(Kenjiro's POV – First Person)
The frozen carcass of the Zero-Pointer collapsed behind me with a thunderous crash, sealing off the path for anyone dumb enough to lag behind. I didn't bother looking back—I already knew who'd make it through anyway.
Bakugo, obviously. That guy wouldn't let something like a few hundred tons of ice stop him.
Izuku? Yeah, he'd find a way. Kid was stubborn like that.
And Todoroki?
I smirked.
He's the one I'm not worried about.
A distant CRACK echoed from the blockade as Kirishima and that steel guy from 1-B—Tetsutetsu, or whatever—shattered their way free.
"Hah! Nice try, Icyhot!" Kirishima yelled, his hardened fists still smoking from the effort.
Tetsutetsu grinned, flexing. "Yeah! You ain't stoppin' us that easy!"
Then they locked eyes.
And Kirishima's face fell.
"Wait… your Quirk is just like mine?!"
"Huh?! No way! Mine's way manlier!"
I rolled my eyes and kept running. Idiots.
A series of explosions rocketed past me—Bakugo, obviously, because subtlety was a foreign concept to him. He didn't even glance my way, too focused on the next obstacle.
Then came Izuku, green lightning crackling around him as he bounded forward at 5% power. Behind him, Sero's tape shot out, swinging him like a pendulum, while Tokoyami's Dark Shadow carried him like some kind of gothic nightmare.
Not bad.
From the stands, I could already hear the murmurs of the pros.
Snipe's voice crackled over the stadium speakers. "Looks like Class 1-A's dominatin' the lead. Reckon they've got a fire lit under 'em after the USJ."
Eraserhead, ever the ray of sunshine, grunted. "They've learned not to hesitate. That's all."
I smirked. Damn right.
Then I saw it.
A yawning chasm stretched across the path, so deep the bottom was swallowed in shadow. The only way across? A series of tightropes, swaying in the wind like they were begging someone to fall.
Oh, this is gonna be fun.
Before I could move, a loud, way too cheerful voice cut through the tension.
"MAKESHIFT BRIDGE, GO!"
A pink-haired girl from the Support Course—Mei Hatsume, if I remembered right—unleashed a ridiculous array of gadgets from her belt. Springs, hooks, some kind of hover-boots—she practically flew across the gap, cackling like a mad scientist.
"Behold! The power of Support Course ingenuity!" she crowed, leaving Mina and Ochaco gaping behind her.
Mina groaned. "Oh, come on! That's cheating!"
Ochaco pouted. "I just wanted to float across…"
I snorted. Cheating? Nah. Just playing smart.
I didn't need gadgets.
I didn't need tightropes.
I just needed momentum.
"Mochi Trampoline!" I slammed my feets down, and a springy platform of mochi erupted beneath my feets. One leap—
—and I was airborne.
The wind howled in my ears as I soared over the abyss, the crowd's gasps a distant buzz. For a second, it was just me and the open sky.
Then I landed, rolling smoothly on the other side.
First.
The crowd erupted.
"Who is that guy?!"
"He cut a Nomu in half during the USJ attack!"
"His Quirk's insane!"
I grinned, brushing off my sleeves. Damn right it is.
But the fun wasn't over yet.
Behind me, two figures closed in fast.
Bakugo, explosions roaring like a jet engine.
And Todoroki, ice surging beneath his feet like a frozen wave.
The announcers were already hyping them up.
"Look at Todoroki go! That precision—that power! Truly the son of Endeavor!"
"And Bakugo's not holding back either! What a show!"
I cracked my neck.
Let them come.
******
(Kenjiro's POV – First Person)
Enough playing around.
The minefield stretched ahead of me, a deceptively calm sea of dirt hiding enough explosives to send a small army flying. Behind me, the distant roar of explosions and the crackle of ice told me exactly who was catching up.
Todoroki and Bakugo.
Good. Let them fight each other.
I crouched low, feeling the mochi in my legs compress like coiled springs.
"Mochi Boost—Full Power."
Then—launch.
The ground shattered beneath me as I rocketed forward, the world blurring into streaks of color. Mines detonated in my wake, shockwaves nipping at my heels, but I was already gone—skimming over the explosions like a stone across water.
The crowd's roar was deafening.
"HOLY—HE'S FLYING?!"
"DID HE JUST IGNORE ALL THE MINES?!"
I grinned. Damn right I did.
A glance back showed the real entertainment.
Todoroki, forced to move carefully through the minefield, was a sitting duck. And Bakugo? Oh, he loved that.
"OUTTA MY WAY, HALF-AND-HALF!"
A blast of fire and fury, and Bakugo was on him, palm sparking.
Todoroki barely dodged, ice surging to block the explosion.
"You challenged Deku. You challenged Mochi freak," Bakugo snarled, eyes wild. "But you didn't even look at me?!"
Todoroki's breath fogged in the cold. "I don't care about you."
Wrong answer.
Bakugo's face twisted, and he lunged.
The two became a storm of ice and explosions, mines detonating around them as they fought—not just to win, but to prove something.
Idiots. I shook my head. They're gonna blow each other up before the finish line.
The stadium lights burned bright ahead.
One last push.
I landed hard, skidding across the dirt before crossing the line in a cloud of dust.
"FIRST PLACE—SASAKI KENJIRO FROM CLASS 1-A!"
The crowd erupted.
"UNBELIEVABLE! HE CLEARED THE MINEFIELD LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!"
"THAT'S THE GUY WHO TOOK DOWN THE NOMU!"
I stretched, rolling my shoulders. Too easy.
Behind me, the battle resolved itself.
Todoroki, using a last-second ice slide, slipped past Bakugo's fury to take second.
Bakugo, screaming incoherently, blasted his way to third.
And Izuku?
The kid came stumbling in fourth, covered in dirt but grinning like he'd already won.
In the stands:
Endeavor scowled, arms crossed. "Second place? Unacceptable."
All Might chuckled. "Young Sasaki is quite the powerhouse! But Midoriya's holding his own!"
Aiko (somehow smuggled into the hero section) was jumping up and down. "HE WON! HE TOTALLY WON!"
Mrs. Tanaka just sighed, wiping tears. "That boy... always showing off."
The announcer's voice boomed. "WHAT A START TO THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL! BUT DON'T REST EASY, HEROES—THE NEXT EVENT AWAITS!"
I cracked my neck, watching as the other competitors staggered in.
Todoroki, icy as ever, but his fists were clenched.
Bakugo, seething, looking ready to murder someone.
Izuku, panting but alive with determination.
Good.
This was just the beginning.
And I wasn't planning on losing.