Chapter 22: Venatio and (In)Voluntary Commentary
"The Venatio, in case you're not versed in dead languages, is the ancient Roman sport of the hunt!" There were a few gasps and shouted objections at Midnight's announcement, but she quickly got the crowd under control again with another whip crack.
"Now now, don't think UA would be so callous as to hurt any animals for the sake of competition; all the beasts on display today are mechanical monstrosities constructed courtesy of our very own support department head, Power Loader! Gotta love a man that knows how to make robots like these, and especially one who never wears a shirt!"
The display on the screen switched momentarily to the flustered pro, who was in fact shirtless and was sheepishly bowing to the camera at the sudden praise. He was somehow blushing through his excavator helmet, and the other teachers in his box seemed to be in various states of either applauding or mildly ribbing the man in question, though the sound from their box wasn't transmitted.
"Of course, as with everything UA does, there's a bit of a twist to this event." She gestured towards the field behind her which was slowly retracting under the stands in two halves lengthwise as a mock cityscape emerged from the ground. "Because unlike one would assume, the students won't be pulling a repeat of the entrance exam on these bots. Today, the hunters become the hunted! That's right kiddies, these bots are bigger, badder, and are aiming for you."
At Midnight's words hidden panels along the inner walls of the stadium slid aside to reveal vastly upgraded robots from the entrance exam, along with a few entirely new varieties. Aside from the four faux villains, which looked to have been made from sturdier materials and which were more heavily armed, a number of smaller, humanoid robots were visible, each sporting a melee weapon of some design. The edges of their weapons, everything from spears and swords to axes and tridents hummed with magenta energy, and every robot on the field maintained the same olive paint scheme as the villain-bots, with a sea of glowing red orbs looking out over the students as the hunters trudged into the city.
"Not only is this a game of predator or prey, it's also a game of speed. Observe!" She suddenly brandished a remote and pressed a button, causing the screen to once again shift, this time into a cartoon representation of a UA student wearing a vest with three lights on it, one on each shoulder and one in the center of the chest. "Every student will have to make it from one end of this city to the other while keeping themselves out of danger! Note the vests being handed out now, if you get hit in all three spots, then you're out, and you'll be hanging out with me until the event ends." She licked her lips at that last line, and true to her word, a number of UA's all-purpose robots were whirring up to each student with the vests in question. Izuku took one and shrugged it on wordlessly.
"Of course, you can choose if and how to engage the hunters; they're tough but not invincible. Here's the catch, the first forty-two students to cross the finish line at the other end of the arena will advance to the next round, meaning you'll have to pick your battles well. If you try and brute force your way through, you might end up drawing too much attention and getting eliminated; dawdle for too long and there may not be any spots left! And of course, no stepping out of bounds, or else that's automatic disqualification. Now, let's see you kids think tactically!"
Ok, so, options , thought Izuku as he glanced around at his competition. Without Lynchpin or my helmet I won't have a real time map of the area, but I can compensate for that by staying oriented and relying on my senses. Maybe pick a vantage point early on and scope it out. People like Jiro will have the easiest time making it through without conflict, but Kacchan and Todoroki will probably just brute force a path through the bots.
He stole a quick glance towards the starting gate that had emerged from the ground. It formed a rectangular arch over their entire edge of the field, and students were lining up all along its length, with many ranks pushing up behind them. Determining that the opening rush would likely act as a chokepoint for area of effect quirks like Todoroki's ice, Izuku moved towards the leftmost side of the arch and stood back a bit from the students at the front. The lights above the gate suddenly flashed to life, and the world slowed down around him as he thought through things as quickly as he could
Red
The area of the city he was looking at had fewer buildings and more open ground than he would have liked, especially with the visible spectres of the faux-villains prowling between what cover there was. Depending on how powerful they were, as well as how soon the next event would take place after, it would probably be best to save Mei's addition for as long as possible. That left him with his shoulder boosters, kinetic strike module, shock gauntlets, and directed explosions, along with the two modifications he had worked in during the last week. That was, provided he didn't run into Todoroki. Then he'd only have the gear built into his leg armor to rely on.
Orange
Most of those around him seemed to be support course students, or at least the more confident ones. The dejected general studies students were hanging back a bit, likely doubting their own ability to break through the initial onslaught, along with the remaining support students, though Izuku did manage to spot Shinso near the front of the mob. That left the two hero classes spread out at the front, at least from what he could see. Bakugo was somewhere along the opposite edge of the crowd, if the excited shouting and smoke were any indication, and he knew Todoroki would be in the middle, intending to make a show of power and likely thin the competition as well.
Yellow
While it was true that he would theoretically be able to brute force his own way through the villain-bots, it would be better to conserve his energy as well as his gear's reserves. So a more subtle approach was called for, possibly after some limited reconnaissance. The field was large enough that even unimpeded, to run across would have taken a few minutes at the least if one wasn't blessed with a speed quirk. He spotted one particularly tall ruined building sticking out towards the left edge of the field, and decided that it would be his vantage point so he could plot a better route through the chaos.
Green
"START!" Boomed Midnight as all three lights above the gate flashed green. Taking a deep breath, Izuku surged forward, activating his gear and letting the boosters at his shoulder throttle up to their characteristic pinpoint flames. Careful to make sure the area behind him was clear of anyone that might get caught in the backblast, he rocketed out into the fake city, kicking up a trail of dust and debris behind him.
Shota would never admit it to anyone, under pain of death if necessary, but he actually enjoyed doing the commentary for the first year festival with Hizashi. It afforded opportunities to gauge the development of his students, scout for potentially overlooked talent from that stupid entrance exam, and most of all, it let him antagonize his best friend by way of his trademark deadpan responses.
"Hey folks, providing commentary with your main man Present Mic today is the gruff but lovable homeroom teacher from class 1A, Shota Aizawa! You ready for today's live coverage, caterpillar-man?" Shota fixed him a glare and leaned into his microphone before replying in as dry a tone as he could.
"Not voluntarily." There were some snickers from the crowd at that remark, but it seemed most were focused on the action down below. Although the students would quickly move out of sight amidst the ruins, the veritable swarm of camera drones UA had dispatched would broadcast any particularly interesting engagements to the screens lining the stadium. Speaking of interesting battles.
"And Todoroki makes a big opening move, attacking with absolutely zero chill! That opening attack looks like it left a good number of competitors frozen to the floor." Shota huffed.
"While the individual objective may be for a student to be part of the first forty-two students across the finish line, that doesn't mean you couldn't also theoretically advance by ensuring the defeat of all but forty-one other students."
"Yikes, talk about cold and calculating!"
"Work on better puns." Hizashi let out an affronted snort and Shota continued. "Being a hero means doing what's necessary to win; to protect the public at all acceptable costs. While it may not seem too sporting, it would be illogical not to attempt to maximize one's chances of winning. That said, the students trapped at the starting line have a number of options if they-"
"Hold that thought Eraser, we've got an interesting development happening here!" Shota cocked an eyebrow and looked at the screen Hizashi was pointing to. Minoru Mineta, a diminutive figure if ever there was one, was up and out of the ice and was jumping ahead of the pack of hero students from both classes into the city. "What in the world is he doing to move like that?"
"Mineta's quirk allows him to generate orbs from his head with incredible adhesive properties; though he himself is immune to their effect. He used a similar technique during our opening assessment to achieve a remarkable performance in repeated side steps, but he's clearly been practicing and has incorporated the technique into his movement more broadly. It's a good trick."
Sure enough, it seemed Mineta was bouncing from wall to wall with little visible effort, leaving behind a dotted purple path. Every few seconds, the boy would twist in midair, throwing his grapes ahead of him before he would land on another and continue bouncing along. He had almost cleared the first line of ruined buildings when a villain-bot appeared from around a corner and swatted him out of the air, turning one of the targets on his vest red and sending him to the ground in a tumble of limbs, though he quickly bounced back up and continued on.
"Ooh, that looked like it hurt! Still, when the chips are down, heroes persevere, ain't that right Eraser?" Shota sighed in annoyance before responding. It seemed his class's situational awareness would need to be improved after the festival.
"Indeed, though I imagine any hits taken will also serve as good lessons in how not to get hit again."
"Man, I feel sorry for your class." That actually got a mirthless chuckle out of Shota as he glanced over at Hizashi.
"Don't. They learn quickly."
"Uh, well with those...encouraging words of praise from Eraserhead, let's get back into it! What's this folks, it seems there's some kind of commotion at the North side of the stadium. Rising from the smoke like a rocket it's...Izuku Midoriya. And what in the world is he doing?"
Catching sight of Midoriya, Shota smirked.
Like much of the rest of the two hero courses Izuku had anticipated Todoroki's wave of frost, and had managed to skate over it as it spread along the ground with a boost from his afterburners. Not taking any time to deal with the shouting behind him, he darted into the tall building he had spotted from the starting line and ran up the stairs as fast as he could stand without careening into a wall or over a railing. It was five floors up before the staircase and surrounding walls came to a sudden, jagged end, open to the stadium, and he almost tipped over the edge before he caught himself.
He spent a precious thirty seconds surveying the landscape, taking in positions for optimal cover, deciphering the patterns in the villain-bots' movements, and trying to suss out any obstacles that might be hidden in the mess.
One in particular stood out: a gigantic trench that faded into darkness just about divided the city cleanly in half. A blurry mess of lines stretched across the fissure from one end to the other, crisscrossing, intersecting, and just generally looking very unsafe. To his right, a massive explosion erupted from one of the buildings, and he was surprised to see Yaoyorozu come flying out of the smoke on what seemed to be a hang-glider.
He prepared to descend when a sudden rush of heavy footsteps from down the stairwell made him freeze in place. The stomping of large feet drew closer, and as Izuku turned around he came face to face with what could only have been described as a gorilla turned into a teenage boy.
The boy's torso was large, impossibly proportioned by terms of normal human biology, with enormous arms and thick but short legs to match. He had no neck to speak of and sported spiky black hair, and a deep scowl on his face as he glared at Izuku.
"So, you're Class A's weak link, huh? Once you lose in the first round, your spot's as good as open!" The boy charged, fist already arcing through the air only to be batted aside by Izuku's quick counter, and a small but forceful explosion to the attacking boy's shoulder saw the target there light up red.
"Back off if you want to continue in the event," hissed Izuku, dropping into a looser position, hands coming up before him in the ready stance he had been practicing while learning Muay Thai. His feet were planted a little harder than they should have been, given the extra weight of his armor, but he would still be able to move quickly once he found an opening. Forget a protracted fight with a villain-bot, a fight with another student would take up way too much time.
Unfortunately, for all his unrefined posture and fighting style, the gorilla boy had very few openings, and Izuku doubted he would be able to make it past him without taking a hit to at least one of his own targets. Stepping back a bit, his heel edged onto empty air, and he looked behind him. Seeing that he was on the side of the building facing the finish line, he was struck by a sudden, awful idea.
When in doubt, do what Kacchan would!
"Well, I warned you," Izuku smirked as he pointed his palms towards the floor, feeling the metal around the blast ports begin to heat up as he charged a large explosion. "Try not to get hurt on the way down!"
The explosion that ripped from his hands shattered the floor under the pair of students, sending the gorilla boy flailing backwards onto the crumbling stairwell while at the same time pushing Izuku out into open air. For a moment, he was sorely tempted to use Mei's addition, but he was determined to hold out on that as long as possible, so instead did his best to dampen his descent in the way he had seen his explosive friend do so many times before. Quick, successive bursts, angled beneath him fought against gravity, and when combined with a quick blast from his afterburners, he was sent forwards and away from the smoking tower. Right into the path of a modified zero pointer from the entrance exam, both arms replaced with massive Gatling guns.
"Target acquired, moving to terminate," it droned in an electronic voice devoid of any of the emotiveness that Lynchpin displayed. Maybe he would have to reevaluate his computer's claims about being a true AI after the tournament, though he was still fairly confident that the machine only gave the appearance of sentience. Then again, he might have been able to say the same about Todoroki, so who knew, maybe everyone was a philosophical zombie of some sort or other.
Izuku quickly realized that now was decidedly not the time to be having yet another existential crisis, especially considering that the catalyst for said crisis was levelling it's twin belt-fed cannons at him, preparing to unleash an absolute hailstorm of rubber bullets in a way that would be impossible to dodge. Screw it, inner Kacchan hasn't failed me yet.
"Die scrap heap!"
Even with the knockback being compensated for by the protesting dampeners in his armor, the blast still rolled backwards up his arms with the force of the recoil. Dull heat reached his palms under the gleaming black plating of his armor, and even with his eyes temporarily closed, the light of the explosion left afterimages seared into his retinas. Thankfully, unlike at the entrance exam, and despite the robot's seemingly upgraded armor, Izuku's own improved technology won out.
A quick reorientation midair with his afterburners saw his feet positioned underneath him in a vicious dive and his arms brought up protectively in front of his face as he punched through the already broken metal and then several layers of the robot's mechanical innards like a missile. Sheer edges and exposed machinery whipped at his skin leaving plenty of small scratches as Izuku shot out the other side of the machine, the construct listing to one side before toppling forward into a nearby ruin, missing a head and with a hole torn out its back.
Even with his impact with the villain-bot slowing his descent considerably Izuku still hit the ground on the other side hard enough to leave a dent, most of the shock of which was thankfully absorbed by his leg armor. Unfortunately, it didn't quite compensate for everything, and he was still somewhat rattled as he picked himself up from the small crater he had carved. This meant he failed to notice the humanoid robot that jumped at him from the dust cloud, its dull green metal plating seeming to have been extended to mesh neatly over joints and other weak points, and it's oversized limbs configured for close combat.
The fist hit him like a pneumatic sledge, instantly lighting one of the targets on his left shoulder even as Izuku was sent tumbling backwards and to the round once more. Not wanting to give the machine another chance, Izuku grit his teeth and brought his still smarting arm up and loosed yet another explosion, this time much smaller, and focused on compressing the blast towards the villain's head.
Sure enough, despite his enemy's reinforced plating, the AP-shot technique Kacchan had shared with him pierced it easily enough, and the machine's head was shorn from its body. Thankfully, that seemed to be where its processor was housed, as the thing immediately went limp and fell to the ground in a clatter of metal. Letting out a short breath, Izuku rolled the wounded shoulder experimentally, glad to find that nothing was dislocated.
His relief was short lived however, as the sound of clanking feet approaching gave only the barest warning before he found the road behind him filled with three of the close combat robots he had just defeated, though these were armed with the glowing weapons he had seen earlier. Weighing his options and not liking his chances any more than he had against the other student, Izuku decided not to listen to his inner Bakugo, and instead, turned on the spot and took off towards the finish line.
As he ran, quickly outpacing the robots behind him, he checked the small display he had built into the forearm of his right gauntlet, which was providing a loose approximation of his remaining power supply. His suit's batteries had enough energy in them to last for a full five minutes with all systems running, but they were much harder to replenish than the energy his own body could supply, and if he were to use them now, he wouldn't have been able to make use of them later in the tournament.
Grimacing, he glanced at the estimated energy output he could provide to his suit, and became instantly troubled. Five minutes maximum before he would need a break of some kind, and even then, he wouldn't be managing any more large explosions or AP-shots for the rest of the morning. Small explosions would still be possible, but nothing that would really work against reinforced robots. Or opponents, if I can even make it that far , he added as a grim aside.
"And Shoto Todoroki is the first to make it to the halfway point, but will he be able to keep up the pace?" Crooned the voice of Present Mic from the stadium's speakers. "Setsuna Tokage is close behind, giving us some great representation from class 1B! Trailing her is Katsuki Bakugo, who is just charging right in! Jeez Eraser, what are you teaching these kids?"
Izuku ran harder, realizing that the buildings were slowly decreasing in size and increasing in the amount of damage they bore as he neared what he could only assume were the leaders of the race, if the sudden drop in temperature and sound of explosions were any indication. With one final burst of his afterburners Izuku zig-zagged through several piles of rubble and villain-bots which failed to track him before the buildings around him suddenly gave way to a flat expanse on both sides, and he slid to a stop.
Stretching in front of him was the massive rent in the earth he had spotted from the tall building, and the blurry outlines he had seen before were confirmed to be various ropes and cables stretched across the gap. Pipes and unearthed power lines were visible on both sides of the cliff face, leaking their contents of fluids, gas, and electricity into the void below, and Izuku wondered not for the first time how in the world UA could afford to do this kind of thing on a regular basis. As he searched for an optimal position to cross, a familiar and entirely welcome presence appeared at his shoulder.
"Sup Izuku, that's a big hole in the ground ain't it, wanna help me show off a baby?" He grinned and turned around to look at the only person in the race who might have been even more maniacal than him.
"Heck yeah, Mei, let's tear it up!"
"Wow, these bots are supposed to be tougher than normal, but our students in the lead are cutting through them like a hot knife through butter!" On the screen, a boy with a very apparent mantis mutation was using sharp blades sprouting from his arms to carve through several of the robot hunters. He was near the front of the group, only falling behind Todoroki, Bakugo, Uraraka, Tokage, and Tsuburaba leading the charge across the chasm.
Each was employing their quirk in some novel way, Bakugo using his blasts to keep his balance as he ran along the ropes, Todoroki simply forming an icy bridge, and Uraraka bouncing along as if she were on the moon. Of the class 1B students, Tokage was floating a swarm of her pieces across, and Tsuburaba was jumping from platform to platform of his solidified air.
"Togaru Kamakiri, one of class B's more combat oriented students. His natural agility and the sharpness of his blades are well suited to dealing with armored opponents, especially ones weighed down by their heavy weapons. Unfortunately for him, this exercise is not being judged on villains taken down, and those five already crossing are in a much stronger position. In fact, his staying to fight the villains is affording the leaders an easier crossing than if he had simply gone after them."
Shota watched disinterestedly as teams of UA's general purpose and medical robots led students out the sides of the city, their vests all lit up from getting caught by the villain bots, though one particularly large student had been carried out in a stretcher with only one of his targets marked.
"And from the support course, a surprising surge forward by none other than Mei Hatsume, who seems to be working with Izuku Midoriya. Hey, what are they doing there, Eraser?"
"Working as a pair to overcome individual weaknesses," answered Shota flatly.
"Interesting conclusion, but will it be enough to help these students make it out of the pack and into the lead? Let's watch!" Shota simply rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
Why do I let Mei talk me into these things? Izuku groaned internally as the pair zipped over the abyss, the grappling hook he had installed into his left wrist anchoring them to the wall of a ruined building behind them as Mei's own improved wire arrow dragged them forward. Without the second wire, they likely would have fallen into the pit, but as it was, by matching the rate at which his own cable line spooled out with the rate that hers reeled in they would theoretically make it to the other side. That was, so long as Izuku could maintain his grip around them both as they zipped along.
They had made it about three quarters of the way across when the air suddenly chilled, and Izuku looked to his right to see that they had almost caught up with Todoroki's own advance. It seems the hostile boy had noticed as well, as he had begun redirecting the path of his ice bridge along one of the crisscrossing ropes to intercept their own path. As he drew close enough to shout, Izuku caught his words.
"Still leeching off others, Midoriya? Your insult to this tournament ends here!" Izuku saw what he was planning even with only moments to act. Once he was in range, Todoroki would send an ice spear to cut the cable from the wire arrow and send both him and Mei into the void and out of the race. If he didn't want to lose here, he would have to use his secret weapon, but with the added weight of Mei and her own support items, his reserves would likely only function for half the time they would normally.
"Don't take your eyes off the real competition shithead!" Interjected the sudden angry shout of Bakugo, who has appeared behind Todoroki after leaping across several of the ropes, using his explosions to propel and balance him where necessary. "I'm the one you've got to worry about!"
Izuku's eyes widened as Bakugo directed a massive explosion into Todoroki's ice bridge, and the line it was snaking along, sending the boy flying as he tried to reestablish his balance on another line. Izuku almost breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as Bakugo continued his attack, this time on the line from Mei's wire arrow. It seemed that the boy hadn't come to save him so much as knock out two birds with one stone.
On one level Izuku felt a bit hurt, but on a much deeper level, he was very grateful to Bakugo. The other boy wasn't trying to protect him, or baby him. He was treating him like a competitor, like an equal, like Izuku had always wanted him to treat him. It made him smile even as he saw the explosions ignite in Bakugo's palms as he reached for the cable that was keeping him and Mei suspended above the pit.
He smiled even wider when two globs of red sludge suddenly swallowed Bakugo's fists, and the boy had to desperately scrabble onto a wire beneath him to avoid falling. Mei smirked at him as they continued on, his curses as he blasted his hands free from the sudden interruption fading behind them as they reached the other side and finally touched down.
"If you like my special capture gel, baby fourteen oh nine dash six, come by the support lab Mr. Explodey pants, and we can work some into those gauntlets Izuku told me you have!" Mei yelled back over the chasm as Izuku detached the cable from the distant wall remotely and reeled back in his line. Once the several meters of cable were rewound and the arrowheads retracted, the whole thing folded neatly and seamlessly into the plating on his arm.
Deciding that forfeiting the lead they had just earned was not a good idea, and feeling an approaching wave of ice, explosions, and sheer competitive spirit behind them, Izuku and Mei nodded to each other before taking off at a full sprint into the last section of ruins.
"What an unbelievable comeback from support student Mei Hatsume and her ally Izuku Midoriya! That's ingenuity and teamwork at its finest folks!"
"Hatsume certainly has an exceptional talent for adapting her equipment to fit the situation; it's something a lot of pros could learn to imitate. Down mid-field you'll find another excellent showcase of combat adaptability from class B's Neito Monoma, who seems to be making use of every quirk available to him to get out of a corner."
"Did you just make an actual contribution to the commentary, Eraser?
"Someone has to provide useful analysis, since you seem incapable of doing it. Honestly, you are the least rational person I have ever met."
"You wound my pride Eraser!"
"You'd have to have some first for me to wound it."
"Hold the banter, the first group of competitors is approaching the final stretch of the course, and victory is in sight! In first place so far, it's...why it's Ochaco Uraraka, who has taken the distraction at the chasm as an opportunity to bound into first place! She better be careful though, this last stretch is filled to the brim with booby traps and area defenses, and the villain-bots patrolling here are exclusively armed with long-range weaponry!"
"Any of the competitors who have relied on some form of flight so far may run into difficulties in this last stretch, but if they stay careful about the path they follow and are mindful of their surroundings, it should be possible to finish strong without triggering any of the defenses."
A sudden explosion towards the final clearing of open ground before the exit launched a flailing student high into the air, who was immediately slammed into by a storm of missiles and non-lethal gunfire. When the figure finally fell to the ground in a rolling pile a pair of medic-bots immediately hovered over and dragged the prone form away to the sidelines, while the students who had been nearing the area slowed to a stop with various stances of unease. Shota sighed heavily.
"Depending on how they approach this, it could really be make or break time for snatching the top spot, but they'll have to be smart about how they traverse the minefield."
"Wow Eraser, I bet you could-" This time Shota cut Hizashi off, which only earned him a wide, shit-eating grin from his best friend.
"Shut up and watch, you may learn something here."
Okay, minefield, that's not good, but I should be able to bypass it. That's a long run with no cover though, and I've only got two targets left. The villains I can see on the perimeter aren't moving, just scanning for targets. Nobody has crossed the finish line yet, and if past years are any indication, I probably don't want to be first. The question is, how many of the others are thinking the same thing, and how many are still getting here.
The sound of ice being blown to pieces and tinkling almost merrily as the shards fell to the ground behind and around him spurred him to plan faster.
Todoroki and Bakugo will be here in a few moments, but I didn't see any of the other front-runners get slowed down by the last obstacle, so at least a couple should be around here. They're probably trying to find some path through the mines.
Izuku's suspicions were confirmed a moment later as a full swarm of dismembered body parts flew past him, detached arms and legs curled around the floating torso of Setsuna Tokage covering up the targets on her vest as her head trailed behind and slightly above.
The girl deftly dodged through the retaliatory fire that came her way as the villains took aim. Her movements were too quick however, and only one bullet managed to sting into her hand knocking it away for a moment before it started trailing after her body while flashing a middle finger to the offending robot.
Izuku saw his moment and began to run after her, counting on the villains needing a moment to acquire a new target before they could fire again. He jumped between the small piles of upturned dirt that indicated the presence of the mines, and rolled just in time to duck a spray of bullets that had been at chest height.
Jumping up from his roll, he scrambled for a nearby chunk of concrete and took cover behind it, feeling the dull plink of the rubber bullets slamming into the other side. He cursed quietly. A sudden explosion and crackle of ice rushing by him caused him to swear more loudly.
Peeking from behind his cover he saw Bakugo hovering just over the minefield with successive blasts pushing him up and forward even as his explosions detonated the mines behind him, while Todoroki had instead opted for another ice bridge over the tops of the mines. The two were neck and neck, neither bothering to attack the other now as they made a sprint for the finish line.
Their sudden appearance was enough to draw the villain's fire, and soon Izuku was free of his cover, dashing through the trail of kicked up rubble and dirt left by Bakugo, while his afterburners put out another solid push even as he felt the energy begin to drain. No wasn't the time for running out of gas, so he cut the boosters, running under his own power but ready for a last, final sprint once he was closer. When he was within three meters of the two students a buzzer suddenly sounded, followed in quick succession by three more.
"And Momo Yaoyorozu takes an incredible first place in the Venatio, sweeping in from the sky on what seems to be some kind of rocket powered glider, what the heck! Way to be creative. In second is Setsuna Tokage, followed closely by Kosei Tsuburaba and Ochaco Uraraka in too close a stretch to say who is third and fourth. We'll have to go for the instant replay on that one! Looks like the floodgates have opened folks, it's a mad dash for the finish!"
Ahead of him, Bakugo screamed in frustration and tried to outrun Todoroki even more fiercely than he had been, but the other boy kept pace by unleashing a series of icy pillars that launched him forward every time he neared the ground. Behind them, the shouts of some fifty students became distinct and close enough for the two to glance back, even if for only a moment.
It was the chance Izuku had been waiting for, and he used their temporary distraction to fire his afterburners at full tilt while throwing his hands behind him and letting out the largest series of consecutive blasts he could still make, bringing his knees up in an imitation of Bakugo's style of hovering.
"Todoroki," he snarled as he passed the two with his sudden acceleration, not caring if his words were carried away by the rush of air. "Your declaration of war was to the wrong person!"
Izuku dipped forward, bringing his hands up and springing into a flip as he let off the last blast he would be able to manage until he could get in a short recharge, one just large enough to disturb the dirt beneath them and activate the buried mines. Bakugo and Todoroki both wore shocked expressions as Izuku rocketed forward, the explosion from the mine activating one of his two remaining targets but still catapulting him forward even faster as it knocked the two boys aside.
Tumbling into a somersault as he landed, Izuku sprang to his feet and sprinted the last few meters, the ground blessedly clear of mines and villains as he finally crossed the white and black checkered finish line. A buzzer sounded, and the voice of Present Mic rang out from the speakers again.
"And Izuku Midoriya makes an impressive maneuver to snag fifth place!" Two more buzzers sounded mere seconds later and only a little apart. "With Katsuki Bakugo taking sixth place and Shoto Todoroki in seventh!"
Izuku spared a glance behind him and saw Katsuki stomping over to him with only a modicum of his usual rage. As he drew up next to him he stopped and glared at Izuku before making a noise of grudging appreciation and nodding to him before stalking past to the nearby table where some small cups of water had been set out.
Izuku followed and shrugged out of his vest, tossing it onto the cart where five others were already resting and joining Bakugo and Uraraka as they stood to one side of the clearing and gulped their water. Bakugo closed his eyes and paused for what seemed like a good ten seconds before he spoke, something Izuku had noticed him doing a lot lately.
"Good race, Cheeks, Deku," he said. Izuku offered his own congratulations to both in return, but Uraraka didn't answer. Instead, she reached for another cup of water and began to massage her stomach even as she drank, looking more and more green as the effects of her quirk caught up with her.
Behind them more students made their way through the gate, some in large groups and others one by one until a final rush of activity behind the gate saw the last of the forty-two students who would be advancing tumble through, covered in smudges and burns but otherwise unharmed. A buzzer louder and lasting longer than the others sounded above them, and Present Mic's voice cut in once again.
"And that's the last contestant who will be moving on to the next round! Will any students still inside the course please make your way out to the nearest exit point, and thank you for participating!"
A dejected crowd of students began to filter out the side of the mock cityscape, only a few being carried out by the medical bots, and soon enough the entire arena began to sink into the ground with a rumble as the field slid closed over the top once again. Izuku was trying to figure out where the motors that controlled the covering were hidden when Uraraka appeared at his arm seeming much more her normal color.
"Deku! We all made it into the top ten, isn't that great! But Yaoyorozu got first place, wow, I'm jealous!" Iida had walked up to them with Mei close behind as Uraraka ranted about the race, the two looking dejected and overjoyed respectively.
"To have not come in first in a race of all things, to have barely made the top ten, I must do better if I wish to emulate Tensei!" he clenched his fists in determination while Mei stared at him, not really seeing him so much as looking through him with a happy look on her face.
"A spot in the top ten as a support student is sure to get my babies noticed by all those juicy sponsors! And I'm the only one from 1-H that made it too. Take that Machida, I get the stage all to myself!" A sullen looking boy standing with the other students who hadn't passed looked over to her and rolled his eyes before flipping her off, a gesture Mei returned with both hands earning another objection from Iida. His ranting was interrupted however by the scoreboard suddenly flashing pictures of the forty-two students who would be moving on along with their placements in the race as Midnight returned to the small stage she had announced from before.
"Good job all you delicious hero hopefuls, but don't worry if you didn't advance, there will be plenty of fun for you to come and chances to strut your stuff as the day goes on! For now though, it's time to begin the real main selection. The press corp is gonna be watching closely, so give it all you got kiddos!" Yet another crack of her whip punctuated that remark, and Izuku began to wonder if the behavior was some kind of tick of hers. On the massive center screen, the simulated slot machine wheel began to spin through events as she continued. "You'll all get a few minutes rest and prep time before this next event which is, as always. designed to test your teamwork! Here's hoping you didn't make any particularly nasty enemies just now!"
The spinning finally slowed down, the blur of letters becoming discernible as the list of games scrolled by, until finally it wound down to a halt on the final selection. Izuku groaned and threw his head into his hands while shooting a knowing look towards Yaoyorozu, who was simply shaking her head as the rest of their friends looked on in confusion.
"The second event my darlings, you'll all be competing in the honored tradition of Ludi Circenses!"
Chapter 23: Reactions and Planning
Toshinori couldn't stop smiling in his seat next to the openly weeping Inko Midoriya and the absolutely beaming Togata Sr. Their box was in the highest level of the stadium, and had been constructed with glass on all sides allowing for a view of each of the stages for the sports festival, though the adults only cared to look closely at the first and third year stages.
That's the way Togata-kun, don't let anybody slow you down! And young Izuku, you're making quite the splash even if you didn't take first. Thank god the support department finally made young Togata something to preserve his modesty! Hopefully the censors will have less work to do this year, I remember how much of that footage was blurred when Mirai was showing it to me.
"H-H-He's d-d-doing so w-well!" Inko sobbed, her tears already threatening to flood the box as she watched 'her big silly family' give their all in the events. "I knew h-he would show them, b-but I'm just so p-p-proud!" At first she had kept her composure, but when Izuku and Mei had been crossing the pit she had practically exploded in her seat with excitement. Then, when watching her boy send two of his strongest classmates reeling in the final sprint, she had started openly cheering while also bawling about how far Izuku had come. It seemed the tears were hereditary.
Toshinori was currently patting her back gently while Mr. Togata leaned forward in his chair and winked at the skeletal man, his pointed features crinkling up in a knowing smile. He had been greatly enjoying talking with the both of them, though only Mr. Togata was aware of his true identity. To Inko he had simply been a UA staff member who had been helping her boy, and the amount of respect and kindness she had shown him was something that he wasn't used to receiving these days outside his time as All Might. Most were put off by his skeletal appearance and occasional dribbles of blood, not to mention the baggy clothes he had to wear for the sake of his transformations. Not Inko, however; it seemed the generous heart and kind spirit were hereditary between mother and son as well the waterworks.
"Togata-san," she said suddenly, surprising both the men who had returned to watching the respective fields. Mirio was currently swimming through the ground at the end of the third year stage, only having barely lost out to Nejire in their own obstacle race. It seemed that with her son across the finish line Inko had calmed down somewhat, though her eyes were still a little red.
"Ah, yes Midoriya-san, what can I do for you?" The man in question looked over to her and smiled, not quite the piercing brightness of Mirio's own smile or young Midoriya's either, but in its own way, it was just as reassuring.
"I just, I wanted you to know, how proud you should be of your boy, and how well you raised him. He's a wonderful young man, and Izuku and I are both so very grateful to have him in our lives." Mr. Togata waved a hand in seeming embarrassment, but Toshinori knew the man well enough by now to know that he would never really be bashful about how much he loved his son. That and the amount of gushing the two parents had been doing about both their own and each others' boys as they watched the first event were pretty good indications as to just how they felt about their kids.
"I must agree with Midoriya-san, Togata-san, Mirio has been a wonderful student and an absolute joy to teach. The same is true of Izuku, Ms. Midoriya." Toshinori flashed a thumbs up at the woman who returned a wobbly smile of her own. Something about it set his heart beating a bit faster, and he felt some blood leak out from between his teeth.
"I'm going to go shout some encouragement at Mirio from the lower levels and then bring something back from the vendors before the next event. I look forward to seeing how your boy does in his event as well, Midoriya-san." Mr. Togata said, brushing himself off as he stood up and made for the stairs that led up into their box. Toshinori watched him disappear down the steps but was surprised a moment later when a handkerchief was held up to the corner of his mouth, and found Inko tenderly dabbing at the bit of blood that had slipped past his lips. She had a worried, if understanding, look on her face, and she tilted her head at Toshinori as if seeking some explanation.
"Ah, you are too kind Midoriya-san, much like young Izuku," he said, gently pushing her hand back down and smiling at her. "I'm afraid I have an old injury that flares up every now and then. While it may look a bit unseemly, I assure you that you needn't worry about my health."
"You can call me Inko, Yagi-san. You and Mirio have each done so much for Izuku, it's like I can see him becoming his old self again. We may not have had long to know each other, but the way he has talked about you and his friends, it makes me feel like I've known you all for years already."
"Then please, call me Toshinori," he replied in kind, getting a quiet giggle from the demure woman before him. She nodded at that before rummaging around in the small bag she had brought with her, fumbling for a moment before withdrawing a slip of paper that she wrote her number down on.
"If you would, Toshinori, maybe we could keep in touch after the festival? I've greatly enjoyed just chatting with you, and you are very important to Izuku as well." More blood slipped from between his teeth, and Toshinori felt himself break out in a small sweat.
Shit, can't just run away like I usually do with fans. Uhh, think All Might, you're the number one hero!
"That sounds like a great idea Midoriya-san." Crap
"It's Inko, remember?" she said, giggling again. Double crap. Young Midoriya, please don't take this the wrong way.
Inko smiled at his somewhat strained expression and clapped her hands before turning back to the stage. With Kayama halfway through the explanation of the second event, it seemed Izuku had already begun to look for partners. The team he gravitated towards didn't exactly surprise him, but Toshinori was still a little confused by its composition. The one that apparently linked all the other members together was Izuku, so why was young Bakugo taking the lead? And what in the world was he yelling? Curious, and more curious still, why in the world was young Izuku not engaging his upper armor at all?
"Just what are you planning my boy?".
Tomura was not feeling quite as angry as he should have been, and that was worrying. But then, the worry he should have been feeling was muted too, which should have been frustrating, but wasn't. At the moment he was seated in Kurogiri's bar, bandages wrapped around the injuries he had sustained during the failed raid on the USJ, though most of the damage had been repaired already. Unfortunately, the healing quirk that the league relied on was limited by some rather... peculiar...resources, so while the muscle fibers and bones in his hands and legs were repaired, the skin would still take time to heal naturally.
That resulted in frequent bandage changes as the raw layers of skin slowly stained the white wrappings red, a twisted stigmata that also served as an irritating reminder of their failure. His anger, his old constant companion, merely came in flashes now rather than as the ever present simmering rage he had lived with since he was four. This had been happening ever since Sensei had given him his gift; that was when he had noticed that he hadn't quite been himself anymore.
Of course, the sudden bursts of inhuman speed were incredibly useful for closing gaps, and it made covering for the weakness of his own quirk that much easier. But at the same time, his emotions felt a bit suppressed, and his thoughts, which before had often drifted to other matters easily would now rapidly snap back as soon as his attention wandered. Before if he had gotten bored or angry, he would have just lashed out at whatever he was doing and then walked away. Now, it was like he was inexorably pulled to finish whatever was before him, and though the surges of confidence or insight the new habit afforded were valuable, it still didn't feel totally right.
At present he had even stopped scratching at his neck as he turned an analytical gaze towards the screen in front of him, updating notes on the second and third year brats' quirks and making new entries for the first years. He had especially focused on Togata and Midoriya, the third year TA and first year brat he had encountered during the raid. Midoriya, if the announcers were to be believed, didn't have a quirk, something which Sensei had confirmed for him when he had asked. The man had an odd sort of sound in his voice when he brought it up, but before he could ponder it too much he found his attention drawn back to the television.
He had to give it the little shit, mimicking quirks through technology, especially if he was building it himself, that took brains. It reminded him of Doctor...Goggles. Yeah, he'd just go with Goggles, better than discount Eggman anyways. The old bastard had had four names in the years that Tomura had known him, and with each new name came a new act. Why he kept up that shit in the presence of the league was beyond him, but Sensei had said not to question it when he had brought it up to him once. And he didn't. He owed Sensei everything, not only for saving him, but for giving him purpose. For opening his eyes to the disgusting farce of a society that produced the kind of spectacle he was watching now.
The disgusting heroes , he mentally spat the word, took violence on as a profession while claiming to be arbiters of peace. The kind of peace that left children alone and scared, wandering for days under the view of hundreds of pairs of eyes that didn't care. The heroes' vanity caused them to parade their newest brainwashed sacrifices in the making to the entire nation every year, extolling some nonsense about honor and sport. If they really believed in some idea of justice, they would do their best to afford the future heroes every advantage they could in their pursuit of that justice, and that included things like the element of surprise.
Instead, this disgusting society gave opportunities for any and every would-be opponent to observe their future victims in depth for three years, and then had the audacity to treat it like a game! The running commentary even pointed out their weaknesses, identified bad quirk matchups, and highlighted their blind spots. It was ridiculous.
It was why he could respect underground heroes at least somewhat, like Eraserhead at the USJ. Sure, he had been ready to kill the man, but he meant it when he told him he was cool. A hero who shunned the light and worked in the underbelly of society, doing everything he could to bring about real justice. If he had found him back then, when he was scared and alone, he would have helped.
But that was the problem really, wasn't it? Eraserhead and those like him were exceptions in this society, individuals that ran counter to the trend of false security and empty symbols, all trailing in the wake of the man that lied with his smile every day. All Might.
All Might, who promised to save everyone but who never could, who told people to trust him, only to let hundreds or thousands slip through the cracks every day. And now, with what Sensei had told him, another All Might in the making was parading around on the television, already settling into the lie of his protection.
Lies! So many lies: peace, safety, hope, comfort! A house built on sand, as Dr. Goggles had remarked once during one of his lectures. This kid's smile was infuriating, just like All Might's. Worse still, he was lying about his borrowed power, power that had been denied to Sensei for nine generations of liars starting with the biggest liar of all. Sensei's brother, who had forsaken his family, just like Tomura's own family had forsaken him.
Then there was the other brat, the damn child in the fancy suit that All Might's successor seemed awfully protective of. Sensei's surveillance had shown that they spent a great deal of time together, even outside UA. It was valuable information, a potential angle of attack against the grinning bastard and his damned heir. Granted, Sensei had said he couldn't kill that kid, but there were other ways to use him to hurt the fakes.
What was frustrating, or rather, what would have been frustrating if his feelings weren't being suppressed, was that the commentators barely focused on him at all during the first years' opening event. They focused on the frontrunners, so typical of their society. Content to look over how others persevered against the odds in favor of lauding praise on those who were just naturally lucky, or else favored by the twisted mores of their world.
Tomura reached up and scratched furiously at his neck, drawing blood from his nails while also aggravating the area with no skin on his hand. He would need another change of bandages during the next break, but that was hardly the object of his ire.
Where were these sudden thoughts coming from? Why the fuck did he use the word 'mores' as easily as if it were a videogame term in an online discussion? Why wasn't he angry right now? Oh, wait, he had a task before him.
Grumbling quietly he returned his attention to the television, making a few updated entries on the second year brats as he waited for the third year team event to start. The Midoriya kid was forming a team in the first year stage, and it seemed Togata and his two little followers were splitting up for their event. They wanted to show their strength individually huh? Fine by him, it would just give him more footage to go over later.
Bending over he began to scribble in the notebook Sensei had given him to use for this project, the scratching of his pen soon mixing with the scratching at his neck as the only sounds in the dark room other than the television and his own shallow breathing. After a while Kurogiri entered and handed him a drink which he took without looking away from his notes, dismissing the shadowy man with a wave and his thanks. Kurogiri simply stated at him a moment while Tomura ignored him before he exited the room as quietly as possible.
Chiyo was feeling a little ornery at the moment; the combination of kids beating the snot out of each other over some stupid games, Yamada and Aizawa's constant bickering, and her own surety that Togata would be seeing her with more broken bones before the end of the day had all combined to fill the aged hero with a wicked streak that she hadn't felt for quite some time.
That didn't mean she would be cruel, or have poor bedside manner, or otherwise violate the Hippocratic Oath in any way; she had studied too long and she cared too much to ever fail a patient like that. No, it just meant that when she saw an opportunity to raise a little ruckus, embarrass some kids, or even smack that idiot Toshinori over the head, she'd be taking it with gusto. That was why the opportunity before her now was just too much of a temptation to resist. If all went her way, she might even get to do all three of her favorite stress relief activities before the day was over.
"I'm telling you, it may seem like a risk now, but there's appeal in an underdog story! His stock is rising, especially since he just pulled a fast one on Endeavor's kid and one of the obvious front-runners."
"Sure, sure, underdog stories are a decent sell, but they don't ever go very far once they get to the realbig leagues. Look at Manual, humble as they come, really well liked around Hosu, but he's not going anywhere near the top 50, maybe not even the top 100, and you know it! How's a hero agency gonna even market him, huh? Where's the merchandising options there?"
Business students. Chiyo grinned to herself, eavesdropping on the conversation as what seemed like a trio of students waited outside the infirmary. Likely, they were there to try and strike up conversations with the hero students who would inevitably be filling her beds when they were on their way out after being healed. Perfect.
"What, you don't think the whole quirkless angle is a selling point? It's like, super inspiring for someone with a disadvantage like that to pull through anyway." Said the first voice. Chiyo felt herself scowl at the reply.
"Eh, they're dying out anyways. Who's he going to inspire? Besides, it's not like most quirkless will ever have a need for hero merch or any kind of business partnerships." A third voice supplied.
"That's cold, man." She could practically hear the third speaker shrug.
"Eh, business is business. I don't think I'd want to take a risk on some unevolved kid with a chip on his shoulder making it into my agency and then have him die on me in the first week. That'd look terrible, not to mention it would make the agency seem weak. If he had a quirk, well, chances are it wouldn't be too good either, but there's definitely marketability there. But no quirk, no chance."
"Hey screw you man, quirks aren't everything!"
"Oh yeah, your mom is quirkless huh? I mean, she's fine dude, no offense, but she's not a hero. Name one pro in the top ten that doesn't have a powerful combat quirk?" A pause. "Yeah, like I said, he'll make a good small timer, but there's no money in it, which is what we're supposed to be scouting here for."
"It's a shame too," came the second voice. "He looks pretty plain, but his skill set and sort of, I dunno, artistic sensibilities make me think he could pull it off. Kind of reminds me of an Edgeshot type in that regard."
"I uh, guess you guys are right then," admitted the first voice, sounding a bit defeated. Chiyo felt her blood pressure rise a bit as she thought of chasing the students away, but then another part of her decided that a bit of a ruckus was in order after all. She opened the door and peered out at the three students, who looked over to her in surprise from the bench they had been sitting on.
"Excuse me dears, but you're business course, aren't you? I don't suppose I could trouble you for your opinion on something related to a student project I've been looking over?" Two of the kids instantly brightened up at her words, one with a towering beehive pompadour and the other with messy black hair and rosy cheeks. The third, she assumed the one whose mother had just been insulted, didn't perk up, but got up to follow the other two anyways. He was a bit thin, and wore a pair of large glasses.
"Of course Ms. Recovery Girl, it would be an honor to assist you in any way!" Said beehive, the other brat beside him nodding along while the boy with glasses offered a sad smile. She led the trio into her little office and shuffled over to her desk, pulling out the latest reports she had gotten back from the pharmaceutical companies she had been in contact with concerning Izuku's quirk based medicine. Wordlessly, she handed them over.
Beehive boy took hold of the papers questioningly, quickly scanning them over before his eyes suddenly widened and he handed the papers to his companion. Behind them, the boy with glasses was snickering a bit at their reactions, but his mouth too fell open when he was handed the report.
"You see, a hero student, the young Mr. Midoriya, oh I do hope you saw him competing in the first event, well he's been working on this for quite some time as a side project with me, and I've set him up through UA's usual intellectual property process to arrange a distribution deal, but the company hasn't gotten back to me yet about how much he could expect to make." That was a damn lie, she had the forms for that in her desk as well, but she wanted to watch the realization hit the kids right in the face once they figured it out. Plus it was fun to play the clueless granny sometimes, so sue her. "I was hoping you might be able to give me an estimate for the potential earnings for this project of his?"
"I, I uh," beehive stammered, his eyes going up as he tried to run a mental calculation. Flustered first year or no, if there was one thing the business course kids could do, it was run numbers, especially those involving large sums of money. Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with that, everyone had to make a living, but Chiyo did wish some of them would be a bit less cutthroat about the whole thing.
"Well, that is to say," said his companion after a moment, looking over all the potential lines of distribution, including a few international conglomerates that had expressed interest in the drug. "If we take the claims as to its efficacy at face-value, then assume a similar distribution pattern as the cure for Tonkite syndrome from thirty years ago, even at a minimum amount of monetization, I would assume a profit in the first year of... roughly 55,000,000,000 yen."
The boy in glasses sputtered while the other two handed back the paperwork and walked out of the room wearing shell-shocked expressions, not bothering to wait for the third student. He soon recovered as well and was about to chase after his classmates when Chiyo reached out to stop him.
"I think you already knew that just because someone is quirkless, it doesn't mean they don't have a future, huh Sonny?" He nodded at her and she offered him a lollipop from one of the many pockets on her coat. "Your mother raised a good boy, and I'm sure Midoriya-kun will love to hear any ideas you have about merchandise after the sports festival. You just keep doing what you feel is right young'un, and things will turn out for the best." The boy smiled before dipping into a bow and then rushing out the door.
"Thank you Ms. Recovery Girl!" He called back as he ran down the hallway after his two still-stunned companions. Chiyo chuckled to herself.
She had gotten to mess with the whipper snappers, probably embarrassed Midoriya once he found out that he was going to be loaded as a freight train in a few weeks, and she had a good feeling that Toshinori would be dropping by later. If he hadn't done something stupid, she would eat her helmet, which meant that she'd be able to smack him over the head at least once.
Of course, unfortunately, the cause of her grumpiness was as ever-present as the noise of the crowd. A buzzer announced that the third year stage's second event was about to conclude, which meant there would be an absolute flood of kids to heal in about three minutes time. That meant the second years would start in five minutes, and the first year stage in ten minutes' time.
When a guilty looking Mirio appeared in the doorway cradling a swollen purple hand, she felt her desire to hit Toshinori rise.
"Well, at least we won," he offered as an explanation under her withering look. Screw it, if Toshinori couldn't make his student stop breaking his bones, she would teach the knucklehead herself.
Mirio kept smiling, even as she gently but firmly knocked her cane against his head.
In a bright and spacious office some ways away, Mirai was watching his student intently, while he himself was observed by the many pairs of still eyes that framed his office. Posters of All Might covered the walls, though the display was much more tastefully assembled than some of the hero shrines he had seen over the years. He smiled wistfully in the privacy of his office, recalling how he had waded through entire oceans of other collectors' hoards just to find one particular item or other that he could persuade them to part with.
Those were better days, before his idol and partner had been injured, before he had seen the future that was waiting for him. Before All for One came back from the dead and began to tear apart the fragile peace they had managed to build in his absence.
Things would be okay though; Togata had One for All, which meant Toshinori wouldn't need to fight the villain that he had seen kill him. It would be the boy's burden to carry, one he had been well prepared for. He still grimaced when he saw Mirio break his hand while using One for All at what he assumed was just a bit past the limit they had found of forty percent. The Midoriya boy that his own student had taken on was apparently quite adroit at quirk analysis, a useful tool to have in any pro's kit.
He quickly glanced down to his laptop where he had the first year events playing as well. Really, he was only watching occasionally, trying to catch glimpses of the boy that Mirio wouldn't stop talking about. The kid he had started referring to as his little brother.
His eyes widened as he saw the boy in question perform some complicated maneuver while descending a tower in what seemed to be a ruined city. The first event was usually some kind of obstacle fight for mass eliminations, so he was probably fleeing an opponent. Smart, focusing on retreat rather than wasting time.
He smiled when he teamed up with the support student to cross the chasm, and he almost laughed when he saw him snag fifth place at the end of the race. The kid was good, better than he would have expected. Clearly, he had been training himself, and he knew that Toshinori had put him in touch with David Shield some time ago, so that explained the technology as well. Perhaps, with more refinement, he could be to Mirio as Mirai was to All Might.
Yes, even if the boy ended up elsewhere, it would do him good to train with a more professional agency than whatever other offers would likely be sent his way. That, and the fact that if he was going to be anywhere, it would be best for him to be with a hero who knew the stakes, who knew what had happened to him. But those were dark thoughts, best left for later, if and when they became relevant. All for One hadn't made any moves for the kid yet, but it wouldn't hurt to help prepare him for anything regardless. Besides, Mirai wanted to meet his pupil's 'little brother' in person, maybe tell him some good jokes. He hoped the kid liked jokes.
Smiling to himself, he retrieved the internship offer forms and began to fill in the details, debating on whether he should try and surprise Mirio or not. He only had to think for a moment before he scribbled in a special note at the bottom of his offer, with special instructions for Midoriya should he accept. Satisfied, he returned his attention to the third year stage, where the second event was about to begin.
The piercing shrill of the referee's whistle Midnight was holding drew their attention back to the hero, who was smirking devilishly. The graphic on the board had changed to another cartoon representation of a UA student, this time standing in a group of three other students on top of some kind of platform, with a flag of some sort dangling off the back.
"So my lovelies, here are the rules for the next event! It's pretty simple, all things considered. The Ludi Circenses, or chariot races as we would say, will involve students forming teams of two to four, all of whom will be stuck with one of these bad boys!" she gestured expansively behind her where teams of robots were pulling a number of strange vehicles into place.
They looked a bit like chariots, if one were to squint. A wide cart sat atop two sets of wheels towards the backs of the contraptions, with one set of handlebars jutting up at the front and extending forward like a motorcycle fork, but one that held two wheels on either side of it instead of one wheel in the middle of it. They were large, the dark rubber gleaming in a way that was strangely reminiscent of steaming black horses, chomping at their reins as they prepared for a run.
Weird mental imagery, but ok Izuku, whatever works.
Really, the vehicles were closer to quads than they were to chariots, but UA probably had to make some concessions to the practicalities of design, even if everything else about the place screamed over the top nonsense. Robotic horses had probably been out of the question, but Izuku would have been lying if he said the prospect wasn't fun enough to interest him. Perhaps that could be another side project.
"One driver and one to three riders, all of whom have to manage their cart while rounding your very own Circus Maximus, the UA sports festival stadium!" The picture changed to an overhead diagram of the stadium, with a path of dotted lines tracing its way around the outside.
"But we promised twists, didn't we? That's because this isn't a normal race! You see, these cute little pennants on the backs of these chariots aren't just for show. They're your tickets into the final round!"
"Ticket into the final round?" Mused Izuku, rubbing his chin in thought. "Perhaps we have to have three pennants to advance, or maybe, ow-" Bakugo elbowed him lightly to refocus his attention on Midnight.
"Each student is awarded a point value based off their position in the previous event. In last place, you start off with five points, in second to last, ten points, third to last is fifteen, and so on. Except of course," Midnight licked her lips and winked at the camera, "for our first place winner, whose contribution to her teams' combined total will be ten million points!"
Izuku looked over to the Yaoyorozu, who suddenly seemed very unsure of herself. He kept his own expression blank, but the hungry looks he saw on his classmates and competitors was surely not helping the poor girl.
"And of course, you kids will be duking it out on your chariots as you make three laps around the stadium! Stealing pennants, using quirks, even falling out and getting back into your chariot, all of these are allowed." At this latest declaration, the hungry looks his classmates were shooting at Yaoyorozu turned positively bloodthirsty, and Izuku almost felt bad while he came up with plans to steal her pennant himself. Almost.
"The game won't be over until everyone has completed three laps around the stadium, all pennants have crossed the finish line, or if fifteen minutes expire! After any of those conditions are met, whatever combination of sixteen students has the most points will be moving into the final round! Now, all you hero hopefuls start getting together and making your teams, time starts now!"
Almost as soon as her words left Midnight's mouth, Izuku felt a sudden and intense wave of intent rising from behind him from two very distinct sources. Turning around, he smirked at the sight of Bakugo and Uraraka each wearing a look of absolute determination, though in Bakugo's case there was an edge of violent excitement to it as well.
"Deku-kun," Uraraka growled, surprising him with the sudden change in her voice that now seemed almost sinister. "I want those ten million points, and I want to win this thing!" Beside her, Bakugo cackled madly.
"Deku, you drive while me an' Cheeks run offense, unless you wanna grab Bubblegum to be your driver. We've got long range options, you don't, and you spend enough time dicking around with gears and shit, you can probably keep this bitch steady while I kill all the other extras! If you get Bubblegum then you can run defense for the flags we grab, but if she won't drive then it should be her on defense." Uraraka snapped out of her competitive drive and shot Bakugo a weird look.
"If I could just-" Izuku was cut off by Uraraka voicing a thought that he would never have said out loud, but had been thinking as well a moment earlier.
"You sounded like Deku-kun while you were planning just now, haha."
"Fuck you I don't mumble my plans and shit! I state them out loud like a badass!" Some small explosions accompanied his words, and Izuku cleared his throat to try and get his friends' attention back.
"That's more normal," Uraraka chirped, smiling at Bakugo while he sneered back at her. He let off another pop and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Guys!" That did get both their attention back on him, which he was glad for as they were running out of time. "Thanks. Okay, Mei said she wanted to be on a different team for the second event so that 'no sponsors would confuse my ugly inventions for her beautiful babies' so she's not joining us. I think we're fine with three, but there's something I need to ask you both permission for."
"What is it, Deku-kun?" Asked Uraraka with a tilt of her head, while Bakugo just gave a derisive huff and nodded to tell him to continue.
"Kacchan, Uraraka, remember what I said to Todoroki in the waiting area before the match? Well, it's because of that, I want to be on offense. I want to take his pennant, and make him lose, and I want to personally be the one to do it." As he spoke the armor on his upper body began to retract once more until it was completely folded away, and though he shook a bit, Izuku held a determined fist before him.
Bakugo just blinked at him, and it looked as if he visibly had to repress the urge to snort. Uraraka was looking both confused and a bit concerned, but it seemed she would.be willing to try. Bakugo spoke up.
"Nice fucking sentiment and all nerd but even with your upper half you're not exactly suited for crossing big distances without cables or shit, and this wagon's gonna be moving. We can't risk getting the cart close to their shit cause he could just ice the wheels or the track, or make a pillar under our cart and push us back or cause a crash."
"What's the problem then Kacchan?"
"Nerd, we need whoever is on offense to be able to get there and back from their shitty cart, which you can't do, at least until you can recharge. You told me how much of your energy those shoulder boosters take, and you're not even willing to use em right now." Izuku glanced at him quizzically and Bakugo snorted. "Yeah I saw you starting to run out of steam, it's why I think you should drive and defend. Besides, I can blast my way around, and Cheeks can bounce over with her zero G shit. So unless you got a way to get to his cart, beat his team, and get back on whatever juice you got right now, we need you driving."
Izuku smirked at his friends and glanced from side to side quickly before leaning in and bringing them in conspiratorially. One quick whispered explanation later saw Uraraka looking even more fired up than she had been, and Bakugo like he was about to explode in excitement. Or possibly just because he could. Sometimes, Izuku had to admit, it was hard to tell.
"Deku, I fucking love it. Cheeks, you okay with this?" A violent nod and a fist pump was all the confirmation they needed. Izuku smiled, and the three brought their hands together in a pile before sending them up in a wordless cheer. Rather, Izuku and Uraraka gave a wordless cheer. Bakugo was, as usual, a bit more vulgar. "Fuck yeah, let's kill these hoes!"
"Kacchan!"
"Bakugo!"
"What?!"