"How dare he challenge me in front of everyone?" Monoma clenched his fists.
"Yeah! Tell them, bro!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed.
"Whoa, what a speech..." muttered Setsuna.
He's so confident... I love him! Itsuka blushed, turning as red as a tomato.
Mato descended from the pedestal and rubbed the back of his head.
"Challenge accepted, Shirakawa," said Monoma with his voice full of venom.
Mato didn't answer.
"Let's announce the first game of the qualifiers: Obstacle Race!" shouted Midnight.
"An obstacle course race. In short, whoever arrives first wins."
The gates opened.
Very well. It doesn't matter if I don't rank first, as long as I get to the next round.
"LET THIS OBSTACLE RACE... BEGIN!"
__________
Phase 1 - Faux Villains
Everyone began to run forward to reach the end. Mato, instead, took a deep breath and relaxed.
"What a pain in the ass," he sighed. "I don't want to run."
From under his feet, he materialized a wave of darkness. "Carry me, my Quirk."
Mato dashed forward, thanks to the dark wave, and surpassed several other students. In the general confusion, Tetsutetsu noticed him.
"Hey, bro, no fair!" he exclaimed. "You're not running!"
"Who said I have to?" Mato asked. "As long as I reach the end before everyone else, it's fine."
The boy noticed the other students were frozen. "This must be Todoroki-kun's work."
In the way, Mato found an obstacle: a giant robot.
"It did seem too easy..." sighed the boy. The darkness automatically ejected him from the wave, bringing him face-to-face with the robot.
"Take this, obstacle."
SBAM!
Mato delivered a powerful punch wrapped in darkness and destroyed the robot.
(Okay, not the question is... how the hell do I land on the floor?)
Mato started to fall. He shielded himself, preparing for the collision, but just as he was about to crash to the ground, something grabbed him—or rather, someone.
"Are you okay, Hideki-kun?" Itsuka Kendo had used his Quirk to enlarge her hands and grab Mato on the fly.
"Yeah, I am," said Mato. "Thanks."
Kyaaaa! He thanked me!
"Could you let me go now?"
"Oh, right, sure!"
Itsuka let go of Mato as the boy summoned the dark wave again.
"I'll make sure to repay you someday!" he shouted from afar. "I'm going to win this also for you!"
__________
Obstacle 2 - The Fall
Mato arrived at a stage full of holes.
"A balance test, huh?" he said. "Nothing easier."
He materialized a pair of dark shoes and jumped high in the air.
Thanks to my Quirk, I can jump from one patch of ground to another without risking a fall.
He landed on the other side of the stage. "I've got the lead!"
Mato turned and saw Todoroki in front of him. "Okay, forget what I said. I do not have the lead.
__________
Obstacle 3 - The Minefield
Everything was proceeding pretty well. Every time Mato saw an obstacle, he just obliterated it with his Quirk. Suddenly, though, just when everything seemed to go as planned, Mato heard an explosion behind him.
His dark wave disappeared, and he fell on the ground.
"What the..." he grunted, looking up. He saw a guy with spiky, yellow hair and an evil grin.
"Sorry," he said. "But you were in the way, extra!"
"I'm not an extra!" Mato shouted, getting up and starting to run after him. "I'm Hideki Shirakawa, dammit!"
No. That's not true. I'm not Hideki Shirakawa. I'm Satoru Akiyama. But I'm going to win this festival as Hideki Shirakawa!
As Mato ran on foot, he noticed Izuku.
"Hey, Izuku!" he said, accelerating to reach him.
"Hideki! You here too?"
Mato nodded.
"Yep."
"These two in front of us are my classmates."
"I know one of them," Mato pointed at Todoroki. "Shoto Todoroki, right?"
"Right, how do you know him?"
"I talked to him when you were in the infirmary after the battle with the villains."
"Oh, I see..."
Mato pointed at the guy with yellow hair.
"And who's the other one who almost blew me up earlier?"
"That's Katsuki Bakugo, but I call him Kacchan."
"That's why he always seems so pissed off."
"What do you mean?"
"He must hate this nickname."
"But he calls me Deku..."
"Do you like the nickname Deku?"
"Yes, but..."
"I don't see any problem then."
Mato took a quick look at both of the boys in front of them.
"Izuku," he said. "Do you want to win this race?"
"Of course I do," replied Izuku.
"Listen to me then," said Mato. "We have to use our brains."
"How?"
"Since I don't care about first place, I'll let you the win."
Mato jumped back and left.
"Hideki! Where are you going?" Izuku shouted, but it was already too late. Or wasn't it?
A couple of seconds later, Mato returned with a piece of a destroyed robot.
"We'll use this to propel us forward," Mato explained. "Then I'll give you an extra propel to let you win."
"Why are you letting me win?"
"Because I don't give a fuck about first place."
Or... maybe because I'm really starting to see you as a friend.
"Fine, let's do it, Hideki!"
"All or nothing!" Mato threw himself face down on the ground, creating a huge explosion. Izuku gripped his uniform just in time.
Todoroki and Bakugo turned to see the two friends flying in the air.
"Yo, toppers!" Mato made a V with his fingers and let go of the piece of the robot.
"How are we supposed to land?" Izuku asked.
"You don't have to worry about this," said Mato. "Enough using our brains, it's time to use our Quirks!"
Mato kicked Izuku in the gut, propelling him forward.
"Sorry, I didn't think about a softer method."
Mato turned to face Bakugo just long enough to give him a raspberry.
"Shove the explosions up your ass, you arrogant piece of shit!"
Mato landed back on the floor and started to run as fast as he could. In front of him, there was only Izuku.
It's done, he won...
Mato dashed one last time and pushed Izuku forward. The green-haired boy hit the finish line, and after what seemed less than a second, Mato did too.
The crowd exploded in cheers and applause.
"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Midnight announced. "OR SHOULD I SAY, TWO WINNERS?"
"One," said Mato, raising his index finger. "He won. I'm in second place."
"What a humble kid!" exclaimed Midnight. "And the winner is... Izuku Midoriya!"
From up above, Mato could see All Might, Thirteen, and Vlad King clapping their hands.
All Might smiled at Izuku. Vlad King smiled at Mato. The two boys smiled back.
I've always thought he was the best in his class, thought Vlad King. And also my favorite student.
"He's proud of you," said Mato, smiling.
Izuku couldn't contain his emotions and started crying.
"Good job, roommate," Mato clapped his friend on the back
__________
Shortly after, everyone else arrived.
"Shirakawa-kun!" Setsuna shouted as she hugged him. "You're amazing! You won!"
"I didn't," said Mato, breaking the hug. "Midoriya did."
"But you're in second place," said Tetsutetsu, who also landed beside him. "You left us in the dust!"
From afar, Monoma was looking at Mato with hatred.
Why... he challenged me, and now he's even winning... I'm supposed to be the best, not him... I hate him with a passion!
Shortly after, Bakugo punched the wall. "Damn... that boy with red hair! He surpassed me and then even mocked me! I'm never going to forgive him!"
Mato was resting after his insane race, drinking water, when Todoroki approached him.
"Shirakawa-kun."
Mato put down the water and wiped away his sweat from the forehead with a towel. "Huh?"
"Good job."
"Thanks, Todoroki-kun."
"I can't help but admit you've done a better job than mine."
Todoroki placed his fist on Mato's chest.
"But next time we face each other, I'll win."
Mato smiled. "We'll see."
______
Kamino District, Yokohama...
The villains were watching Tv, but not for fun. They were monitoring Mato throughout the Sports Festival.
"Why did he let the win to that brat?" Shigaraki wondered, scratching his cheek. "He should've gone straight for the victory, but he decided to help him. It doesn't fit a villain."
"It's clear you don't know Mato," Dabi snorted. "He did it to earn even more trust from that boy. He made the right choice."
"Mato-kun is so smart..." Toga mumbled. "I hope he wins..."
"Toga-chan," Dabi turned to the girl. "Do you have a crush on Mato? Or do you give attention to him only because he lets you drink his blood..."
Toga scratched her head.
"Mmmhh... I don't really know if I have a crush on him, but..."
The cameras focused on Mato, who was adjusting his hair.
"I might have."
See, Mato? thought Dabi. Told ya she likes you.
Chapter 11 - End