Chapter 8: Try, Try Again
Class 1-A was still a little subdued as they entered the classroom; for many, a small part of their experience at school would be forever tainted by what happened at the USJ. However, for Midoriya and his friends, things were a little easier; they had talked it over, both in person and over the phone, and while they were far from completely recovered, they walked into school with their heads held high.
"Do you think we'll get a substitute for Homeroom?" Sero asked as he and the rest of his friends sat down.
"Probably, ribbit." Other than a slight shift of her eyebrows, Asui's expression hardly changed. "Aizawa-sensei was in bad shape when Mineta and I got him out of there."
The doors slid open, and a familiar, if bandaged, figure walked in. "Everyone, take your seats. I'm too tired to deal with your nonsense."
Everyone was too surprised to see Aizawa to do more than numbly sit down. The man had bandages on both arms, while his right was in a sling; only his face was exposed, which allowed an unobstructed view of his expression. The poor man looked even more tired than they had ever seen.
"Aizawa-sensei," Asui croaked, "it's good to see you, but are you sure you should be up, ribbit?"
Aizawa shrugged as he sat behind his desk. "The old lady just wants me to take it easy. It's not like I'm going on patrol until I'm fully recovered." He paused, as if realizing something. "There's a lesson for you—Heroes need to be at the top of their game, and they can't do that if they're hurt. If you're recovering from anything but the most minor of injuries, don't go out in the field again until a doctor says you can."
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei!" the class said dutifully.
"Anyway, I have an important announcement." Aizawa stretched out his neck before continuing. "The UA Sports Festival is coming up soon, and you all will want to be ready."
The students immediately began chatting amongst themselves excitedly. The Sports Festival was one of the biggest events of the year, with the entire country watching. Pro Heroes often used it as a way to scout for new talent; many a successful Hero got their start as a Sidekick because they made a good showing at the Sports Festival.
"As you all know, you'll all have exactly three chances at doing well in the Sports Festival during your time at UA," Aizawa continued, after a withering glare made the students quiet down. "However, the sooner you do well, the better your futures will be, so I suggest you start strong. Until the Sports Festival begins, every other day will include physical training, Quirk training, tactics, and so on. This is on top of your regular classes, so look at this as a good indicator of how well you're doing as a student. If you can't handle schoolwork and increased training, you might want to reconsider being Heroes." He coughed into his less-injured hand. "Also, you're encouraged to train out of class, provided it's of the non-Quirk variety; study groups will help with that."
Midoriya and his friends shared a conspiratorial smile; in that regard, they were ahead of the game.
"Anyway, that's what I wanted to say." Aizawa promptly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "If you've got homework you haven't finished, do it now; you've got the rest of this class."
As Midoriya and his friends shifted their desks to move closer, Ashido brought out her half-finished math homework.
"Midori, you said you'd help me with this," she whined. "You want me to be in the Sports Festival, right?"
Midoriya rolled his eyes, especially when he saw the answers Ashido had already written down. "I expect you to be in the final event, actually. Yaomomo, can you help me help her?"
Yaoyorozu gave them both a brilliant smile. "Of course!"
They all ended up helping each other—except for Yaoyorozu, who had finished all of her work early, and helped answer any questions the others had. Between her, Midoriya and Iida, everyone had their homework done and double-checked with time to spare.
"What do you think this year's Sports Festival will be like, ribbit?" Asui tapped her chin as she thought about it. "Do you think the structure will be the same?"
"I don't see why it wouldn't," Midoriya said. "It hasn't changed in years—a free-for-all, a team event, and then the bracketed fights. The only thing that changes is the specific events for the first two."
"That's not much to train for," Uraraka said nervously. "The only thing we can be sure about is combat at the end."
"That must be why they will be training us so thoroughly," Iida said with a nod. "How responsible of such a fine institution, to give us the best chance possible!"
Midoriya nodded, but then jumped when someone coughed behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Aizawa staring at him. "Ah! Aizawa-sensei! Is something wrong?"
"No, I just forgot to tell you something, Midoriya." Aizawa actually looked like he regretted what he was about to say. "Since you got the top score at the entrance exam, that makes you the Freshman Representative. You'll have to give a short speech before the Sports Festival officially starts."
Midoriya didn't even notice that Aizawa left; he was consumed by sudden and overwhelming panic at the thought of speaking in front of thousands of people in a stadium, and then millions of others who would be watching on television andthewallswereclosinginpleasehelp—
"Deku-kun!" Midoriya snapped out of it when Uraraka started shaking him. "Deku-kun, can you hear me? You were trembling and sweating, and you looked like you were about to run for your life."
Midoriya took several deep breaths; he was still shaking when Yaoyorozu gently turned him to face her.
"Midoriya, were you having a panic attack?" she asked.
"I, uh…" Midoriya lowered his eyes to his desk in shame and nodded. "I've never had to speak in front of so many people before. When I thought about it…"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "I understand. If I may offer a suggestion—"
Before she could continue, there was a commotion from outside the door. Bakugo scowled at the noise, stomped over and slammed the door open.
"What the hell do you extras want? Here to grovel at the feet of the Hero Course?"
There was a small crowd outside the classroom; Midoriya vaguely recognized some of the faces, but didn't know any of the names. He was reasonably sure that none of them were from Class 1-B, the other first-year Hero Course.
"Well, that sure doesn't leave a good impression," one boy at the front, with wild, purple hair and tired eyes, smirked. "Are all Hero Course students so arrogant, or is it just you?"
Bakugo snarled, but Kirishima dragged him back. "Sorry about that, man; seriously, I'm pretty sure it's just him. Anyway, uh, what's going on?"
The boy crossed his arms. "The word's out that this class fought real Villains last week, and we all wanted to get a look at our biggest competition for the Sports Festival."
Ashido leaned over to Midoriya. "What's he talking about?"
It took him a moment to figure it out. "Oh! Students from non-Hero courses who do well enough in the Sports Festival can earn a reevaluation and possible admittance into the Hero Course. It's not uncommon; people whose Quirks aren't suited for certain scenarios can get passed over at the entrance exams, but then go on to be successful Heroes after the Sports Festival."
Bakugo heard all of that, and sneered at the crowd. "So that's it, huh? You losers couldn't hack it the first time, so you think you can do better after we've actually practiced? Don't make me laugh!"
The purple-haired boy never lost his composure. "Just watch your backs; if you're not careful, your seats in the Hero Course could get taken by any one of us." Just as he was leaving, he looked over his shoulder. "Consider that a declaration of war."
Sero buried his head in his hands. "So this competition isn't just going to pit us against each other, we've got targets on our backs that the whole school will be gunning for? Great."
"As much as it pains me to admit, Bakugo actually raised a good point," Yaoyorozu said. "As Hero Course students, we have access to resources that allow us greater training. If we utilize those resources properly, we will have a significant advantage during the Festival. But we mustn't get complacent! The students from other courses who want to get into our class will be working harder than any of us can imagine!"
"You heard the Class President!" Iida rose to his feet and pumped his fist. "Let us show UA and the entire world exactly why we deserve to be here, and go beyond! Plus Ultra!"
The more enthusiastic students—which included everyone except Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami—all mirrored him.
"Plus Ultra!"
…
The first part of Class 1-A's accelerated training started with hand-to-hand combat. All Might himself supervised, giving pointers to various students, especially those who had no formal training before UA.
"Keep moving, young Midoriya!" All Might barked as the student was knocked onto his back by Ojiro. "If you remain in one place, all you're doing is giving your opponent time to get a good angle on you."
"Yes, All Might-sensei," Midoriya grunted, and accepted Ojiro's helping hand. Like the other students, they were wearing their gym clothes, and had been sparring in the familiar—to Midoriya, anyway—Gym Alpha.
"Would you like some more advice, Midoriya-san?" Ojiro asked politely. He had been Midoriya's opponent for the last few minutes, and had been wiping the floor with him. The point of the training was to increase every aspect of their abilities—in this case, that meant no Quirks, which was why Midoriya was getting beaten like an old rug, even with Ojiro not using his tail.
"I'll take anything at this point," Midoriya said as he rubbed his sore leg.
"I've noticed that you don't take the initiative." Ojiro stretched out his arms as he talked. "If you can't get out of that mindset, maybe you should focus on counters—using your opponent's weight and momentum against them, taking advantage of openings at the right time, that kind of thing. I don't mean to brag, but I've studied many martial arts, and I can help you." He glanced off to the side. "So would Yaomomo, I'll bet."
Midoriya followed his gaze to the neighboring ring and saw Yaoyorozu literally throw Sato over her shoulder when he charged at her. At first, he had trouble believing that she'd done that.
"Wait, no, she must have calculated his trajectory and estimated his weight, thus figuring out the best angle to throw him. If she did the math right, Sato-san would have done most of the work for her!"
"Um, Midoriya-san?" Midoriya looked up and saw Ojiro's concerned frown. "Sorry, but you were mumbling there."
Midoriya blushed. "Uh, sorry. It's a habit of mine. But, yes, I'll take any help you or Yaomomo can offer."
Across the room, Uraraka was having as much trouble with her own sparring partner. Kirishima was friendly, true, but he was strong, and Uraraka wasn't exactly a good fighter.
"Come on, Uraraka, hit me like you mean it!" Kirishima gave her a sharp-toothed grin. "If you don't put your all into a hit, your opponent is going to shrug it off, and then you'll be in trouble—like now!"
Uraraka yelped when Kirishima lifted her up as easily as if she'd used her Quirk on herself, and slammed her onto the mat. The air left her lungs, and she lay there, stunned.
"Oh, crap, are you okay?" Kirishima's face filled her vision, his smile gone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
"It's…" Uraraka took a deep breath and sat up. "It's okay, Kirishima-san; like you said, I didn't put anything into hitting you, so that's what I get, right?"
Kirishima grinned sheepishly as he helped her to her feet. "Yeah, I guess I knew what I was talking about, huh?"
"Can you, uh, show me how to really throw a punch?" Uraraka rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, but Kirishima's grin became wider and more genuine.
"Sure thing! Asking for help to improve is manly as hell, Uraraka-san! I'll show you how to knock a Villain right on his ass!"
The entire class was throwing itself into its training. Even Bakugo was less verbally abrasive with his sparring partners, only shouting at them when they made obvious mistakes; it was constructive, in its own way, though he did reduce poor Koda to tears at one point.
When All Might told them all that he was proud of the progress they were making, they went home feeling vindicated—not just in their efforts, but in the decisions to be Heroes at all.
…
The next Heroics class wasn't training for the Sports Festival, but a do-over of their first Rescue Training. It was with some trepidation that Class 1-A returned to the USJ; Thirteen was there to greet them again, but instead of the Big Three, All Might joined them. Having him there did wonders for the students; after all, if Villains showed up again, the world's greatest Hero would be there from the get-go.
"Now, you're all going to be divided into groups of four," Thirteen said. "All Might and I will be watching from the observation room to provide instructions or answer questions; just use the communicators we provided you with outside."
All Might took over. "One thing you should know is that you'll be rescuing robots that will simulate real people in certain conditions—panic, injury, and so on. Since this is your first time doing this, this lesson is more to gauge how you react, and what you do. Further lessons will provide details on first aid, on-the-spot trauma counseling, that sort of thing. Good luck to you all!"
Midoriya was grouped with Tokoyami, Sero, and Asui; he shared a smile with his two friends, and shared a respectful nod with Tokoyami. He then pulled up his hood—his costume had been repaired by now—and was directed towards the Landslide Zone.
"See, this is what I was hoping for," Sero said with his usual grin. "Actually helping people who need it. I mean, yeah, fighting Villains can be part of the job, but I'd rather deal with something that doesn't involve hurting someone."
"Ribbit, I feel the same way," Asui said as she stretched by hopping instead of walking.
"I can't say the same," Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow, said as he emerged from his partner's chest. "I love a good fight!"
"As Heroes, we must sometimes work outside what we are comfortable with," Tokoyami said sagely. "However, the idea of protecting the innocent from the darkness is appealing."
Midoriya shrugged. "I kind of agree with you, Tokoyami-san. There are different ways to protect people—either saving their lives from disasters, or from Villains. Either way, it's our job to make sure that everyone is safe."
When they arrived at their test zone, they found a pile of boulders, and a humanoid robot half-buried under them.
"This is your first test," Thirteen said into their earpieces. "This civilian is trapped; you must free them, apply first aid, and then transport them to the evacuation area."
Midoriya looked around until he saw a gate with a sign saying 'Evacuation' not too far off. "Well, I guess we should get started. We need to get those rocks off the robot."
"We should probably treat it like a real person, ribbit," Asui said. "Or else we might not try as hard."
"Right." Midoriya took a deep breath, and then hurried over to the robot. "Don't worry, sir, we'll get you out of here as soon as we can! You're going to be fine!"
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Sero asked as he put on his helmet.
Midoriya looked at the pile of boulders. "We can't just push them off, they might roll on top of the civilian. Sero, Tokoyami-san, can you two secure as much of the pile as possible? Tsuyu, grab the civilian and get ready to pull as soon as I move the rocks directly on top of him."
Tokoyami and Sero nodded first; the former had Dark Shadow wrap his arms around one section of stones, while the latter secured more with a thick web of tape. Asui hopped over to the robot and gave it a reassuring smile—which was strange, considering how blank she usually kept her features—and wrapped her tongue around its torso. Midoriya activated the Ultimatrix and cycled through his aliens until he found the one he wanted.
"FOUR ARMS!" After cracking all of his knuckles, Four Arms braced himself against the boulders that were actually touching the robot. "Okay, everyone get ready; those rocks could come down any second. On three, okay? One, two, three!"
With a mighty heave, Four Arms shifted the boulders; the rest of the pile shuddered, but Sero and Tokoyami were prepared. Some of the smaller rocks started to fall, but Asui had already moved the robot to a safe distance.
"It's all coming down!" Sero shouted.
"Sero, get to Tsuyu and cover her!" Four Arms braced himself. "Tokoyami, we need to block those rocks!"
Tokoyami jumped to the side and behind Four Arms. "Understood! Dark Shadow!"
"I'm on it!" The sentient Quirk readied his claws, just as several boulders started rolling towards them.
Four Arms' punches shattered the larger rocks, while Dark Shadow swept aside the smaller ones. The landslide only lasted a few seconds, but it felt far longer; when it was over, even the stoic Tokoyami was a little rattled.
"So, was that your first rockslide too?" Midoriya asked when he turned back to normal.
Tokoyami nodded. "I can't say it was pleasant, but at least it was in as close to a controlled environment as possible."
"Hey, speak for yourself!" Dark Shadow didn't have a mouth, but he sounded pleased. "I got to punch a seismic event! How often do you get to say you did that?"
"He's not wrong," Midoriya admitted as they walked over to Sero, Asui, and the robot. "How's the civilian?"
"I've wrapped up his legs with my tape," Sero reported seriously. "According to him, both his legs might be broken. We need to get him to the evacuation zone quickly—my tape might be good for keeping his bones from moving around, but he'll lose circulation if we don't hurry."
Midoriya nodded. "Okay, Tokoyami-san, could Dark Shadow hold the civilian steady? Sero, Tsuyu and I will watch out for more rockslides."
Thankfully, the rest of the walk was without incident, and they delivered the robot safely. As soon as they walked through the gate, several more robots—dressed up as nurses—hurried over and took the 'victim' from them.
"Excellent work," Thirteen complimented. "You could have reacted faster at the very beginning, but you were still quick to treat this as a real emergency, and a real civilian. You utilized your Quirks well, and your teamwork was commendable. Well done; please take a moment to rest, and then head to the Shipwreck Zone."
Midoriya and Asui shared an uncomfortable look; that was where they had really fought Villains for the first time, and though they had emerged unscathed, it was far from a pleasant memory.
When they arrived at the next test, it was All Might who spoke in their ears. "Students! This time, the civilian is on a sinking ship. You have five minutes to rescue them; there is a small boat on the shore, but use your best judgment to succeed! Oh, and I should probably mention that this test is on an individual basis, and will be reset after each attempt. Your time starts as soon as you either step onto the small boat, or begin using your Quirk!"
"Is it just me, or does All Might not seem like he knows what he's doing sometimes, ribbit?"
Midoriya chuckled. "W-well, he did have those flashcards during the Battle Training. Maybe he's still new to being a teacher?"
Tokoyami stepped forward first, but he took one look at the boat they were supposed to use and shook his head. "Sensei, I am afraid that I have no experience in using a motorboat; I believe I could figure it out, given time, but in this case, that is time I do not have. I believe my best recourse would be to find another Hero whose Quirk or knowledge is better suited for this test."
"Not to worry, young Tokoyami! Admitting your weaknesses is no weakness at all! Many Heroes are unsuited for certain environments or conditions; you won't see Mount Lady trying to get people out of a cave-in, for example! You'll be docked points for not trying, of course, but you'll get some back for such a responsible decision."
Tokoyami bowed, and then stepped aside. Sero went next, and he actually knew how to start the boat's engine; he was able to get to the sinking ship, climb up and rescue the civilian—another robot—and get back with seconds to spare.
Asui and Midoriya had the easiest time of it. Asui just jumped into the water and swam over to the ship, then carried the civilian over the water with her tongue as she swam back. Midoriya turned into Water Hazard and did something similar; he had the robot wrap its arms around his neck as he became a living speedboat.
When it came to the Conflagration Zone, a cityscape that was almost completely on fire, it was Asui who bowed out. Her physiology was too easily dried out by the fire, and waited patiently outside for the others to rescue civilians from burning buildings. When it was Midoriya's turn, he surprised Tokoyami and Sero by turning into Heatblast.
"Hey, are you sure you want to just add more fire to the hellscape?" Sero asked.
Heatblast smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I can absorb fire and shoot it back in this form."
The two boys—and one sentient Quirk—watched as Heatblast calmly walked into a burning building. The fire flowed into his body, much like iron dust flowed to a magnet; when the flame died down, Heatblast walked back out with the civilian close behind him.
Sero and Tokoyami had less dramatic, but no less successful rescues. They were both able to pull their civilians through windows with little difficulty, though Dark Shadow looked a little miserable when he withdrew back inside Tokoyami.
"He is strengthened by darkness, and weakened by light," Tokoyami explained. "The fire does provide some shadows, but it is more detrimental than helpful."
After the Conflagration Zone, they went to the Downpour Zone. It was the opposite of the previous test in every way; the false city was bombarded by stinging rain, and it was difficult to see very far.
This time, Sero pulled out; he explained that his tape would become soaked and easily torn in this weather. However, while Midoriya rescued his civilian from a flooding car easily enough with Humungousaur, it was Asui and Tokoyami who stole the show.
Asui was almost completely unaffected by the rain, though she did complain that it was a little cold as she brought her civilian back. In the darkness, Dark Shadow thrived, growing twice as large as normal and easily ripping open the door to the flooding basement that housed the last civilian.
Though there were other test areas, the four of them were called back to the entrance after that. All Might was there, along with Uraraka—whose costume was now repaired—Sato, Shoji and Hagakure, handing out mugs of hot chocolate.
"The Downpour Zone is usually the last test of the day," All Might said as the cold students warmed themselves up. "Students don't like doing more when they're cold and wet."
Uraraka, who was drying herself off with a towel, nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't fun. Poor Hagakure got stuck, and we couldn't find her for a while."
"It was awful!" Hagakure wailed; she was bundled up with several towels, but was still shivering. "I mean, Shoji-san found me—thanks, by the way!—but I was stuck in the worst rain ever, and all I have are my gloves and boots!"
Midoriya blushed, and with his hood down, it was impossible to hide; so she really wasn't wearing any clothes. "M-maybe y-you could ask the S-Support D-Department to make you a costume that w-works with your Quirk?"
"I tried!" Hagakure sniffed, like she was about to cry. "Power Loader-sensei said that my Quirk was tricky, and they were still working on a costume that could turn invisible."
All Might reached out to pat her, but then pulled back; after all, since Hagakure was invisible, he couldn't be completely sure where he was patting her. "I'll put in a word with the Support Department and see if they can't put more focus on helping you, young Hagakure."
"Thanks, All Might-sensei! You're the best!"
All Might gave her his usual grin, and then turned to Midoriya's group. "You'll receive individual scores and feedback later, but I want you all to know now that you did admirably."
Sero shrugged. "Thanks, but Midoriya was the only one who was able to do every test, so I guess he got the highest score."
"Not necessarily," All Might corrected. "While it is true that young Midoriya's Quirk makes him incredibly versatile, that comes with its own weakness. You'll get a more in-depth explanation in your review, young Midoriya, but something I noticed was that you often hesitated for a few seconds before choosing your form. Your sheer number of options is a bit overwhelming, yes?"
"Th-that's right, All Might-sensei," Midoriya admitted. "I have a few forms that, uh, compete for certain situations—I need to work on making snap decisions."
All Might ruffled his hair. "Better to be aware of this now, than when it matters in a life-or-death situation."
Midoriya saw Ben in the corner of his eye; the hologram nodded. "He's right, buddy; when lives are on the line, you should have a 'favorites list' or something. If that doesn't work in the beginning, just slap the dial again and get the alien you need."
Midoriya nodded. "Got it."
…
When it came to Quirk combat, everyone wanted Midoriya as their sparring partner. All of his aliens meant that, if the other students needed to work on something in particular, he probably had a form that could help.
One of his first matches was against Kirishima, who had practically begged him to use Four Arms.
"Please, Midoriya?" The other boy was grinning almost maniacally. "I know a form like that would be really good for strengthening my Quirk, and I could use some experience fighting a guy with multiple limbs."
Midoriya sighed, and shot an exasperated look at Uraraka when she giggled. "Fine, but if I do this, I can't start off with my best punches. We need to see how much your Hardening can take; I don't want to hurt you by accident."
"You got it!" Kirishima flexed, and his entire body took on a craggy, rocky appearance—even his hair looked like it had been roughly carved from stone. "Bring it on, Midoriya!"
After transforming, Four Arms brought one fist down right on top of Kirishima's guard. The blow sent him skidding back a few inches, but he stood tall.
"Come on, I barely felt that!" Kirishima's grin grew even wider. "If I'm gonna get better, I need to push my Quirk past its limit!"
Four Arms grimaced, but then Ben appeared in front of him. "You heard the guy. Stop treating your classmates like glass; they want to be Heroes just as much as you do."
"All right, fine." Four Arms cocked back two of his fists, and Ben vanished. "I hope you're as tough as you think you are, Kirishima!"
Both fists smashed through Kirishima's guard and into his chest. To Four Arms' surprise, the blow wasn't enough to knock Kirishima out of his Hardening, though it did send him flying through the air and into a far wall. It took him a moment, but Kirishima pulled himself free; when he did, he looked ecstatic.
"That's what I'm talking about, Midoriya! But don't think I'll just let you keep on hitting me; I want to show you what I've got!"
Not everyone in the class was sparring at the same time. Jiro was sitting on a bench, drinking some water as she watched Four Arms and Kirishima go at it.
"You know, Midoriya never struck me as the meathead type," she commented.
Yaoyorozu shrugged; Jiro tried not to feel jealous of how graceful the other girl made such a simple gesture look.
"I don't think he is," Yaoyorozu said. "He may just be doing what Kirishima wants. Though Midoriya could stand to be a bit more aggressive, I suppose. With Kirishima, he has to be, or else he won't win; I think Kirishima knows this, which is why he's encouraging Midoriya so much."
Jiro just raised an eyebrow. "Or it has something to do with 'being manly' that he's always talking about."
"That could also be it," Yaoyorozu admitted.
"Changing topics a bit, I heard that some of our class is studying at your place?"
"Oh, yes—well, sort of. We haven't actually done any academic work yet, but we agreed that we should all get together and study when we had to. If we're not studying… I suppose we're just spending time together."
Jiro nodded. "Do you think I could get in on that? I'm having trouble with some of my homework, and I don't want to fall behind."
Yaoyorozu smiled. "Of course! I'm sure everyone would be happy to have you—look out!"
Before Jiro could think, Yaoyorozu tackled her to the side; an instant later, a Kirishima-shaped missile crashed into the spot Jiro had been sitting.
"Oh, man!" Four Arms turned back to normal as he jogged up to them. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there, and I was trying out a counter that Ojiro-san showed me, and—"
"It's all right, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said as she helped Jiro to her feet. "We're fine."
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Jiro gave him a thumbs-up. "Hey, Kirishima, you okay?"
"I'm good," Kirishima said weakly as he got to his feet. "Just got my bell rung. Give me a minute, and I'll be good to go again."
Yaoyorozu coughed into her hand. "Perhaps you two could not destroy school property this time?"
The two boys looked at the shattered remains of the bench the girls had been sitting on and blushed.
…
During the weekend, Midoriya and his friends met up at the Yaoyorozu home again, this time to get their homework done. Waiting for them was not only Yaoyorozu herself, but also Jiro; they had all been informed that Jiro had been invited as well, and no one had a problem. The petite girl had admitted that she wasn't sure about hanging out all the time, but she had nothing against studying with her classmates.
Midoriya didn't mind, since group hangouts weren't for everyone; he still wasn't sure about it himself, beyond his immediate friends.
That reminded him of something he'd been putting off until now, actually. "Hey, Yaomomo?"
Yaoyorozu looked up from her review of Uraraka's chemistry homework. "Yes, Izuku?"
"What were you going to say before, about speaking in front of so many people?" The thought still made him start to spiral into a panic, but Uraraka grabbed his hand before he got too far.
"Oh, it's something simple that I found worked for me." Yaoyorozu produced a spare piece of paper from her arm and drew a large circle; just outside it, she drew a small dot. "The circle is all the people you're addressing, and the dot is you."
That didn't make Midoriya feel better, but Yaoyorozu wasn't done. She drew a much smaller circle on the side closest to the dot.
"This small circle represents the people you're focusing on. They don't have to be physically present, but I've found that it's much easier to say a speech to people you care about. It helps tune out everyone else."
Midoriya looked at the drawing and thought about it. Everyone would hear him, but who did he really want to address? To be honest, it really boiled down to those who had helped him so far—Ben, his mother, Nezu, the Big Three, and the friends around him now. Despite knowing most of the people on that list for barely two weeks now, he trusted them. They had stood up for him when they had barely known him, and they had faced very real dangers together. That formed a bond that he wouldn't easily give up.
"Thanks, Yaomomo," he said. "That… really helps."
Yaoyorozu smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear it."
Midoriya started to pull his hand free from Uraraka's—though, for some reason, he was reluctant to—when his thumb accidentally brushed hers, which she'd kept free. Now under the effect of her Quirk, Midoriya started to float away.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Uraraka blushed in embarrassment, but waited until Asui and Jiro secured the boy with tongue and earphone jacks, respectively, before releasing her Quirk. "Maybe I should start wearing gloves more often."
Ashido snickered. "If you're gonna keep holding Midori's hand, that might be a good idea."
Most of the group laughed, while Midoriya and Uraraka avoided eye-contact for the rest of the day.
…
The next week passed, and each day brought more and more anxiety for Class 1-A. It was bad for most of them, but UA's Rising Stars were able to keep themselves grounded, either by talking to each other at school, or messaging each other. On the night before the Sports Festival, they had one more chance for the latter.
Book: Is everyone ready?
Comet: I am!
Crayon: bring it on!
Glasses: I look forward to giving my all.
Tape: Man, I'm so excited!
Frog: Me too, ribbit.
All Might: I'm still really nervous.
Crayon: don't be, Midori! U r awesome, and I no u will do well!
All Might: Thanks. I think we all will.
Comet: I know! Let's make a promise.
All Might: ?
Glasses: ?
Tape: ?
Book: ?
Crayon: ?
Frog: ? Ribbit
Tape: DAMMIT
Comet: Let's all promise to meet up in the final round. Even if we have to face each other then, we'll still all be there together!
Crayon: aw, that's sweet, Ochako! U got a deal!
Book: I agree! None of us are allowed to not make it to the final event.
Tape: Is that an order from the Class President?
Book: Yes.
All Might: Seconded by the Vice President!
All Might: Actually, there's something I want to say now, in case we don't have time tomorrow.
All Might: It's kind of obvious, but I'm not very… social. You all are the first real friends I've ever had. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I'm sure that I wouldn't be able to do what I've done without you. So… thanks.
Comet: *sniff* Deku-kun, that's so sweet! You're totally welcome.
Book: I agree, and echo that sentiment. You are all my best friends.
Crayon: dang it, im gonna cry! Now I have 2 reasons to make it to the last round
Tape: ^
Glasses: ^
Frog: You're welcome, Izuku. I was hoping for a declaration of love for Ochako, but what you said was nice, ribbit.
Book: Tsu! You just ruined the moment.
Tape: Eh, we were getting a little too emotional anyway. Thanks for lightening the mood, Tsuyu.
Frog: Ribbit.
Tape: OH COME ON, THAT ONE WASN'T EVEN ATTACHED TO ANYTHING!
Crayon: um, Midori and Ochako haven't said anything. They ok?
Glasses: Going by past experience, I would say that Izuku is probably having a breakdown from Tsuyu's comment, and Ochako is floating through the air.
Frog: Tension broken, mission accomplished. Goodnight, everyone, and good luck tomorrow.
Frog: Ribbit.
Tape: Why? Just… you know what? I'm going to bed. Frogs are going to haunt my nightmares now, I just know it.
Chapter 9: Race to Victory
(Peace Sign—Kenshi Yonezu, TV version)
The music starts with Midoriya sitting on a bench, cycling through his aliens. He then nods and gets up; Ben appears next to him and grins. The title 'My Alien Academia' appears, with the word 'Alien' in green.
The scene shifts to Midoriya walking through the halls of school, where he meets the rest of UA's Rising Stars. All of them are in their gym clothes. Uraraka is the first to run over to Midoriya and grabs his hands in excitement; she accidentally uses her Quirk and makes him float, and a flailing Midoriya is quickly brought down to the ground by Asui's tongue as Uraraka releases her Quirk, very embarrassed, while the others smile or laugh. All of them start walking towards the stadium in the background.
The scene changes to focus on Midoriya's face; above him, different people can be seen looking down at him in rapid shots. First are All Might, Nezu, Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye. Next are the Big Three. Finally, there is a silhouette of a man holding up his left arm; on his forearm is a green hourglass symbol. Behind him are many more silhouettes. The music picks up pace as both the silhouette and Midoriya bring their hands down on their respective dials.
Another scene change, and Midoriya is now Wildmutt, and is charging across an arena. The others in UA's Rising Stars are fighting unknown opponents. Yaoyorozu creates a metal staff, Uraraka plunges downward with one hand outstretched, Asui whips her tongue to the side, Sero drags himself forward on his tape, with one leg extended in a kick, Ashido swipes her arms down to create an acid attack shaped like an X, and Iida sprints forward with his boosters at full power.
There are more rapid shots, revealing Hatsume, Shinso, Class 1-B, Bakugo screaming as he attacks, and Todoroki surrounded by freezing air, staring at Midoriya.
The intro ends with Class 1-A in their costumes. UA's Rising Stars are in the front, and Midoriya slams his hand down on the Ultimatrix.
My Alien Academia
Chapter 9
Race to Victory
Izuku tried to start his day like he would any other—he got up, showered, ate his breakfast, brushed his teeth, and tried not to think about everything that could go wrong.
"What if I mess up my speech? What if I don't move on from the first event? What if I make a fool of myself?"
Ben shared an exasperated look with Inko; the boy had been like that all morning.
"Hey, buddy?" Izuku glanced up at Ben. "Maybe you should ask yourself these questions instead: What if your speech goes off without a hitch? What if you win the whole thing? What if you look awesome in front of the whole country?"
Izuku blinked; he… hadn't really thought about it like that. He often focused on the worst possible scenarios, and never the best.
"That… that would be cool," he admitted.
Ben gestured toward him in a 'there you go' manner. "All right, then make it happen. Simple as that."
Izuku smiled; it was tiny, but it was there. "Are you sure you're a tutorial program for heroes, and not a counselor?"
Ben grinned right back. "Dude, I've had to deal with you for almost a year now. I am more than capable of learning."
Inko laughed. "Okay, boys, that's enough; if you don't hurry, you'll miss the train, and I'm sure you don't want that today of all days."
"Right, thanks, Mom!" Izuku darted off to finish getting ready.
Inko turned to Ben. "How do you think he'll do?"
"Honestly?" Ben shrugged. "I don't know. He's been training, and he's got good instincts, but a lot of his competition has spent most of their lives getting ready for this. As long as he thinks things through and doesn't get overwhelmed, I think he'll do fine. If he's smart, he'll win the whole thing."
Inko nodded. "Thank you." Her son, now ready, ran past her towards the door. "Oh, Izuku!"
"Yeah, Mom?" Izuku was surprised when his mother hugged him tightly.
"I don't know if I've said this before, but I want to apologize," Inko said. "When you found out you were Quirkless, and asked me if you could still be a Hero, all I said was that I was sorry. I want you to know now, even if you'd never found that watch, that I am so proud of you. I'm proud of the Hero that I know you'll be. I love you so much, Izuku."
Izuku tried to hold back his tears as he hugged her back. "Thanks, Mom. I love you too."
Inko rubbed her eyes as she stepped back. "Now, go out there and show the whole world what I already know."
Izuku nodded and left the house, but Ben's hologram stayed behind. "I'll keep an eye on him, just in case."
"Thank you," Inko said. "But, please, try to enjoy yourself while you're at the Sports Festival."
Ben grinned. "Hey, helping your son is my primary function; doing that makes me happy."
Inko was about to argue with him, but Ben suddenly flickered wildly for a moment. "What was that?"
Ben looked down at his hands. "Oh, Izuku is pushing the limits of how far I can extend my hologram. No big deal. I'll see you after the Festival is over!"
Inko smiled as Ben vanished, never knowing that he had just lied to her face.
…
Midoriya's leg nervously bounced up and down as he and the rest of Class 1-A waited for their turn to head to the arena entrance. As soon as they had arrived at UA, they had been directed to change into their gym clothes and wait. For most of them, costumes and Support Items were banned in the interest of fairness, but some, like Aoyama and Midoriya, kept the latter, since they needed them in order to use their abilities at all.
"Relax, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said for the tenth time. "Just keep doing those breathing exercises, or focus on something else, like Quirk analysis."
Midoriya nodded shakily. "Y-you're right, Yaomomo." He pulled out his newest notebook and started jotting something down. "I needed to write down some ideas I wanted to run by Uraraka for her Quirk later."
Uraraka leaned over to read his notes. "Ooh, can I see?"
Midoriya leaned back; Uraraka hadn't realized how close her face was to his. "Uh, it was going to be a surprise!"
That wasn't completely true, but it did make Uraraka move back without him having to be rude. "Cool! I can't wait!"
"Midoriya." Todoroki's voice behind him made Midoriya jump, and he turned around. The other boy was standing with his arms at his sides, his fists clenched.
"Y-yes, Todoroki-san?" Midoriya stood up; something told him that Todoroki was on edge, and he wanted to be ready.
"I don't think I'd be too far off the mark if I said you were the strongest student in our class." Todoroki's gaze sharpened to a razor's edge. "In fact, outside of the Big Three, you might be the most powerful student in the entire school."
Midoriya opened his mouth to say something, but Todoroki kept going.
"That's why I want to challenge you. Here, in the Sports Festival, I want to prove that I can beat anyone without breaking my oath." He turned and walked away. "That's all I wanted to say."
"If that's the case," Midoriya found himself saying, and Todoroki stopped. "Then I should say something too—I'm going to do my best to win out there. If you and I go against each other, just know that I won't give you an easy win."
For an instant, Todoroki's expression could almost be called amused. "I'd be disappointed if you did."
On the other side of the room, Kirishima kept a firm grasp on Bakugo's shoulder. The other boy was twitching in barely-contained fury.
What does that Icy-Hot bastard think he's doing!? He called out Deku, but not me!? That nerd is the only one who's beaten me at anything in this school, and my grades are even better! Fuck, Deku is only the third-best student in the class, behind me and Ponytail! Icy-Hot should be challenging all of the top students, not just Deku! Bakugo's fists tightened so hard that it hurt. I'll show him it was a mistake to underestimate me.
Once Todoroki had returned to his corner, Midoriya sank back into his chair. Sero tapped his shoulder.
"Dude, you okay?"
Midoriya nodded shakily. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Todoroki-san was just… really intense."
Sero glanced back at the boy in question. "What was that oath he mentioned?"
"Ah, I believe I know." Iida pushed up his glasses. "I recall Todoroki-san saying that he refused to use the fire-related part of his Quirk during combat, and would only use ice."
Yaoyorozu frowned. "Why would he handicap himself like that?"
"I don't know, ribbit," Asui said. "I just hope I don't have to fight him. I don't like cold."
Ashido huffed a laugh. "I don't think any of us want to fight Todoroki. I mean, I guess I could melt his ice, like we talked about."
During the last time they were all at Yaoyorozu's house, they had created scenarios where they had to fight their classmates—or 'people with Quirks like those of our classmates', as Midoriya had politely put it. For Ashido, it depended on whether or not her acid would give out before Todoroki's ice.
Further conversation was halted when an announcement came up in their room, telling them all to head to the arena's entrance. As the students filed out, Midoriya and his friends lingered.
"So… good luck, everyone," he said. "Whatever happens, we're still friends, right?"
"Of course we are, silly!" Ashido wrapped her arms around him. "Come on, guys; group hug before we head out!"
Yaoyorozu and Sero were quick to join in. Uraraka snagged Iida and dragged him into the hug before he could back out, and Asui hugged him from behind so that he couldn't pull free. Midoriya went red-faced for a moment, especially with Ashido, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu directly pressed against him, but he quickly found himself drawing comfort from the group hug. It was nice beyond words to have people who genuinely cared about him, and he cared for them just as much.
"All right, everyone," Midoriya said, with more confidence than he'd had before. "Let's show everyone what the Rising Stars can do!"
His friends all raised a fist into the air. "Yeah!"
…
"And now, the indomitable students who fought off Villains on their first week of school, let's give a big hand for Class 1-A!"
Upon hearing Present Mic's words, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu led their class out into the open air. Midoriya resisted the urge to shield his eyes from the bright morning light, as well as the urge to shrink in on himself as thousands of people applauded and cheered.
"Oh, wow!" Uraraka looked around in obvious awe. "I knew there would be a lot of people, but actually being here makes it all so real, right?"
Midoriya didn't answer; he was doing his best to keep his mind on his speech—more importantly, he was trying to stay focused on who he was giving the speech to.
Class 1-A took its place at the head of the hundreds of students who were competing in the Sports Festival. Midoriya noted the purple-haired boy from before among the General Studies classes; said boy smirked as the Hero Course students assembled, but his eyes were sharp and calculating.
"And now, introducing the referee for the Freshman events this year, it's the R-Rated Hero: Midnight!"
Midoriya had seen Midnight before; she was the Art History teacher, and she was actually quite good at her job. That was surprising, though it did lend credence to the old phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover'. She was a beautiful woman, with long, dark hair, slanted glasses, and a skintight outfit that left little to the imagination; to make her even more provocative, she increased the potency of her Quirk by exposing more skin, which meant that she would often tear parts of her costume.
As Midnight walked up to the podium, she struck a pose and winked. "All of you better behave, or you'll be punished."
Even Mineta looked nervous when Midnight swept her hungry gaze across the crowd of students.
"If she's R-Rated, should she really be teaching at a high school?" asked one student, who obviously didn't attend any of her classes.
Midnight glared at the student in question and waved her flogger-style whip. "Hey! My teaching credentials are completely above the radar!" She quickly composed herself and brought the microphone up to her mouth. "Now, Freshman Representative Midoriya Izuku, come on up here and say a few words!"
Midoriya took a deep breath; this was it. He started walking towards Midnight—he thought that Uraraka had brushed her hand against his as he moved past, but he figured that he'd just imagined it.
Despite how she usually acted, Midnight did care about her students, so when the microphone couldn't pick up her words, she gave him a small, understanding smile.
"Good luck, Midoriya-san; just remember to breathe."
Midoriya nodded, and remembered what Yaoyorozu had advised. He focused not on the cameras that were broadcasting his image across Japan—and much of the world—and not on the throngs of people in the stands. He didn't even focus on most of the other students in front of him; instead, he focused on the six people—and one hologram—present whom he could safely call his best friends.
"Everyone expects us to give our best today," he began. "The world wants us to put on a good show, and UA wants us to make our school proud. Naturally, we're going to do that." The joking tone in his voice at that last part had a few people chuckling. "But, as we at UA are so fond of saying, we go beyond. Today, it's not just about making our school proud, it's about making ourselves proud. Do the absolute best you can, shoot for the top, and no matter what happens, you'll all prove that you deserve to be students here." He raised a fist into the air. "Plus Ultra!"
His actions and words were mirrored not just by many of the students, but also a fair few in the audience, especially UA alumni. With his piece said, Midoriya headed back to his class, all the while trying not to shake uncontrollably. He'd managed to say his speech without stuttering, but all those nerves were coming back at once.
"That was great, Deku-kun!" Uraraka whispered.
Midoriya took a moment to try and steady himself. "Thanks, Uraraka; honestly, I think competing in the actual events will be less scary after all that!"
"All right, everyone!" Midnight waved behind her, and a large screen rose up from a slot in the podium. "It's time to find out what the first event will be, students! Will it be right up your alley, or will it push you to your limits?"
A number of flashing symbols and words flew across the screen, too fast for Midoriya to identify. Finally, the screen settled on two words.
"Obstacle Course!" Present Mic shouted. "The aim may be simple, to get from start to finish, but that's what the obstacles are for! All students, head to the starting line! The first one back to the stadium will be the winner of the first round, and only the top forty-two will move on to the second round! Remember, use of Quirks is permitted, but any serious injuries caused to fellow competitors is grounds for elimination! Good luck, kids!" There was a shuffling sound, followed by a tired sigh. "Also, joining me in commentary is my fellow teacher and Pro Hero, Eraserhead!"
"Why am I here? Did I do something to you in a past life or something?"
"Probably not, or else I wouldn't have had to try so hard to get you here! Come on, where's that smile?"
"Dead in a ditch somewhere. Now, if you're not going to let me take a nap, let's just do our job."
…
The third-year events were later in the day, but that didn't stop the Big Three from coming in early. They had claimed the waiting room for themselves, not because they thought they deserved it, but because they could watch their favorite first-year student compete without interruption.
"Hey, that was a great speech!" Hado floated over the boys so that she could get a better look at the footage on Togata's phone. "What do you think he'll use for the race, huh?"
Togata tapped his chin. "My first guess would be that super-fast one we saw on the first day of school, but Midoriya is full of surprises. He might have a form we haven't seen yet."
"He still hasn't shown me one of his flying ones," Hado pouted. "I want my flying buddy!"
Amajiki sighed. "To be fair, I don't think he's had a chance to use one yet. If I was him, I'd use it now, though."
Togata grinned. "I just hope the kid makes it to the second round; he can't make a big splash if he doesn't get past this one."
…
There was no more time to talk to his friends; by the time everyone had shuffled to the starting line, Midoriya had been separated from them anyway. The different classes had been purposely meshed together to prevent students from combining their efforts at the beginning. It was meant to provide a level playing field for the non-Hero students, but Midoriya admitted that he would have liked to at least start with one of his friends.
"Don't worry," Ben said from the Ultimatrix. "You've got this. You know what alien you'll use here, so don't think about anything else."
Midoriya nodded absently, and his hand rested above the dial. All he had to do was wait for—
"Three, two, one—GO!"
Just before Midoriya could react, cold air flooded the starting line, and then a mass of ice exploded outward, sealing up most of the entrance to the tunnel. Todoroki didn't even look back as his ice propelled him forward. However, his move wasn't enough to stop all of the students, especially those who were prepared.
"That was a dirty trick, Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu shouted as she used a long pole from her hand to vault through a gap in the ice. Sero was right behind her, as was Asui.
Bakugo blew a massive hole in the ice, and then launched himself into the air. "Get back here, Icy-Hot!"
More and more students poured through the gap Bakugo had created. In the rush to get outside, most didn't notice the green flash of light. What they did notice was the red blur that flew over them.
"JETRAY!"
"Holy smokes, folks, that's Midoriya Izuku that just flew past most—scratch that, he just flew past all of the other students! Can we get a shot of his transformation in slow-motion, please?"
On television screens, computers and phones, people all over the world got their first glimpse at one of Midoriya's aliens. This one looked like a red humanoid stingray, with yellow horns and wing membranes, clawed hands at the end of his wings, and jagged teeth under green eyes. Even with the camera slowing down the image, it was clear that Jetray was moving at incredible speeds.
…
Hado clapped her hands in delight. "Yes! Finally, my flying buddy is here!"
Togata grinned. "Man, can you believe that speed? He might be moving faster than All Might!"
Amajiki watched with wide eyes. "I think you're right."
…
In another part of the country, a man sat up in interest. He had been watching the Sports Festival on his phone simply because, for once, he had nothing better to do. Now, he was glad that he did, because the plain, nervous kid from the opening ceremony had suddenly turned into something almost alien in appearance. What really interested him, however, was how fast the boy was moving through the air.
He pulled a sheet of paper from his desk and scribbled out 'Midoriya Izuku', followed by a question mark. He would keep an eye on that one, and if he was lucky, one or two others in his class would catch his attention as well.
…
"Looks like Midoriya is going to be the first to encounter the opening obstacle, ROBO INFERNO!"
"That's a stupid name. It sounds like they're about to dance, not stop the competitors."
Jetray saw the robots coming before anyone else; to him, those Villain stand-ins from the entrance exam were moving in slow motion. Rather than try to fight his way through them, he just flew over them before even the zero-pointers could swat him out of the sky.
"A logical move," Aizawa commented. "Midoriya now holds a sizeable lead over the others; fighting those robots would just give that lead up."
"And since none of the other competitors can fly like Midoriya, they'll have to fight their way through. Either way, the kid leading the pack is just going to keep on leading!"
Todoroki scowled; he had thought that his initial move would give him plenty of space ahead of the others, but he was wrong. Midoriya had transformed into something perfectly suited for this race, and then took the lead—because of course he did—and more than a few of the others were hot on his tail. Bakugo was closest, but Iida and Yaoyorozu were leading the rest of the students.
Once again, Todoroki opened a path for himself by creating huge spikes of ice that drove the robots apart, and then kept on going. Bakugo blew the head off one robot that got in his way, but never actually stopped. Most of the other students were fast enough to avoid the robots, but the slower ones had to fight. One robot in particular, after getting shorted out by Kaminari, fell directly onto two students.
"Oh my god!" one student shouted in horror. "Can people actually die on this!?"
Immediately, Kirishima broke through the metal plating of the robot; he had used his Hardening to protect himself just in time. "Like hell I'd die!" he glared at Kaminari. "Dude, that wasn't cool!"
Kaminari, who had used a good deal of his Quirk to stop the robot, gave a slightly loopy smile. "Sorry."
"Look at that, folks! That's Kirishima Eijiro of Class 1-A! With his Quirk, he's like the ultimate shield and the ultimate spear!"
Another student, one who looked remarkably like Kirishima, but with metal skin, burst out from under the robot as well.
"What the hell, Class 1-A!? Anyone else might have died!"
"And there's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu of Class 1-B! His Quirk also turns him into the ultimate shield and ultimate spear!"
Kirishima groaned as he began running again. "Come on, I have enough trouble standing out as it is!"
…
Up in a private booth, All Might watched the first event with Nighteye and Gran Torino. For once, he looked smug, rather than nervous alongside the other men.
"I told you he'd do well."
Nighteye merely raised an eyebrow. "Judging by your reaction when the boy transformed, that one is new to you."
"I never bet one which transformation he'd use, only that he'd do well."
Gran Torino, on the other hand, watched with interest as Midoriya crossed the second part of the race. "He's fast in that form. Actually, Toshinori, I'd say he's faster than you were in your prime; going by his movements, he's probably not as maneuverable as you were, but if it came down to a race down a straight path, my money would be on him."
All Might nodded, a little more serious now. "I can think of maybe one or two other Heroes who can come close to that kind of speed these days, and that's being generous."
"How many Heroes do you think will send him offers?" Nighteye asked, less out of actual interest, and more because longer conversations between them were still rare. "Many will try simply to gain the prestige of having such a unique student interning with them."
"Probably less than you'd think," Gran Torino argued. "If the boy shows off more of his forms, he might scare off a lot of the smaller agencies. They'll think he's out of their league."
All Might shrugged. "I have a feeling that many will at least make offers, but they won't expect him to accept. If I were in his position, I'd only take an internship under a Hero who is either successful, experienced, or both."
Gran Torino raised an eyebrow. "Will you make an offer, Toshinori?"
"No, as a teacher, I can't." All Might sighed wistfully. "It would be nice, though; young Midoriya knows about my true form, but he needs someone who can go out on patrol for more than a couple hours every day." He shrugged again when the other men gave him alarmed looks. "My limit has been dropping steadily, ever since I passed on One For All to young Mirio. If I push it, I can make it about two and a half hours, but I can safely manage two without feeling terrible afterwards."
Nighteye awkwardly reached out for the man's shoulder. "All Might…"
The fading Symbol of Peace smiled sadly and shook his head. "Please, let's not think about it today. I'd like to enjoy seeing the next generation of Heroes get their start."
…
"Are you kidding me!?" Uraraka asked as she made it to the second leg of the race. It was a massive canyon, interspersed with columns and ropes.
"Welcome, students, to The Fall!" Present Mic sounded almost gleeful. "If you don't land right, or if you fall off, you're out! Don't worry, you probably won't die! But you all might want to hurry it up; Midoriya has already made it to the third and final leg of the race!"
"Then we'd better hurry up, ribbit!" Asui hopped onto a rope and easily crossed it. "This is my time to shine!"
Uraraka used her Quirk on herself for a few seconds to get a bounding leap, but was nearly knocked off-course by a pink-haired girl who was completely decked out in Support Items.
"Hey, how come she gets all that stuff?" Sero asked as he swung from one column to another on his tape.
"I'm in the Support Course!" the girl shouted over her shoulder as she literally flew on boot-mounted thrusters. "We're allowed to use any equipment we've built!"
Uraraka released her Quirk and rolled to a safe landing on a pillar. She couldn't help but shoot an envious glance at the grappling pitons and wires the pink-haired girl was using to guide her movements.
That would probably come in handy for me, she mused. Maybe I can run that idea by Deku-kun later.
She put a pin in that thought for later; as long as she made it to the next round, she could ask him without feeling like she failed.
…
"Well, folks, I'm not sure if you're surprised that Midoriya has made it to the final stretch, but I know I'm not! Since he's flying, he can avoid the mines we set up, but we've still got a special little something for anyone whose Quirks let them fly for long periods of time! Let's hope Midoriya is as acrobatic as he is fast!"
Jetray barely had time to wonder what Present Mic was talking about when dozens of guns emerged from underground alongside the minefield and opened fire.
Are they trying to kill me!? Jetray thought, but only winced when a clay pigeon glanced against his side. Oh, I see; still hurts, though.
Rather than try to maneuver wildly through the air, Jetray focused on the pigeons that were going to be directly in his path. His eyes glowed green, and then fired bolts of energy that shattered the clay into dust.
"Oh, now that's a surprise," Present Mic commented. "It seems Midoriya has more than speed and flight up his nonexistent sleeves!"
"He's deliberately not mentioning that you've got more than Jetray to turn into," Ben said. "If the crowd thinks you're cool now, just wait until the next event."
"You aren't helping," Jetray muttered as he shot his way through more clay pigeons.
"You want help? Fine; the finish line is coming up in ten seconds."
"Thanks." Jetray swooped in low, under the guns' arcs of fire, and made his way into the tunnel that led back to the stadium. As a last-second idea for flair, he transformed back to human while still flying, and skidded into the stadium like it was a stage.
The crowd loved it; the stadium erupted with cheers and applause. It wasn't just the people in the audience, though. Two of the Big Three were celebrating like Midoriya had already won. Inko was sobbing uncontrollably when she saw her son on television, and halfway around the world, a man who hadn't seen his son in person in over two years couldn't stop his own tears from falling down his face.
…
Midoriya was receiving attention from more than just friendly parties, though. In his cramped room, Shigaraki Tomura glared hatefully at the boy who was tentatively waving to the crowd. He remembered the pain of diamond shards hitting his arm, and his hands rose to his neck as he scratched his skin bloody.
"That brat," he hissed. "I can't believe Sensei wants me to watch this crap. Even if it means I can study that freak's Quirks, all I want is for him to lose."
…
A fair distance away from the stadium, two more people watched the Sports Festival. One was a young man, and the other was a girl in her late teens.
"Not bad," the man said.
"You say that like he was challenged," the girl said, unimpressed. "In fact, I don't think anyone in his class was slowed down much."
"Still, it looks like he's being responsible with the Ultimatrix, so he probably met the criteria for the selection. Azmuth will be happy, anyway, considering he double-checked the parameters, so—huh."
The girl gave him a slightly alarmed look. "What is it?"
"Something else is going on. I'll be right back; let me know if I miss anything cool." There was a flash of green light, and the man vanished.
The girl scoffed. "Showoff."
…
"That's our first-place winner, folks! Midoriya Izuku has taken the Sports Festival by storm! He not only won the first event with a huge gap between him and the other competitors, he may have set a record for first-year students! What do you think, my not-so-enthusiastic co-commentator?"
"I think Midoriya isn't the only one to watch out for. Just because he won the first event doesn't mean he'll continue to do well."
"He's got a point," Ben said. "Don't get cocky."
"Right, I got it." Midoriya had no plans to underestimate anyone; in his mind, anyone's Quirk could beat his aliens if properly utilized, so he had to be careful.
Midoriya's lead was so far ahead of the others that he had a few minutes to kick back and relax. It gave him time to think about something that he'd been toying with since before the Sports Festival began.
"Hey, Ben?" he said, barely moving his lips to avoid looking crazy.
"Yeah?" Ben appeared in front of him, holding up a green foam finger that had 'Go Midoriya!' printed on it.
"I… want you to stop giving me advice for the Festival."
The foam finger vanished, and Ben raised an eyebrow. "If you want, sure, but I'd like to know why."
"This is… this is my chance to really prove myself to myself, if that makes sense. I want to show that I can do things without you or someone else holding my hand."
To his surprise, Ben smiled with obvious pride. "Izuku, I've been hoping you'd do that at some point."
"Really?"
"Yeah! My entire purpose is to get you started, not guide you through every step. Once you can really stand on your own two feet, then I will have achieved my primary directive. As an AI, that's the height of my existence."
"Oh. What happens after that?"
Ben shrugged. "I dunno, maybe I'll kick back and watch you be an awesome Hero. It'll be like going to the movies for me, only I can't get snacks." A tub of popcorn appeared in his hands, and he put a piece in his mouth. "I mean, I can, I just don't eat."
Midoriya fought back a laugh. "Oh, and there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about—"
"Look at that, folks!" Present Mic shouted. "The rest of the competitors are making their way into the arena! Who's going to make it into the next stage?"
The first of the other students to finish the race was Todoroki, only barely edging out Bakugo. Both boys were panting heavily, but they were in better shape than Midoriya was while human, so it only took them a few minutes to recover. Thirty seconds after them was Iida, who somehow managed to look proud and disappointed at the same time—probably because, while he'd managed to make it into the top five, winning races like this was his thing. Midoriya couldn't help but grin as the rest of his friends showed up; UA's Rising Stars had all made it into the top twenty, at least.
Even better, his entire class had made it to the second round; all of 1-B had also passed, along with the General Studies student, and a pink-haired girl that Midoriya didn't recognize.
"This isn't a surprise," Eraserhead said. "The Hero Course students usually take up the vast majority of the slots for the second event. It's a logical outcome; those students usually have Quirks better-suited to practical applications, such as races and combat. They also tend to be in better shape than the average student."
Midoriya ran up to his friends. "Guys, you all made it!"
"Of… of course we did, Deku-kun," Uraraka panted. "We made a promise, right?"
"Right you are, Ochako!" Ashido danced around the others in excitement. "Ooh, we made it to the second round on our very first Sports Festival! This is awesome!"
"Would you get off of me, you little creep!?" Midoriya and his friends turned to see an orange-haired girl from 1-B wave around an oversized hand; attached to that hand by his sticky balls was Mineta, who had a black eye.
"No way!" the boy shouted. "I got into the second event by doing this!"
"That doesn't explain why you're still touching me!"
Asui sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that every girl in school is going to get a restraining order on him by the end of the year, ribbit?"
Yaoyorozu scowled. "Because he is the worst, simple as that."
"You know, he's getting better," Sero said, though he sounded like he couldn't believe his own words. "Kaminari asked him if he wanted to—and I'm quoting him here—'check out the babes on the beach' with him on Friday, and Mineta said he was busy studying."
Everyone glanced back at Mineta, who was still stuck on the girl's hand and grinning lecherously.
"I don't believe it," Asui said. "Sero, did you smell toast when you overheard that conversation, ribbit?"
"I wasn't having a stroke!" Sero paused. "I mean, I checked, just in case, but I wasn't!"
Midoriya couldn't help but laugh, and his friends joined in; the laughter faded when Midnight called for their attention, and the placements were shown on the screen. Midoriya noted all forty-one other competitors, but he checked on his friends first.
Iida had come in fourth place, Yaoyorozu had come in sixth, Sero had come in seventh, Ashido had come in thirteenth, Asui had gotten seventeenth, and Uraraka had nabbed twentieth place.
Ashido pouted. "I would have gotten a better spot, but I hit one of the mines at the last second."
"Me, too," Uraraka said, and rubbed a sore spot on her leg.
"I had to slow down and figure out my jumps carefully, ribbit" Asui said. "And I could only do short hops anyway."
"Yeah, same with me," Sero added. "My tape didn't set off any mines, but I would have if I'd landed on one."
"All right, kids, enough chitchat!" Midnight called out, getting everyone's attention. "It's time to announce the next event!"
Once again, the screen behind Midnight began to show random words, before finally settling on 'Cavalry Battle'.
Next to Midoriya, Ben raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm stumped. What's this?"
Thankfully, Midnight was there to explain. "In theory, this event is like the playground game. Some students will be the 'horse' that carries the 'rider'. However, there's a bit more to it. Each team will be made up of two to four competitors, and whoever is the 'rider' will carry the objective of the game—the collective points you all earned. You see, each of you received a number of points, equal to your ranking on the board. We started at five, and went up by five for every spot. For this event, you'll have to steal as many points as you can, and defend your own points at the same time. Only the top four teams will advance to the final event!"
Okay, so I have two hundred and ten points, Midoriya thought. It might be the highest number, but you could easily take the lead by going after a few other teams. Sounds fair.
"Oh, and we made a special change for the lucky student who got first place." Midnight smiled in a way that made many of them uncomfortable. "You see, the student who got first place is worth… ten million points!"
Midoriya froze, and he was distinctly aware of forty-one pairs of eyes locking onto him.
I'm in trouble.
…
"Okay, I'm back."
The girl crossed her arms. "What were you doing?"
"Taking care of something, like I said."
"… you did something you weren't supposed to, didn't you?"
"As long as you don't know what I did, you can't tell anyone."
"We're only supposed to observe!"
"Nobody saw me! I think. I'm pretty sure."
"You're dead when we get home."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
The girl drew back her fist and punched him in the arm. "Don't ever bring that up again."
"Right, sorry. Let's just watch the next event."