"Oh ho!" Hizashi shouted into the mic, gyrating his hips and throwing his hands around like a fool. "The moment you've ALL been waiting for! That's right, mass media! SWARM! It's time for the first years to enter the stage of this year's UAAAAA SPOOOORTS FESTIVAAAAAL!"
The cheering crowd was like a continuous firecracker, shuddering your very soul. Aizawa Shota was glad for the bandages, in that moment. They were probably muffling his ears a little.
Present Mic, his co-commentator, continued to dance around. What's the bloody point in that? Does he think they can see him?
"And here they come! The ones you've been REALLY excited about! The fledgling heroes who faced an enemy attack with their young noble hearts! It's the hero course, Class 1-A!"
Shota watched through the bandages as his homeroom students made their way onto the stadium green. His depth perception and focus weren't all that great right now, and they looked like little more than specks. Bakugo… Kagamine… we all misjudged you. I'll be watching. Or at least I'll try to watch. He had no doubts that Bakugo would be someone to pay attention to in this event. Kagamine was more of a wild card. If he was never trying to be lowkey because he was a traitor, then he may just not believe in himself. I'll have to make a point to fix that in future classes.
That wasn't to say they were the only two of his students worth worrying over. There was also Todoroki. Shota knew very little about his home situation, but he DID know that Endeavor was present today. That would surely affect the ice-and-fire user's performance, though how Shota could not yet say. He hasn't used his fire offensively at all since the start of the year. Some of the rest of the class may not even know he has it… maybe he was saving it for the event? Certainly a strategy.
Then there was that problem child Midoriya Izuku, who that great bumbling fool All Might so fawned over. There are three rounds. Either Midoriya figures out how to control that damn Quirk of his, or he slowly runs out of bones to break.
Meanwhile, the loud idiot next to him was introducing the other classes.
𖦹𖦹𖦹
Sero Hanta was really feeling the nerves, he had to admit. Being watched by so many people, surrounding him on all sides? The cheering and loud commentary by Present Mic? Not to mention the students from the other classes, who Class 1-A converged with on the center of the green. Many of them had sullen, or even spiteful looks on their faces. "Man…" Hanta whispered to Kagamine next to him. "Those guys don't like us at all, do they?"
"Hmm." The blonde boy seemed kinda out of it.
"Oh no. Is this a repeat of the battle trial?" Hanta waved a long arm in front of his friend's face. "Come in, Station Kagamine. I realize this is a nervous situation, but…"
"Chill out Sero, I'm fine." Kagamine pushed the tape user's arm down in annoyance. "I was just wondering… Todoroki, he's related to someone, right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. He's the son of Endeavor."
"The number two hero." Kagamine narrowed his eyes. "I know about HIM at least. And his… reputation."
"Uh… yeah." Hanta rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and turned back forward.
"Now it's time for the hero pledge!" Midnight announced from the podium, doing a sensuous spin in her form-fitting hero outfit. Most of the men in the crowd sighed in happiness, and Hanta blushed red. He could see Kaminari and Kirishima and some of the other boys doing the same.
"Is she allowed to wear that?" Kaminari asked bashfully.
"Is she even allowed to be at a high school?" Tokoyami followed up, looking uncharacteristically thrown off.
"Quiet, everyone!" Midnight snapped her feathery thing down. "Representing the first years this year is from Class 1-A! Bakugo Katsuki!"
Everyone gasped and turned as Bakugo sauntered up toward the podium, hands in pockets, leaning forward, scowling. Next to Hanta, Kagamine made a face. "Weird that they chose him, right?"
Hanta shrugged. "He did get the highest score on the practical entrance exam."
"Yeah," a general studies girl commented loudly, "in the HERO course." Some of her friends nearby snickered, while others shot Class 1-A dirty looks.
Kaminari rolled his eyes and looked back up at Bakugo, who was now standing at the podium. "It's his fault we have to deal with comments like that."
Next to Hanta, Kagamine had clenched his fists. What's he getting so worked up about? I mean, it IS annoying, but…
Bakugo cleared his throat. "I pledge…" he began. "… that I'll be the winner."
"I KNEW HE'D DO THAT!" A bunch of Class A, including Hanta, exclaimed at once. Far away, Aizawa sighed. I told them to stop syncing up like that.
The rest of the classes were booing and jeering at Bakugo.
"Eat sludge, you bastard!"
"How overconfident can you get?"
"Bakugo!" Iida's hands chopped the air furiously. "How could you say something so disgraceful!"
The blonde boy turned to the other students. "At least do me the courtesy of being a bouncy step that I can jump off with. I'll leave you all in the dust." He gave them a thumbs down, and walked off the podium.
"Well, umm…" Midnight flashed a smile. "Without further ado, let's get started! The first event is something of a qualifier! A culling, you might call it! Every year, many end up drinking their tears here." She smiled sadistically as she said it, and Hanta and some of the other boys shuddered. "Well…!" The prompter began lighting up and spinning words through in a blur, before settling on something. "The first event is an obstacle race!"
Indeed, the words on the prompter read "obstacle race."
"All classes will participate in this race!" Midnight carried on. "The course will be the track that circles the outside of the stadium, four kilometres in length! Be prepared for some surprises along the way, and…" she licked her lips, and gave the students a side-eyed look. "Our school's selling point is freedom. As long as you stay on the course… you can do whatever you want."
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The students formed up at the starting line, which was just inside the stadium in front of the tunnel that led out to the course. Three green lights were lit up along the tunnel roof.
"Stand by," said Midnight.
A LOT of things had been going through Len's head in the past few minutes. Things about his classmates… the students in the other classes… and a few things beyond the scope of this competition. But he was tired of worrying and thinking about all that shit. He could tell that he'd been dragging the mood down in his friend group recently. He wanted to put a stop to that. And indeed, while Sero and Hagakure were elsewhere down the line, he had Mina to his left, and Tsu and Shoji to his right.
"Len?" Mina asked, as she got into a crouching position, ready to run. "You good?"
He paused for a moment. If I want her to like me… I've got to share her energy!
He flashed the biggest grin he possibly could, and gave her a thumbs up. "Yep!"
"Kagamine," Shoji intoned. "I am glad you seem to have arrived at some kind of certainty. I must say that I was worried about you."
"Worry about no one but yourself, Shoji my man. I want you guys to do well, because you're my friends. Now come on! You've all been training for this, haven't you?"
Shoji nodded in agreement, and Mina hmmm'd excitedly. Tsuyu gave him a puzzled look, however. "Ribbit."
One light flashed off. All the students seemed to take in a breath at once.
Len got ready to flash forward. Four kilometres. Take it five metres at a time, steady pace. Get ready to adjust for surprises.
Second light off. Just keep an open mind, why not? See how I do. Don't focus on anything else. Don't think about the crowd, or ANY of your problems…
Third light off. The horn sounded, the students surged forward, and Len warped into the fray.