Chapter 39: The Obstacle Race
"Haha! Is that the Hero Course class president? Not bad, very interesting! Just for that speech alone, I want to send him an invitation!" a Pro Hero laughed, slapping his knee as he decided then and there to offer Yoshikage Kira a spot at his agency.
"Now this is what the Sports Festival is all about! Competitions where everyone is shouting 'friendship first, competition second' are completely meaningless!"
"Go for it, kid! We're rooting for you! Get first place!" Kira's speech had instantly ignited the passion of the crowd. They began to cheer and shout, roaring their support for their favorites.
After Kira left the stage, the audience was still in an uproar, and the competitors below were fired up, turning their collective anger on Bakugo, who had seconded Kira's sentiment.
"You're pretty arrogant, huh!? Just you wait for me in the match!"
If Kira's speech had brought everyone's hidden desire for victory to the surface by presenting a harsh reality, then Bakugo's words had truly provoked the wrath of the masses. Use us as stepping stones? You've got to be kidding me!
One student, in their excitement, even shouted the derogatory nickname "Sludge-face Bastard." It was a clear reference to the incident before school started where Bakugo had been captured by a villain codenamed the "Sludge Villain" and had only barely escaped with All Might's help.
Oh no! Why did they have to bring up Kacchan's sore spot!? Midoriya screamed internally. He knew that while society had praised Bakugo for holding out against the villain until help arrived, for Kacchan himself, the incident was an indelible mark of shame. That feeling of helpless despair while waiting for rescue was something he never wanted to experience a second time.
However, to Midoriya's surprise, Bakugo, who he had expected to start a shouting match, merely shot the crowd a cool glance and showed no reaction, as if it didn't bother him at all.
...I see. I should have realized it sooner. Kacchan is burning his bridges. He plans to erase that dark part of his history with his own strength. Midoriya clenched his fists again, his conviction solidifying. If that's the case, then how can I possibly give up so easily!?
That's more like it... A slight curve formed on Yoshikage Kira's lips.
If he was going to stir up trouble as Aizawa had suggested, one person's standout performance wouldn't be enough to capture the entire audience's attention. Only by getting everyone fired up, making them give their absolute all in this competition, could he create a spectacle that would drive people wild.
He glanced at the media crews, who were filming him frantically, and nodded in satisfaction. Conflict equaled ratings. No matter who won this Sports Festival, it was guaranteed to attract national attention. As long as the competition was exciting, the negative publicity from the USJ incident would basically be a thing of the past.
His speech would also shift most of the public's focus onto the eventual champion. If he just managed to place somewhere in the middle of the pack, he could relax a little.
In Kira's view, the winner of this year's festival would, barring any surprises, be one of three people: Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, or Izuku Midoriya. It wasn't that he thought the students of Class 1-B were weak, but there was a decisive gap between the two classes. The students of Class 1-A had experienced a real battle. They could attack an enemy without any psychological hesitation.
Class 1-B and the other courses, on the other hand, had at most participated in mock battles where pulling punches was the norm. When faced with a real enemy, they would subconsciously hold back.
However, that was just a prediction. A real competition was unpredictable. No one could say for sure until the very end.
Maybe... I could take first place myself?
The bold thought had just entered Kira's mind when he dismissed it with a laugh. Impossible. Without revealing "Killer Queen," he didn't think his Quirk gave him much of an advantage.
But, even with that thought, if an opportunity to take the championship presented itself, he wouldn't just hand it over.
"Alright, that's enough talk! Let's get the first event started!" Midnight, seeing the crowd's enthusiasm reaching a fever pitch, slung her whip over her shoulder and shouted, "The first event is the so-called qualifier! Every year, a huge number of students are eliminated in tears at this stage! The first fateful event is—"
As Midnight spoke, a screen that looked like a Hearthstone matchmaking wheel popped up behind her. The images on it spun rapidly before settling on a name written in both Kanji and English.
"AN OBSTACLE RACE!"
"All students from all eleven classes will participate in this race! The course is a four-kilometer lap around the outside of the stadium!" Midnight licked her lips and said meaningfully, "Our school's selling point has always been freedom! As long as you don't go off the course, anything goes!"
Before the students could even digest the meaning of her words, she continued, "Alright, alright! To your positions! Stop dawdling!"
The entire group of over 200 students gathered at a single gate. It was pitch black inside, the path to the outside blocked by a massive wall similar to U.A.'s main barrier. Everyone stared grimly at the green lights above.
Kira, unlike the others who were desperately pushing to the front, stood at the back of the crowd in a less congested spot, observing his surroundings.
As the green lights went out one by one, Midnight gave the command: "BEGIN!"
A sliver of light appeared in the darkness—the path to the outside. Everyone instantly pushed off and started running.
"ALRIGHT, LET'S START THE LIVE COMMENTARY!" Just like any competition, every match needed expert commentary, and for U.A. High, that meant the man with his own private radio show, Present Mic. "HOW'S IT GOING, LISTENERS!? IT'S YOUR OLD PAL, MIC, BACK AGAIN TO CALL THE ACTION! AND THIS IS MY PARTNER, FRESHLY UNEARTHED FROM HIS TOMB, MR. MUMMY! SAY HI TO THE CROWD!"
"Hey. You're the one who dragged me here."
Ignoring Aizawa's grumbling, Mic asked, "LET'S CUT TO THE CHASE, MUMMY! WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE OPENING STAGES?"
"Right now."
As expected... Kira looked at the crowd jammed together in front of him and sighed, reminded of the chaos in the cafeteria during the press intrusion.
"Do these people ever learn...?"
While waiting, Kira had already figured it out. This race was like a marathon, with no assigned lanes. Everyone was free to position themselves as they pleased. But the path ahead was extremely narrow, and with the walls closing in, it would easily create a bottleneck.
It would be fine if they were just walking, but this was a critical competition. No one was going to give an inch. The result was that only the people at the very front would be able to get through, and they would be able to create a huge lead.
But... this was a world with something called Quirks. Would anyone really just stand by and watch the people in front get away?
It didn't take long for someone to make a move. Panicked shouts erupted from the front.
"What's going on!? Why is the ground turning soft!? Aaaah, I'm stuck!"
Shoto Todoroki, who was in the first wave, glanced back and saw a swamp-like patch of soft mud spreading toward him. He sighed softly. "Sorry. I didn't want to do this."
The temperature in the entire tunnel suddenly dropped below freezing. In the next instant, a wave of ice surged forward, even freezing the main gate at the exit.
In the crowded environment, almost everyone's legs were frozen in a sheet of crystal ice, unable to move an inch. During this time, a scraping sound could be heard on the ice. Shoto Todoroki's figure emerged from the icy mist, taking a decisive lead as he shot out of the tunnel.
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