The levity wasn't meant to last; as soon as the roster for the halftime show came to completion, the students anxiously began to prepare for their inexorable butchery. Just as the ruse died down and the final sets were put into place, the international students resided back on stage to watch alongside the audience as their respective classes went through their last challenge together.
"Here we are, families, students, and Pro Heroes, the final event before our grand finale brawl- and folks, this one's a real doozy. Deviously crafted by the athletic prodigies of our aggressively competitive, superiority-driven brother and sister schools in the United States, I present to youThe Gauntlet!"
Revealing the entire layout through the arena's large screen: "Our students will be starting their 5k dredging through four six-foot trenches in the gloopy Muddy Mayhem, then clean themselves off in the Ittsy-Bittsy Spider, an upwards climb in enclosed tunnels with high-powered water jets drenching the inside. Next, The Defier, a four-part course, will challenge our students on balance, core, and upper body strength, following up with the Flying Squirrel, a series of widely-spaced slacklines suspended above a treacherous mud pool- and we're not even halfway there, ladies and gentlemen! The Block Breaker, a bridge of step-sensitive spinning blocks, will need to be traversed before moving onto A Wing and A Prayer, involving a six-foot mud gap jump and swinging cargo net climb. Next, students will have to crawl under a staked-down cargo net to push through the Chokehold, then navigate between a laborious web of slack lines lest they fall victim to The Prey. In the final stretch, the remaining students will be slipping under and over multiple tubes in the Twin Tales, and lastly, make their way up the enormous quarter pipe to claim victory on Mt. Olympus!" Taking a quick breath, Present Mic switched to a more hushed tone, "Listen, if you think this is intense, they were trying to push their standard eight to ten-mile course," then back to his normal voice, "-and so, the first four to finish The Gauntlet will be qualified to face against their class's international students!"
The students of U.A. Japan, the next generation of Pro Heroes, protectors of the people, saviors of the free world, were perturbed- frozen in absolute disbelief. This wasn't considered standard, by American terms? When was this done? Once, twice, more than three times a year? How have they managed to survive this long? They had two students from the United States, and nothing about them seemed disheveled (Shelby was a different case altogether), yet here they are, and of course, when water wasn't bad enough, they had to throw in the mud because why not? At least they could be thankful they weren't attending school in the States.
"Isn't this supposed to be a sportsday?" Javier fretted out loud.
"How is anyone expecting them to move after this?" Omar followed up.
"At least it's only a 5k, right? Ha ha-" Bassam faltered with a forced, light chuckle.
"I heard that American U.A.s were tough, but I never thought they'd be this rough," Fatima commented softly.
"You think this is bad?" Chimed in Chelsea, "Try having to do that eight to ten 'k twice a year with even more obstacles like those."
Estelle nearly choked, "Twice?!"
"Nah, nah, nah, see now- that's way too much," Mickey remarked.
"Oh, there you guys are!" Ximena spoke up as Shelby, Keali'i, Yemi, and Arjan joined them back on stage.
"We were hoping you'd get back in time to watch!"
"Did you get what needed to be done?" Asked Fatima.
". . . Y-Yeah." Arjan lightly nodded before mumbling his response.
"On your mark, get set . . . Goooo!"
That call had rung twice already, and with each time, the outcome was nearly identical: those who did not want to participate or felt they had little to no chance of succeeding had they won dropped out obliviously. Yes, they felt humiliated; yes, their actions were unsportsmanlike, but those who stood a chance deserved to take it in full stride. Then, there were the determined ones- the ones who fiercely clawed their way ahead of the pack and gnawed their way through the obstacles, roaring alongside those in the stands who believed in them, knowing they were doing them proud- knowing they'll show them what they're truly capable of; their grit was a beacon of prospect. Eight students had earned their place in the final fight, leaving only four left to be determined; there was no room for hesitation; whichever four were to finish would have the entirety of their class's and school's reputation on the line. Unlike the previous events, points were less of a priority.
"Class 1-A, make every second count- this is your big break!" Declared Present Mic as the students assembled closely knit behind the starting line, "Are you readyyyyyy? Start!" And without a moment of reluctance, they were off.
Right from the get-go, Tokoyami, Iida, Bakugo, Asui, Todoroki, Uraraka, and Midoriya were able to avoid having to trek through liquid mud by hopping from each mud mound, impeccably clearing their first challenge. Mina, Koda, Yaoyoruza, Shoji, Jiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Hagakure, Aoyama, Mineta, Sato, Ojiro, and Sero were left to slosh in the murky waters. Still, with steady cooperation, everyone was able to make it over without fouls. The next obstacle, which felt like a reliever, had a fair level of difficulty but was cleared by everyone; the only annoyance came from the wait time, as there were only four tubes.
The Defier, on the other hand, became the first testament of strength that was inclined favorably for the athletic students. The first part of the course consisted of a simple balance beam a few feet above glistening, loose mud; all of whom who had crossed it were able to do so successfully with only a few moments of anxiety. The second, however, had devastating slip-ups as their strength failed to keep them up: the students had to traverse between two wooden walls by any possible means, the easiest and fastest method requiring core tightening. Those who were unsuccessful in any portion of the obstacle had to restart at the first part. Anyone who flourished past the first half of the obstacle was now faced with the third, which consisted of horizontally-installed two by fours with various knobs and handles screwed into the wood. Dexterous fingers were the key to pacing this part of the obstacle, and the overall design was meant to challenge that as casualties continued. In the final part of The Defier, the only thing separating them from completion was a rotating wheel on pegs and some deep clefts bent into the pipes; by using forward momentum, students had to pull themselves along the railings from one point to the next. Most had plodded the third obstacle; a few, however, had met their match.
Balance seemed to be a theme as the fourth obstacle required a steady body. The separated slacklines pushed and swayed with every tiny movement, making crossing the straps more complicated than perceived. Some were able to travel along easier than others, and those who couldn't make the obstacle progressively annoying. The Block Breaker wasn't any less arduous but certainly more painful; any careless lapse either resulted in a chin or back slam against the solid blocks. This obstacle alone was enough to drop more than a quarter of the class's participants. A Wing and A Prayer and Chokehold had similar feats- each requiring proper grip and footing to navigate through the troublesome netting properly. The Prey wasn't too different from the Flying Squirrel, but the labyrinth was deceitfully designed, causing intervals of confusion and misdirection, even several trips and falls.
Though these obstacles weren't nearly as problematic as the few before, the amount of physical and mental energy needed to keep going was starting to take a toll on the remaining students, who in turn began to pick off each young hero one by one until six students were left to face the final two obstacles; Iida, Bakugo, Todoroki, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Kirishima took to the dusty track on their way to the Twin Tales. Bakugo, who was already in the lead, wanted to secure his place in the final four- more importantly, to be first. The dip that led into the course was patted down smoothly for an easy transition, but a few notches could change that; as he slid down the hill, he dug his heels into the dirt to uneven the path. When the others caught up, they instantly became aware of the changes that had not been there from the preview, leading them to descend and carefully bypass any visible irregularities. Uraraka, who was just as wary as everyone else, accidentally guided her foot in an unfortunate spot that caused her foot to sink in and pivot her ankle in an abnormal position, tumbling down the rest of the way as soon as she freed her foot.
"Uraraka!" Cried out Midoriya and Iida, retracing back their steps.
"I'm alright-" she spoke out, wincing as she tried to stand up, "I think I hurt my ankle, that's all."
"Here, let me-"
"No!" Uraraka contested, "Just go."
"Uraraka. . ."
"I said go!" She shouted, "If anyone has a better chance of finally beating those guys, it'd be you two. I know you can do it."
They each looked at each other with affirmative before Kirishima came up and kneeled behind Uraraka, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, "Oy, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine; you go on ahead, too."
"Wha-? No way." Kirishima detested as he placed her arm over his shoulders and lifted them both off the ground, "As much as I want to win too, I wouldn't feel right leaving you behind."
"Thank you. . ."
"Besides, if these two don't eventually get moving, we'll finish long before they do."
With a jump in their step, Midoriya and Iida dashed ahead of their two classmates to begin the second to last obstacle properly; while Todoroki was more than halfway finished with Twin Tales, Bakugo, in his boisterous disposition, had clasped a hand at the edge of Mt. Olympus and pulled himself up onto the top. He was going to make sure everyone knew that he was first.
"You're dead! You hear me?! I'm sending you freaks back home in caskets!"
"Coming in first for Class 1-A is Katsuki Bakugo! Only three more spots remain, ladies and gentlemen!"
To catch back up, Midoriya and Iida had to slide through the mud before hitting the tubes and then slip underneath them while pushing forward by digging their feet into the viscous earth.
"Spot number two has been claimed by Shoto Todoroki! Two more left!" Present Mic hollered, the two boys continuing to coast and dive until they reached the end, sprinting towards the last obstacle of the course.
Despite the tribulations, Iida was able to jump ahead of Midoriya, "Looks like Tenya Iida has snagged third while- yes, YES, Izuku Midoriya takes the fourth place, meaning we now have all twelve contenders insured to face off in the finale! Are they ready? Are you ready? The conclusion of U.A. Japan's first-ever U.A. Battle Royale is just around the corner, so stay tuned!"