The morning sun was sharp against the polished glass of U.A. High. Banners fluttered along the campus, proud and heavy with the U.A. logo stitched bold across them.
Today was the day of the U.A. Sports Festival — and even from the front gates, the buzz of energy was undeniable.
Itami walked up the path, hands in his pockets, bag slung lazily over his shoulder.
Students from different courses streamed in around him, chattering excitedly. He could hear it—nervous jokes, trash talk, confident laughter. A steady hum of anticipation.
In front of him, Iida was already mid-speech, talking animatedly to Uraraka and Midoriya.
"This is the culmination of all our hard work!" Iida said, his arms chopping dramatically through the air. "We must not let our nerves get the better of us!"
Uraraka nodded, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "I'm so pumped! I've never been in a crowd this big before though."
Midoriya looked like he was trying to stay calm—but his grip on his bag strap was white-knuckled.
Itami slid into step beside them, getting a quick nod from Uraraka.
"You ready for this, Itami?" she asked brightly.
"Yeah," he said simply. "Or as ready as I'm gonna be."
Iida adjusted his glasses, giving him a serious look. "We must all do our best! This is not only a chance to prove ourselves—it's a rare opportunity to impress Pro Heroes watching from the stands!"
"Iida's been like this since he woke up," Uraraka whispered to Itami, laughing behind her hand.
Itami smirked a little. "Wouldn't expect anything less."
Ahead, the massive stadium loomed—bigger than anything he'd ever seen in person. Helicopters buzzed far above, broadcasting live footage across Japan.
He could already feel the heat in his chest start to build—not from nerves exactly, but from something heavier.
A pressure he couldn't quite name.
Today's not just another day...
Everyone's watching.
Itami exhaled slowly, steeling himself as they passed through the gates.
The locker rooms buzzed with energy.
Itami changed quickly, swapping his uniform for the standard U.A. gym clothes.
Around him, the guys from Class 1-A joked and hyped each other up. Some adjusted gloves and gear, others stretched or shadowboxed in the open space.
"Man, this is crazy!" Kaminari said, tossing his jacket into his locker. "There's gotta be, like, a million people out there!"
"Not even nervous!" Kirishima added with a broad grin, slamming a fist into his palm. "This is what we've been training for!"
Itami sat on a nearby bench, tugging his shoes tighter, half-listening.
The weight he felt earlier still pressed against his chest—heavy and cold.
He wasn't scared. Not exactly. But... he wasn't thrilled about being shoved onto a public stage either.
"Yo, Itami!" Kirishima called, pointing at him with a grin. "What about you? You hyped? Nervous? Ready to show off?"
Itami looked up, surprised they even bothered to ask. He shrugged a little, noncommittal.
"I'm not really thinking about it," he said simply. "Just gonna move how I always do."
Kaminari leaned closer, flashing a mischievous grin. "Come on, you gotta be at least a little excited, man! You're about to have all eyes on you. Girls too, ya know."
Kirishima laughed. "Yeah! If you don't do it for pride, at least do it for the fans!"
Itami smirked faintly. "I'm not here to be a poster boy."
"Spoken like a true brooder," Kaminari said, mock-swooning dramatically.
Sero snickered from across the room. "He's got that 'cool and mysterious' vibe going. Total crowd magnet."
Itami rolled his eyes but didn't argue.
Honestly, it was better they saw him that way. Kept questions at arm's length.
He then entered on the waiting room where the rest of his classmates are. He took a seat next to Sero as he collected his thoughts and tried calming his mind. The next thing he knew was Lida coming into the room shouting.
"Alright everyone! Get your game faces on! We're entering the arena soon!"
Opening his eyes, Itami was about to move when he caught Todoroki stepping forward and calling out.
"Midoriya," Todoroki said calmly.
Midoriya stiffened, glancing over, clearly caught off guard.
"Hey Todoroki, what's up?" Midoriya replied as he tried to stay composed.
The whole room paused, quiet curiosity spreading.Todoroki stepped closer, his tone even but cold.
"From an Objective standpoint ," Todoroki said, "I'm stronger than you. More capable."
Midoriya dipped his head a bit agreeing with him.
Todoroki's next words were sharper, his voice cutting through the tense air.
"However you got all might in your corner helping you out"
Midoriya's face froze, wide-eyed.
"Now, I'm not about to pry into why that is, but..." Todoroki continued, expression hardening, "But know I will beat you."
The room tensed. Itamis eyebrow perked up as he listened.
Why are people being up the connection to him and almighty?
Bakugo scowled, clearly annoyed. Kaminari leaned back, whispering loudly, "whooh!! What's with these declaration of wars lately?"
Midoriya, struggling to keep his composure, gave a shaky smile as Kirishima got up from his seat touching Todorokis shoulder.
"What's the big deal, why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?... and right before we get started?"
Todoroki shrugged off Kirishimas hand as he began to walk away. "We're not her to be each others friends. Don't forget this isn't a team effort."
He stopped briefly looking sharply at Itami. "You too, I'll beat you. It won't go down like last time."
The room buzzed, whispers rising. Itami blinked slowly, expression unreadable.
Why does he have a chip on his shoulder for? I didn't do anything.
Midorya then spoke up, clenching his fist. " Wait a sec Todoroki, I don't know what's going through your head. Or why you need to tell me you'll beat me. Of course your better than me. You have lots of potential of being in the hero course. That's why you got in so easily."
Kirishima then chimed in "Midorya maybe you're being a little hard on yourself and us."
Midorya replied with a harder tone. "No. He's right you guys. All the other courses are coming at us with everything they got. We're all gonna have to fight to stand out. And I'll be aiming for the top too."
The room got more tense as people had mixed reactions to Midorya words. Itami smiled to himself slightly thinking.
Huh.. he has a point.
The hall buzzed with noise as Class 1-A marched toward the main stadium tunnel, shoes tapping against polished concrete, chatter bouncing off the walls. Itami followed near the back, hands in his pockets, his usual calm expression betraying little of the churn in his chest.
Then the sound hit him.
The moment they stepped through the tunnel and into the sunlight, the noise exploded—cheering, clapping, horns, an ocean of screaming voices. It was like stepping into the eye of a hurricane.
Itami's head throbbed instantly. He squinted into the brightness, the stadium stretching out before him in full color and chaos. Hundreds of people packed the stands maybe thousands—flags waving, camera drones floating above, screens flashing student profiles.
"Holy crap," Kaminari muttered, staring up at the crowd. "This is nuts."
"It's just like the Olympics!" Kirishima said with wide eyes. "No... cooler!"
Itami rubbed the side of his head, frowning. The noise burrowed in like static in his brain. Every cheer felt like a punch. The nerves weren't the worst part—it was the exposure. The attention. It wasn't a battlefield. It was a spotlight.
He flinched slightly as Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers.
"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THIS YEAR'S U.A. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FESTIVAL!"
The crowd roared even louder. Itami resisted the urge to cover his ears.
Then Midnight strutted out onto the field in her usual scandalous costume, whip in hand, hips swaying as she held up a mic. Her voice rang out, sultry and sharp as ever.
"I hope you're all ready for a day packed with excitement, surprises, and a whole lot of heart-pounding action!"
Itami squinted up at her and muttered, "Why is she dressed like that to announce a school event?"
Sero, standing beside him, snorted. "Dude, she dresses like that to do attendance."
Kaminari leaned in from the other side. "Not that I'm complaining. But yeah, still weird."
Midnight raised a hand dramatically, her grin widening. "Before we begin, let's take a moment to recognize one of the biggest sponsors for this year's Sports Festival—a name you've definitely heard before!"
The screen behind her lit up with a sleek, black-and-gold emblem: DracoTech Enterprises.
Murmurs rippled through the students. Iida stiffened, eyebrows shooting up.
"Huh," he said aloud. "That's surprising."
Momo glanced over. "You know them too?"
"My family does business with them on the tech licensing side," Iida said. "They're huge. But I didn't know they were connected to U.A. in any capacity."
Itami felt the tension coil tighter in his chest. He didn't move, didn't blink. He knew what was coming next.
Midnight continued, voice full of flair. "And in even bigger news—they've just launched a brand-new hero agency. Introducing the Wyrm-Crest Hero Agency and their first Hero leading the way- Flameborn Warden!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the logo of the wyrm-crest clan appeared on screen.
A figure walked onto a balcony, with limbs made of fire coming from his back. He stood tall—arms crossed over his broad chest, sleeveless armor flexing over a body carved by fire and war. His inked arms were marked with traditional Samoan patterns, blending seamlessly with faint dragon-scale textures etched into his skin like battle rites.
A half-helmet shaped like a dragon's lower jawbone framed his face, glowing faintly with internal heat.
He stood silent for a beat—letting the crowd drink him in.
Akuma.
Then, slowly, the helmet hissed and retracted into his collar—revealing his full face, a confident smirk etched in bronze.
He raised a single hand and waved once.
The reaction was nuclear.
People stood. Cheered. Cameras flashed.
Itami didn't move. His jaw tightened.
Kirishima grinned. "Dude looks like a final boss."
Akuma spoke into the mic, voice crisp. "I'm honored to represent Wyrm-Crest, and to stand beside U.A. as a pro hero. I hope to support the next generation—and maybe teach them a thing or two along the way."
Itami didn't hear the rest. His mind flashed back to that night beneath the tree. The cooler full of beer. The laughter. The way Akuma had shrugged off the idea of becoming the face of a hero agency like it was some ridiculous joke.
Liar.
Akuma smiled as he began to flex his muscles, soaking up all the attention. The cheers rolled on. The crowd was eating it up.
But Itami's face remained blank.
His chest burned—not with nerves, but something colder. Something heavier.
Midnight's voice echoed again, ushering in the official start of the festival. But Itami barely heard it.
He looked down at his hands. Fire crackled faintly at his fingertips.
Then he heard Akuma's voice through the speakers—loud, clear, steady.
Not Midnight. Akuma.
"And now..." Akuma began, his voice calm but just slightly strained under the surface. "Allow me to introduce the next prodigy of the Wyrm-Crest family... a name you'll all will come to know."
The crowd quieted, drawn in by the weight behind his words.
Akuma's gaze shifted—locking directly onto Itami.
"Itami Wyvern."
The crowd cheered as all cameras were pointing at him, eyes varying, from judgement, excitement, curiosity.
Itami didn't move.He couldn't.
Kirishima turned, surprised. "Whoa, dude! That's you!"
Sero clapped him on the shoulder. "No way—you're seriously getting called out already?"
Mina blinked. "Wait, wait, your family owns DracoTech Enterprise? The DracoTech?"
Momo's brows knitt together as she watches your reaction.
Bakugo scowled, folding his arms, his lip curling into a faint sneer. "Tch. Figures."
And up above, standing tall on the balcony, Akuma lowered his mic for just a second.
Their eyes met.
Itami didn't see pride in Akuma's face.
Didn't see excitement.
Only guilt.
A silent apology.
You didn't want this either, did you?
But it didn't matter.
Because here he was. Under the world's spotlight.
And there was no walking back.
Itami's jaw tightened. Sparks danced along his fingertips, angry and wild before he shoved them down deep.
The cheers from the crowd swelled.But to Itami.It just sounded like static.