotaged the building's sprinkler system. At the time Todoroki thought he had found and cornered the other teen.
As always, he decided to try to capture Akatani with a single overwhelming attack. After all, why should he waste time holding back on something he could have easily defeated? However, Akatani turned on the sprinklers just as Todoroki began using his quirk. It covered half his body in ice before Todoroki stopped himself. He then tried to free himself by smashing the ice, but Akatani ran over to him, wrapped a strong cable around his free arm, restrained it, and then shot Todoroki with a tranquilizer.
"Outmaneuvered again," Endeavor told him in his mind, "This wouldn't have happened if you used your fire."
Todoroki shook that thought away, electing to ignore the man. It was bad enough seeing him in person, having him plague his mind just added fuel to the fire. Carefully Todoroki looked around the nurse's office and saw most of his classmates were now somewhat conscious. Though all were at various levels of health. In terms of non-injured classmates Tokoyami stood off in a far corner of the room, and Bakugo was the only one not in the infirmary. At the front of the room, Todoroki spotted Akatani talking with All Might.
Most of the conversation was unimportant to him, so he ignored it. That was until All Might said four distinct words.
"About you being quirkless," All Might said, looking down at Akatani. It caused Todoroki to freeze, the words barely registering as he thought it over. That… that couldn't be true. Akatani had a quirk! How else was he able to sneak around so easily? How else was he able to keep winning, over, and over, and over again? This… No! He was not losing to someone quirkless!
Todoroki's breathing quickened in anger, disbelief clear in his eyes. He always said his mother's quirk was enough to beat anyone. And yet it kept losing against a single quirkless teen. It wasn't true. Akatani had a quirk. All Might had to have been lying. Looking away from the scene, he spotted his conscious classmates equally as shocked as him, except for Uraraka, Iida, and Asui for an unknown reason.
Soon enough All Might gave his usual boisterous laugh before both he and Akatani seemed to realize everyone was looking at them. Todoroki watched as they looked at everyone confused, before all of them collectively voiced what everyone was thinking.
"You're quirkless!?" everyone exclaimed, while Akatani gave a small nervous chuckle.
"Heh… uh, yeah… I am," Akatani replied, and Todoroki could feel his anger quietly brewing. This… This was some grand lie. Some plow to force him into using his father's flames. It had to be. Because Todoroki was not losing to someone quirkless. Yet everyone in the nurse's office seemed to believe him.
"You're… you're quirkless? No quirk of any kind?" Yaoyorozu inquired surprised, with Akatani shaking his head no.
"None," Akatani replied.
"How!? Y-you sneak around silently!" Jiro pointed out, as Akatani rubbed the back of his head.
"It's the suit. It's specially made to be as quiet as possible," Akatani answered, and noticing Kaminari start to say something, he continued, "It's also insulated to protect against electricity. It was originally meant to defend against tasers, but was improved slightly to handle electric quirks."
"So everything you did, in every exercise, was because of the suit," Ojiro inquired, only for Akatani to give him a so-so hand gesture.
"Not entirely. I did have that exoskeleton for increased strength and speed-" Akatani explained, only for Kaminari to cut him off.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! Exoskeleton? As in something straight out of sci-fi?" Kaminari asked surprised, almost everyone sharing his surprise.
"So that's what those machines were," Ojiro muttered surprised, remembering how many soldiers he had seen with them, while Yaoyorozu spoke up.
"I-Island has been developing such systems for a while now, but they're rather expensive," Yayorozu added, drawing everyone's eye briefly.
"So the MSF isn't the only one then?" Ojiro noted, with Yaoyorozu nodding her head.
"They're not. A Russian company released its exoskeleton recently. It's still an up-and-coming support item though, as I-Island supposedly hit delays in their designs," Yaoyorozu explained.
"How much are the I-Island ones?" Uraraka asked, slowly thinking over the costs of such technology. It… it couldn't be that expensive, could it? Todoroki barely considered it originally, after all, almost every soldier he'd run into had an exoskeleton. If almost all of them had one, then it couldn't be that bad-
"I… don't remember completely. The last I heard a prototype was somewhere in the range of… nine billion," Yaoyorozu answered, shocking almost everyone in the room. Akatani meanwhile thought the number over.
"Is that in USD or yen?" he asked, trying to calculate the cost.
"Yen, in USD I think it is around sixty million," Yaoyorozu replied, answering the question for him. It instantly created a look of shock on the other teen's face.
"Sixty!? You could buy two Abrams tanks with that amount of money!" Akatani exclaimed, making everyone even more surprised. Yaoyorozu could only look at the other teen confused. I-Island was home to the world's top minds, yet Akatani made it sound like their exo's were cheaper somehow. But that didn't make sense. If the MSF was able to make far cheaper exoskeletons, then I-Island should have been able to do it years ago.
"How much do yours cost?" Yaoyorozu inquired.
"Like seventy-five thousand dollars," Akatani replied, before hearing the sound of something dying nearby. It turned out to be Uraraka.
"S-seventy thousand," she muttered, before lightly chuckling to herself with an oddly manic look.
"So…eleven million yen… if you're right, with the same amount of money needed to buy one exo from I-Island, you could buy two tanks, and have enough money for one hundred and sixty exoskeletons," Yaoyorozu realized. Get rid of the tanks, and the MSF had enough money for eight hundred exos. For the same amount of money that it took I-Island to build one prototype, the MSF could equip a battalion.
"Heh… you uh… you think I could get one?" Sero asked nervously.
"I don't know. The MSF only started building them a few months ago," Akatani replied hesitantly.
"Well, how many do they have?" Sero asked, with Akatani bringing a hand to his chin in thought.
"...Hmm… I think… four-no fifty thousand… now that I think about it there's more than I realized," Akatani replied, leaving everyone again in shock.
"I-Island hasn't even left the prototype stage," Yaoyorozu muttered surprised.
"So in other words, you have the gear that can make you faster than everyone except Iida, stronger than everyone except Shoji, and able to traverse terrain only Mineta, Asui, or Uraraka could… holy shit he's a pilot!" Kaminari exclaimed, drawing over a surprised look from Sero.
"Like from Titanfall?" Sero asked, with Kaminari quickly nodding his head.
"Yeah! All he needs is a mech, and it is complete," Kaminari replied, before turning to look at Akatani. The teen seemed to do everything to avoid looking Kaminari in the eye. It confused him for a moment before realization struck.
"Noooo," Kaminari muttered, as Akatani slowly turned to face him.
"...The… MSF may have some in-development," Akatani replied, with a nervous smile.
"I want one. I don't care if I have to enlist, I want one," Kaminari said determinedly, earning a worried cough from All Might, who everyone had forgotten was in the room. At this point, Todoroki was sick of the constant exo talk.
"Can we get back on topic," Todoroki interjected before anyone else could speak, "Or did you forget we lost to someone quirkless."
"Oh… right…" Kaminari muttered, quickly becoming downtrodden. Todoroki's words had almost immediately sombered the mood. Why wouldn't it? How could any of them hope to become heroes, if they couldn't even beat someone quirkless?
"Come on guys, it's not that bad," Akatani tried to counter, hoping to bring the class's mood back up.
"Dude, no offense, but how is it not?" Mineta replied, the others quietly agreeing, "You don't have a quirk, and we've been losing to you repeatedly."
"Yeah. If we're not strong enough to take down someone without powers, how are we supposed to do it with people who do?" Sero inquired.
"To be fair I've had years of training under my belt," Akatani tried to reason, only for Todoroki to quietly look at him.
"So have I," Todoroki retorted, only for Akatani to cross his arms.
"Except you were holding back," Akatani pointed out, not noticing the slight dip in the room's temperature. He did, however, notice the split-second glare Todoroki gave him.
"The point still stands, kero. He's strong enough to cover a building in ice, and yet you've knocked him out twice. Bakugo could tear down a skyscraper if he wanted, and you ran circles around him," Asui countered bluntly, "They have the strongest quirks in the class, and they couldn't touch you."
Everyone else quietly shared this sentiment. How were they to become heroes, if the most powerful of them kept losing? If all of them kept losing. All Might was powerful enough that no one could ever beat him, same for pretty much all of the top ten. It was that realization that seemed to sour Akatani's mood.
"No offense All Might, but I kinda have to blame you for this," Akatani muttered, causing a few people to gasp in shock. A few seemed ready to protest and defend All Might but saw the Symbol of Peace slowly nod in agreement.
"None taken. In fact, I see what's wrong," All Might replied, before addressing the class, "Listen up and listen well. It does not matter how powerful you are. What matters is how you use that power."
At that point, All Might turned away from the class and looked around the room for something. What he ended up finding was a small chair with wheels. He pulled it over and carefully sat down, though the site looked rather comical with the hero's large size.
"I will admit, my reputation has spurred on the idea that heroes must have powerful quirks. That to be successful, one must be strong. However, that isn't the total truth," All Might explained, "It doesn't matter how powerful you are if that power is used poorly, or without skill. It's why Young Akatani has done so well in these exercises. He may lack power, but makes up for it with keen planning, and specific equipment to cover up his flaws."
Todoroki was about to protest this point, only for All Might to hold up a hand, quietly telling him to stop.
"All of you indeed have strong quirks, but if they are not utilized well you will fail. For example, Young Kirishima, your quirk hardens your skin to become practically bulletproof. However, you need to breathe, leaving you susceptible to a quirk like Midnight's. Does that make you unfit to become a hero?" All Might inquired, turning to face the boy in question. Kirishima looked back at the hero for a second, thinking it over.
"...No," Kirishima hesitantly replied, with All Might giving him a wide confident smile in response.
"Your quirk can still be used in many ways. Just because it fails in one does not make it fail in others. It's why learning to utilize your quirk well is key," All Might continued, "Another example would be Young Todoroki. From what I can tell you prefer a single overwhelming display of strength. That kind of method won't always work, especially if you're outnumbered, or have civilians present."
Hearing his name mentioned, Todoroki realized All Might was now looking over at him, the same wide smile still present. But, Todoroki couldn't help but disagree with the hero. The USJ had proven the only thing that would work was overwhelming force. It's why Todoroki so easily dealt with the villains in his zone and why All Might defeated Nomu. He didn't voice this thought tough, instead keeping it to himself. At this point, Akatani decided to step back in, with All Might pushing himself aside.
"Instead of viewing this as you guys failing, view it as a display of what you could reach. If I could take all of you down single-handedly without a quirk, think of what you could accomplish with the same amount of training and time," Akatani added, and the thought instantly struck a chord with all of them as they imagined the prospect, "Besides, I did need a lot of gear to stand a chance."
"That's… fair," Yaoyorozu muttered, finding that Akatani's and All Might's words helped a little. It seemed to help the others as well. It made sense though, losing to Akatani shouldn't be viewed as an embarrassment. That losing to him showed what pitiful heroes they were. No, it showed what Akatani was capable of, and what they as a class would become capable of if they could utilize their quirks well.
"You know, you beating us without a quirk is kinda manly," Kirishima stated, looking over at Akatani.
"Manly? He was terrifying! You can be real scary when you want to be," Ashido complimented, though Akatani quietly waved her off.
"Ah, kinda. I did go overboard with the fear thing though," Akatani replied, before noticing Uraraka giving him a smirk.
"I'll say," she replied, "Was dropping an industrial ceiling light on me necessary?"
"Or the crate you slammed into my face?" Sero added, also with a smirk.
"You think that's bad? He dropped me off a gargoyle, kero," Asui stated, as Akatani looked at her nervously. The statement did earn a laugh from Kaminari though, who quickly drew everyone's attention.
"Were you trying to be Batman?" he jokingly asked, only for Akatani to give him the most serious look possible.
"Yes," Akatani replied, causing almost everyone to start laughing at the bluntness of his answer.
"Oh, you should have had the mask! It would have made everything ten times better!" Kaminari called out, with Akatani quickly lambasting himself.
"That would have been genius! Why didn't I think of that!?" Akatani exclaimed, "I even have custom shurikens for this!"
"You have custom shurikens?" Tokoyami inquired, suddenly very interested.
"Yeah. I know a guy in the MSF who makes them. All custom made," Akatani replied, before fishing one out of his pocket. He held it out for the other to see, who looked over the weapon intensely.
"I second what Kaminari said before. I don't care if I have to enlist, I want it," Tokoyami suddenly declared. He reached out to pick up the blade, and Akatani carefully handed it over. At the same time, Kaminari thought over something.
"Side note though, and this is gonna sound really dumb, but when you knocked me out were you in-" Kaminari attempted to ask before Akatani cut him off.
"I was in the cardboard box," Akatani told him, with Kaminari's eyes going wide. A smile soon plastered his face as the electric teen laughed loudly before he turned to face Kirishima.
"I KNEW IT!" he exclaimed excitedly, while Kirishima just nervously chuckled.
"Seems you were right," Kirishima replied. All Might could only watch the sight with an ever-present smile. It felt good to see the heroes of the future so at ease. Reminded him of his days back in UA, before all the madness happened. Somewhat proud of how close-knit this class seemed to be, All Might decided now was the best time to leave.
"Another break-in by the Skull and Bone Bandits. This time at Musutafu's New Star Energy Station. While nothing was stolen like all the other break-ins, this event had now created concern for local authorities. The main reason is the station's importance for the North Musutafu area, as the station provides more than forty percent of Northern Musutafu's power. While many officials suspect the break-in was nothing more than an overconfident prank, others are stating concerns over the nation's security.
However, the Hero Commission's Vice-President Nagai Okitatsu has gone on record to state these concerns are baseless. That said, the Vice President has also stated that more heroes will be focused on capturing the Skull and Bone Bandits. In other less concerning news, the international hero Heart Star has announced she will be attending the upcoming UA Sports Festival as added security."
It had taken weeks of preparation, but the day had finally arrived, the UA Sports Festival. It had only been an hour since the gates opened, but already the school was filled with spectators. Though not without some difficulties, most of the entrances had MSF personnel guarding them and not many civilians wanted to deal with the mercs. Everything did get underway though, as guests went through metal detectors to get inside.
When inside one could spot dozens of small stands lining the area, selling snacks, drinks, merchandise, and other small products the business course was trying to pedal. There were also dozens of stands hoisting games of some kind. Mentally, Mt Lady reminded herself to check them out later. Currently, however, she had something else on her mind, as she looked over one stand hungrily.
"I'll take one order to go please," she said, watching as the stand's attendant looked up at her. His face instantly had a look of recognition, as the man gained an excited smile.
"Of course! That's gonna be ten bucks," the man replied, while hastily getting her food ready. Hearing the price Mt Lady moved to grab her wallet, but immediately realized she didn't have it. Well, time for old reliable then.
"Um… oh, no, my money's in another costume," Mt Lady muttered while doing everything possible to make herself seem more attractive. She swayed her hips slightly, played with her hair, and even added a small pout. Kamui could only facepalm at the display, same with Death Arms. It worked though, as the attendant instantly gave her the food.
"It's on the house!" the man exclaimed, as Mt Lady grabbed the food.
"Aren't you just a dear," she lightly teased, before hearing an annoyed sigh from Kamui.
"Have you no shame?" he muttered, though Mt Lady elected to ignore him. What she didn't ignore, however, was the mutter of someone else behind her. Said someone was one of the MSF's men, walking by on patrol with a buddy.
"[Typical hero, expecting something for free,]" he muttered, briefly glaring at Mt Lady before looking away. The other nodded slowly in agreement, doing the same as his friend.
"[I'll say, entitled bitch,]" the other stated, as the two walked off. As they did so, any civilian that saw them instantly backed away, or stepped as far to the side as possible. Now even though Mt Lady couldn't speak English, she had a feeling she knew what they said. And who were they to judge her? She was a hero, she spent her days saving lives and stopping villains. They were mercenaries. They blew up villages and were hired by other villains.
She didn't say any of this though, instead walking away as she led the way. At the same time, they all looked over the area for anything suspicious.
"You know, I was hoping to do some scouting while we were here," Kamui stated while waving at a small group of fans who spotted him.
"Yeah, shame we're working security this time. Heard that class 1A had some real heavy hitters. Thought one of them might make a good intern," Death Arms added, "Also heard they have a villain in their class."
"Really?" Mt Lady asked surprised. She never heard any of this on the news, but Death Arms nodded his head slowly.
"Yeah. Some students posted about it online," he replied, before noticing the disbelief on Mt Lady's face.
"Yeah, but, you don't mean like a true villain, do you?" Mt Lady inquired.
"Well, he had the same logo all these mercenaries have," Death Arms answered, causing Kamui to groan annoyed. Mt Lady couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.
"Great, so they're fielding child soldiers now. What was the Principal thinking?" Kamui muttered, Mt Lady slowly nodding before taking a bite of her food.
"It's bad enough having the MSF near students. Having one of their own in class with them is worse," Death Arms added, "Who knows what lies that brat's feeding them."
"He could have been forced into this, you know. If that's the case maybe some heroes could try to help him," Mt Lady countered while eating more of her meal.
"Fair," Death Arms quietly agreed, while the heroes continued to walk around. Soon enough they seemed to walk into an area completely void of MSF personnel. It was somewhat comforting, knowing they weren't surrounded by villains in this spot. It also gave Mt Lady a surprising realization as she looked around.
"Huh, they called in pros from all over for this," Mt Lady muttered, her eyes falling on several crowds of heroes. She didn't know all of them, but Mt Lady did recognize a few of them. Most were Japanese heroes, but there were also a decent number of foreign heroes. Whether they were just here for the event or added security, Mt Lady didn't know. She was silently grateful though, if anything happened they had a lot of extra heroes on hand.
"And this is where we'll be sitting," Miller stated, as both he and Midoriya walked into the VIP seats. Inside he could see Thirteen, Power Loader, Ectoplasm, Vlad King, and Nezu in their seats. Power Loader had his costume's helmet off sitting next to him. Noticing the two walk in, Power Loader could only give Miller a hopeful look.
"For the sake of my sanity, tell me you confiscated it," Power Loader quietly begged, as both Miller and Midoriya took their seats. Why do you ask? Simple, Hatsume wanted to use the exoskeleton she modified for the festival- something neither Power Loader nor the MSF found acceptable. So, the two decided to briefly work together.
"We did," Miller replied, though his answer did little to comfort the hero.
"Did you use the solid steel safe? The titanium chains? Tell me it's under armed guard," Power Loader inquired, with Miller nodding as he turned to look at the stadium.
"All of it, but we found her an hour later cutting through everything like butter," Miller answered, before removing his sunglasses, "Had to disassemble it piece by piece and hide it all over campus."
"That won't stop her," Power Loader muttered, before materializing a bottle of sake from under his seat. Popping the bottle open, he began pouring himself a drink when Miller spoke up.
"Doesn't have to. Just needed to delay her until the event starts," Miller replied, the hero quickly seeing the logic in it. It brought a small comforting smile to his face, though he kept the sake with him. It was already opened, and it would be a shame to waste it after all. Of course right as he was about to take a sip from the drink, a small paw quickly swiped it.
"As lax as I am with all of you, I do believe you remember our school's alcohol policy?" Nezu inquired, before looking over the bottle calmly.
"Honestly, when did you even start drinking?" Nezu then asked, the rodent walking back to his chair. The question made Power Loader tiredly groan, before slouching back into his seat.
"Since the gremlins arrived," Power Loader replied, causing Midoriya to chuckle lightly. At the same time, Midoriya looked across the massive stadium in front of him, taking everything in. There were just so many people here, all for this one event. Thinking back on it, Midoriya had wanted to participate in the Sports Festival when he was younger. But now that seemed like a forgone thought. If he so much as appeared on TV, even with his disguise, he would bring a lot of unwanted attention his way. That, and he wasn't a student, thus making him ineligible to compete.
"So, where's Snake?" Vlad King inquired, suspicion clear in his voice. His question had been more directed at Miller, but Midoriya decided to speak up for his uncle.
"Command center. Dad had some paperwork he needed to get through," Midoriya answered, though he knew his answer wouldn't completely satisfy the hero.
"He's doing paperwork, during the festival?" Vlad questioned further, "Wouldn't now of all times be when the head of security is needed most?"
"He would be if this was solely an MSF operation. All those heroes you brought in cut out a lot of MSF personnel," Miller replied, glancing at the hero, "So that means less work for us and time for Snake to finish up other things."
"Shame he's missing it though," Midoriya muttered sadly, only for Miller to place a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sure he'll join us when he's done. I mean, how long does this event take?" Miller asked, turning to face Nezu. The rodent held his paw to his chin for a moment, before pouring himself some of Power Loader's sake. What? It was school policy that the principal would get the first drink. This policy did, however, only apply to the Festival.
"Couple of hours at most. What with how long the third event normally takes," Nezu replied quickly, before standing up and passing the bottle over to Power Loader. It was somewhat comforting to think of. In an instant though the door to the VIP lounge shot open, as All Might entered the room with Melissa in tow.
"We are here!" the symbol of peace exclaimed, before debuffing himself, "To watch the event."
Once All Might finished talking he quickly closed the door to ensure no one else saw him in his weakened form. At the same time, Midoriya was a bit shocked that All Might was revealing his true form to Melissa. However, when he spotted her giving both Midoriya and All Might a shocked look as well, it became clear she already knew. The shock was more that she didn't know Midoriya knew, and vice versa.
The shock was over quickly though as Melissa calmly walked over and sat behind Midoriya. All Might would soon join Melissa sitting behind Miller. With the same wide smile All Might always had, he sat back in his chair and looked over at Midoriya.
"So, Young Akatani, excited for the first event?" All Might asked, with Midoriya giving him an excited grin.
"Extremely," Midoriya replied, barely thinking the question over, "Who do you think's going to win? Because I know 1A has trained a lot, but I don't know much about 1B. Oh, or the Gen Ed, Support, and Business courses! They probably have unique quirks at their disposal."
"Call it bias, but I'm confident someone from 1A will prevail," All Might proclaimed confidently.
"You sure about that All Might? My class has been running itself through the ringer for weeks," Vlad replied, with a friendly smirk.
"Oh, I'm sure they have," All Might countered calmly, "Call it a gut feeling."
"Pretty sure you don't have a gut to feel," Vlad replied, causing All Might to cough out blood in a shocked laugh briefly.
"Oh, caught me off guard with that one," All Might said, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket.
"Too far?" Vlad inquired, with All Might wiping away blood from his mouth.
"Eh, I've heard worse from she who shall not be named," All Might replied, waving the other hero off. Pocketing his now bloody handkerchief, All Might turned to face Midoriya again, a curious look on his face.
"What about you though?" All Might asked, with Midoriya bringing a hand to his chin, "Who do you think's going to win?"
"I… don't know," Midoriya replied, thinking the prospect over. Carefully he pulled out a notebook from a small bag he was carrying.
"They're all capable in their own right, but I think it depends on the events. Give them challenges where physical power is the dominant factor, and someone like Bakugo or Todoroki will probably win," Midoriya explained, "But if it is something more focused on brains, teamwork, skill, or anything other than power, then the winner could be anyone."
"That leaves out the support course," Melissa countered, pointing out a small flaw in Midoriya's logic, "They may not have physical power, but I'm sure Hatsume created something to even the odds in her favor."
"Oh, that too. While their quirks might not be suited for combat, some of their tech will be," Midoriya agreed quickly, before scribbling something down in his notebook. Curious, All Might managed to gain a peek at Midoriya's notebook. He didn't see much of the page, but what he did see detailed the possible applications of a giant mutant quirk.
"You have a surprisingly strategic mind," All Might noted while sitting back slightly.
"Comes with the training. Dad says if I want to join, I'll have to serve as much of a backline role as a frontline one," Midoriya replied, though his response did make All Might somewhat suspicious. He didn't see it, but the hero gave Miller a small unnoticeable glare. However, it also came with confusion. Midoriya said join as if it was voluntary. As if Snake was giving him the option, instead of forcing Midoriya into it.
"Meaning?" All Might inquired, still perplexed by the choice of words. Of course, Midoriya thought All Might meant something else, and answered differently.
"Logistics, keeping troops organized, creating battle plans, allocating MSF's R&D budget, stuff like that," Midoriya replied, and while not what All Might was looking for, it did give him a few ideas.
"Might be good to teach some of the students that," All Might muttered to himself. It made a lot of sense in hindsight. While heroes weren't the ones organizing everything in disaster relief, they still needed to do a lot to keep things orderly. Not to mention budgeting would be key for running future agencies.
"How do you think 1A's doing though? Good?" Midoriya suddenly asked, drawing All Might out of those thoughts, "I mean last I saw them they seemed pretty nervous."
"Well I wouldn't blame them if they were nervous, the eyes of the world are on them after all," All Might replied, "I'm sure they're doing fine… though a few words of encouragement probably wouldn't hurt."
"Could have just sent a video application," Miller muttered somewhat annoyed, while All Might rolled his eyes in response.
"You know, Ocelot said the same thing," All Might muttered, before looking back at the massive stadium before him.
"Haven't you ever heard that patience is a virtue?" Night Owl muttered as he watched over the TV in front of him. It rested atop a pile of cinder blocks stacked together, acting as a makeshift table in the desolate warehouse. Sitting in a large armchair next to him, was Reaper surrounded by four of his top commanders. All of which were now glaring at the mad scientist.
"You dare question the word of Reaper?" one of them questioned, as Night Owl looked at him with a wide smirk.
"Yes," Night Owl replied, only to laugh at the angered faces it spawned on all of his commanders. A few seemed about ready to murder him, their hands moving towards side arms. They stopped, however, when Reaper silently held up a hand, motioning them to stand down. Each commander did so reluctantly, and once they all did Reaper looked at Night Owl curiously.
"Look, I understand you and your men are eager to get out there, but we need to wait just a little longer. So relax! Enjoy the festival, and kick back. If you're interested there's this great cafe you should try," Night Owl told him, mentally noting the members of the Ninth Circle arming themselves in the background. Dozens of men and women loaded Type 89s, Type 20s, Sumitomo Minimis, and several other guns. Night Owl even spotted two of them with restored M2 flamethrowers stolen from a museum. Must have taken a lot of time to get them working again, Night Owl thought.
None of that mattered though if his hosts didn't have the patience to wait!
"We want the public terrified. We can't do that by rushing in without everything ready," Night Owl continued, keeping up his same smile. Of course, Reaper's gaze turned cold, the man glaring at Night Owl quietly.
"Yes! I get it, you have been waiting a very long time, but all I am asking is for more time," Night Owl promised, watching as Reaper brought a hand to his chin. Or what would be his chin, if the skull mask he wore didn't obscure his face. He relented though, slowly sitting back in his chair as he turned to face the TV.
"Good. Now, speaking of preparations," Night Owl inquired, with Reaper snapping his fingers. One of his commanders stepped forward, still clearly disliking Night Owl's presence, but spoke up regardless.
"The men have been assembled at the coordinates… as per your request," the commander answered, grumbling the last part in annoyance.
"And?" Night Owl asked.
"And, your targets should be arriving shortly," the commander answered, causing the smile on Night Owl's face to widen. He laughed loudly before standing up from his armchair next to Reaper.
"Excellent! Get me a live feed," Night Owl ordered, the words causing the commander to quietly fume, but not oppose in any way. The others behind him had no such quarrels to remain quiet.
"Why does Reaper continue to work with this non-believer?" one of them muttered quietly, assuming Night Owl couldn't hear them. They were mistaken of course, mainly because he picked up a nifty earpiece from another dimension. Took a lot of work to replicate, but it made him able to hear practically anything.
"Do you doubt Reaper's actions?" another accused, both men now glaring at each other.
"No! I only wish to know why we must follow this non-believer's lies! Reaper has put his trust in one who brings nothing but suffering," the first one countered, while a third quickly piped up.
"If this is how we ensure Reaper's Will, then you will do it without question," the third commander retorted before all went quiet. At this point Night Owl had walked away, the original commander he had talked to now bringing him to a small office space. Inside was a desk, a computer, and a small chair. Perfect, Night Owl decided. Waving the commander away, Night Owl sat by the computer and turned it on.
The first thing he spotted was a live security camera feed spying right on a lone warehouse. The interior was littered with members of the Ninth Circle, all assembled in the wide-open storage center of the warehouse. Nothing was happening yet, but Night Owl already knew that. All he had to do was wait.
Even though All for One couldn't see it, he could tell Shigaraki was annoyed. His student grumbled loudly as the sounds of something crumbling away echoed through the speakers.
"NPCs, nothing but NPCs again!" Shigaraki exclaimed, clueing in All for One as to what had angered him. Giran had come by again, giving them another list of possible recruits for the League. However, nothing much had changed in these few weeks. All the applicants were rather unskilled, low-ranking thugs.
"Patience Tomura, you will find new members soon," All for One told him, not seeing it but knowing Shigaraki now faced his TV in the bar, "Repair the League's reputation, and villains across the country will swarm to you."
"Yes, Sensei," Shigaraki muttered, before going quiet. Now while All for One was confident Shigaraki would get back up on his feet, it wouldn't hurt to push him a bit. But where to start All for One wondered, thinking the prospect over. Sure Garaki had a few Nomus completed, but they were weaker than the one designed to kill All Might. Drastically weaker too, probably any capable hero could kill them.
In this thought All for One couldn't help but zone out. After a few minutes, the news began to play in the bar, with either Kurogiri or Shigaraki being the ones to turn it on.
"Put the Festival on. Might as well see what future heroes were up against," Shigaraki muttered, most likely to Kurogiri. He did so quietly, switched over the channel until it was on the right one. There All for One heard nothing but loud cheers and screams, most likely recorded somewhere in UA's stadium.
"Hmph, two hours in and they haven't started the damn games," Shigaraki grumbled before All for One heard him slouch into some kind of seat. Most likely one of the bar's booths.
"Kurogiri, do we have any more sake?" Shigaraki asked, the wispy Nomu turning to face him.
"We do," Kurogiri replied, as Shigaraki looked at him expectantly. Kurogiri reluctantly grabbed the nearest bottle and a glass. Pouring the drink he then opened a portal and dropped the glass into Shigaraki's open hand.
"Try not to disintegrate my glassware this time," Kurogiri told him before the sound of him cleaning a different glass reached All for One's microphone. At this point though, the other TV in the bar caught his attention.
"...Nezu has stated his condolences to both Static and Whiplash for the loss of their son, Fudaki Shigai. To make amends, he will allow both heroes the chance to give a speech to mourn their son, after the Festival's usual first-year speech-"
"Fudaki… that's the brat we killed right?" Shigaraki inquired, with Kurogiri nodding slowly.
"I believe it was," Kurogiri replied calmly. The answer made Shigaraki chuckle a little, before drinking some of his sake.
"Arrogant kid. Idiot thought he could take on Nomu by himself," Shigaraki said, chuckling slightly, "Good riddance to him I say, one less hero brat to worry about."
The words stuck out to All for One though. He charged in to fight Nomu, all by himself. That had to hold a lot of arrogance. The kind that assumed they could do whatever they wanted. Nothing but a petulant child. It did remind All for One of the Nomu they lost, however. Seems if the League wanted any new members, they'd have to be created. It would at least serve as a temporary fix, though Garaki would be furious if they lost any more of them.
Everything had to go perfectly. It had to. It's why Madam President sat in her office scrounging over every timetable she could find. Every part of the Festival had been timed down to the minute. Nothing, NOTHING, should go wrong. And yet she couldn't help but worry that something would. Still, she breathed deeply to calm herself as she went over the plans again.
Before the first event begins, Lord Freeze and Fiji Legend would let in the Felinony Twins. A pair of two-bit pickpockets whose most distinguishing feature was the cat whiskers both twins had. At the same time, Helios and Human Thunder would let in Sludge, a villain who could turn his arms into an odd slime. Both he and the twins would cause minor problems around the stadium, to stir up distaste for the MSF.
Meanwhile, Onomatopoeia and Captain Chronicles would keep the media distracted, and hopefully from interviewing the MSF. By the time the first event starts, more small-time crooks would be let in. However, Madam President found a problem. She couldn't remember who they were letting in. Madam President had the names of a few of them, but not every villain involved in this operation. She was going to check the day before, but everything had been so busy that she never had the time.
The good news was that the list had been confirmed by both Techno and Night Owl, so they should be in the clear. It was fine though, she could work with this. By the end of the first event, complaints about MSF security would have become drastically untenable. A whole slew of minor crimes that the MSF fails to prevent or "causes" would be rampant. Forcing UA to pull the MSF out of other areas, and have the heroes swoop in. By the second event, the MSF should have its reputation damaged, and be forced out of the stadium for the rest of the Festival.
It was a foolproof plan if everything went right. Heroes would get fame and attention, the Sports Festival would continue unabated, and public opinion on UA and the MSF would slowly turn negative. It was foolproof.
Deep breaths. That's what Uraraka focused on as she tried to calm her nerves. Even though she couldn't hear them, she could feel the crowd's presence. It was all nerve-racking, the thought of going out there in front of all those people. She told herself she would win the festival, give it everything she had to end up on top. But that seemed like such a far-off dream even though her class hadn't even left the waiting room.
"As if you could win," the voice of Fudaki suddenly called out, catching Uraraka by surprise, "You're a worthless bum, unfit to even walk into this school. And you have the gall to think you and your useless quirk can win?"
She shook that thought away, ignoring the voice. Every once and awhile her memory of the teen would pop up again. It had dissipated somewhat, but his words just never went away.
"You hate me because I'm telling you the truth. You're a poverty-stricken rat, sticking your nose somewhere you don't belong," memory Fudaki mocked, as Uraraka again tried to shake the thoughts away.
"All that training and effort on that beach, and you couldn't beat someone quirkless. Even now, weeks after my death you still think yourself fit to be a hero," Fudaki continued, with Uraraka finally shoving the thoughts out of her mind. She had gone weeks without hearing his mocking voice, but of course, he had to reappear now of all times. It didn't matter though, none of what he said mattered. Fudaki did nothing but demean her in life, and death.
At the very least, Uraraka assumed the thoughts stemmed from her current nervousness. To be fair, who could blame her? Walking out to face the massive crowd waiting for them while trying to make her presence known for possible internships, had a lot of pressure. Failure here meant waiting until next year to get her name on the map, which was frankly unacceptable to Uraraka.
Unfortunately, it seemed almost all of her classmates shared the sentiment, if their still nervous but determined looks were anything to go by. However, very quickly Uraraka spotted Kaminari looking around the class slowly.
"So… think we'll do well?" Kaminari nervously asked, the question more directed at everyone, rather than someone specific.
"I'm sure we'll do fine," Uraraka replied, just to ensure Fudaki's words didn't start echoing in her head again. The response did earn a "tch" noise from Bakugo.
"Unlike you extras, I'm taking gold," the blonde proclaimed, ignoring the several eye rolls he earned from the class. Kirishima, trying to be friendly as always, simply laughed the proclamation off.
"If you say so Bakubro," Kirishima replied, before turning to face Kaminari, "Really though, I'm sure we'll do fine out there."
"How can you say that!? We have every first year out there gunning for us! And we lost to Akatani three separate times! He doesn't even have a quirk, and everyone out there does! We're doomed!" Mineta exclaimed, holding his head in his hands slightly panicking. The moment the words left his mouth Uraraka spotted Bakugo freeze for just a second. Slowly he turned to face the midget, having a furious, disbelieving glare. Before he could utter a word though, Kirishima walked over to Mineta.
"Come on, don't tell me you already forgot what Akatani told us. You gotta be more positive Mineta, with that attitude, losing's guaranteed," Kirishima told him.
"But-" Mineta tried to protest, only for Kirishima to quickly interrupt him.
"Bro, some positivity. Akatani's the goalpost, remember?" Kirishima asked, letting Mineta try to come himself with a few deep breaths.
"Yeah… yeah, he's the goalpost," Mineta agreed, removing his head from his hands.
"See? We'll be fine out there. And if we're not, then we've at least given it our all," Kirishima stated, smiling confidently the entire time. His message was less towards Mineta then, but it did have the intended effect.
"Hold on one damn minute! What do you mean Akatani doesn't have a quirk?" Bakugo demanded, earning a wide-eyed glare from Jiro.
"Oh, so his name you remember," Jiro muttered, though Bakugo ignored her complaint.
"We- H-he doesn't. All Might said so himself, and Akatani didn't deny it," Mineta nervously replied. The answer only angered Bakugo more, who was now slowly approaching the midget.
"Bullshit," Bakugo muttered, just as Kirishima stepped up to block him.
"It's true though," Kirishima told him. Again Bakugo went quiet for a moment before everyone could hear the popping coming from his hands. It slowly increased in volume, as Jiro moved to cover her ears.
"Bullshit it is! I have not been losing to some quirkless extra all this time!" Bakugo yelled, "He has a fucking quirk, he's just being a coward like always and hiding it away!"
"He told us-" Kirishima tried to protest, only for Bakugo to cut him off.
"He's lying! You extras actually believe that shit he spewed!? Without a quirk, he's as good as dead in anything! If he was quirkless than his worthless ass-"
At that point, the rest of Bakugo's words stopped registering to Uraraka. Instead only one echoed through her head, worthless. She couldn't help but be angry, no, infuriated at it. Memories came from her time with Akatani on the beach, and everything he told her. He's gone through nothing but hell, something Bakugo didn't even know of, and the blond was writing him off as useless. It was infuriating and she was tired of it.
UA had not one, not two, but at least three hero course students looking down on everyone else. Treating everyone as if they were stepping stones for their greatness. And Uraraka was tired of it, of someone else treating her, and her friends, as nothing.
"Akatani is not worthless!" Uraraka yelled, glaring at Bakugo. If she could she would have punched the blond in the jaw, but that, unfortunately, meant disqualification from the Festival. Still, a girl could dream.
"He is quirkless Bakugo! But you can't accept that because it means admitting you're like all of us! That you're an extra!" Uraraka continued, redirecting Bakugo's anger toward herself. The blond looked about ready to murder her. Uraraka couldn't even see her face, but to her classmates, it looked as if she was ready to do the same.
"Watch it Roundcheeks-" Bakugo began to say, only for Uraraka to cut him off.
"Uraraka! My name is Uraraka!" she told him angrily, "I've just… urgh! We've had enough of it! Stop acting like you're destined to become the next All Might! Because you're not! All Might isn't a jerk who does nothing but demean others! He helps and uplifts them with a smile! If anything, Akatani's more likely to become the next All Might, and he doesn't have a quirk!"
"That's bullshit and you know it! His worthless ass-" Bakugo tried to argue, for Uraraka to cut him off again, infuriating the blond more.
"Call him worthless again, and I'll shove your head into the wall!" Uraraka warned, briefly shocking everyone in the class. It shocked Bakugo too, but it didn't last long. Instead, it was replaced with a wave of anger to match Uraraka's as small explosions continued to pop in his hands.
"I'd like to see you try!" Bakugo shouted back, while the class could only watch on quietly.
"I'd expect this from Bakugo, not from Uraraka," Jiro muttered, still covering her ears. It just had to turn into a shouting match, and she couldn't help but be annoyed by it. She did share Uraraka's sentiment, but couldn't it have been done a bit quieter?
"You saw how she looked when Ocelot reminded us about the Festival," Asui bluntly pointed out, causing Jiro to think back to that time. And yeah, Uraraka was… well to put it politely, looking rather feral after Ocelot's announcement. As if she was determined that nothing would stop her from getting gold.
"...Fair point," Jiro replied, before flinching back as the argument raised in volume again. At that point though, it seemed like the two would start fighting. Uraraka began floating a table, and Bakugo held his palms out ready to create an explosion. But before either one could do anything, the door to the waiting room opened, with Yaoyorozu and Iida stepping in.
"Everyone! Get- Uraraka put down the table!" Iida exclaimed, his arms chopping quickly in surprise.
"Poor choice of words Four-eyes!" Bakugo shouted back while keeping his palms open. Uraraka also kept the table in the air, holding it ready.
"Look! The event's starting, we need to go," Iida told them, hoping they would see the logic in his reasoning. Both Uraraka and Bakugo could only glare at the other though. Eventually, though, Bakugo grumbled and began walking away, while Uraraka set down the table she held. The rest of the class began walking to the door then, following their class rep and vice rep. The walk allowed Uraraka to weed out the last of her anger, but it was then replaced by the nervousness she had before.
Breathing deeply as the class walked down the hall, she spotted the light from outside shining in from the entrance. A few more steps, and she'd be outside, standing in front of a crowd numbering the thousands. Just calm your nerves, Uraraka told herself. What she wouldn't give to go back to being angry. At least with anger, it could be directed toward the first event. But then a voice called out, surprising Uraraka briefly. It sounded like it was in English, and she turned to look for the source.
She found it in the form of two soldiers, who… wait no she recognized them. They were the guys Yaoyorozu had introduced the class to. What were their code names again? Ah, Uraraka couldn't remember. She looked away from the pair and spotted Yaoyorozu waving at the soldiers slowly. Curious, Uraraka asked her, "What were they saying?"
With a small nervous smile, Yaoyorozu looked back at her.
"They were wishing the class good luck," Yaoyorozu answered, which was oddly comforting. Uraraka didn't know them well, but it was good to know someone else in the crowd would be rooting for them. It made the final steps just a bit easier, while Present Mic's voice echoed down the long hallway.
"Let me hear you scream as our students make their way to the main stage!" Present Mic shouted, and with one final deep breath, Uraraka stepped onto the field.