Cheers erupted through the stadium as the students poured in—an arena so massive, it resembled a colosseum. I never imagined U.A. had a facility this enormous.
On the other end, Present Mic stood tall with his usual over-the-top energy, ready to announce the event.
[WELCOME TO THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL, WHERE HEROES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WATCH OUR LITTLE FUTURE HEROES IN ACTION!]
[IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN—OUR GLORIOUS ANNUAL EVENT WHERE STUDENTS WILL TOTALLY DESTROY EACH OTHER!]
The crowd's attention was fixated on him—his flair and volume impossible to ignore. He continued, hyping it all up.
[AND LET ME GUESS—YOU'RE ALL HERE TO SEE THEM, AREN'T YOU? THE FIRST-YEAR HEROES WHO JUST FOUGHT OFF A REAL VILLAIN ATTACK WITH HEARTS OF STEEL?!]
[THE HERO COURSE! CLASS ONE!!! YOU'RE HERE TO SEE CLASS 1-A, RIGHT?!]
And just like that, Class 1-A stepped forward, greeted by cheers and thousands of eyes locked onto them.
"W-Whoa!! We're famous!!" I shouted, practically bouncing with excitement.
Slowly, students from other classes began to gather too, streaming in from all directions and making the atmosphere feel even more overwhelming.
"S-So many people…" Midoriya muttered under his breath.
In front of us, a small stage had been set up. Standing upon it was the event's official host—a hero dressed in a rather… tight outfit.
"EVERYONE, MAKE SURE TO PLAY FAIR!"
I froze, staring at her with my mouth slightly open.
"That outfit's kinda… vulgar," I whispered bluntly.
Midoriya flinched, quickly pulling me back and covering my mouth in panic.
A low growl came from the woman—Midnight—her crimson eyes locking onto me with dangerous intensity.
"I'll whip you for that," she threatened coldly.
With a squeak, I darted behind Midoriya for cover. He stifled a laugh, leaning back to whisper to me.
"Careful, Tsukasa. She's really sensitive about outfit criticism…"
Whispers swirled through the students.
"Hey, isn't she the youngest Pro Hero? Just 18? That's Midnight, right? She's… seriously pretty."
Midnight growled again and snapped her whip harshly through the air.
"SILENCE! Let's begin! From Class 1-A, the student representative—Bakugo Katsuki!"
Everyone froze. No one had expected Bakugo to be chosen as the representative. Meanwhile, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
Bakugo stepped onto the stage, his expression unreadable as he scanned the crowd.
"Sensei… I'm going to take the top spot," he said plainly.
I couldn't hold back anymore—I burst into laughter. Kirishima shouted from the crowd.
"CALLED IT! I knew he'd say something like that!"
Midnight chuckled softly, then gestured toward a holographic screen as it began to shuffle through options.
"Alright then, let's kick things off with the first event!"
Everyone's eyes locked on the screen, tension rising.
"This is the qualifier round! Every year, someone ends up crying their eyes out in this one…"
And finally, the result was revealed—
[Obstacle Course Race]
Midoriya stood still, lightly stroking his chin in confusion. Yaoyorozu stepped forward and glanced at me.
"This is a race between all classes. The course is around 4 kilometers—circling the entire stadium," she explained clearly.
I turned to her with a wide, bright grin.
"Thanks for explaining it to us, Yaoyorozu!" I said cheerfully.
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Idiot."
Now… our eyes shifted to the glowing symbol overhead—the one that would start it all. We braced ourselves, crouched into position.
Students around us were tense, focused, ready to give it everything they had.
"Watch me, Dad… I can do this."
***
The green light flashed.
And just like that, the students burst forward, dashing with all their might through the gates and onto the designated course.
On the far side, Todoroki surged ahead, effortlessly skating across a trail of ice erupting from beneath his feet, leaving the rest of the competitors far behind.
Meanwhile, the rest of Class 1-A followed suit, each utilizing their Quirks to propel themselves forward.
I extended my hand in front of me.
"Hakujoudai! Kakujoudai!"
Two jet-black eyes emerged from the shadows beneath me, lifting my body off the ground. My feet no longer touched the earth as I soared freely through the air—just like a bird.
"You bastard, Aizawa!!!" Yaoyorozu cursed from below as she sprinted.
I glanced down and flashed her a mischievous grin.
"Oof, such language. You know... I could send you back to the starting line if I wanted."
Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as she growled, "You little—are you threatening me, you damn punk?!"
I laughed out loud, then shot forward, picking up speed without a care in the world.
Up ahead, the leading figures came into view—Bakugo and Todoroki, neck and neck, their fierce rivalry heating up the track.
"Yo! Mind if I join the party?" I called out cheerfully.
Both of them snapped their heads toward me, startled by my sudden appearance. Their expressions twisted into annoyance as I greeted them with a sly smile.
Before us, a wave of giant robots appeared—just like the ones from the entrance exam. A whole battalion of them.
Todoroki wasted no time, freezing everything in his path in one sweeping motion. Bakugo charged forward, blasting them apart with his explosive bursts.
A few robots approached us, and I drew in a deep breath.
"Boom!" I shouted.
In a flash, the robots vanished—gone without a trace.
Bakugo gritted his teeth. "Damn it! What the hell did you just do?! Where'd they go?!"
Still gliding midair, I tapped my chin thoughtfully, then shot him a playful smirk.
"Oh... I just sent them to the back of the line. Heheheheh."
Todoroki chuckled under his breath, a smug edge to his voice. "Hmph. You're more cunning than you look."