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CHAPTER START---
As the bell for lunch rings, everyone begins packing up, and Sero turns back to look at Horizon. "Hey you gonna disappear during lunch again, you can totally eat with us if you want."
"I'm actually gonna head down to the support department to talk to Power Loader, I need new shoes for my Hero Costume," Horizon says.
"Oh...that's too bad," Sero mutters sadly.
"Ugh, ignore him," Jiro walks up and says, ready to go have lunch with Momo. "He just wants you to have lunch with him to get noticed by your fan club."
"Well, some of them are pretty cute," Horizon adds. "Can't blame a guy for trying and all that..." He sees Sero give him a thumbs up. "It is kinda creepy the way they're always lurking around me, but that's part of the whole being famous aspect of heroics these days."
"Well I'm certainly not jealous of that, having people always watching you and following you around seems like a nightmare," Jiro mutters as she walks past them and toward Momo at the back of the room.
Tokoyami nods in agreement, "unfortunately it's the life we signed up for by attending UA."
"Once you---" Horizon stops talking, head snapping to the doors on the other side of the room, "there's a mob outside."
Everyone remaining in the room gets on alert immediately, silently looking at the windows leading into the hallway.
"What the hell do these people want now, how many selfies do I need to take with students before it gets old," Horizon mutters while getting up and walking to the door at the front of class, walking past Bakugo who was still packing his bag.
Pulling open the door he finds himself staring at a horde of first-years, towering over them.
"Wow he's huge!"
"So he always wears the mask?"
"Does he have the sword? I can't see!"
"He's intense."
And a dozen other lines are fired off as the crowd gets a bit rowdy.
"I see...only first years...so you're here because the Sports Festival is tomorrow, right?" he asks.
A few people nod nervously in response.
"Well, now you've seen us, so you can stop blocking the doorway now, my classmates want to go get lunch," he says casually, ignoring a few people who were blatantly taking pictures of him.
"Wow," a purple-haired boy with tired baggy eyes pushes his way to the front, now standing beside a short girl who was seemingly recording. "I can't tell if you're arrogant or confident, but you know we've heard a lot about you, constant chatter in our ear from the news, from clips online, from our friends. But don't think that means that we can't take your spo---"
"Shut up," Horizon commands, causing everyone to freeze, feeling waves of annoyance radiating from him. "Whatever declarations of desires, dreams, promises, and feelings you're about to vomit at my feet, swallow it. The truth is nobody in the world cares about any of that trash, we got the speech about you taking our spots, we're over it, you want them? You want to prove to UA and whoever else that you belong here instead of us? Then shut your mouth, and get to work."
He gestures to the gathered mob that was now getting annoyed.
"Win," he says, catching them off guard. "It's literally that simple, no talk, just action. Prove you should be here instead of us, because your words don't matter if you can't back up the talk. So how about you go plan your strategy for tomorrow, or literally anything more useful than this crap, now, get out of our doorway..."
Horizon immediately begins walking forward, and everyone gets out of his way, an ocean of people that were all talking parting to get out of his way.
Annoyance transformed into respect, although they had to admit they didn't like his abrasive manner of speaking.
Meanwhile back in the classroom, his classmates were more than a little surprised that he was so pleasant to the visitors, but their determination only grew, now seeing the mob of people that were aiming to replace them.
---20 Hours Later...
Standing with 11 other first years Horizon nods along to everything Ms. Midnight says, all wearing their PE Uniforms, with his having his logo in black at the back of it. The shirt of his PE Uniform opened to show off his white body glove beneath, his logo in blue on his chest.
"---I expect all of you Class Reps to keep everyone in line out there, at least while in the stands, I want you young and hot-blooded students running wild in the games," Midnight says in a completely serious tone.
"Yes ma'am!" everyone yells while Horizon only nods.
"Good, we start in 5 minutes, get to your waiting rooms, and wait for the announcements..."
Leaving the room Horizon is walking beside Kendo, her PE Uniform on with the arms rolled up to her elbow and legs rolled up to her knees.
"So you excited for this?" Kendo asks, her nervousness showing as she looks up at Horizon.
"It's just a competition, all I've gotta do is win."
Kendo frowns at that, "yeah I figured you wouldn't be nervous, you've been in the public eye for weeks, half the people are here for you... and you're so strong," she mutters quietly.
They arrive at 1Bs locker room in the stadium and stop at the door. They both face each other as he speaks, "no need to be nervous, just do your best, that's all you can do anyway," he raises a finger to her chin, lifting her head to get a proper look at her large teal eyes. "And besides, even if the gold is mine, you'll look incredible in silver...good luck."
He casually walks away leaving her to stare at his back, her face sporting a faint blush as her mind catches up to her body, "huh? Wait a minute...THAT JERK!" she takes a breath to compose herself before entering the room to address her class.
Walking into the 1A locker room Horizon sees Deku and Todoroki looking one second away from a fight, with Kirishima standing beside them, the entire room tense and silent, everyone looking at the duo.
"Save whatever crap this is for later, we go out in four minutes," he announces and closes the door behind him.
Everyone started getting more nervous or excited as Horizon takes out his phone, doing one last check on his online presence.
'Hmm, that video of my speech yesterday is trending, guess that girl was recording, not just taking pictures...and people think I was being motivational to our competition...ok, I'll take it...' he can't help but smile at that. 'Even when I'm not trying this is too easy.'
Minutes later they're all walking into the stadium as Present Mic announces all the classes, A through K, all 11 years-1 classes. 220 students competing for the top spot.
"Holy crap," Sero mutters nervously, standing toward the back with Horizon and Sato as they all walk into the arena. "This is a lot more intense than it looks on TV..."
And in truth, it was, even for Horizon. Standing in the arena, soft grass all around, a twenty-meter raise at the edges where the first row of views was sitting above. The absolutely gargantuan stadium was nearly 70 meters -220ft- tall, with rows and floors of seats for all 200 thousand spectators, including the private boxes at the top behind tinted windows.
Looking around as the other classes enter the arena he can see a few people holding up posters with his symbol on them, fans cheering specifically for him.
He smiles at that, raising his hand to give a polite wave before Midnight begins talking.
"Now, for the student pledge, we have... KATSUKI BAKUGO!" Midnight proudly announces, and while Bakugo stalks up to the stage, both hands in his pockets, a fair amount of the students look at Horizon in surprise.
He shrugs, "Bakugo got first on the public entrance exam, he represents more of you, its the logical choice..." was all he said before Bakugo began talking.
Bakugo opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, glaring at all the other students before focusing his gaze on Horizon at the back of the class. "I'll give it my all, and I won't let anyone stop me from being the absolute best Hero...not even you Glass Face..."
Horizon lifts a hand, and where his entire class expects a middle finger, he gives a thumbs up, "do your best Bakugo!" he cheers on his classmate.
Everyone who knows him is surprised by this, until they remember exactly where they are, 'public appearances...' they recall he's always talking about that.
But they also knew exactly why he meant, 'do you best, it won't be enough.' And clearly, Bakugo understood this too as he stomped off the stage fuming mad.
"Alright, time for the first game!" Midnight gets the crowd stirred up once more. "An obstacle race, the course is 4km around this stadium, Quirks are allowed of course, do whatever you'd like as long as you stay on the course, first to cross the finish line wins!"
"It's like they're handing me that gold medal," Horizon chuckles as his classmates just glare in envy, already knowing how this will go.
"Now get to your starting positions!" Midnight gestures to the large red hallway built into the stadium.
Everyone immediately rushes for a front spot, toes against the starting line, but when the crowd moves Horizon is just left standing alone in the middle of the arena. Midnight has to stop herself from telling him to get to the starting point, saving herself from looking foolish on TV.
As everyone gets settled the stadium falls completely silent, and the timer begins.
3
Horizon opens a room, 700m in every direction, just enough to cover the entire track. A quick SCAN feeds him all the information he needs.
'A minefield, a horde of robots, and...when did they even have time to dig that hole...god damn Power Loader...'
2
He finds a pebble at the finish line, identifying the banner held between two posts.
1
Horizon takes one last look at the crowd, most people excitedly watching the starting hallway, some of his fans looking at him in worry.
'This is the first time the public will know what my Quirk is...time for the big debut.'
"START!" Midnight announces.
SHAMBLES!
"WINNER!" Present Mic immediately announces, and Horizon truly takes the stage...
END CHAPTER---
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
Discord: https://discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
Appearing at the finish line Horizon sees the stadium only a hundred meters away down the dirt track, not even a single student has made it through the gateway and onto the track, yet he grabs the banner at the finish line.
"WINNER!" Present Mic's voice rings out, reaching the crowds in and out of the stadium, like music to his ears.
He drops the banner and starts taking a casual stroll back into the stadium. All the camera robots along this stretch of the course turn and focus on him, so he takes his time to give everyone a good look at their future hero.
Both hands in his pockets he listens to Mic hype him up, a wide smile beneath his visor.
"First place goes to Horizon! No surprise there when you put a warp user in a obstacle race folks!" Mic's voice echoes through the stadium and outside to the nearby crowds and competitors.
"He's the Class Rep for the famous Class 1A, one of the most talented sets of students UA has ever had, credited with taking down the USJ Nomu on his own and he even acts as our counter to other Warp Quirks, a pillar of security for everyone around him!
It's no surprise that he's favored to win this whole tournament, especially when you know his Quirk can do a lot more than warping!
Supposedly already so skilled and talented that if he were a Pro they'd have to make room in our top 10 for him!"
Horizon sees a large burst of frost erupt from the narrow hallway and stops, taking in the sight of a few Hero Course students avoiding Todoroki's attack and pulling ahead with him.
"He's even a world-class doctor at only 16!" Mic announces loudly, catching even Horizon off guard, "With hard work and talent, all bolstered by having the single most powerful Heal ability in the world! He's a real tough contender for MVP in any party!"
'Did Nezu tell him more about me?' Horizon wonders.
"But these aren't the words of this announcer folks! The super genius behind UA, Principal Nezu confirmed all of this himself, this is why one year ago he broke his iron clad 'no scouting' policy to get Horizon into the Hero Course, he's simply playing on a whole other level!"
'Nezu definitely told him that part...' he think while arriving at the frozen students. Some lament their failure, others crying, not because their feet were frozen to the ground, but because this was their only real chance to transfer into the Hero Course.
And Horizon sees them look up at him with admiration, jealousy, and even a hint of fear and worry as he reaches where the ice is, surely shaken by Mic's announcement.
SHAMBLES!
He warps back into the arena not far away from midnight.
It takes a moment for people to realize what just happened, then the entire stadium shakes with uproar and applause, the public finally getting a glimpse of what his Quirk is, now understanding why he was so integral in defending UA during the USJ incident.
"Your first-place winner for the obstacle race!" Midnight proudly announces as his name appears on the scoreboards.
Horizon waves back to the cheering crowd as Mic continues announcing what happens during the race.
As everyone focuses on the race Horizon quietly makes his way to the seats on the third level reserved for his class, aware of all the eyes on him from the Pros in the audience. As he expected, and pays no mind to.
Even as Endeavor's fiery glare drills into his back while he walks out of the arena.
Walking to his seating area he sees Nezu already there, a large tablet in his hand with numbers constantly flowing across the screen.
"Don't you always act as the umpire for the 3rd year games?" Horizon asks, taking a seat beside his principal.
"Normally yes, but I need to keep an eye on the security systems due to the increase in villain activity, Ectoplasm is filling in for me."
"Ahh, makes sense, and you gave Mic how much information about me exactly?"
"Only what he announced," Nezu says. "He was the one who actually asked me about you after the Obstacle Race was decided, it was very obvious who the winner would be, so he wanted something to get the crowd all riled up."
"Always the showman," Horizon says.
"You're one to talk, you've been rather pleasant in the public eye. From your social media profile, to the interview you had, to how you've acted today, it's quite remarkable, and just a little bit scary."
"Well it's not like I've ever lied, I just say things in more pleasant ways...even if it is really damn exhausting."
"Yes, but I'm sure it's worth it for you," Nezu says as Horizon takes out his phone. "Shouldn't you be watching the competition?"
"Not really, I doubt any of these people can even make me sweat," he shrugs and starts scrolling. "My followers doubled, nearly 7 Million already, how many people are watching the games live?"
"Hmm," Nezu fiddles with his tablet for a second. "Nearly 300 Million, I'm sure as more and more people get interested they'll search for you online and find your profile."
"Well best to give them something to chew on," Horizon starts uploading a few files. "There, just put that picture of me and the Pope on my profile, and sent some anonymous information about me to the press, all about the world traveling miracle doctor Horizon."
"The public will surely love you, a capable hero that isn't camera shy," Nezu chuckles. "Most heroes don't work the popularity aspect of their job enough, even though it's a clear factor when determining hero rankings, among other things. The people need to know about you to know that they can count on you after all, by the time you graduate your media presence should be quite good."
"I'm looking for better than just good," Horizon says, putting away his phone and watching the games. "I plan on entering the top 10 directly after graduation, maybe I'll make a big push and take the number 1 spot... that'll surely get me what I want."
"Hmm, I thought your plan was to win by showing how capable and dependable you are?"
"It is," Horizon nods as he chooses his words carefully. "But these people," he gestures to the crowds. "They're too stupid for that, they like shiny flashy things. If being capable is all that mattered Endeavor would be rank 1, he's got the most resolved incidents in the history of heroes after all, but clearly, it's not enough. I'll be more capable than Endeavor and more beloved than All Might, that's how I'll win..."
Nezu smiles and focuses on the race, "I'd expect nothing less from you, as our future Symbol Of Peace..."
As the other students arrive at The Fall, a massive hundred-meter-wide pit with flat pillars littering it, all connected by heavy-duty cables, Bakugo takes the lead.
Showing off his unrelenting resolve and desire to be the best, he just barely edges out Todoroki who has to skate across the cables by simply flying across the obstacle, widening the gap between them.
"Flying huh..." Horizon mutters, now seeing a girl with pink dreadlocks using some support equipment to hover above the ground and slingshot across the pit.
"Oh, I was always curious about that," Nezu says.
"About what?"
"Why can't you fly?"
"That's a weird question to ask someone," Horizon says, seeing Shoji spreading his arms to do small glides from pillar to pillar, overtaking most of the competition to get the eleventh place.
"I just assumed you'd be able to fly like most people with Telekinesis, either by holding your own body...although it's extremely rare for people with such a Quirk to be able to affect living things. So I assumed you'd do the usual approach by controlling something like your clothes or shoes to fly around," Nezu explains.
"Tried that as a kid," Horizon grumbles. "It's literally the first thing I did when I created TAKT---"
"TAKT?" Nezu asks.
"My 'Telekinesis,' I wasn't lying when I said it's more like I command the world to move and it obeys. Because of that, it can get messy if I try to move multiple objects in sync for delicate tasks, since it's more like I give and control a vector to an object instead of wrapping it in energy and moving it."
"Ahhh," Nezu immediately gets the picture. "So you nearly pulled yourself apart with it..."
"Something like that, and even if that doesn't happen the clothes will just get torn off me," Horizon grumbles out.
"But on the plus side, that means you can use it on anything while most Telekinesis Quirks require you to make contact first, like the 1B student's."
"Pretty much."
"From...any range?"
"I'm not telling you my range, but yeah, it helps if I'm closer and can see the object at least," Horizon says. "But if you were in your office right now I could throw one of the couches in there at your head, while sitting way out here, wouldn't even have to do more than flick a finger."
"And is there a weight limit to what you can lift?" Nezu asks.
"Not in the same way that Urarak has a weight limit to hers, my Quirk doesn't have limits like that."
"So you always say, and how are the new shoes treating you, I didn't notice any difference," Nezu says.
"They look the same, but these are boots," Horizon pulls up the leg of his pants to show the change, dress shoes visually but providing a lot more support for his shift into being more brawlic. "Perfect for kicking in some teeth."
Nezu chuckles nervously, "don't forget you're supposed to be a hero..."
"KATSUKI BAKUGO TAKES SECOND PLACE!" Mic screams at the crowd, and everyone erupts into cheers as Bakugo enters the arena, followed closely by Todoroki and Iida.
"They all looked pissed," Horizon says.
"Well second place isn't enough for UA students," Nezu says. "Not to mention Iida came fourth because he stepped on a land mine, I'm sure he wanted to win since this is a race, his area of expertise, and his brother is probably watching."
"Oh yeah, Ingenium, guess that's where he'll be interning."
"Oh yes that request came in days ago," Nezu says, hitting a few options on his tablet and bringing up a massive list. "Your internship requests have already hit over one thousand, and it's only the first round, Todoroki is trailing behind with two hundred."
"Not surprising, if he ever grows a brain he'll be useful with that Quirk, too bad he's a tactless meathead like All Might."
"You really shouldn't be hard on them, they are still students after all."
"Explain that to the villains that want them dead, and things will only get harder for them when villains watch this and learn about them. In my case when I explain my Quirk villains will start running away from me even more..."
"Well that remains to be seen," Nezu says as the students begin pouring into the arena.
"So, can you tell me what the next game is gonna be?"
"I'm not allowed to, but since I don't think it'll matter for someone like you, it's a Cavalry Battle," Nezu casually says as the first twenty people arrive in the arena.
"Ugh, teamwork crap...actually, how specific are the rules?" he turns to look down at Nezu, a mischievous aura wafting off him.
Nezu gives him a curious look, not sure how to feel about this, "well, what do you have in mind?"
END CHAPTER---
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
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