Capítulo 12: Pressure.
"Izuku, you really plan to be a hero? You've got no fighting experience whatsoever. This is pathetic. You punch like your trying to minorly inconvenience me."
Deku, on the floor after being thrown to the ground upon trying to give me a mean haymaker, tries to get up once more. There's both determination and anger in his eyes. Frustrated at his own incompetence but determined to be better nonetheless.
All Might, watching on from the side never loses his grimace. This should be a triumphant moment, his successor can use the Quirk properly. Still, he can't help but frown watching the training Reinhard is giving him.
"Well, Izuku? Do you want to sit there and cry about it? Or are you going to get back up and fight? Is this how you will save lives, by fighting like a toddler?"
As I suspected, mentioning his inability to save lives does indeed anger Deku, something that usually he is capable of ignoring. However, right now he isn't. His green lightning layered form runs towards me at quite a pathetic speed, only around 3% power.
Sadly for Deku, I am not going to stand there and take it. He jumps at me while preparing to punch me in the face, so I activate [Swiftness], dash around behind him and grab his leg, wrapping the ankle in my hand as I turn and slam him back into the ground, agitating the dust around us.
"Reinhard, couldn't you at least go a little easier on him? He just figured out how to use his Quirk, he's not some 'master combatant' like you claim to be."
I frown and look over at All Might while Deku lay on the ground, heaving in pain as his ribs ache and his spine cries out in protest.
"Do you think that others in the world will be so merciful as to let him get back up? Do you truly believe that he will be given mercy simply because he 'just learned his Quirk' and therefore should be left on the side? Imagine the dismay you would feel upon being attacked by a villain, only to feel shining hope when a hero arrives, just to have that hope shattered because the hero who came to save you is Deku, the hero who can't use his own Quirk properly. He's the closest thing to a disabled hero you'd ever find."
All Might looks away in shame, knowing that All For One indeed wouldn't chance giving him mercy, only perhaps just to tear it away and leave the boy in further despair.
While I had been talking to All Might, Izuku had gotten back up and reactivated his 'Full Cowl' and tried to get the jump on me, once more lunging in the air to drop his fist onto my skull. And yet again, I dispose of him quickly, dashing in his direction while he soars through the air, effectively body checking him into the punching bag that sat next to us.
"Train him properly All Might. Either you do your job, or he fails to do his. When you finally realise that going soft on him won't solve our problems, I'll come here again."
♧◇♡♤
The sports festival is soon to begin. After a relatively uncomfortable greeting to my housemates and lamenting having to sleep alone for the first time since I arrived in this world, we were all dragged into homeroom bright and early for a small pep talk.
Finally, our class had been sat inside a waiting room, much like the other first year classes in the academy. The atmosphere was tense, a pin drop could be heard in the room. Eventually, Todoroki had walked over to Izuku and given his usual All Might 'I'm gonna beat you' speech. He then glances at me.
"And you. Don't get too full of yourself, Reinhard. I'll show you why you aren't as [Divine] as you claim to be."
"Hey! Don't you dare forget about me, Half and Half! If the Shit Saint needed a Quirkless to help him beat a single villain then I really doubt he's all that much."
Ah, sweet summer children. They seem to not realise the truth of their situation. Though, I am quite annoyed that Bakugou is still being a discriminatory little shit.
Oh well. Loathe as I am to admit it, half of these people are side characters. They don't matter, not because I hold some contempt for them, but because their existence is inconsequential to the narrative. They should still be admirable heroes though.
Anyways, the festival is to be a bore. I could be doing far better things right now than fighting against people for the entertainment of the unenlightened masses.
Alas, there is nothing else I can do but obey, lest they think I have gone rogue and labelling me a national threat.
♧◇♡♤
"Ladies and gentlemen, coming to the stage now for the athletes pledge, the new record holder for the UA entrance exam, Reinhard van Astrea!"
I shuffle through the lines of students all waiting in the open grass plains before moving towards the concrete platform, ignoring the wink Midnight gives me. I clear my throat as I begin to speak into the microphone.
"I will be completely honest. I am far too strong. My entire existence is centered around the idea of being strong enough to win any fight. So, forgive me for not exerting my full strength during the festival. It would be far too dangerous. Good luck, everyone."
Many people begin to boo and jeer in my direction, angered by my crass arrogance. It is the truth, though. They would all die quite quickly. I return to my previous position beside a now anxious Momo as they announce the first event.
"An obstacle race! Prepare yourself, because these obstacles aren't just hurdles and tree branches. Racers will run 4 kilometers around the track, and only the first 42 to pass will advance to the next stage!"
The racers are all lined up, I assume there's a reason I am at the back because it won't change much. [Swiftness] means I can complete this race in 0.27 seconds. This is no challenge, although I am intrigued at how people will react to this.
The gunshot echoes and the race begins, then immediately finishes because during the time the gunshot was echoing throughout the stadium I had already reached the finish line, extreme amounts of wind surrounding me as I stop immediately at the finish line.
"Hm. 0.28 seconds. Seems I did my math wrong. Unfortunate."
Midnight, still feeling the recoil from shooting the gun simply looks in my direction after having her hair tossed around everywhere and twitches, as if holding in immeasurable fury.
♧◇♡♤
The race had been easy so far. Too easy. The only competition so far was Bakugou and Midoriya, and even they were no match for his ice. Good. This means he won't need to exert himself further to spite his father.
Honestly, he couldn't help but wonder just where Reinhard was supposed to be. He would follow through on that later though, as currently Midoriya had suddenly became proficient in using his Quirk, shocking not only himself but Bakugou, who was now going feral against the both of them.
Either way, the race was coming to a close, and he was happy with the outcome. He would come first, and another day would pass in which he would spite his father.
"And rushing in for second place, Todoroki Shouto, the son of Endeavour!"
...what? 2nd?
♧◇♡♤
I will admit, seeing the glare on Todoroki's face as he passed the tunnel was quite entertaining, but it doesn't hold a candle to the murderous look on Bakugou's face as he stomped towards me.
"Don't you dare get cocky, Shit Saint! This was just a one time thing, I had a bad start thats all! You're still fucking nothing!"
"Sure, Bakugou. You tell yourself that. Whatever helps you sleep at night knowing that you will never be as strong as me no matter what you do. Good luck, pal."
He clenches his fist and raises it, as if preparing to punch me in the face, however he looks down for a moment, as if pondering whether public assault is a good idea. However by the time he looked back up, I had already walked off to the podium once more.
I didn't have time to deal with his tantrum. I just want this day over as fast as possible.
♧◇♡♤
Given that the USJ invasion was considered a far less drastic attack on UA on account that I had interfered with their operations, there was not need for as much security in the sports festival. That, however, did not stop the top ten heroes from watching. At least, most of them.
Endeavour, Hawks, Edgeshot, Best Jeanist and Ryukyu were the only ones who were actually watching live. Mirko was out on her own business as she 'didn't have time to waste on pathetic weaklings'.
Ryukyu had only come at the request of Nejire to watch her 'newest aspirational friend' which simply means that Nejire wants Ryukyu to be impressed by Reinhard enough that she takes him on internship to try and help build friendship between them.
Endeavour though, as someone who had known All Might his whole life and constantly lived in his shadow couldn't help but feel a slight sense of regret looking at Reinhard.
The speed at which the boy ran at far exceeded anything All Might could muster. It means that there is already a new, more powerful All Might in his sons generation. It means that there is a chance, a small one given the faith he has in the power of his sons Quirk, but nonetheless a chance that every action he made in the last 2 decades was all pointless. Every touch of malice against his family could simply be worthless.
He did not wish to think on it further. He would rather not go down that rabbit hole.
Hawks though? Well he was an entirely different story. He already knew everything about Reinhard. Nezu had been demanded by the HSPC head for information on the boy after having a discussion with her about the USJ incident and All For One's return.
However, he didn't get the full story so much as he got the spark notes of it. Exceptionally powerful boy that is a God among Heroes being hunted down, and said boy is simply too inept and arrogant to see the true danger of it.
Orders were simple. Get close and try get him under the HSPC thumb, so that they would not miss out on the next All Might due to inaction, or get close and try to execute the boy so as to avoid All For One ever getting his hands on [Divine Blessings], quite easily the most powerful Quirk currently on the planet.
Poor Reinhard never could have imagined just how many landmines he was walking among.
♧◇♡♤
The second event was a cavalry battle, one that required teams to be made for it. I already had a partner for the first member, Momo had been more than happy to join me in the second event.
The next member of my team was one Mei Hatsume, or as I knew her, the psychopath Tony Stark. She was an impressive mind but had no inhibitions, so that meant the moment she got close to me, she began rapid firing questions about the sword, and began feeling around my body.
Momo, standing to the side, was shocked by the 'lewdness' of such an act but was nonetheless entertained by what she saw. I'm not too sure why, given that as my wife she should be angered, but maybe thats her mentality. Wife > random mechanic.
Anyways, the last member of my crew was yet another woman, immediately solidifying me as the prime 'must murder' target of Mineta. The woman was a member of our class, a good friend of Momo's and myself, Jiro. Though, she had been quite silent so far, simply happy to stand with us.
I was not the acting headband bearer for this team lineup, instead I was the primary horse alongside Momo and Mei, with Kyouka being the rider. It mattered not where I was, though. I was already primo target number one, given that everyone is glancing at me for my headband.
The cavalry battle does not include much fanfare before it starts, simply beginning with another gunshot and an announcement.
"Let the cavalry battle begin!"
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