Y/n's POV

It was the morning after the outing I went on with Hagakure and the others. It was still raining outside, but not as hard. I must have fallen right asleep last night, because I couldn't remember much after I ate dinner. I forced myself out of bed and did some light stretches to help me wake up. I felt my pockets for my phone, but found them empty. I checked my bed, and my phone was still nowhere to be found.

I hate when that happens. Ah well. I'll just have my mom call it later or something.

I started walking over to the kitchen counter to make myself some coffee. I took a quick look around to see if anyone else was awake, but it seemed like I was the only one up. I grabbed my coffee once it finished and took a seat on the couch. I flipped on the TV and switched to the news.

Seemed like nothing new was happening in particular. Just the usual politics, and international affairs along with sports, and traffic reports. I was about to change the channel over to some cartoons, but something in the news ticker caught my attention. I decided to stay to see if it would be brought up. After a short bit of waiting, the news anchor started reporting on a new topic.

"Breaking news: The Hero Killer strikes again in Hosu City. Late last night, police responded to reports of a fight on a rooftop. When officials arrived at the scene, a man was found dead, later identified as a pro hero who operated in the area. This is the 17th hero to be killed, while also marking the 40th attack suspected to be by the Hero Killer. More details as the story unfolds."

Damn, he's still active? I remember hearing about him about a year back. I wonder if the others are hearing about this.

I again reached for my phone in my pocket before remembering it still wasn't there. I got up and started pacing the house, thinking about where I could have left it. I was about to give up again when I heard it vibrate on a nearby table.

I could've sworn I looked there.

It was a public safety notification, likely due to the recent combination of the USJ incident and the Hero Killer attacks. I scrolled through the rest of my notifications and saw that Hagakure had texted me last night, likely after I had already fallen asleep.

<[I hope you got home safe]
<[Sorry to make you run out in the rain >w<]

[sorry, just saw this]>
[i got home fine]>

The rest of my Sunday was pretty uneventful. I ran a few errands, texted friends, and watched some anime, but that was about it.
That news article still bugged me though. Hosu City wasn't too far from here, maybe a good half-hour by car. Naturally, I knew that the Hero Killer specifically targeted heroes for whatever reason, but I can't quite recall if he's harmed any innocents. I wonder if he'd have any leniency for a hero-in-training...

On Monday morning, I started making my way to school, feeling rather tired despite getting a full night's sleep. Such is life, I suppose.
When I got into class, all anyone could talk about was the USJ incident. It was weird to think that the whole thing happened just last Friday.

I wonder who would be teaching homeroom today, since Mr. Aizawa should still be out recovering.

As if on cue, the door was opened by none other that Mr. Aizawa himself.

Damn, he's harcore.

"So you're all right, Mr. Aizawa?" Questioned Iida.

"My well-being doesn't matter. More importantly, the fight is not yet over." He said, his voice muffled by all the bandages covering his face. "The U.A. sports festival is drawing near."

"Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Asked Jiro.

"Apparently, they think of it as U.A. showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event anyway. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years. An event like this is a good chance to get scouted by pro heroes. Don't miss this opportunity."

At lunchtime, our group gathered to talk more about the sports festival.

"You guys, I'm getting kind of nervous now." Said Hagakure. "I need to stand out at the sports festival!"

But the pros might not notice you unless you try really hard...

"You four," I heard Uraraka call to us. I whipped around to see her with an unusually fired up expression. "Let's do our best at the sports festival."

She suddenly took a rigid stance, with one fist raised in the air and yelled out, "Everyone, I'm gonna do my best!"

"Y-yeah..." We all replied, mimicking her aggressive fist pump.

She shifted over to the other half of the class that turned to look at the commotion she was causing, and yelled out the same line, but even louder.

After those outbursts, we followed Midoriya into the halls because he wanted to ask Uraraka something.

"Why did you decide to come to U.A. and become a pro hero?" He questioned.

"Huh? Um... because..." She stuttered. "Money."

"For money? You want to become a hero for money?" Midoriya asked to confirm.

"To boil it down simply, yes..." She said, scratching her head out of embarrassment. "Sorry it's such an unwholesome reason. You all have such admirable motivations, it's embarrassing..."

"I mean, it's kind of hard to be a superhero if you can't pay your own bills." I commented. "Living in an apartment with a busted door would take its toll after a while."

"Yeah, what's so bad about trying to support yourself?" Hagakure added.

"My family owns a construction company, but we haven't gotten any work at all, so we're flat broke." Uraraka explained. "This isn't really something to tell other people, though..."

"With her Quirk, if she gets licensed, then it'd bring costs way down, right?" Midoriya speculated.

"She could make any raw material float. They wouldn't need any heavy equipment." Iida added.

"Right? That's what I told Dad when I was little!" Uraraka exclaimed.

She started telling us the story from her childhood about how much she wanted to help her parents. It was admirable how much she wanted to help her parents.

"I'll definitely become a hero and make money and let my parents take it easy." She finished.

"Bravo! Uraraka, Bravo!" Iida suddenly started applauding, clapping in a rather exaggerated manner.

While we were having this touching moment, we heard All Might shouting from afar. We looked over to see him running over extravagantly.

"Young Midoriya is here!" He exclaimed, putting a clever spin on his usual catchphrase.

"All Might? What's the matter?" Midoriya asked.

"Lunch." He replied, holding up bento boxes wrapped in a dainty sky blue cloth.

"I wonder what he wanted with Deku." Uraraka said while we were in the lunch line.

"I do recall that he kind of threw himself at the villains when they were attacking All Might." I said.

"I see!"

"Or All Might could be filing against him for gimmick infringement, since their quirks are so similar." I joked.

When school ended in the afternoon, we were greeted with a crowd of students outside of our classroom. No idea why they were here, but they were blocking the entire hall, so that's totally fun.

"I came to see what the famous Class A was like," A purple haired student said, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "But you all seem pretty arrogant. Are all the students in the hero course like this? Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned."

Well, look at him, pulling out all the big words. Pshh. I don't think I like this guy's tone. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now though.

"There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that? The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems they may also transfer people out."

I narrowed my eyes at him. It seems he's not talking out his ass. He's saying this stuff for a reason. I can feel something strange from him, though.

"I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from under you. I came with a declaration of war."

He finished his tough guy lecture and walked off back into the crowd.

"I always find it amusing when people come up to try and throw you off your game by saying stuff like that." I said. "It's a bit petty, but really spikes the nerves in some people."

I then turned over to my friends. "Don't let that be you, okay?"

They all gave a slight nod, letting me know that they were at least a little bit reassured. We all started pushing our way through the crowd that, for some reason, still hadn't dispersed yet.

"I suppose now's the time to start getting ready, then." Midoriya stated after we made our way outside the school. "Let's all try our best!"

And so began a training regimen that would go about for a week until the festival. I'd practice by traversing the mock city grounds of the school by rooftop, improvising my pathing as I went along. That way, I'd be able to build up my endurance, improve my quick-thinking, and get a better gauge of my strength. If I fell, I'd practice making a safe landing on my feet.

I got my all friends to help out with my training, while assisting them with theirs in return. First, I'd have Hagakure sneak around and try to get the drop on me while I had my eyes closed. That way, I would get better at noticing the warnings my sixth sense give me, as well as helping Hagakure with her stealth. That's improvement for both of us.

Next, I'd try to keep up with Iida's sprinting by taking advantage of my less limited movement. Since I didn't have to follow the street, I could think more about different angles, while Iida practiced his overall evasiveness.

Uraraka's training revolved around working better with her Quirk without getting worn out. She'd be able to help me with getting nauseous too, because you wouldn't believe the lack of control you have while you're in midair, especially if you can jump a few stories high, like I can.

I helped out Kirishima by straight up slugging him while he was using his Quirk. That way, he'd get a feel for how much his Quirk can take, while also learning how not to break form. Afterwards, he'd throw punches at me, so I'd have to try and block his hardened strikes. We became good friends after that, and shared a manly handshake.

Admittedly, Midoriya's training was the hardest of all, because instead of revolving around a Quirk, he'd be improving his raw strength. Even with my enhanced strength, it was hard to keep up. In return, I'd give him some tips for evasiveness for whenever he finds himself in a pinch. Plus, we shared some analytical tips with each other.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the morning of the sports festival arrived. I got up bright and early that day. Today, both my parents cooked a hearty breakfast to help me get my energy for the day. My dad even took the day off work just to watch. After helping them figure out which channel the events would be displayed on, I made my way out the house. I was feeling so ecstatic, I was tempted to just sprint all the way to the school. I could definitely do it, but I wanted to save my energy.

When I got on the school grounds, there were concession stands set up, all selling different foods and trinkets. I made my way inside and put on my P.E. uniform. They had all the students sitting in a waiting room until we were called up.

"Well somebody's looking excited today." Hagakure said from behind me.

"Hm? Oh, hey! I didn't even notice you. Looks like training's paying off then." I replied.

"I guess so, hehe. I am a bit nervous, but whatever comes our way, we got this, right?"

"Right!"

Just then, Iida busted through the door. "Everyone, are you ready? We will be entering soon!"

Okay, It's about time then. Let's do this.

"Midoriya." I heard Todoroki call out.

"Todoroki? What is it?" Asked Midoriya.

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you. But... All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he? I'm not trying to pry about that. But I'm going to beat you."

Damn, been a good long while since I've seen such a severe lack of sugarcoating. Aside from memes and such.

Kirishima stood up to try and break it up between the two. "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?" He said, putting a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "Not now, we're about to start."

"We're not here to play at being friends." Todoroki said apathetically while shoving Kirishima's hand off. "So what does it matter?"

"Jeez, don't cut yourself with all that edge." I commented.

He turned to me. Clearly, he didn't like that one. "Don't get frozen being a smartass. You and I both know geckos are cold-blooded."

"All the better. Frankly, I don't give a damn if you have friends or not, but let's at least not make enemies here. Being strong is no reason to be unkind."

He said nothing and pushed past me, with an unchanging expression.

"Todoroki," Midoriya piped up. "I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people... Looking at it objectively..."

"Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively..." Said Kirishima, still trying to level out the tension in the room.

"But, everyone--" Midoriya continued. "The students from the other courses are aiming for the top. I can't afford to fall behind. I'll be going for it with everything I have, too."

"Yeah." Todoroki replied blankly as he left the waiting room.

It seemed that the bar would be set for this sports festival. Everyone would be gunning for each other. Understandably so, considering this is a lot of kids' big chance to shine.
The rest of us made our way out of the waiting room and found ourselves in a dark corridor. We could hear crowds cheering in the direction of the exit. We awaited our cue to come out as Present Mic made a speech to the crowd.

"Hey! Pay attention, audience!" He began. "This year's high school rodeo of adolescence that you all love, the U.A. sports festival, is about to begin! Everybody, are you ready?! It's time for the students to enter the first-year stage!"

We stepped out of the hallway and onto the grass lining the walls of the stadium. People in the stands began cheering as fireworks rang out in the sky. It was my first time seeing a live audience this big.

"The U.A. sports festival!" Present Mic continued. "The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year! Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new starts who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, Class 1-A, right?!"

He definitely practiced this speech in the mirror, assuming he didn't shatter it with his voice. Is our class really held in such high regard? It feels like the pressure's starting to set on now.

Midoriya was looking around all nervous-like. "Th-Th-There are so many people..." He stuttered out.

"Will we be able to give our best performance being watched by so many people?" Iida speculated. "This is also part of the training required to become a hero."

"Man, he's going overboard with that praise!" Said Kirishima.

All the students across all the first year classes gathered in the center of the stadium.

"Time for the player pledge!" Said Midnight, who would be the chief umpire for our events.

Is she... allowed to wear that? Especially in front of students?

"Quiet, everyone!" She ordered. "Representing the students is Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!"

WHY HIM?? Did they draw names from a hat? Because there's no way he'd be selected for this! Who knows what he'll say in front of millions of people...

"Kacchan?" Midoriya questioned.

"He did finish first in the entrance exam." Said Sero.

A girl from the general studies classes scoffed loudly. "First in the hero course." She said, giving us a spiteful side-eye. Not everyone seemed to like class 1-A, it seemed. My only fear was that Bakugo could end up stoking that hatred even more.
He walked up to the podium Midnight was standing on and approached the microphone. The whole venue seemed to go silent as they awaited Bakugo's "wise words".

Please don't say anything dumb... I can only imagine the secondhand embarrassment.

"I pledge-" He began before pausing slightly. "That I'll be number one."

Goddammit!!!

After all the booing and jeering that ensued, it was time for our first event to be revealed.

"Now, let's get started right away." Midnight began explaining. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here! Now, here is the fateful first game!"

She gestured to a large screen that appeared behind her. It started rolling through events kind of like what you'd see in a game show, or video game. The words were scrolling by too fast for me to read, though.

"This year, it's this!" She said, pointing to the screen that now read, "Obstacle Race."

She continued explaining. "All 11 first-year classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium--about four kilometers! Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do!"

This could be really good, or it could be a catastrophe. If there truly are no limits, what's stopping someone like Todoroki from completely halting the advance of every other contestant?

"Now, take your places, everyone!" Midnight finished as large steel doors opened up on one side of the stadium. There were three lights above it, indicating our countdown before the first event.

Oh, shit, we're starting now!? I thought we'd get to take five before we got into it. It's fine though. I'll just give myself a pep talk right here, right now, no rehearsal needed. This is exactly what we've trained for.

The first light shuts off.

We just gotta focus up, right, Y/n?
Panic is the enemy, right, Y/n?!

The second light had shut off now.

Whatever comes towards us, we keep moving forward! Get pumped, This is your time to show them what you can really do.

The third light had went out, and put an end to probably the longest countdown of my life.

"Start!" Midnight ordered. And with that, we were off.

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Don't you just hate cliffhangers? I don't, because it's way past midnight at the time of writing, and I like sleeping :D. For real though, I had to cut the chapter short at least somewhere before the chapter got too long.
Thankfully, school has slowed down a bit, and I've found way more motivation to write than before, so I'll likely be more consistent for the time being.

On an unrelated note, I am excited for Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so if I suddenly go missing around May 12th, you know why.

That's enough from me, I'll see you all in the next update.

3107 words. Finished and published on 4-16-23