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Chapter 1140 - 31

Chapter 31: Off to the Race

Summary:

The festival begins!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up much later than normal. After the week he'd had, it was nice to be able to actually rest his aching body. Thanks to the physical rigors he had been put through over the past week, his quirk had been quite silent for a while, which was something for which he was always grateful.

 

He moved his head slightly, subconsciously keeping his horns from poking the woman he was cuddled against. Izuku moved his head into the mass of messy brown hair and smelled his girlfriend, putting a smile on his face and reminding him to be thankful that his quirk gave him such a good sense of smell. The scent of her hair was something that was burned into his brain at this point; he could smell it- and the rest of her- from across a room easily and pick it out from a crowd of a thousand scents.

 

Izuku glanced across Ochako's chest to his other girlfriend. He looked at her fondly as she slept peacefully against Ochako's right arm. He could pick her smell out just as easily and it always gave him and his quirk a little bit of comfort to know they were close, even if he couldn't see them.

 

Izuku noticed Ochako stir at this point, woken up by his motion, slight as it was. She blinked and opened her eyes, looking back and forth between Mina and Izuku as a small smile stretched across her face. "You know, Deku," she whispered, "I wake up every mornin' wonderin' if I'm still dreamin'."

 

His groggy brain wasn't working as well as he would normally have hoped, perhaps due to his quirk still being a little 'asleep.' "You're real pretty," was all he could say in response.

 

Ochako giggled even as she blushed, moving her left arm around his head and bringing him in for a quick kiss on the lips. "You're quite the romantic, ain't ya?"

 

"S-sorry."

 

"Don't be, De-" Her words cut off suddenly as she blinked and looked down slowly.

 

Izuku followed her eyes and realized in horror that he had grabbed onto her left breast in his sleep… and was still holding it. He could only appreciate just how soft it felt for a moment before he wrenched his hand back. "O-Ochako, I'm so s-sorr- I didn't mean to!"

 

Ochako's blush deepened as she averted her gaze. "I-it's fine, we're- we're datin', right? It's okay." She mumbled something that Izuku couldn't hear.

 

"I-I didn't catch that."

 

"I said I didn't hate it…" Ochako covered her face with her left mitten, her right still tightly wrapped around Mina.

 

Ochako suddenly squeaked.

 

"Didn't hate it, you say?" Mina muttered with a chuckle; she had apparently woken up as well. Izuku looked down to see her pink hand cupping Ochako's other breast. She moved her hand gently, causing Ochako to inhale sharply. "Sounds like you might even like it."

 

"M-Mi-" Ochako's plea was cut off by another squeal as Mina pinched her nipple gently through her nightshirt. "Mina, please!"

 

"Fine, fine, sorry," Mina pulled her hand back and smiled, her own lilac blush faintly growing on her cheeks. "I couldn't resist. Waking up to someone as sexy as you is taking its toll on me…"

 

Ochako bit her lip for a moment before moving her mittened hand up Mina's back and pulling her closer to her own face. Her lips locked with her girlfriend's, but unlike the kiss she had given Izuku, this was anything but quick.

 

Izuku watched as the two women kissed passionately, their hair and saliva both mixing together as Mina wrapped her arms around Ochako's neck. He was enraptured by the sight, but suddenly something else danced at the edge of his senses.

 

A new scent, something he had never smelled before- or at least he had never noticed before- gradually filled his nostrils. He didn't know what it was, but it was intoxicating and exciting and had an effect on him that he couldn't have predicted.

 

Namely, it woke his quirk up immediately , which in turn, woke something else up. Izuku, almost out of reflex, flexed his quirk beneath his pajama pants before anything embarrassing happened. As he watched his girlfriends share their passion, he felt his quirk pulse harder, causing his heart rate to pick up and his mouth to feel a little dry. He licked his lips subconsciously as he felt his gut tighten slightly.

 

The women broke apart barely as Ochako sighed with need. "This is your fault… both of you." She put her left hand around Izuku's head again and pulled him in, mashing her lips against his as her tongue immediately entered his mouth.

 

Ochako pulled Mina in closer too, letting her mouth enter the fray. Without really knowing what was going on, Izuku was somehow kissing two women at once. Their three tongues intertwined, Izuku's mind being assaulted by both of their tastes simultaneously.

 

Their breath, hot and heavy, filled the confined space between their heads, only increasing the feeling of passion.

 

Then Mina and Izuku's eyes both went wide.

 

They pulled their heads back instinctively but found it quite impossible to separate themselves.

Izuku's sweeping horns had gotten caught in Mina's hooks.

 

They both pulled again but to no avail. They were stuck.

 

"Um, O-Ochako, a l-little help here?" Mina stuttered, looking incredibly uncomfortable as Izuku's horns put pressure on hers.

 

Izuku's quirk pushed harder as the scent got stronger.

 

Ochako sat up a little, her expression of lust giving way to a look of genuine concern. "Oh, right. Here, sit still." She pulled off her mittens and reached up to their heads. She tilted Izuku's head down slightly and pushed him back, finally letting him move his head back from the awkward position.

 

As he pulled back, the smaller ridges in his horn bumped against hers, causing Mina's shaky breaths to grow faster until she let out a deep, needy moan.

 

Ochako and Izuku both looked at her with wide eyes and slightly open mouths as Mina clapped her hands over her mouth and turned a beautiful shade of purple.

 

The three stared at each other for what felt like a minute before they all started laughing; the awkward horn lock had certainly interrupted the mood and they couldn't help but chuckle at how strange the whole ordeal had been.

 

After their heart rates had calmed down and their laughter subsided, Ochako finally sighed heavily and slumped back onto the bed, the other two following her lead. They stared at the ceiling together for a few minutes in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.

 

"It's nearly ten," Mina finally muttered, glancing at her phone.

 

Ochako's eyes widened slightly. "Oh no, I have to write that speech today. Aizawa mentioned somethin' about it during the first week of class, but I totally forgot with all the… stuff that happened."

 

Izuku propped himself up on his right arm, looking down on his stressed girlfriend. "Do you want some help?"

 

Ochako looked at him for a split-second, then returned her vision to her ceiling. "Thanks, but… I want to do this on my own. I can't rely on you two for everythin'."

 

Izuku's face grew a large, proud smile as his quirk pulsed in approval. "I'm sure you'll do great."

 

Mina pulled back a little as she also grew a proud expression. "We should probably let you get to it, huh?"

 

Ochako bit her lip again. "Yeah, but… how about you two stay for a little longer?"

 

Izuku and Mina exchanged a glance before settling back down into the bed, wrapping their arms around Ochako as she sighed happily.

 

"I love you both," Ochako said dreamily.

 

Izuku and Mina leaned up simultaneously and planted a kiss on a cheek each, but as they did, their horns cracked together again, causing the two horned teenagers to recoil.

 

They blinked a few times before all three began to giggle again, wide smile spreading across their faces as they snuggled into their girlfriend once more.

 

 

Later that morning, Midori was sitting on a couch in the common room, quietly scrolling through the hero news on his phone as Mina sprawled across his lap on her own phone. He absentmindedly tussled her hair with his other hand, causing Mina to hum happily. Ever since they had started dating, the two of them spent a lot of time just… touching each other. Sometimes they just leaned on one another on the couch or touched legs beneath the table at lunch, but contact made them happy and calm. Mina was infinitely grateful that she had found someone like that.

 

The room was empty, save for them. A few of their classmates had wandered down for a snack or such, but most of them were still resting off the soreness of Hell Week.

 

Speaking of wandering, Bakugou trudged into the room about an hour before noon.

 

Midori perked up immediately. "Hey, Kacchan, you sleep in?"

 

"Piss off," the blonde muttered, "Recovery Girl took a lot out of me cause of your stupid breath."

 

That made Mina perk up. She looked up at her boyfriend, who was looking around a little awkwardly.

 

Bakugou noticed this, too. "Fuckin- Horns, you told Spirals that you were gonna get over this." He seemed quite exasperated.

 

"I know, it's just that… you know, it's not very-"

 

"Deku. Dumbass," Bakugou cut him off with a roll of his eyes. He pointed at Mina. "One of your girlfriends throws acid. Are you really hung up on this?" He threw his hands up in the air. "Uncle is right: you really are an idiot when it comes to yourself. Think about what Spirals said, you can't let shit like that hold you back."

 

"Woah, hey, hey." Mina sat up, dragging herself off Midori. "What do I have to do with this?"

 

Bakugou turned his gaze on her and pointed at Midori. "Fangs-For-Brains here is too hung up thinking his dragon breath is 'evil' to actually use the damn thing on anybody but me."

 

Mina connected the dots. "Midori, really?"

 

"Uh, I mean… kinda?" He refused to make eye contact with her.

 

"Do you see what I'm dealing with?" Bakugou growled. "Look, Izuku, you better use it tomorrow or I'm just gonna tell everyone."

 

Midori looked down, rubbing his chin in thought. "You're right, Kacchan. I'll use it tomorrow."

 

Bakugou nodded and walked away, grumbling under his breath about food as he headed to the kitchen.

 

Mina looked at Midori curiously as he returned to his phone, remembering Ryukyu's words about his breath. He would tell her when she was ready. Or, rather, she guessed she would find out tomorrow. Either way, she made a mental note to keep a better eye on any self-deprecating habits he still held onto despite her and Ochako's insistence.

 

She laid back down across his lap and his hand returned to her hair, calming her worries for the time being.

 

 

The next day, the students of 1-A were all filing out of their locker rooms inside the stadium and into the waiting room, preparing for the event staff to tell them when to leave.

 

They had been mostly quiet as they changed; Izuku could feel the tension in the air as the festival approached.

 

Once they mixed with the girls, there was finally some chatter.

 

"Hey, hold up," Hagakure started indignantly. She pointed a finger at Izuku. "Why do you get to wear your hero costume and none of us do?"

 

She was right: Izuku was wearing his scaled pants, even if his shoes and shirt were the standard UA gym uniform.

 

Izuku laughed, flashing his fangs as he smiled. "Remember when I left to go talk to Nezu on Monday? I was taking everyone's equipment request forms for his approval." Izuku gestured at Mina's boots and Aoyama's belt. "He personally gave approval for certain equipment, although he did turn down some of them."

 

Izuku noticed Ochako grumble slightly, rubbing her wrists where her costume's bracers normally were.

 

"And Nezu ruled that, after that incident at last year's festival, since my pants don't give me any advantage other than, you know, keeping me decent, that they were okay."

 

Hagakure shrugged widely. She was always so physically emotive, which Izuku supposed she had to be to actually get points across.

 

"Midoriya."

 

A cold voice from behind him caused him to turn around slowly. Todoroki was staring down at him, his eyes calculating but lacking any real emotion.

 

"I think it's safe to say," he continued, "that I have an advantage over you here. I'm stronger than you." His stare hardened. "I'm going to beat you."

 

The atmosphere in the room iced over.

 

Izuku and Todoroki glared at each other.

 

Eiko was the first to speak. "Hey now, you really think you're strong enough to take on a dragon? You saw him at the USJ."

 

"You're right, I did see him at the USJ." Todoroki's vision never left Izuku. "You can't do that again, can you, Midoriya? It would put you in the hospital again."

 

Izuku paused for a second before responding. "It would probably kill me, actually."

 

"What?!" Pony yelled as Todoroki's eyes widened an almost-imperceptible amount. "How can quirk hurt that bad?!"

 

He smiled down at the shortest woman in the class. "My quirk is too much for my body, Pony. Simple as that. Until I can handle it, using too much will seriously hurt me. Todoroki is right, a full transformation would end me faster than any of you could."

 

A silence hung in the room. Izuku seized the opportunity.

 

"That doesn't mean you're gonna have an easy time about it," Izuku declared with a smirk. He held his right arm up and grew his green claw. "I'm still coming at you with everything I can. I'm gonna push myself to that edge and I'm gonna take that prize. You can count on that."

 

"...Fine." Todoroki stalked off.

 

"That so?" Katsuki asked, sauntering over to Izuku's side. "Or are you just bullshitting the rest of us again?"

 

Izuku paused, then nodded. "Nothing held back." He turned to the rest of the class and smirked wider, showing off a fang. "None of you have seen my breath yet. You better be ready for it."

 

"Wait, yeah, that's right," Kaminari added. "What is your breath anyway?"

 

"You'll just have to find out," Izuku answered with a smile. "I'm in it to win it, I'm not gonna give up my advantage freely."

 

"Oh, I bet it's lightning like your dad!" Kaminari guessed, pounding his palm with his fist.

 

"Or maybe acid, like Ryukyu," Jirou suggested.

 

Eiko pounded her hardened fists together. "It could be fire, like Gallant or Purifier! That would be super manly!"

 

"Silverlight and Frostheart both had ice breath," Yaoyorozu pointed out thoughtfully. "That could also be an option."

 

Mina whipped around. "Wait, you don't know, Yaomomo? I thought you've known Midori forever!"

 

The tall woman shook her head, shooting a glance at Izuku. "He always kept it a secret."

 

"Sorry, the only one who knows is Kacchan," Izuku said with a shrug. "And he won't tell."

 

"Why not?" Sero asked.

 

A light above the door flashed green, signalling them to begin moving out of the room.

 

Katsuki smirked. "Cause if I do, he'll use it on me."

 

Izuku and his friend exchanged small grins as they moved to the door, ignoring the other students who were looking at each other, not certain if Katsuki was joking or not.

 

 

"Gooood morning, listeners!" Present Mic's boisterous voice rang out around the stadium. "And welcome to opening day of the UA Sports Festival! Let me hear you!"

 

Cheers erupted from the crowd, the noise echoing down the concrete hallway that Ochako and the rest of 1-A were walking down.

 

"First up, let's introduce you to our contestants!"

 

A man in a vest at the front of the group motioned them forward and into the arena.

 

"This group of youngsters has already proved that their admittance to UA was no mistake! You know 'em, you love 'em, give it up for Class 1-A!"

 

The class walked out into the sunlight of the field as the crowd erupted again. Ochako gulped; she wasn't used to this sort of attention. She took a deep breath, steadying herself and pushing herself forward.

 

"Next up, our other hero class! They haven't been in the spotlight like 1-A, but that just means they're even more eager to prove themselves! Class 1-B!"

 

From another one of the tunnels came 1-A's sister class. Ochako got her first real look at them and if their expressions were anything to go on, this wasn't going to be an easy win for 1-A.

 

After they stopped in front of the podium, Present Mic made his way down the other classes, introducing the Support, General and even Business courses. By the end of the introductions, there was a huge crowd gathered. Ochako gulped again. Her time was coming.

 

"And officiating this year's festival is a very special someone! Can you guess who?!"

 

The crowd and students both murmured to each other, curious about who it could possibly-

 

A great, boisterous laugh rang out around the stadium.

 

"I know that laugh!" Deku yelled next to her. Ochako recognized it too.

 

Flying over the massive stadium walls and slamming down in front of the mass of students was none other than…

 

"I AM HERE! " All Might stood up and saluted triumphantly, his hero uniform shining in the sun. " TO OFFICIATE THIS SPORTS FESTIVAL!"

 

The cheers that the students received were dwarfed by the deafening roar that shook the stadium and even caused Kyouka to flinch slightly.

 

All Might waved to the crowd as the cheers continued, his wide, bright smile never dimming. "Thank you! " His voice was amplified by the microphone pinned on his suit. " But please, save your applause! I'm not the star attraction here today! No, today, we bear witness to the stars of the future: the next, great generation of heroes!"

 

The crowd renewed their cheers. Ochako admired All Might's ability to work the crowd; the man had so much raw charisma that it seemed impossible not to like him.

 

"Without further ado, allow me to introduce the young woman who will be providing our opening words this morning! She placed first in our entrance exam and has done nothing but impress me ever since: Ochako Uraraka!"

 

Hearing the number one hero say her name like that and having the crowd cheer again, but this time for her … well, it was a little overwhelming.

 

She felt Mina bump into her arm. "You got this."

 

Deku smiled from her other side. "Go get 'em."

 

She nodded and took a deep breath before walking forward, looking up at All Might's smiling face. Ochako stepped up to the microphone as All Might flashed her a thumbs up.

 

She fanned her chest a few times, focusing on all the time she had spent yesterday reciting and practicing in the mirror. Mina, Deku and her had even slept in separate beds last night, none of them wanting any distractions.

 

"UA isn't like many other schools, " she began, her voice surprisingly stable as it boomed through the microphone. " We've come here from different backgrounds, different cities, even different countries. " She glanced over at Pony, who was smiling proudly at her. " But we- all of us standing before you here today- have all come here for the same reason."

 

"We are here... to be heroes."

 

"A hero fights for justice first and foremost, not fame or money. We are here at UA to be those champions, to be the ones that protect. For that is the true calling of all heroes." She had used her conversation with All Might back at the hospital as inspiration for her speech. "But that desire doesn't end there; we aren't here to just be heroes, we're here to be the best. Because in the world of heroes, only the best is good enough. For that is what you, the people, deserve.

 

Ochako felt her competitive spirit flaring, urging her on and giving her confidence. "Being the best… that road isn't easy. In the first week, my class was attacked by those wishing to end our journeys before they began. " She paused. " They very nearly succeeded. But none of us backed down, none of us gave up. To borrow from a great man: we choose to be heroes, not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

 

"But nobody makes that journey alone. Not even All Might. " She turned around slightly to look at the man, who nodded sagely. " We can only be our best, we can only be the best with the help of others; only by being pushed and challenged can we grow. So I call on you- " She glanced over the crowd of students in front of her. " whatever we may be; strangers, classmates, friends- " Her gaze passed over Deku and Mina. " -from now until the winner is crowned, we are no longer any of those things. We are rivals. And I challenge you to come at me and everyone else here with everything you have. Hold nothing back."

 

Ochako paused, clenching her fist in front of her as her words set in. "To those of you that accept that challenge, I can only say thank you… and bring it on. Plus. Ultra."

 

As she finished her speech, Ochako noticed just how badly her legs were shaking and how much she was sweating. She felt like she was ready to fall over.

 

There was the slightest pause before the crowd started cheering. The thunderous sound crashed over her, nearly causing her to stumble backwards.

 

She felt All Might's hand clasp her shoulder, steadying her shaky legs. "That was spectacular, Young Uraraka."

 

Ochako looked up into his eyes, smiling at the almost paternal look in them. "T-thanks, All Might. Can I go now?" She just wanted off the stage.

 

All Might laughed loudly and let her go. She wasted no time hurrying down the stairs, focusing with all her might on not tripping or anything else embarrassing.

 

"I don't know about you folks, but that speech gave me goosebumps! I couldn't have said it better myself!" All Might yelled, renewing the crowd's cheers.

 

Mina and Deku both beamed at her as she shuffled back to her spot. "That was amazing!" Mina whispered.

 

Deku sniffed. "I-I'm so proud of y-you."

 

She did a double-take. "Deku, are you crying?"

 

"J-just a little." He laughed sheepishly as he wiped his eyes. "That was really good, honest."

 

All Might pumped his fist. "However, being a hero means always being on the clock! We've no time to waste so here comes our first event!"

 

Ochako's eyes shot back up. Nearby, she heard Kyouka huff. "Ain't no rest for the wicked."

 

The giant screen behind All Might had been displaying the UA logo, but it was suddenly replaced by a gigantic spinning display like a slot machine.

 

"This is but the first challenge these young challengers will face. I wonder what it'll be?!"

 

The spinning stopped as the screen proudly displayed 'Obstacle Race'.

 

"A race! The track is 4 kilometers long, around the outside of the stadium. First one to cross back into the stadium wins! And as long as you stay within the course, anything goes! Simple, right?" All Might flashed a thumbs up. "Just remember to keep it heroic, kids! Now take your places, we're getting ready to go Plus Ultra!"

 

 

Izuku lined up with the rest of the students with a confident grin. He had a definite advantage here; not many people had quirks that let them fly.

 

"Get ready, students! And before we get started, let me introduce my co-host: none other than Midnight!"

 

Midnight's sultry voice played through the sound system. "I can't wait to see what kind of excitement our students get up to in this event. There are a couple I have my eye on…"

 

Izuku pulled his shirt up and balled it up into a neat bundle, gripping it in his left hand. No sense ruining a good shirt, right?

 

"Uh, dude?" A student Izuku didn't recognize was standing next to him with a weird look on his face as the lights counted down. "Isn't that a little much?"

 

The last light shut off and a horn blared.

 

"And they're off!"

 

Izuku pushed his quirk to his legs, strengthening them as he leapt six feet in the air. At the same time, his wings burst from his back and beat mightily, causing some of the students beneath him to stumble as he rocketed down the hallway. He heard the unfamiliar student mutter an 'oh' as he left him behind.

 

Todoroki was already in the lead as he filled the hallway with a sheet of ice. Most of the students failed to keep their footing and fell over, but Izuku had no such issues, being airborne. However, what was a problem for him was the giant wall of ice that Todoroki threw up behind him as he exited the tunnel.

 

Luckily, Izuku knew just how to get through that.

 

"Kacchan!" he yelled, getting the attention of the blonde beneath him.

 

With practiced precision, Katsuki raised his arm up and let Izuku grab hold. He was lifted into the air, dangling under his friend by one arm as he raised his other in front of him.

 

A massive explosion ripped through the hallway, shattering the ice into a thousand pieces as Izuku and Katsuki flew into the open field, the mass of students behind them.

 

"Sorry, Kacchan!" Izuku yelled down, opening his hand to drop his friend. This was a competition, after all.

 

Katsuki wasn't about to give up, however. "Like hell!" As he started to fall, he put both is hands beneath him and rocketed himself back up, slamming into Izuku before the green-haired man could put enough distance between them.

 

The two became entangled in a mid-air wrestling match as Izuku continued to fly forward. His unexpected passenger was slowing him down, which was unacceptable.

 

"Ooh, feisty~ I love that competitive passion!"

 

"Get- get off!" he growled, struggling to break his friend's grip.

 

"Not until I've grounded you, you bastard!"

 

Izuku flexed his quirk, covering his body with scales and making it harder for Katsuki to hold onto him as his body grew larger. The extra power in his wings let him kick up speed, but then a thought struck him.

 

"Hey, Todoroki!" he yelled down at the man still running in front of him. "Thanks for that ice wall, let me give you a present of my own!" He tipped downwards into a slight dive and pulled his wings in, further increasing his speed. By carefully steering himself, he began to spin like a bullet as he streaked towards Todoroki.

 

He felt Katsuki's grip starting to slip from the force of his spiral, which is just what he hoped for. The student threw up an ice wall behind him, but Izuku curved around it. He was moving too fast for Todoroki to handle without giving Izuku his full attention.

 

"Special delivery!"

 

At the last moment, Izuku righted himself, grabbing onto Katsuki with both hands and slamming him into the other man down below, driving both of them into the dirt.

 

"A brutal hit! Midoriya has slammed the other two front runners into each other!"

 

Izuku hit the ground too, but he rolled through it, catching his feet under himself and jumping back into the air. He unfurled his wings again and quickly gained altitude, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the other students.

 

"Fuck you, Deku!" Katsuki yelled up at him as he picked himself up off of Todoroki.

 

"See you at the finish line!"

 

"Our first obstacle is… Robo Infern- oh. Uh, Midoriya is already past the robots. Well, it's an obstacle to everyone else! Man, that boy can fly!"

 

Izuku settled into a comfortable rhythm, keeping his pace quick, but sustainable as he flew forward. He kept his quirk flowing through his ears, making sure to listen in case any surprise contenders were gaining on him. Izuku heard the sound of crunching metal, surely the 'Robo Inferno' that Present Mic was talking about.

 

He quickly came to the next objective, which seemed to just be a giant pit filled with platforms. Not exactly an obstacle to him. Nevertheless, he kept his focus. Getting cocky wasn't going to do him any favors here.

 

Izuku soared over the pits, keeping an eye out for any tricks that might be at work, but… there was nothing. It was almost a little disappointing.

 

"Midoriya flies over the second obstacle before most of the students have cleared the first. I don't want to jump the gun, Midnight, but I think we might already have a pretty clear winner here!"

 

"Let's hope he remembers today is a marathon, not a sprint. Stamina is very important."

 

Izuku's eye snapped in the direction of the stadium. 'Most of them haven't cleared the first obstacle?' He thought for a moment, then came up with an idea: if he hurried, he could spend more time studying the other students. Information was power, after all.

 

He pushed his quirk harder, forcing more into his back and wings to increase his speed. Izuku broke out into a sprint, soaring over the track at breakneck speeds.

 

"Woah! It looks like Midoriya isn't happy with just winning, he wants to set records!"

 

"Vigor is equally important~"

 

Izuku turned himself as he hit the curve, aiming himself to hit the inside angle and break out over the next objective as fast as he could.

 

"Midoriya encounters the third obstacle! The Minefield! Also not much of a threat…"

 

Izuku almost laughed. He tore over the open field, completely immune from any danger of the mines.

 

Izuku slowed down as he approached the finish line; he wasn't eager to misjudge his approach and slam into the stadium wall. He tucked his wings in slightly as he entered the concrete tunnel, the cheering of the crowd became louder as he flew towards the light.

 

As he passed the threshold, he unfurled his wings fully to slow himself. He hit the ground and skidded several feet as he came to a full stop.

 

"There you have it folks: the winner by a wiiide margin is Izuku Midoriya!"

 

The crowd cheered, but not as loud as they had before. He couldn't blame them, it's not like it was a particularly close race. He wasn't even exactly proud of himself; sometimes things just work out in your favor. Whoever had designed that course didn't have flying quirks in mind.

 

He paused for a second. Nezu was smarter than that; something else must be going on. Maybe…

 

Izuku shook his head and put his shirt back on as he turned around and stared at the jumbotron above him, putting the thoughts away for now. The noise of the crowd faded out as he focused on studying the competition.

 

Katsuki and Todoroki were in the lead and they had just arrived at the second obstacle. Hot on their heels were Ochako and a woman he didn't recognize. She had long green hair that she was using to swing herself around the course, keeping her speed up in a truly impressive, if a little disconcerting way.

 

Ochako looked like she was removing only part of her weight, leaping like she was on the moon from platform to platform. Surprisingly, Iida was a little further behind than he expected. If he was a betting man, he would have figured the speedster as a contender for first, for obvious reasons.

 

Katsuki was hot on Todoroki's heels as they both cleared the second objective. Both of them had spent their entire lives training under pro heroes, so they seemed to be evenly matched. Todoroki's focus appeared to be flavored with anger, for some reason.

 

Izuku had a guess.

 

Endeavor.

 

His eyes pulsed as his quirk flared.

 

Todoroki and Katsuki were neck-and-neck as they reached the minefield. They both hesitated, deciding if they wanted to take it slow or fast. They both whipped around and saw Ochako landing behind them, hot on their heels.

 

Izuku breathed deeply. That determined look on her face was beautiful.

 

He could see the hesitation leave both men as the turned back to the minefield and took off. Todoroki shot out a sheet of ice, freezing the ground and protecting him from any mines as he bolted forward.

 

"There's no clear front-runner as our contestants hit the final obstacle! Anything could happen!"

 

Katsuki jumped up and threw his arms behind him like thrusters, taking to the air like an angry, blonde rocket. Izuku knew that technique well; after all, he had helped develop it. It made him dangerous and very quickly over short distances, but he couldn't sustain it for long. Katsuki had a plan.

 

The blonde put more energy behind his blasts, pushing himself forward faster and faster. Izuku knew he couldn't have been planning to just outpace Todoroki, that would have used far too much energy. Midnight was right, the festival was a test of endurance as much as it was anything else, which meant that there was only one thing that Katsuki could be planning.

With a roar that Izuku felt like he could almost hear despite the great distance between them, Katsuki shot out in front of the heterochromatic man. He spun around in mid-air and held out his hands in front of him.

 

Todoroki's eyes went wide for a second before a massive explosion tore up the ground in his path.

 

A great pink explosion echoed Katsuki's blast, sending Todoroki ragdolling backwards as Katsuki was hurled forward. He hit the ground hard, but kept his feet under him and steadied himself as he tore towards the finish line.

 

"Another devastating blow has set Todoroki back again! It looks like nothing can stop Bakugou now!"

 

Izuku ran forward, jumping up and down as Katsuki entered the tunnel. His friend crossed the threshold panting heavily but still grinning madly as Izuku threw an arm around him.

 

"You alright?" Izuku asked, concerned for his friend.

 

"What? Yeah, yeah," Katsuki huffed dismissively, rubbing his wrists absentmindedly. He suddenly stood up and punched Izuku right in the arm. "That's for pitching me into Half-and-Half!" he spat, but the smile on his face told Izuku that he respected the move.

 

Izuku turned back to the screen with a chuckle to watch the rest of the race, but another noise caught his attention.

"Incoming!"

 

Izuku looked down just in time for Ochako to crash into him as she flew over the finish line. She didn't hit very hard, thanks to her lowered mass, but it still caught him off guard. He stumbled backwards as he caught the taller woman, but managed to steady himself and plant her back down.

 

"Sorry about that Deku, but you were in my way," she huffed playfully. He gave her a quick, friendly one-armed hug as she smiled at him, but she soon bent over, propping herself up on her knees. She seemed a little green again, but less than normal.

 

Izuku looked at her proudly. "You're getting the hang of it, huh?"

 

She nodded, still panting. "Iida gave me some pointers when we trained together. He helped me use my legs better. Then Eiko gave me some help with endurance training." She stood back up, stretching her legs out. "I still have a long way to go, but I don't think I'm as queasy as I would be normally."

 

He smiled as he turned back up to the screen, flanked on both sides by his friends. The rest of the race finished with much less fanfare. Todoroki recovered and managed to come in sixth, behind that 1-B woman and Iida, but he looked furious. Katsuki's blast had set him back, but Izuku had a hunch he was more frustrated at himself than anyone else, mad that he hadn't been better prepared. Iida looked similarly frustrated that he had only gotten fifth; Izuku heard him muttering something under his breath about his brother.

 

Izuku's quirk pulsed. He didn't like that from either of them.

 

At one point, Mineta tried to leap onto Yaoyorozu's back with his quirk, trying to use the woman as a free ride. Izuku's quirk pulsed with rage for a second before he saw Mina slide up behind them, catching Mineta by the scruff of his neck and hurling the diminutive man backward. He smiled with approval as Yaoyorozu nodded her thanks to Mina.

 

As the last of 1-B entered the minefield, something caught his eye. A woman with dark green hair was… splitting herself up into pieces. The pieces were flying. At first they seemed to be fairly slow, but as another student took a shot at one of her floating limbs, it darted out of the way quickly. If she had put her full effort into it, she could have finished much faster, maybe she could have even kept up with Izuku.

 

He raised an eyebrow, half indignant but half impressed. 1-B was sandbagging. Most of the students weren't relying on their quirks at all, just their natural physical abilities. They were hiding their true power, keeping Izuku from being able to fully study them.

 

Clever. Frustrating, but clever.

 

The rest of the contestants funneled in in groups of one or two until they had all finished. Aoyama was the last of Izuku's class to finish, crossing the finish line in a very queasy-looking 42nd place.

 

What piqued his interest then was the two non-Hero-Course students ahead of him. That purple-haired man had pushed ahead of several students, finishing in the mid 20s, while a strange pink-haired woman decked out in gadgets and gear had finished only a single place in front of Aoyama. Izuku assumed she was from the Support Course.

 

"Congratulations to all of our contestants!" All Might yelled as the students gathered around his podium again. "Unfortunately, only the top 42 will advance, but I think you all did great nevertheless!"

 

Some of the competitors had barely caught their breath when the screen began to spin again.

 

"Now remember kids, one of the most important ideals a hero can embrace is the spirit of cooperation!"

 

The spinner finished, declaring the next even to be a 'Cavalry Battle'.

 

All Might thrust a finger to the sky. "It's time to set aside your differences and work towards a common goal!"

 

For some reason, All Might's gaze wandered over to Izuku. He almost looked… sympathetic.

 

Izuku couldn't help but be filled with a sense of dread.

Notes:

See you guys next time :)