章 11: First Checkpoint To Being A Hero...!
Chapter 11 - First Checkpoint To Being A Hero...!
- And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. -
"Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight exclaimed as she prepared to explain the rules of the first game of the U.A. Sports Festival.
"U.A. does everything 'right away', huh?" Ochaco mumbled as she and many others still had a certain Green Haired Saiyan on their minds. More specifically, the shockingly eloquent Student Pledge he gave to kick off the Sports Festival. They certainly were not expecting the Class 1-A President to give such a heartfelt speech. Ochaco wondered what kind of like Izuku had lived before attending U.A., to make him say such things. It just made her much more motivated to do well in the Sports Festival and also get to know the Cinnamon Roll a little more.
'Izuku Midoriya, huh? You are an interesting character. Definitely different from the rest. I can't wait to see exactly what you're made of,' Shinso, a purple haired General Studies student thought as his respect levels for Izuku grew quite a bit. He expected the student who had gotten the highest score in the Entrance Exams to be a little more overconfident, arrogant, and would probably declare that he was going to win the whole damn thing. But instead, the Number One applicant seemed to be the exact opposite. Going off of his pledge, Shinso observed as Izuku as a humble young man who wanted everybody to do their absolute best. Maybe he has misjudged some of the students of Class 1-A…
People of the other classes were also having similar thoughts about Izuku. It was truly a surprise to the other classes to hear such words from a student of Class 1-A. A good majority of the classes thought that all students from the Hero Course would look down on the other classes, but they were wrong. They actually appreciated what Izuku said and just like Shinso, grew a newfound respect him.
Although there was something only a few people noticed about Izuku when he giving the Student Pledge. One of those few were none other than the Vice President of Class 1-A, Momo Yaoyorozu. While, Izuku was giving his speech, Momo focused on the Green Haired Saiyan's eyes and while she did see a burning inferno of motivation and determination to excel in the Festival, she also noticed something more… hidden. Hidden in his green orbs were years of pent up sadness and grief. It was very brief, but the black haired beauty was observant enough to catch it while everybody else was immersed in his words.
'Izuku… I don't know what may have happened to you in the past to have made you suffer through that much despair, but I promise I will do whatever it takes to help you with whatever you are going through.' Momo thought as like Ochaco, she wondered what life Izuku had to live through to have such sorrow in his eyes. It made the two just want to hug the Green Cinnamon Roll and relieve him of all of his pain.
A certain Orange-haired student from Class 1-B had similar thoughts…
"The first game is what you would call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears at this stage! Now, here is the fateful first game!" Midnight announced as with the swipe of her whip, a projection of a spinning wheel appeared behind the Rated-R Heroine. It immediately began to spin extremely quick as the participants began to grow anxious on what the first game will be.
"This year, it will be… " Midnight said ominously as the wheel continued to spin before it abruptly stopped.
"...this!" The spin wheel landed on the words, 'Obstacle Race!'
"An obstacle race?" Izuku said curiously as he wondered how an obstacle race game would work in the Sports Festival.
"All 11 classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, which is about 4 kilometers long!" Midnight said as the participants in the Festival widened their eyes at how long the race will be.
"Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Now, take your places everyone!" Midnight yelled as the crowd cheered as excitement filled the air at finally seeing the First years in action.
The students went to the tunnel entrance to where the starting will be.
As Izuku was getting ready, the words of All Might reverberated in his mind.
"I want you tell the world, 'I AM HERE!' "
As he looked into the eyes of his classmates, he could see nothing but unbreakable will and determination to their best and excel. At that moment, he just realized how much of an effect is words had on his peers. He lit a fire in their hearts to try even harder than they ever would have if it weren't for his student pledge. It brought a smile to his face as it truly made him happy that his words had the effect he wanted them to have.
'Dad and Toshinori-Sensei have put all of their faith in me. That means I can't let them down… I have to win. That is why I have to go even beyond.'
The first green light at the top of the tunnel, which was the countdown, went out.
'I have to make a statement!'
Then the second light went out .
Up in the teacher's box, Toshinori folded his hands as he anxiously waited for the race to begin.
'SO PLEASE WATCH ME!' Izuku thought as his eyes glowed a green hue of electricity.
'So any advice you want to give me before this whole thing officially starts,' Izuku mentally asked his Inner Alter Ego.
"Use your head."
Then, the final light went out.
"START!" Midnight announced the official beginning of the U.A. Sports Festival.
(Music: Jet Set Run)
At that moment, all of the students simultaneously began charging towards the tunnel as they wanted to begin with a good lead.
"OKAY! Here's the play-by-play! Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?" Present Mic asked Aizawa.
"You are the one who forced me to come in the first place." Aizawa lazily replied back.
"Let us get started right away, Mummy Man. What should we pay attention to in the early stages?"
"This part right now." Aizawa said as he looked towards what was happening inside the tunnel.
"-Hey, hey!"
"-This is too narrow!"
"-Ouch!"
"-Hey, move!"
Currently, all of the participants were smashed up together as they all started running towards the tunnel at the same time. The tunnel was way too narrow and small for all of the students to fit. It seemed as though it was constructed like that on purpose to test how the First years would get through it.
"... The first sifting… "
Suddenly, the temperature began to drop dramatically as ice covered through the entire tunnel. Many students were caught trapped in ice as they couldn't move. They then saw a bi-colored teen easily running past them.
"Sorry, but I have to get a move on." Shoto said as he left a trail of ice behind him.
"-Owww! What the-?"
"-It's freezing over! I can't move!-"
"-So cold!"
"-Outta the way! I can't get it off!"
Multiple students yelled out in agony as they couldn't move forward due to the ice that trapped them courtesy of the son of Endeavor.
"Take that!" Bakugo yelled as he used his explosions from his hands to launch him above and over the other students and past the ice trail that Shoto left.
"Naive, Todoroki!" Momo huffed as she effortless created a staff to propel her over the ice.
"Your frost can't escape my sparkle," Aoyama simply stated as he shot a laser beam to get him over the crowd of students. Kirishima's hardening Quirk just let him break through the ice without any trouble.
"I won't let you get away so easily! You half-and-half bastard!" Bakugo violently yelled as he ignited even stronger explosions to give him an extra speed boost.
"You got me with that once. You won't get me again!" Ojiro said as he jumped over Todoroki's ice.
"Woah, that was close!" Mina said as she skated across the ice using her acid Quirk to melt it with every step she took.
"I can't use my special move yet…" Ochaco said as walked across the ice trail with difficulty.
"They are used to using their Quirks, huh… " Shinso said as four participants seemed to be mindlessly carrying him over the ice trail.
Shoto looked back as he saw that quite a number of people were able to get across through his ice trap.
"More people outside of Class A were able to dodge that than I had expected… "
Todoroki then looked in front of him to only widen his eyes in shock.
Shoto saw that Izuku was running ahead of him in a ridiculously fast pace. It seemed as though he had ran past everybody else, including Shoto, right at the beginning of the race.
'What?! Nobody even saw him move! How is he running that fast without using his Quirk.' Shoto questioned in his head.
"WOAH! It seems like Midoriya is already in the lead! I didn't even notice until now!" Present Mic shouted as the spectators were confused as to how the Green Haired Saiyan had already taken the lead when they never saw him move.
"That is what happens when you don't pay attention! If you were looking carefully, right when the race began, Midoriya had already ran past all of the other competitors. He figured out that the tunnel would be too narrow to fit in all of the students at once, so he made the smart decision on being the first one to go through the tunnel." Aizawa sated as he knew his student wouldn't have fallen for such a trick like that.
Izuku looked behind him to see Shoto trailing behind him, "Nice trick you pulled with the ice over there at the beginning, Todoroki! But you're going to have to do better than that if you want to fool me!"
Shoto's eyes hardened as he stared at him, "Why yo- What is that?!"
Izuku got confused as to what Shoto was referring to when he ran into hard metal that made him stop immediately in his tracks.
"Targets found… Lots!"
Izuku looked up to see a Zero pointer robot from the Entrance Exam. Its red eye gleaming down on him as it locked onto Izuku as his target.
"W-What the? It's the faux Villains from the Entrance Exams!" Izuku said as he didn't expect to see these robots appear in the Sports Festival.
"Obstacles have shown up suddenly! Starting with… the first barrier! Robo Inferno!" Present Mic announced as multiple Zero Pointers began emerging and setting their sights on the participants.
"Aren't those the Zero-Point Villains from the Entrance Exam?" Kaminari said in horror as there was a horde of the robots in front of the students.
"-Seriously? The Hero Course had to fight those?"
"-This is what they meant by obstacles?!"
"-There are too many! I can't get through!"
"So this is what the rest of my peers had to fight in the Entrance Exams." Shoto said as he was looking at the Zero Pointers for the first time.
"I wonder where they got the money for it?" Momo said as the robots seemed very expensive to manufacture.
A Zero-Pointer began to lift its hand and aimed it towards Izuku as it planned to crush him.
Right before the hand could do so however, Izuku stopped the robot's hand with his own as he began lifting it back up.
"Is that all?"
Then, in a blink of an eye, Izuku kicked the robot with monster force as it was sent flying up. Izuku jumped to where the robot was and punched its head clean off, which made the rest of the machine collapse and fall apart due to an explosive that went off when he destroyed its head.
Izuku landed gracefully back on the ground as the remains of the Zero Pointer landed on the floor behind him.
"I expected more of a challenge." Izuku stated as he continued running forward and effortlessly destroying any more Zero Pointers with one attack as they blocked his path.
"WOW! And just like that, Midoriya of Class 1-A destroys the Zero Pointers like they were nothing! What a display of strength and speed, as he continues forward and is in the lead!" Present Mic exclaimed as the spectators in the stadium and watching at home were clearly impressed with the display of power by the Green Haired Saiyan.
Shoto sucked his teeth in annoyance as he sees Izuku running in the distance.
'I can't let him out perform me!' Shoto said mentally as his right hand began emitting frost.
"If they went through all this trouble, I wish they would've prepared something better. Since my dear old man is watching." Shoto said as one could notice a negative connotation in his voice when he referenced his father, Endeavor.
The bi-colored teen then swiped his right arm upwards as he froze a horde of Zero Pointers with absolute ease. They all stopped malfunctioning due to Shoto's ice freezing their circuits.
"He stopped them!"
"Between their legs! We can get through!"
Many of the participants began to go through the opening that Todoroki made.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Shoto began as he started trekking ahead."They will fall over. I froze them while they were off balance…. On purpose!" Shoto said in a monotone voice as the Zero Pointers collapsed on a good amount of students, effectively immobilizing them.
"Todoroki from Class 1-A! He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant! Amazing! He is now right on Midoriya's trail as he is now catching up to him in second place! It is you know, practically unfair" Present Mic exclaimed as the audience saw just how overpowered Todoroki's Quirk is compared to the other First Years!
"His actions are logical and strategic." Aizawa said as he observed Todoroki's advances towards Izuku.
"As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He had never fought them before, btu those Robo Infernos could not get past his elite moves!
"Like Hell, I'm going to let them get past me!" Bakugo yelled as he blasted Explosions from his palms as it propels him towards the head of the Zero Pointer.
"Class 1-A's Bakugo! Since the bottom's blocked, he goes overhead! Clever!" Present Mic announced as Bakugo landed at the top of the Zero Pointer.
"You seem like the kind of guy who would just plow straight through, but you can go around when you need to, huh?" Sero said with a grin as he used his tape Quirk to climb over the Zero Pointer.
"I'm going to hitch a ride!" Tokoyami exclaimed as he used Dark Shadow to glide over the Zero Pointer.
The crowd cheered as the students got through the first obstacle of the race.
"As expected, most of the group that has gone ahead is Class 1-A." Snipe commented from the teacher's box as he and other Pro Heroes observed the Sports Festival from above.
"Class B and the other courses are not bad, either! It's just… " Toshinori began to say.
"...Class A does not spend a lot of time standing around." Aizawa finished Toshinori's thought as now more students were beginning to make their move.
The crowd could now see more students from Class 1-A beginning to take charge such as Tenya who kicked away a couple of Two-Pointers, Jiro who used soundwaves generated from her ear lobes to short circuit the robots, and Kaminari who simply fried the robots with yellow electricity.
"Those who experienced firsthand that world above them through the incident at USJ…"
"Release!" Ochaco yelled as One-Pointers fell from the air behind her.
"Those who had fear planted in their hearts… "
Ojiro used his tail to swipe through the robots and counter attack as he destroyed them with ease.
"Those who dealt with it and pulled through… They all used that experience to drown out their hesitation." Aizawa stated as he acknowledged what his students had to go through during the USJ invasion and is proud that they are using that experience to fuel and drive them in their pursuit of glory in the Sports Festival.
A multitude of explosions were heard as several Zero Pointers collapsed as they were destroyed.
"Hmph! Piece of cake!" Momo said as she stood by a smoking cannon. She had her PE shirt open due to her needing to reveal some skin to use her Quirk. She was able to create a cannon to effortlessly destroy the Zero Pointers as they were play things.
"She defeated those Zero-Point Villains so easily?!" One random student asked as he was gobsmacked at the fact that Momo could just create a cannon out of nowhere and just fire down the faux Villains.
"No wonder she got in through recommendations!"
"Less gawking, more running! Come on she made a path for us! Let's get a move on" Another student said as the rest of the participants began running to the next part of the obstacle race.
"During the Entrance Exam, they were to be avoided. If you see them as things to be defeated, they are just dumb hunks of metal. You will start to see obvious openings." Snipe said as he was intrigued about the battle prowess of Class 1-A.
"Hmmm, it looks like everybody else was able to get through the faux Villains, relatively easy. Nice job guys!" Izuku said as he looked behind him to see his classmates were doing just fine.
"Alright, now, I just have to keep this lead goin- W-W-WOAH!" Izuku shrieked as he almost fell off the cliff. He looked in front of him to see what exactly almost made him fall.
"Hey, hey! The first barrier's a piece of cake, huh? Then what about the second?" Present Mic grinned as Izuku and the others widened their eyes in horror.
In front of them was what seemed to be a bottomless pit. There were tall platforms spaced out between each other but they were so far apart that it seemed like it was impossible to simply jump from one platform to the next. In between each platform were long and narrow trails of rope that honestly didn't seem like they were stable enough to hold the weight of a couple of students.
"If you fall, you're out! If you do not want to fall, then you have to crawl! It is THE FALL!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"When did they build this stage?" Ocacho asked as she like the other students were very fearful of dropping to their death.
Izuku carefully looked at the entire obstacle for a couple of seconds before smirking as he got into a jumping stance. He then launched himself high in the air as he easily jumped from platform to platform at very quick and agile speeds without even having to use the ropes at all!
"WOW! And now, the leader of the pack is easily getting through first!" Present Mic announced as the crowd began cheering as a good majority of them were now rooting for the Green Haired Saiyan.
"Deku-kun?! I didn't know he could jump so high!" Ochaco exclaimed in shock as she and the participants had their eyes focused on Izuku.
"WOAH! His Quirk must be super strong to allow him to perform such amazing acts of athleticism!" Present Mic shouted as the spectators agreed as Izuku has been nothing but impressive so far.
Aizawa sighed as he decided now was the right time enlighten everybody watching, "Pay attention you idiot! He has not even used his Quirk since the beginning of the Festival." Aizawa lazily groaned.
"WHAT! What are you talking about Eraser Head! There is no possible way that Midoriya has been able do everything he has done so far without using his Quirk! That is not human!" Present replied in shock as he and the spectators thought that Aizawa was joking. How can somebody perform such superhuman feats without any superpowers?
"Well, believe what you want to believe. But, I am only stating the facts. If used over the his limit, his Quirk will end up destroying parts of his body. So that young man over there has taken upon it himself to train his body accordingly so that he doesn't have to suffer such a weakness. He realizes that he can't always rely on his Quirk, so he found a way to train his body past the human limitations in order for him to use the Quirk efficiently and without giving away his powers. He is saving most of real power for the later portions of the Sports Festival." Aizawa finished explaining his claims as he realized that Izuku was actually following his advice and was not relying on others to help him if he gets injured.
Present Mic stumbled on his words, as he was still in shock, "Wow! So this isn't even Midoriya's full power! If he is this good right now, then I can only imagine him when he actually uses his Quirk!"
"So you think you can win so easily, that you won't have to use your Quirk, huh? Well think again!" Shoto yelled as he used his ice slide through the gaps between each platform.
"DAMN DEKU! Don't think you can just take the lead without even trying!" Bakugo yelled as he was irate at the reveal that Izuku wasn't even using a Quirk and he was somehow still in the lead. The ash blonde student then used his Explosions to boost him upwards over the pits and platforms as he made it over the obstacle.
Shoto looked behind him to see Bakugo ganging up on him.
"Looks like he's getting fired up. A slow starter?" Shoto said as he continued to run forward.
"Damn it!" Bakugo noticed that Shoto was picking up speed and catching up to Izuku. So he boosted his explosions to gain even more speed.
"My older brother is probably also watching. I can't let him see me act so uncool!" Tenya saw that some students were already crossing the obstacle. He couldn't let himself be left behind in the dust. He proceeded to land on the rope and used the engines in his calves to thrust him forward and much faster along the ropes.
"That is so uncool!" Present Mic shouted as the rest of the audience agreed with him.
"The guy in second place behind Midoriya is way ahead of the rest of the pack!" A member of the audience commented as he and many others were impressed at the strength that Todoroki showcased.
"Yeah, his Quirk is really strong, but his natural athletic ability and judgment are also a cut above everyone else's."
"Of course it is. That is the Flame Hero, Endeavor's son."
"No wonder! The blood of the guy second only to All Might, huh?"
"There'll be fighting over who gets him as a sidekick!"
Many members of the audience now understood why Shoto was a cut above the rest. He is the son of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor. So it only makes sense that he was so powerful.
"The lead pack is a step ahead, but below them, everyone's clumped together! They have not announced how many people will make it through, so you can not relax! Push forward!" Present Mic exclaimed as when the students heard that, they hastily continued through the obstacle course, not wanting to be left behind.
Izuku was nonchalantly running t very high speeds before he abruptly stopped as he saw the last obstacle ahead of him. There were signs that read, "Danger Mines!"
"And now, we have quickly arrived at the final barrier! The reality here is… that it is a minefield! It is setup so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to exploit your eyes and legs! By the way, these landmines are for games, so they are not that powerful, but they are loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!" Present Mic announced as he revealed the third and last obstacle.
"That depends on the person… " Aizawa commented as he didn't think those mines would make everybody pee themselves.
'I get it. So they put this as the last obstacle so that those in the lead would be in a disadvantage so that others lagging behind can have the opportunity to catch up and possibly take the lead themselves. This is very clever design. And also entertaining for the audience here and the viewers watching at home.
Izuku began hopping between mines in a consistent but fast pace, making sure he doesn't accidently set off any mines. Behind him, several students were going through the minds carelessly and igniting pink explosion that slowed them down and in turn caused an area of effect where other competitors nearby were also stunned and slowed down.
Shoto was right behind but he couldn't jump or hop like Izuku, so he was going at a much slower pace.
Bakugo looked at the minefield and smirked as it didn't scare him the slightest.
"This piece of shit won't affect me!" Bakugo yelled as he used his explosions to send him above the minefield. He then passed Todoroki who had a surprised looked on his face. He clearly was not expecting Bakugo to just rush through like that.
"Bastard! Don't make a declaration of war to the wrong person!"
Bakugo then aimed an explosion towards the bi-colored teen, but Shoto was able to dodge the attack.
"WOW! And now we've got someone new in second place! Rejoice, mass media! It's the kind of development you guys love!" Present Mic yelled through the speakers as the crowd cheered loudly as they finally got to see two students fighting for a place head to head.
Not lagging too far behind them were the other students as they were going through the minefield in their own Quirky ways.
"Hey, hey, hey, the rest of the pack is also speeding up! However! Even as they push and pull at each other, can the three at the top remain in the lead?"
Shoto and Katsuki were throwing blows at each other as each of them dodged each other's attacks as they fought for second place.
Izuku looked behind him as he grit his teeth, 'Damn, Kacchan and Todoroki are right behind me! And the others are not too far behind either. At this rate, they will just pass me. I could easily get through this and make it to the finish line, but these freaking mines are being a pain in the ass. One misstep could cost me!'
Izuku then took a moment to analyze his current surroundings. Every step, mines were littered everywhere. The smallest step could make them explode and blow everybody back…. Wait a minute?
A light bulb went off in Izuku's brain.
He turned around to face the other competitors.
"Hey Kacchan!" Izuku yelled.
Bakugo stopped fighting Shoto as he heard Izuku's nickname for him being called, "What the fuck do you want, Deku?!"
"Catch me if you can!" Izuku teased as he stuck his tongue out at him.
Bakugo snapped.
"WHY YOU DAMN NERD!"
Bakugo then ignited an explosion in both of his hands.
Izuku smirked right when he saw explosions forming on Bakugo's hands, "Bingo…. "
Before Bakugo could make a move towards Izuku, the Green Haired Saiyan fired a small, but dense, yellow Ki blast exactly where Bakugo's hand was.
Right when Bakugo ignited the explosions in his hands, that is when the Ki blast made contact with the explosions as it expanded towards the entire minefield. As soon as the Ki infused explosion hit the ground, all of the mines exploded on contacted as the entire field was now clouded with a dust of pink.
"What in the world?!" Todoroki shouted in shock as he and the rest of the participants were blown off of their feet. The velocity of the explosion was just too much for them to handle as they were immobilized for quite a bit.
"Wh-What is going on?! HEY HEY! Everybody except Midoriya is down. How did all of the mines go off simultaneously?!" Present Mic asked earnestly as he and the rest of the spectators had no clue to what just happened.
Izuku waved towards Katsuki, "Thanks for the help best buddy!"
Izuku then sprinted towards the finish line.
"Uuuuuh… Eraser Head, can you explain what just happened because me and everybody else watching here and at home are completely lost." Present Mic asked as he looked towards his co-commentator who was currently trying to take a nap.
"Huh? Oh yeah, well you see, Midoriya taunted Bakugo which provoked him to spark a power Explosion. That explosion then had an area of effect where it triggered all of the mines in the field to go off at the exact same time. Izuku made sure to calculate it at the right time so that Bakugo's explosion could have the biggest effect possible. Making it so that every participant in the surrounding area would get knocked off of their feet due to the blast radius. Even though, he pretty much got rid of all of the obstacles for his opponents and made their path much easier, he in turn got a really big lead and will now more likely than not get first place in the race. Very smart choice for him. He will make it far as a Pro." Aizawa finished his explanation as he began to close his eyes again.
"Oh… Well, THANKS FOR THE PLAY-BY-PLAY EXPLANATION, Eraser Head!" Present Mic said as he and the audience were now understanding what exactly happened a minute ago.
"Now, pay more close attention so you don't have to interrupt my naps!"
"Would you believe it? Midoriya cleared the minefield in an instant!" Present Mic announced.
'What an elaborate plan, my boy! Excellent!' Toshinori thought as a proud smirk was etched on his face.
The first ones to get back up after Izuku's little stunt were Todoroki and Bakugo. Todoroki use his ice to make him run faster. Bakugo then used his Explosions to follow closely behind.
"Eraser Head, your class is amazing! WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING THEM?!" Present Mic asked.
Aizawa sighed as his nap was interrupted again, "I didn't even do anything. They got each other fired up on their own." Aizawa said as the cameras focused on Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki who were in first, second, and third place respectively as they were running towards the tunnel that lead to the entrance to the stadium which was the finish line.
"U.A. Sports Festival, First-Year stage!"
"Are you not listening?" Aizawa comically sweatdropped.
"Who could have predicted the developments at the beginning or this conclusion?" Present Mic exclaimed as the audience were now eagerly waiting on who would come through the tunnel first.
"Right now, the first person back in the stadium is that man... "
The first thing that the audience saw go through the tunnel was a mop of messy green, spiky, and curly hair.
"... Izuku Midoriya's made a huge splash!"
Rainbow colored confetti dropped as the crowd cheered furiously, happy to see the Green Haired Cinnamon Roll come first place in the Obstacle Race.
Outside the stadium, a certain blonde haired Heroine was staring at the jumbotron which showed the smiling face of Izuku.
had a finger on her chin as she hummed in thought.
"Where have I seen him before… ?"
Her eyes then comically widened as she finally remembered.
"OHHHHH! It was that kid from last year! The one who rushed the Slime Villain who had a hostage and was then saved by All Might! How the hell could I forget?!"
Death Arms looked at the screen as he raised his eyebrows, "Oh snap, hey you're right! It is the reckless boy! And woah, it looks like he grew half a foot too."
"It truly is a small world. Who would have thought we would be seeing this kid again getting first place in the first game of the U.A. Sports Festival!" Kamui Woods commented as he also recognized Izuku from the Slime incident from 10 months ago.
In a dark room, a certain Leader of the League of Villains was watching the Sports Festival from a computer.
"Spiky haired brat… "
After Izuku crossed the finish line, he took a moment to look around and observe all of the cheers and applause he was getting from the viewers in attendance. He then looked all the way up at the teacher's box and found Toshinori who was clapping and smiling down at him with proud face.
Izuku grinned as he made a closed fist and pointed it towards his idol.
'YES! Now that's how you make a statement kid! Great job! If you can keep this up, then you'll be just fine! Show them why you are worthy of the mantle of the next SYMBOL OF PEACE!' Toshinori yelled in his mind as he could barely contain his excitement for his Successor.
'The Sports Festival is a competition where they have to aim for the top, even if it means defeating their friends and classmates. Modern Heroes depend a lot on their popularity, so they need to have that desire to be above all the others. At your core, you are a True Hero who wants to help and protect others. That is exactly why I chose you, but I thought that was also your weakness. I was worrying over absolutely nothing! Sorry! But hey, at least you're not crying your eyes out like how you used to!' Toshinori thought as he was overjoyed at the fact that Izuku was slowly becoming more mature and more of a man and Hero.
"Well, what do you think?"
"First of all, Midoriya's stock will climb really fast."
"However, he has yet to show his Quirk, so it is hard to predict what will happen. If you took on management of an agency, how would you market him? Opinions?"
"What do you think?"
"He definitely has the look. Very tall. Strong and defined muscular frame. He has it all. The power, speed, size, and explosiveness. He also seems to have a brilliant mind! We could really highlight those parts, but we will need more raw material to work with… "
Toshinori sweatdropped as he overheard the conversation between the three students.
'That Business Course! They never change, huh?'
The three students that were just discussing Izuku's marketability are apart of the Business Course in U.A.
There is not really any benefit to them participating in the Sports Festival! Therefore, they cultivate their instincts by selling things or doing marketing simulations! They've got a lot of free time.
Katsuki made it through the tunnel as he stopped to catch his breath. He was panting hard as boiling with anger.
"DAMN IT! Not again! I fell right into his plan again! Damn you Deku! You played me for a fool! I can't let you get away with that. When I'm able to get my hands on you, I swear…. "
"And now, they are finishing one after another! We'll make a list of the results later, but for now, good work!" Present Mic announced as more and more students began entering the arena.
Shoto caught his breath as he glared at Izuku who was too busy doing his best trying not to cry as the emotions that were currently going through were very hard to hold in.
'Y-Yes! I made it through the first round! Now all I have to do is be consistent and hopefully I can make it through the entire tournament.'
"Deku-kun! You were amazing!"
Izuku turned around to see Ochaco running towards him to congratulate him as Momo and Tenya were not too far behind.
Tenya was sulking in the background as he was comically depressed over falling behind with a Quirk that was supposed to be most dominant in a racing type of environment.
"Uraraka-san! Momo-chan! I'm glad to see you guys and Iida were able to make it through the first round!" Izuku exclaimed as he was genuinely glad that his friends were advancing to the next round with him.
"First place is amazing! But did you have to pull that little stunt with Bakugo's explosion?" Momo asked as she pouted.
Izuku smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, my bad! But I had to find a way to ensure my victory and that idea was the first that came to mind!"
Izuku then looked down towards his hand as he summoned small sparks of green electricity.
'My real ability will be tested after this… '
Midnight then began to speak as she saw the last people who were able to advance through the first round.
"The first game of the First-Year stage is finally over! Now take a look at the results!"
1. Izuku Midoriya
2. Shoto Todoroki
3. Katsuki Bakugo
(A/N: HA! Foolish reader! You actually thought I was going to list all of the rankings! Listen, Deku, Todoroki, and Bakugo were the top 3. That's all you need to know! Now on with the story!)
"The top 42 made it through to the next round. It is unfortunate but don't worry even if you did not make the cut! We have already prepared a special event where anybody can have the opportunity to showcase their skills. It will be revealed after the main event, so be patient! The real competition begins next! The press cavalry will be all over it! Give it your all!"
Katsuki growled in anger as he was still mad over falling for Izuku's trick and having to get 3rd place instead of 1st.
Midnight then swiped her whip as the spinning wheel began spinning at high speeds to determine what the next game will be.
"Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be? I just said it, and now here it is… "
The wheel landed on the words, "Calvary Battle."
"A cavalry battle? I am bad at those." Kaminari mumbled as he clearly wasn't excited over what the next event will be.
"It is not an individual event, so I wonder how it will work." Tsuyu said as she along with others were confused as how this whole calvary battle thing will function.
"Let me explain! The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It is basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but the one thing that is different is… based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value." Midnight said as a screen showed an image of Thirteen holding up All Might as the horse rider and Present Mic was supporting from the back.
"A point-based system like the Entrance Exam, huh? That's easy to understand." Sato said as he understood the premise of the game.
"In other words, each team is worth different points depending on who is on the team!" Ochaco concluded.
"Oh, I see!" Mina said as she now got the gist of it.
Midnight made a violent swipe of her whip towards the two female students, "You guys don't hold even though I'm talking, huh?! Let me speak!"
'Scary!' The First-Years thought in unison.
"Yes, that is right! And the points assigned go up five starting from the bottom. So 42nd place gets five points and 41st gets ten points and so on!" Midnight elaborated as she showed the rankings and scoreboard for each place.
"Oh! That is pretty simple. So since I got first place, that means I got 210 points if I did the math correctly." Izuku said as he calculated his score.
Midnight then gained a sadistic smirk as she pointed at Izuku with her whip.
"Not so fast, Midoriya! You see there is one key exception. The point value assigned to first place is… TEN MILLION!" Midnight announced.
"..."
It took a couple of seconds for Izuku's mind to register what Midnight just said.
"T-Ten million?! HOW IS THAT FAIR?!" Izuku yelled out in horror.
"Ten million, huh?"
"In other words, you can take down the first place player's team… "
"... You can stand at the top no matter what place you are in!" Nearly all of the First-Years said in unison as they had their targets set on one person… Izuku Midoriya!
"That's right! It is survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!" Midnight exclaimed at Izuku froze at all of the bloodthirsty stares he was receiving from his peers.
"Those at the top will suffer more. You will hear this many times as you attend U.A. This is what PLUS ULTRA means! Izuku Midoriya, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points!"
Izuku could feel the stares that he was receiving from all of the other participants. They clearly wanted a piece of him and his ten million points.
'So this is what All Might has to deal with everyday, huh? To always have a target on your back… to have everybody want to have a piece of you. Yes… this is it truly means to be NUMBER ONE!' Izuku said mentally as determination began to surge through him. Even if the odds were against him, he didn't make it this far just to go down without a fight.
'You're quick to understand, huh, young man?' Toshinori thought as he could see the fire of determination in his Successor's eyes.
"Wow, I thought you would be more nervous and shaking in your boots right about now. Aren't you scared? Everybody has set their sights on you. It isn't going to be easy you know." Izuku's Inner Alter Ego said as he has been quietly observing everything that has happened in the Sports Festival so far.
Izuku smirked, 'Screw it. I'll fight whoever it is that stands in my way. If that is what it takes to be Number One then so be it! It has been One Versus All this entire time. So let's just do it and show the world what we are made of!'
"Now, you're speaking my language! Let's take care of business then!"
"Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle. The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members' points, and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it will be to manage them! And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you're not out!" Midnight said as she explained the basic rules of the cavalry battle.
"Which means… " Momo began
"...since there are 42 people, there will be ten or twelve teams on the field the whole time?" Sato said as he finished her thought.
"That's tough." Aoyama commented.
"One strategy could be to let someone take your points first so you will be more free." Mina added.
"It is hard to say without seeing how all the points end up getting split up, Mina." Tsuyu hummed.
"During the game, it will be a cruel fight where you can use your Quirks. But it is still a Cavalry battle. You will get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose! You will be removed immediately!" Midnight warned.
"Damn it!" Bakugo shouted,
"Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. START!"
Izuku began scratching his head.
"Already so who do I want on my tea-"
Izuku stopped before he finished his sentence as he noticed that practically everybody had moved away from him and began forming their own teams, completely isolating him.
"CRAP! I almost forgot! Nobody wants to be on my team because of my stupid ten million points!"
週次パワーステータス
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