Chapter 35: Return to Normalcy/Motives and Goals
There's a quiet anticipation to their first day back at school, especially after All Might's announcement. Everyone leaves the dorms more or less together. They all arrive at the classroom almost as a complete unit. It's a subtle reminder that despite how normal their classes are, something did happen. It was not some sick nightmare. It was not some hallucination. Izuku and Ochaco really did fight for their lives less than a week ago.
Izuku feels the difference the most in the minutes before the bell. There's none of the quiet chatter he's come to expect from his classmates. He pretends not to notice the nervous glances that keep getting thrown at him and Ochaco. He understands. If he were in their place, he'd probably do the same thing. It's harrowing to know that you almost lost someone without ever knowing.
Dark Shadow pops up next to his arm, blinking owlishly at him.
"You're sure you're alright?" the shadowy bird says. Izuku smiles softly at them.
"I'm fine. Recovery Girl and the doctors patched me up. Didn't even scar."
"Everyone!" Iida calls out. "Take your seats! Homeroom is about to begin!"
"You're, uh, the only one standing," Joyato says. Iida looks around and realizes she is correct. He flushes and quickly sits down. And not a moment too soon, because right after he does, Mr. Aizawa opens the door and moves to his place in front of the class.
"I see you've all made it here on time after moving in," he says. "Good. I intended on discussing this last Friday, but I was distracted." Izuku tries not to wince. "Your next battle is upon you." Izuku and Ochaco tense instantly, but the rest of the class just look confused. After a moment's pause, Mr. Aizawa elaborates. "UA's Sports Festival is rapidly approaching."
Izuku slumps with so much relief he practically falls through his chair.
"Uh, sir? Is that a good idea after…" Kaminari cuts himself off glancing again at Izuku and Ochaco.
"It is the opinion of people above my pay grade that holding the Festival shows we are not afraid. That we are confident in our ability to handle a crisis. I know security will be stepped up too." Mr. Aizawa gives his usual piercing stare across the room. "What's more important is that you consider what a huge opportunity the Sports Festival truly is for you all. This isn't the kind of event that can be stopped by some villains."
He's got a point. A lot of people and a lot of companies put a lot of money into the Sports Festival and related activities. The sponsors won't be happy if one of their biggest revenue sources doesn't happen. People take vacation days to watch the Sports Festival. Not to mention sports bars or other venues outside of UA that'll be hosting watch events.
UA canceling, or even postponing, would put a lot of people in an awkward position.
"The Sports Festival is a chance to get scouted by a real Pro Hero. Interning with a famous Pro will get you a lot of experience, as well as working connections and a reputation," Mr. Aizawa continues. "Remember: your time is limited. Getting scouted by a Pro gives you a brighter future. This is a once-a-year chance. You'll have three chances. If you want to be a Hero, you can't overlook this event."
Izuku nods. He can do this. He'll be competing against the entire Hero course. He'll probably have to deal with judgement for being Quirkless. He might not get to use his Support Gear. But he can do this. And if he says it enough, he might believe it.
"Ah, there is one other thing," Mr. Aizawa says. "Normally, we do this after, but in the interest of security, you'll be coming up with your codenames before the Sports Festival."
The class, as scientists refer to it, goes fucking apeshit. Everyone jumps around, cheering. Mr. Aizawa has to use his Quirk to calm the class down again.
"We can't force you until internships, but it is heavily encouraged that you pick a codename to be called during the Sports Festival. That way we can limit the amount of personal information revealed by announcements, media text scrawls, etc. You have until the day before to come up with a codename if you want it to be used during the event. I'm no good at this sort of thing, so you'll be submitting your names to Kayama."
Huh. He hadn't had a lot of classes with Mrs. Kayama yet. He'd seen enough to know her overly sexualized persona was just that: a persona. Something she uses on the job. It was fascinating to watch her switch in and out of her act. If anyone at UA knows how to manage an image, Mr. Aizawa is right that it's her.
"She'll swing by here every Heroics Informatics period until the Sports Festival to rate your names. Do try to pick something appropriate. A placeholder name is fine, but the Sports Festival is nationally televised. You may find yourself stuck with the name. So think things through—"
"Or there'll be hell to pay later!" yells Mrs. Kayama, kicking the door open. Which is highly impressive, given it's a sliding door. "The names you pick now, for most Pros they're the names you'll keep when you go Pro! These are the names the world will know you as!" Mrs. Kayama struts over to the podium as Mr. Aizawa pulls out a stack of whiteboards.
"Class Rep, Vice Rep, hand out these whiteboards. Hold on to these throughout the day, and we'll see what you've come up with in Heroics Informatics."
"Your codename should represent the image you want to project. Think about some of the top ten for good examples. 'All Might.' 'Endeavor.' Think about the kind of Hero you want to be. I'll be back then, kiddos! Stretch those creative muscles of yours and come up with some real gems," Mrs. Kayama winks before waltzing back out of the room. Mr. Aizawa just sighs.
"You know, I don't think I ever asked you guys why you want to be Heroes," Izuku says, setting his lunch tray down. It's a little surreal, still eating lunch in the cafeteria when breakfast and dinner are in the dorms.
"Captain's right," Shinsou says, sitting down next to him. "It's never come up. Me? Spite."
"Spite, kero?"
"Yeah," Shinsou says. "I mean, I want to help people, obviously, but…" he sighs. "I want to prove them wrong. Everyone who ever told me I was just a villain waiting to happen. I want to make them eat their words."
"It is unfortunate that you have experienced such hardship," Iida says. Shinsou just shrugs.
"I can kinda relate to that," Izuku says. The others look at him as though he declared All Might unheroic.
"The Embodiment of Sunshine wants to spite people?" Shinsou says.
"I, uh, mentioned this to Ochaco, but it never really came up here… I went to Aldera." The table collectively winces. Izuku just nods. "I've wanted to be a Hero ever since I saw the video of All Might's debut. It's been longer than I can remember."
"I'm the same way, kero," Tsuyu says. "I've had my Hero name picked out since Elementary School." Oh, that's interesting. Izuku didn't really think about how long his classmates had thought about being Heroes.
Izuku tries very hard not to think about his Elementary School Hero Name ideas.
"Well, we all know Iida here is taking over the family business," Shinsou says. "What about you, Uraraka?"
Ochaco starts trembling. Izuku pauses, setting down his utensils.
"Ochaco…?"
"Izuku, I'm so sorry!" she wails. She covers her face with her hands, but Izuku's already seen the tears pouring down her face. The others stop eating, looking at their friend with concern.
"Ochaco, what's wrong?"
"Kero?" Tsuyu leans in, trying to reassure her, but Ochaco moves away from her touch.
"I—I'm no Hero," she sobs. "I just want money."
"What's so unheroic about seeking a comfortable life?" Iida asks, legitimately bewildered.
"You don't understand! Izuku, you almost died because you were kidnapped with me! I shouldn't be here! Someone more heroic should've gotten my spot! They should've been there! You should never have been hurt like that! And it's all because I'm greedy, and selfish, and, and—"
Ochaco tears out of the cafeteria, ignoring her friends calling after her. The entire room goes silent for a moment as the students gawk. Ochaco is long gone before anyone regains their senses.
"She seemed fine yesterday, kero," Tsuyu says, barely a whisper.
"It's probably been building," Shinsou says.
"I'm going to go look for her," Izuku says, standing up.
"Are you certain that's wise? You may upset her further," Iida says. Izuku bites his lip.
"I'll go with him," Tsuyu says. "But, in case something goes wrong, can you get Mr. Aizawa?"
"Already texted him," says Shinsou. "Go, captain."
Izuku doesn't need to be told twice.
Izuku finds Ochaco in the courtyard of Heights Alliance. She's sitting in the corner, curled around herself. Her sobs are quiet, but they echo across the courtyard all the same. Izuku approaches slowly, Tsuyu right behind him, making sure to make noise so she knows they're there. Izuku sits down next to her, and Tsuyu crouches in front of her. Izuku doesn't speak. He just waits for her to compose herself again. Slowly, her sobs are replaced by hiccups.
"You're wrong," Izuku says softly. Ochaco hiccups again but doesn't speak. "You—you aren't greedy, or selfish, or any of the other things you think you are. And you aren't the reason I got hurt."
"But—but I—"
"Ochaco, you saved my life that day. Twice." Izuku turns his head to look at her. She's still completely curled around herself. He can't even see her face. "You were the one who got the signal out to the teachers. You were the one who stopped the Noumu."
"Someone else should've been there. Then—then they would've saved you—"
"Someone else was there, Ochaco. Did you forget about our upperclassmen? Togata is one of the best students here at UA, and he was there. He didn't save me. You did." Finally, Izuku moves to touch Ochaco. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her in. He whispers into her ear. "You want money? So what? You chose one of the most dangerous careers in the world. You could've become a doctor, or an accountant, or any number or well-paying jobs. But you chose to be a Hero. How can you call yourself selfish or greedy?"
"I don't know what it was like, kero. I wasn't there," says Tsuyu softly. "But I do know you, Uraraka. You're kind, and strong, and smart, kero. The only ones at fault are the villains."
Ochaco wails, her sobbing returns with a fervor. But it feels different this time.
Mr. Aizawa finds them a minute or so later, Ochaco pressing her face into Izuku's uniform.
"Uraraka," their teacher says softly. "I've failed you again." Izuku feels her move her head just enough to see their homeroom teacher. "I should've recommended you all to see Inui. You went through something you shouldn't have. You're all just children." Mr. Aizawa gestures for Izuku to pass the crying girl over to him. Izuku hesitates for a moment, then moves so Mr. Aizawa can take her. He embraces Ochaco, rubbing circles in her back.
"In my second year, while on a work study, my best friend died," their teacher says. Izuku jolts. Ochaco hiccups, cutting off her own sobbing, and looks up at Mr. Aizawa properly for the first time since he'd arrived. "I was there when it happened. I stood there in the rain, wondering if he would still be alive if I had been better. I pulled away from everyone else and focused on learning how to fight villains solo. I never wanted to feel that pain again. It took my friends years of badgering me before I snapped out of it."
"I'm still here, Ochaco," Izuku says. "This wasn't your fault."
"Don't push us away, Uraraka," says Tsuyu. "We care about you."
"Talk to Inui. He's your counselor for a reason," Mr. Aizawa says. "And if you still blame yourself, use that to fuel you moving forward. You're just a first year, Uraraka. You did better than anyone could've dared to expect. If you think you weren't good enough, then be better. But self-flagellation won't help anyone. Especially not yourself."
"…thank you," Ochaco breathes.
It takes the rest of their lunch break for Ochaco to calm down completely. She promises she'll be fine for the rest of the day, so Mr. Aizawa lets her come back to class. Izuku can see he's keeping an eye on her. To be honest, so is he. And he keeps seeing Shinsou, Iida, and especially Tsuyu shooting glances her way. He hopes Ochaco knows just how many people care about her.
The rest of the day is uneventful, up until their Heroics Informatics class. As Mr. Aizawa told them in homeroom, Mrs. Kayama struts in again to see if anyone has a suitable codename. A name that will define them and their Heroic persona.
The kind of hero you want to be…? Izuku stares down at his whiteboard. He's thought a lot about that during the first week. That was the whole purpose of seeing all the major branches of Heroics.
When Izuku was a child, the answer was easy. He wanted to be a Hero like All Might, who saved everyone with a smile. He wanted to reassure people with his mere presence. Save people by giving them hope. Is that still what he wants? Or does he want to be more like Eraserhead, saving people in the dark and vanishing into the night? Practically unknown? He knows he could become an Investigative Hero if he wants. Or Rescue?
"Excuse me, kero," Tsuyu says, interrupting his musing. "I already have a name picked out. I've had it since Elementary School, kero."
Tsuyu walks up to the front of the classroom and holds her board of at the podium.
THE RAINY SEASON HERO: FROPPY
"Oh, that's got a nice friendly feel to it," Mrs. Kayama says. "It's short and memorable. Excellent choice, Asui!" Tsuyu beams at their guest. Is she getting more expressive or is Izuku just getting better at reading her?
"Ah, mademoiselle, your name is perfect! How about my own?" Aoyama strids confidently forward and holds his board above his head. "The name of a sparkling Hero!"
I CANNOT STOP TWINKLING
That. Is sure a name. Or a sentence. One or the other. Izuku will get back to you on that once he's done rebooting. What.
"If you remove the 'I' and shorten the 'Cannot,' it'll be easier to say," Mrs. Kayama says.
"That's still a bit of a mouthful in the field," Izuku says.
"What about stars?" Joyato asks. "You could name yourself after a supernova or something."
Aoyama's eyes gleam. He snaps his fingers dramatically.
"Monsieur, mademoiselle, you are both too right! Perhaps I was overeager!" Aoyama returns to his desk with the same confidant stride and pulls out his phone, presumably to search the web for something.
Ashido slams her board down, startling Izuku.
"Call me Alien Queen!" she says. Indeed, that is what's written on her board.
THE RIPLEY HERO: ALIEN QUEEN
"You're going to name yourself after the monster of a pre-Quirk movie? Won't that give people the wrong idea?" says Mrs. Kayama. Ashido clicks her tongue with a mock pout as she returns to her seat. She's got some time to come up with something else. Izuku wonders if she'll choose to stick to the extra-terrestrial theme or the acidic theme. Maybe something else entirely?
And what name is he going with?
Training takes Izuku's mind off the name problem. UA closing to build the dorms and revamp security cost them several days of prep time for the festival. Their Foundational Heroics classes are all going to be Sports Festival training until the event is over.
Izuku has other problems when it comes to sparring though. Every time someone strikes at his chest, he can't help but remember the Noumu. He was weak, and nearly died for it. The advice Mr. Aizawa gave Ochaco comes to him. Using his feelings of inadequacy to fuel him.
Everyone is training in their own way. Kaminari's using some device from the Support Department to charge himself, push his limits. Tsuyu goes to the pool. Iida sprints, running laps around the main campus. Jiro practices dexterity and weights with her jacks.
Izuku himself is sparring with Kirishima today. Kirishima doesn't have the Noumu's size or speed, but he does have raw durability and trained strength.
Kirishima swings a fist around at Izuku, but his blow is wide. Izuku deflects it from within and shoves the boy back. Kirishima surges forward. Izuku sidesteps, whirling. He jabs Kirishima's unprotected side. As Kirishima staggers, Izuku grabs the back of his head and slams it into the dirt.
"Pretty good, Midoriya," Kirishima grins, "But that's not enough to stop me!" Kirishima tries to rise back to his feet, but Izuku's faster. He knees his classmate in the spine and pulls his arm behind his back, pinning him. "Ah, that, uh, that might be enough."
Izuku helps Kirishima back to his feet.
"Thanks for the spar," Izuku says.
"No problem, dude," says Kirishima. "I think it's pretty manly that you're trying so hard."
"I'm not the only one," Izuku says. He gestures with his head to where Ochaco is getting pointers from Mr. Aizawa. Izuku recognizes her drills as the ones he went through. Hand to hand combat. Basic stances and movements.
"I better not fall behind then, huh?" Kirishima nudges him before wandering over to the punching bags, not far from where Shinsou and Sato take turns spotting each other.
"Ah, Mr. Inui? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course. It's why I'm here, Uraraka."
Himiko can hardly contain her excitement. She's vibrating in her seat all throughout her last class of the day. The Sports Festival is one thing, but today she finally has her first Support Club Meeting!
She bounces in place in front of the door to the Development Studio. Time in the lab! She can fiddle around with her inventions! Maybe make something for Izuku! What would he like? Smoke bombs? Tranquilizers? Ooh, could she get some of Mrs. Kayama's Quirk to use as a sedative? Can that be stored?
"You seem excited, Greenie," says someone behind Himiko. She blushes at the reminder of her new hair color. Himiko turns around to find a First-Year with shoulder length pink dreadlocks. Now Himiko isn't as good at Quirk analysis as her brother, but she's spent enough time with him to know the basics. And this girl has some kind of eye or vision-based Quirk. "Do you make babies too?"
Himiko blinks.
"Do you mean inventions—"
"Of course I mean inventions!" the girl squeals. "Once you've put your heart and soul into something you've made, it's like your own child!"
"Oh, Himiko!" a high voice rings out. "The green looks good!" Himiko and her new friend(?) turn to see a tall blonde girl adjusting her glasses as she jogs over.
"Melissa!" Himiko probably should've guessed she would be interested in this club. The other girl squeaks loudly, drawing Himiko out of her thoughts.
"Melissa Shield? Daughter of David Shield? I heard rumors you were here at UA but I dared not dream!" The girl darts over to her. "Hatsume Mei, at your service! We will make wonderful babies!"
"Oh!" says Melissa, obviously surprised by the sudden… everything of Hatsume.
"Of course it's you three," sighs Mr. Maijima, rounding the corner and seeing them. "Of all the students who had to be early to the Support Club. Try not to blow up the Development Studio, would you? Other students should be coming, too."
"No promises!" Hatsume cheers.
It takes Hatsume five minutes before she explodes something. Judging by the reactions—or lack thereof—from Hari, Haguruma, and the other Support Course students, the real surprise is that it took her so long. Himiko suspects Mr. Maijima must talk about her to the other Support classes. The upperclassmen shouldn't know about her otherwise.
Watching Hatsume pull out a pocket-sized fire extinguisher and spritz the charred piece of metal sends Himiko into a fit of giggles.
It's a little strange to be the only non-Support student in the Support Club, but Himiko knew what she was signing up for. No one else seems all that bothered by her presence either. She knows Hari and Haguruma probably talk about her to their class the way she tells anecdotes of Class Z to the rest of 2-A. But even the Third-Year Support students don't seem all too surprised by her. Ah well.
Himiko debates between two different projects. Both would be incredibly useful Support Items. First, that thought she had in the hallway: replicating or storing Midnight's Quirk for later use. Replicating the chemical formula would have the better long-term outcome, as it means the technology could be used generations from now. Additionally, a near-instant sedative is useful not only for Villain apprehension, but medical use. It's also probably the harder project.
The other idea, and the one she's probably going to focus on, is electrified marbles. Ideally, a Hero could throw or scatter them around a target to achieve roughly the same effect as a taser. The real challenge is that Himiko has to limit the amps in each marble so that scattering a handful wouldn't result in a fatal amount of electricity without making individual marbles useless. All this while ensuring the marbles aren't too large to be easily used.
Himiko sighs.
"Having issues coming up with a project?" Melissa asks, leaning over to see Himiko's notes.
"I've got an idea. Two actually. But they're both gonna be hard." Himiko moves so Melissa can see better. The older girl carefully pulls Himiko's notes closer. Her eyes scan over the page.
"I see what you mean. Perhaps we could have a way to dynamically alter the wattage? We'll lose some of the wattage anyway by not polarizing or otherwise having a direct connection to the target."
A toolbox slams onto the table with a loud bang, causing both Himiko and Melissa to jump.
"I hear baby talk!" Hatsume says, peering around at Himiko's notes with a slightly unhinged grin. "I need a quick break from my project before I take another crack at it! And what I'm hearing here is exhilarating! What if we had the marbles make a circuit to synchronize their wattage? Like an electric net?"
None of them notice Mr. Maijima sigh and pull out a can of whiskey highball.
Chapter 36: The Festival Approaches/Push Yourself Forward
The days fly past faster than Izuku expects. In almost no time at all, the Sports Festival is nearly upon them.
"It's just," Ashido says, sprawled on the couch in the dorms lounge area, her legs laying across Kirishima's lap. "Alien Queen is good for my Quirk and my appearance! It's a great name! I don't want to have to call myself Pinky or something!"
"Is that really the only other name you could come up with?" Kirishima says. Ashido sits up, pointing at him.
"You don't get to criticize me! You decided to take a name from an existing pro!" she says. Kirishima sputters.
"Hey, Crimson Riot is my whole inspiration, Mina! He's the kind of Hero I wanna be!"
The kind of Hero you want to be, huh? Izuku drums his fingers on his arm. He's watching the news for Hero fights, hoping for inspiration on names. Most of the class are out training for the Sports Festival. Izuku plans to do the same in a few minutes, name or not.
He can't ever let a repeat of Ground Omega happen.
He needs to be stronger.
But if he does nothing but focus on his training, he'll burn himself out before the Festival. There's no point to training for the Festival if he's too exhausted to compete. He sighs quietly.
"Maybe you can keep the name if you drop the explicit movie references," Izuku suggests. "I'm sure there are aliens with acid powers who aren't a horror movie villain."
"I guess," Ashido sighs. "It is less… murder-y that way."
"We're trying to come up with names that demonstrate what kind of Heroes we want to be, yeah?" Kirishima says. "So, what kind of Hero do you want to be?"
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?
The news Izuku is watching shows an apartment fire. Pro Hero Majestic is on scene. He's a fairly high-ranking Hero. Izuku wouldn't be surprised if he hits top ten soon. Majestic's Quirk lets him make and move floating energy rings. It's an incredible Quirk, and Izuku's recorded it in at least three different notebooks. Right now, he's using it to move up and down the building and transport people out of the fire.
"I wanna be the kind of Hero kids look up to, y'know?" Ashido answers. "I want to save lives and I want little kids to see me and think, 'I can do that someday!'"
Pro Hero Majestic, huh?
"Well," Kirishima shrugs, "All women are queens. You could lean more into the Queen than the Alien."
Maybe Izuku's been overthinking it. After all, he's been in Villain fights already. Maybe he already has a Hero persona.
A slow smile creeps its way over Izuku's face.
"Thanks, you two!" he beams at Ashido and Kirishima. "I know what my name's gonna be now!"
"You're welcome, man," Kirishima says, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'm not sure how we helped?" Ashido lightly punches his shoulder.
"Just take the compliment! Thanks for your help too, Mido!" she says. Izuku waves as he scurries out of the dorms. Now that he has a name, he'll be less distracted while training. Just be careful not to overdo it.
He can't wait to show it off to the class tomorrow!
Himiko finds Izuku practicing drills at the P.E. Grounds. A series of swift strikes to the sparring dummy. As she approaches, Izuku twitches slightly, signaling that he hears her. He finishes the drill before stepping back from the dummy.
"You here to train too?" he asks. Himiko grins.
"I'm so excited! Izu, we get to share our first Sports Festivals!" she says. Izuku laughs, grabbing his towel off a bench and wiping the sweat off his face.
"I can't believe we're expected to come up with our codenames already," he says, setting the towel down in favor of a water bottle.
"I know! Ooh! Have you come up with yours yet?"
"Earlier today. But I'm a little nervous to submit it, you know? What about you?"
"I managed to convince Mrs. Kayama to let me go with Carmilla!" Himiko says. Her smile falters for a moment. She can handle criticism from Mrs. Kayama. She can't say the same about Izuku. Fortunately, her fears are unfounded as always.
"I see you're finally leaning into that amazing Quirk of yours, Himi," Izuku beams.
"I still can't believe you predicted how it would evolve," she says. "But that's not the only thing I have in common with the fictional vampire…" Izuku raises a single eyebrow.
"Himiko, we've discussed our classmates' impossible beauty standards before. I've teased you about how attractive some of your friends are. I know you aren't straight." He takes another swig of water. "I bet mom knows too. She knew I was Bi before I did. Sometimes I swear her Quirk is mind reading." Himiko averts her eyes, fidgeting.
"You too? So, she… she won't mind?"
"The day after I told her myself, I came home to find the entire apartment covered in pride flags. Apparently, she and Aunt Mitsuki used to go to pride parades." Himiko sags with relief. She misses the brief flash of protective rage in Izuku's eyes.
"Ah, Izu?" Himiko cocks her head. "Why do you still call her your aunt?" Izuku sighs.
"Despite her son's problems, she and Uncle Masaru were always good to me. You know they're still close to mom." Himiko nods, digesting the information. Her opinion on Bakugou was much simpler back when she first met him, and he was an abrasive jackass who apparently hurt her brother instead of an abrasive jackass who hurt her brother and also helped fight off villains.
"Well, times-a-wasting," Izuku says. "We gonna train or what?" Himiko beams.
On a whim, Toshinori swings by the gyms to check in on the students' training. It's still just the afternoon, but he knows the upperclassmen like to use the earlier hours so they can focus on their schoolwork in the evening. One of the many things he's learned while guest teaching the previous year, before he was fully hired on as a teacher.
He opens the door quietly, slipping into the gym. Almost all of the equipment is in use. He, of course, recognizes the students he himself teaches, as well as a handful of Second-Years, like Young Wani. But it's to his surprise that Young Uraraka is in the corner on the weight bench.
He makes his way over to the only First-Year in the gym. She's wearing specialized exercise gloves that cover her index finger so she can grip the bar properly without activating her Quirk. She notices him approaching and returns her barbell to its rack.
"Do you need me, sir?" she says. Toshinori chuckles.
"Not at all, Young Uraraka. I'm merely here to observe everyone's training. I wasn't expecting a First-Year to be using this space right now, so I was curious."
"Ah, it's..." she trails off, her eyes locked on her shoes and rubbing her hands together. "Did you hear about the Ground Omega thing?" she winces the moment the question leaves her mouth. "Sorry, stupid question."
"I have," Toshinori says. How could he not have heard of one of his greatest failings as a Hero, and his greatest failure as a teacher. Uraraka nods.
"I still feel so… helpless…" she says. "I was right there, and still…" Toshinori hums.
"I have worked with a great many Heroes in my career," he says. "And every single one of them has felt that way before." Including myself. "Sometimes it is because the Villain got away. Sometimes it is because a civilian died in their arms. Sometimes it is because they were too late. Sometimes, it is the property damage." He sighs, shaking the memories from his mind. "There are thousands of reasons why Heroes blame themselves."
"I know…" she says. "I—I talked to Mr. Inui. And he said—he said that what I'm feeling is normal. That a lot of people who go through something… traumatic blame themselves for surviving when others don't. That my feelings are valid. But I don't know what to do with these feelings!"
Toshinori gently places a hand on her shoulder. She shudders, holding back a sob.
"So you've thrown yourself into your training so you never feel helpless again," he guesses. She nods, turning her head up to look at him for the first time. There is none of the cold despair he was afraid of seeing. None of the darkness hidden behind a cheery smile he's only learned to recognize by looking in a mirror. Her eyes burn with fierce determination.
"Remember, Young Uraraka, that there is a fine line between throwing yourself into your training and self-destruction."
"Of course!" she says. "Mr. Inui already warned me about that." There's a new pressure emanating from the young girl. Toshinori sucks in a breath at the intense aura she gives off. "I'm not going to break myself. I'm going to dominate the Sports Festival! I'm going to give it my all and win!"
Toshinori laughs.
"I'm looking forward to seeing it! Why don't you tell me about how you're preparing?" he says. Uraraka lights up.
"Well, I realized that fighting is a big weakness of mine, so I talked to Mr. Aizawa…"
As Himiko moves around him, seemingly blurring between positions, all Izuku can think is, Wow, she's learned so much here!
Himiko surges forward, thrusting her training knife at his side. Izuku slips around her, pulling her past him and creating some distance.
What most people don't think about in knife fights, is that if both people are willing to take some damage, the 'fight' is just both parties relentlessly stabbing and cutting each other until one or both keels over.
Worse, Izuku isn't using a knife for this. After all, he doesn't know for sure if he's allowed his Support Items, so he may as well practice without them.
So this sparring is more or less 'try not to get stabbed to death.'
Well, not death death, but you know.
Himiko swings the mock blade at Izuku's neck again. He catches the inside of her arm and drives a fist at her exposed stomach. His own arm is caught by Himiko's off-hand. This back and forth of deflections encapsulates most of their fight until Himiko manages to outpace Izuku and taps him with the knife.
"You're out," she sings. Izuku sighs with a smile.
"Good fight, Himi!" He loosens his stance, retrieving his towel and water from the bench. Himiko slips onto the seat and reclines. Izuku sits down next to her. They sit in a comfortable silence as they collect their breath.
"You feel it too, don't you?" she whispers. "That we're not ready yet?" Izuku nods.
"It's… frustrating," he says. "I—I know we shouldn't be ready. We're still learning. But… the rest of my class… they don't get it yet. They weren't there. They don't know just how outmatched we are. Ochaco's the only one who really knows." Himiko places a hand on his shoulder, steadying him.
"We didn't get to do work study or internships at Class Z," she says. "But Nedzu pulled strings for our field trips. I get the feeling it was the same experience, but for a single day. We saw real villains, but never… never like that."
"I hope they learn soon," Izuku says. "I just want them to know how dangerous it is before any of them get in over their heads." He sighs. "This must be what Mr. Aizawa feels like every time he expels someone."
"You'll just have to show them," she says. "During the Sports Festival? You and Uraraka will dominate. I've seen your class around while I've been training. You're right. It's not life-or-death for them yet." She leans in close, nudging his shoulder with hers. "So, what d'ya say Izu? Wanna take that analytical brain of yours and absolutely terrify your friends?"
The corners of Izuku's lips turn up slightly into a gentle smile.
"Traumatize my friends for a good cause? I can hear Mr. Aizawa calling it a 'logical ruse' from here," Izuku says.
"That's the spirit!"
"Well, it's your last day before the Sports Festival," Mr. Aizawa says, setting his papers down on the podium. "You've all been preparing for this since the start of the year. Don't screw it up." Izuku suppresses the urge to laugh at their homeroom teacher's bluntness. "Those of you who haven't submitted a codename, today's the last day. I'll briefly go over the plan for the event. Pay attention. The format's been changed from previous years."
Izuku blinks. The Sports Festival has been roughly the same since UA's founding. He's had the pattern down for years now. Why change it?
"You're probably expecting the Festival to be a one-day event where you spend the whole day competing," Mr. Aizawa continues. "That is no longer the case. Instead, each day will focus not on a specific year but a specific event."
"How does that work? We all just gonna be in there at once?" Kaminari says.
"Not exactly. You'll still be divided by year. The Third-Years will compete in the event first, followed by the Second-Years, and you lot will go last. You'll have the chance to observe your upperclassmen in action. Take it." The class nods. It doesn't take a genius to point out how much they can learn. Not just about the contest but general skills. Their upperclassmen are a treasure-trove of experience they can glean from.
"Each day's challenge will be randomized. We've had about a month of class now. Use what you learned. Midoriya?" Izuku starts. He isn't expecting to be addressed.
"Yes, sir?"
"Principal Nedzu spoke with the board. It's been decided that your gauntlets and boots are part of your costume and therefore you won't be allowed to use them." Izuku nods. He expected this.
"If the event goes on for all three days, what do the people who get eliminated do?" says Joyato.
"There aren't going to be eliminations this year. You all will be competing the whole time. You'll earn points in each event based on your performance. At the end of the event, we'll show off a scoreboard ranking every competitor."
"It's for the Gen-Ed kids, isn't it?" Shinsou says, shuffling in his seat. The class shoots confused glances and murmur questions to each other.
"He's right," Mr. Aizawa says, drawing everyone's attention again. "If a student in General Education does well in the Sports Festival, they can be transferred to the Heroics course. The reverse is also true. Unlike some of the other courses, there's only so many seats in Heroics. I warned you: passing the entrance exam is not a guarantee of your success. Give it your all or go home."
A wave of fear washes over the class, blanketing them in anxious energy. Izuku remembers the Quirk Apprehension Test, when Mr. Aizawa threatened expulsion.
"That explains all the Gen-Ed students blocking the door the other day," Joyato says. Oh yeah, Izuku forgot about that. He's been too focused on preparing.
"You knew about that, kero?" Tsuyu asks, facing Shinsou. There's no judgement in her eyes, just curiosity. Nevertheless, Shinsou fidgets more, clearly uncomfortable.
"I, uh," he says. "I thought that's how I'd have to get in."
"in previous years, you'd probably be right," drawls Mr. Aizawa. "Lucky you the Entrance Exam got reworked, huh?" Shinsou audibly gulps.
As she has for the past week and a half, Mrs. Kayama struts into the Heroics Informatics class to judge their names. Only a handful of students haven't presented theirs yet.
It's amusing to watch the argument where Ashido manages to convince Mrs. Kayama to let her keep Alien Queen as long as she drops the epithet.
Izuku steels himself. It's a good name he's chosen. He won't let his insecurities stop him. The sound of Todoroki's whiteboard tapping against the teacher's podium as he holds it for the class to see draws Izuku's attention.
HIMURA
Huh. Is that someone's name? Izuku doesn't know. It gets a pass from Mrs. Kayama though.
"Ah, madame! I have finally found a name as dazzling as moi!" Aoyama practically ballets his way up to the front of the room to present his new name.
THE TWINKLING HERO: ALDEBARAN
"Oh, thank god!" Joyato slumps in her seat. As the class turns to stare at her, she flushes. "I thought he was gonna pick the same name as me," she explains, standing. "Guess I'll show it off then."
THE BRIGHT HERO: POLARIS
"An excellent name!" cheers Mrs. Kayama. "Keep 'em coming!"
Shinsou sighs, holding his whiteboard under his arm as he makes his way to the front.
"Don't judge me too hard, okay?" he drawls.
PUPPETEER
"Hmm," Mrs. Kayama taps a finger against her chin. "It's a little sinister, but there are Hero names out there with worse connotations. You might deal with some criticism from the public, though."
"I'm planning on going underground," Shinsou says with a shrug, "Shouldn't be an issue." Mrs. Kayama nods in understanding and gives her approval.
"My apologies!" Iida says, standing perfectly upright. "It took me longer than anticipated to decide on a name!"
Izuku remembers checking on Iida when he was late to dinner one night and finding his room covered in papers, string, books on cars, engines, and motors. It looked like someone was attempting to unravel an international conspiracy of pistons. Izuku is still a little unnerved, to be honest.
Iida stands before the class, holding up his whiteboard.
THE NITRO HERO: IGNITION
"Ah, like Tensei's Ingenium, and still engine related!" Mrs. Kayama says, snapping her fingers. "I love it!"
"I guess that leaves me," Izuku says. He sets his own whiteboard down and holds himself still. He can't imagine anything more embarrassing than if he cringes right now.
VALIANT
Mrs. Kayama whistles. "That's a name that gets an identity across. Approved!"
"Isn't that what Uraraka called you after the entrance exam, kero?" Tsuyu puts a finger to her chin. Izuku and Ochaco's matching blush is enough of an answer.
Chapter 37: UA Sports Festival/The Next Generation
Even from the secluded seating for the students, Izuku can feel the energy in the air. The massive stadium is packed to the gills with people.
"I guess not even the increased security can keep them away, huh?" Kaminari chuckles nervously as he looks around the bleachers.
"This is one of the most important events of the year, kero." Tsuyu sits down next to Izuku and Ochaco. Iida and Shinsou aren't long behind her. Jiro slumps into another open seat nearby.
"So, Quirk nerd, mind sharing your wisdom?" she asks. Yaoyorozu, following Jiro to the seats, blinks owlishly.
"I didn't know you did Quirk analysis," she says. Izuku groans as his face heats up.
"I just like Quirks, that's all. And I like figuring out how they work and how they can improve."
"You dissected my Quirk in a few seconds," Joyato remembers. "How much do you have after a month with us?"
"I mean, you've got most of today to go over your stuff with us, yeah?" Kaminari says. Dark Shadow emerges from Tokoyami to poke the blonde.
"You've just opened a can you can't close, my friend," the shadowy bird says. He blinks as he turns back to Izuku.
Izuku is vibrating in his seat.
"I've been wondering, when you go past your limits discharging your electricity, it fries you, right?" Kaminari nods hesitantly. "Why do you discharge it then? If you can coat your body, or even just parts of your body in electricity, you're practically a human taser!" Kaminari's jaw hangs open, but Izuku doesn't stop. "Of course, you'd have to be careful to manage your watts so that you wouldn't use lethal force. Can you control your wattage? You can control your volts, but I don't actually know the limits of your Quirk. Of course, you'd have to manage both to be safe, but I know that you don't need to go to your maximum voltage so I assume that controlling wattage is the part you'd need more focus for. Even low voltage can be dangerous with a high wattage—"
"But with a lower amp output you can safely use a higher voltage on someone!" Yaoyorozu finishes. Izuku nods enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Increasing your volt limit is less important than having fine control of your wattage! I bet you lose a lot of amps with your Indiscriminate Shock, which is why even using millions of volts doesn't do much more than stun us."
"Holy shit," says Kaminari.
"I bet I could talk with Inazuma about that," says Izuku, writing down a reminder in his notebook entry on Kaminari.
"Inazuma, kero?"
"Oh, she's in class 2-A. Himiko met her back in Class Z last year. She's got an electric Quirk too."
"Do you have any other Quirk analyses?" Yaoyorozu asks. Izuku's smile broadens.
"Well, I don't have many theories yet like I do with Kaminari, but I have some observations and questions," he says. Izuku turns to Ochaco. "When you float something, why does it stop at a certain altitude? Why doesn't it just float off into space?" He looks over at Jiro. "Can you use one of your jacks on a machine and the other on a speaker to play specific noises? Kirishima, can you harden your whole body at once? Ashido, if you can control the acidity of your acids, can you make bases too?"
"Nope!" she says, one of the only ones who can keep up with Izuku when he's in his zone without having to take a second and process. "My Quirk Counselor had me try once. I can get it to about the level of milk, but not above a 7 on the pH scale." Izuku nods, jotting that down.
"Sato, is your Quirk's effectiveness dependent on the sweetener?"
"Honey doesn't activate my Quirk if that's what you're asking," he says slowly. "Natural sugars in fruits and stuff doesn't either."
"Todoroki, can you condense your ice? Make it more dense, more durable?" Todoroki looks taken aback but doesn't respond as Izuku continues to mutter about how condensing his ice might result in smaller, more precise constructs than the large assaults he usually uses.
"Hey Izu!" Himiko cheers slipping into the booth. She takes a single look at the gob smacked expressions on everyone's faces and giggles. "You asked him about Quirks, didn't you?"
"Hey Himi!" Izuku says as his classmates nod at her. "I thought you'd be having a Class Z reunion."
"Oh, we are," she agrees easily, vaulting over the seats so she can sit down next to Izuku and his friends. "But I wanted to check in on my brother before his first Sports Festival!"
"It's your first Sports Festival, too. And you're competing before me."
"Exactly! I might not be there to wish you luck when you go out!" she whines. Izuku laughs.
"You dyed your hair," Jiro says.
"Mhmm!" Himiko says. "I wanted to match my family!"
"It looks good," Kirishima says. "I couldn't tell at all!"
"So, you're Mido's sister?" Ashido says.
"Yup! He's the best brother I could've asked for!" Himiko says.
"Oh, before I forget, can you see about getting Kaminari to meet with Inazuma?" Izuku asks. Himiko blinks for a few seconds before her eyes widen in realization.
"Oh, you've got an electric Quirk, don't you?" she says to Kaminari. "Yeah, I'm sure I can work something out! But it probably won't be until the Sports Festival is over…" she pretends to pout. "Sadly, I must return to my friends." Himiko pulls Izuku into a quick hug. "Good luck, Izu!" She slips back out into the hall with a wave, which Izuku and his friend return. "See you guys around!"
"Bye, Himi! Good luck!" Izuku wavs back.
From up in the announcer booth, Present Mic announces the Third-Years as they step out onto the pitch. The Heroics Course get a special mention from Present Mic for their handling of the assault on Ground Omega. Izuku bites his lip. He glances over at Ochaco. Her eyes burn with a grim determination.
To Izuku's surprise, Eraserhead is also in the announcer chair this year. Seems a bit public of a spectacle for an Underground Pro. Well, as long as they don't reveal any details about him or his Quirk, it should be fine.
Down on the platform set up on the field, Midnight calls out, "It's time to hear from your Player Representative! From Class 3-B, Lemillion!" The crowd cheers as Togata takes his place next to Midnight so he can speak into the microphone.
"I hear All Might's taking a step back from Heroics!" Togata says, his voice carried by the microphones across the entire stadium. Izuku hides a flinch at the reminder of the Hero's dwindling time limit. "That's kinda scary, isn't it? I never really thought about what a world without All Might would look like. I've been hearing from my mentor that crime is skyrocketing across Japan. Our future sure looks grim, huh?" Togata laughs. "Wrong! Japan is full of Heroes and Heroes in training. If there's slack, we'll just have to pick it up. That's our job as Heroes! Plus Ultra!"
"Plus Ultra!" the crowd cheers as one. Even the students get in on it.
Down on the pitch, the Support and Management courses head back through the tunnels to the waiting rooms, leaving only the Heroics and General Education courses on the pitch. Midnight explains to the crowd the plan.
"For those of you joining us here for the first time, you may be wondering why half our students have vacated the field! It's simple really! Our Management students will be simulating their future careers! Monitoring stocks, marketing, public relations! You can follow along online! Meanwhile, our Support students will be back on field later for a special challenge of their own!"
Oh, Mr. Aizawa hadn't mentioned that yesterday. Probably because they aren't Support students. It's still interesting to hear. A specialized Support event? He can't miss that!
"But enough dawdling! You're all dying to hear what today's event is, aren't you?" Midnight puts a hand to her ear and leans forward. The crowd cheers again, and a Midnight's grin stretches wider. "Then let's spin the wheel! Our challenge is…"
A holographic screen lights up behind Midnight, rapidly scrolling for less than a second before stopping on an event.
FREE-FOR-ALL TAG
"It's gonna be a Free-For-All Tag battle, esteemed guests! This isn't your playground game! This is going to be an exhilarating bout!" Midnight cracks her whips again with a mischievous grin. "Let me explain the rules for everyone!" she says. "Everyone participating will be equipped with one of these!" She holds up a small disc, about the size of her hand, with a large blue light directly in the center. "This is your target, everyone! A single tap..." she touches the device on the blue section, and it shifts to a bright red. "...and you're out! As long as you're still in, you'll continue to earn points every second! Therefore, the longer your last, the better your score! But if you get tagged, don't fret!" she waggles a finger. "Just because you're out doesn't mean you can't keep playing! It's a Free-For-All! Even if you can't earn more points, keep tagging your opponents! The time limit is sixty minutes!"
Cementoss emerges from the central concrete square, holding boxes Izuku assumes contain more of the tag targets. The Third-Years quickly start passing out the discs and fastening them to their P.E. uniforms.
It's interesting to watch. Some are keeping theirs on the front of their chest, where they can easily protect it from oncoming attacks. Others equip their target to their sides— under the arm—or in similarly strange locations that would be difficult to hit.
"A balancing game," Izuku says. "Do you want to be able to defend it easily or make it harder for your opponent to reach?"
"Isn't that the same thing?" asks Sero. Izuku shakes his head.
"Not at all. If it's under your arm or on the back of your leg or whatever, then it's harder to be hit by someone just running at you. But if someone gets the drop on you, or engages you in combat, then you might not notice until you've already been tagged. Meanwhile, keeping it on the chest like that means that if someone tries to go for it you can protect your target the way you'd block an attack normally."
"Yeah, putting it in weird places just makes it much harder to defend," Ojiro says.
"Probably why none of the Hero students did that," says Izuku.
"You can tell the Hero students from here while they're all mingling like that?" asks Shoji, using one of his arm-mouths. Izuku blinks at him.
"They all came out divided by class," he says.
"And you still remember them all?" says Joyato.
"Yes?"
"This is why you're the Class Rep, captain," Shinsou says, leaning over to nudge Izuku with his knuckles.
Back on the field, the Third-Years finish distributing the targets. Midnight cracks her whip for attentions and the crowd tunes back in to the events down on the pitch.
"We're just about ready to begin! Cementoss, set up our arena!" she cries, using her whip to point at her coworker. Cementoss pulls a massive hose from the wall of the arena. Liquid cement pours from the hose, covering the central square. The Hero keeps his hands steady of the stream of cement, and the liquid rises into shapes. Cubes and boxes of various sizes and positions. The empty field is in an instant filled with terrain. The hose retracts back into the wall and Cementoss moves back to the platform from which Midnight is presenting.
"The first game, Free-For-All Tag, begins in one minute!" Midnight calls. The holographic screen behind her begins counting down the seconds. "Players! Spread out! If you're all huddled like that once time is up, this game will hit the climax too soon!"
It does not take any more encouragement for the students to take off running into the jungle of concrete.
Midnight puts her hands to her mouth and yells, "Remember to stay off the grass!"
It's already chaos. The students push and shove their way around each other. The cement cubes add a third dimension to the arena. Izuku quickly realizes that even the large space the game uses as its field can barely contain the one-hundred students playing. The more agile players scale the boxes or leap between them. Others weave their way through the blocks, taking cover around corners. But there is something that really surprises Izuku.
Togata stands tall and proud on top of the largest cement cube at the center of the arena. He's throwing out a challenge to all the other players.
The timer blares and Midnight cracks her whips once more.
"The game is on! Go, go, go!"
They do.
Quirks fire off in every direction. It's a full-on brawl. Izuku flicks his eyes up to the screens lining the stadium for the people in the stands to see, which currently displays the scoreboard. It's easy to spot when someone gets tagged; their score freezes and is quickly drowned out by the still rising scores of those who are still in. It's barely been thirty seconds, and already about two dozen students have been eliminated.
"So this is the difference in experience…" Yaoyorozu says under her breath. It's terrifying. The Third-Years skill is so much greater. Their movements, Quirk usage, and martial ability all dwarfs Class 1-A.
Watching the absolute madness on the battlefield is, in a weird way, breathtaking. Izuku's eyes flick between the different smaller scuffles in the larger battle. Students rush out of hiding, charging their opponents. Others use the terrain to ambush competitors from above.
"So that's it…" Izuku says, watching a player get tagged and laughing good-naturedly at his fate. The player joins his tagger as they rush off after another blue-glowing target.
"Hmm?" Ochaco turns to look at him.
"I should've realized sooner. There's no penalty for getting out, other than the overall scoreboard. In other words, there's nothing stopping the people who are 'out' from immediately forming alliances. And since you can't remove a player from the game—"
"The more people get tagged, the more the remaining players get swarmed," Yaoyorozu says.
"The dynamic shifts. Instead of a guerrilla tactics, one must be prepared for hordes," Tokoyami says.
Exactly. The name of the game is maneuverability. If you can keep moving, you can keep ahead of ambushes during the early stage of the game, and during the late stage you can avoid or separate hordes to make dealing with them easier. Hado and Amajiki have both figured it out. Hado floats, her energy spirals wrapped around her arms. Amajiki simply hovers above the arena with his manifested bird wings. Izuku wonders if he could also use plants instead of just animals by eating fruits or vegetables. For that matter, does it need to be food Amajiki eats? Could he manifest inanimate objects if he were willing to consume them?
"You're muttering, kero," Tsuyu says.
"Oh! I'm sorry!"
"Don't be. Your observations are insightful. You just didn't seem to know you were doing it, kero."
"That's right!" Ochaco says. "You're gonna be our class's go-to for Quirk help at this rate!"
"I think Kaminari's been having an existential crisis since you told him he was a taser," Joyato says, her eyes focused on where the boy in question sits perfectly still, staring at his own hand. "That's a good thing, to be clear." At the mention of his name, Kaminari whips his head to Izuku.
"Dude," he says, "Where have you been all my life?"
Izuku feels tears forming and quickly blinks them away. Instead, he smiles at his friends.
"Thanks… you guys don't know how much that means to me," he shuffles nervously in his chair. "I—back in elementary school, I used to do this kind of thing, but the other kids didn't like that I was… I don't know. Being bossy about their Quirks? It doesn't really matter, they just hated it."
"Then they are fools," Yaoyorozu says. "And I am always happy to hear your thoughts."
Izuku beams.
There's only a few minutes left in the round, and only a handful of players still in.
Hado and Amajiki at some point realized that as the only fliers, they'd have to eliminate each other eventually, and chose to do it sooner rather than later. Hado's long range advantage keeps Amajiki at bay, but she loses her balance when she moves her arms to attack. Amajiki, meanwhile, manifested his wings on his back. His arms and legs are free to make new manifestations. The issue is getting close enough to hit her. While her Wave Motion is strong, it's also slow. This mean evading her from a distance is easy, but even a slow attack is near-impossible to avoid at point-blank range. Maybe there's something Amajiki could eat to get his own ranged option? His Quirk is dependent on what he's eaten. Maybe he could use his tentacles with some finer control to avoid her defenses?
On the center block, another wave of students charge Togata, only to be repelled in moments. Izuku smiles, remembering their training spars back when Izuku was preparing for the entrance exam. Even without being able to completely use his Quirk to avoid losing his target, Togata is incredibly fast. That and his finely honed instincts let his easily counter the attacks of the oncoming horde.
"And it's another sweep from Lemillion!" cheers Present Mic from the announcer booth, the microphone carrying his commentary to the whole audience. "He's so far repelled every challenger! He's the king of the hill from on top of the center block! And it's working well for him! Lemillion is in the Final Five!"
"His situational awareness is impressive, and he's making good use of his environment," says Eraserhead, who was somehow convinced to commentate alongside Present Mic.
And it's true, there are only five people left in the game. Amajiki and Hado continue their aerial duel, while Togata takes on roughly the entire Third-Year at once. Two others are somewhere else, but Izuku can't see the crowds hunting them. Hiding perhaps? Oh, stealth! That's an unconventional yet viable strategy.
"Wow, that Lemillion guy is something else!" Kirishima says. "He's holding that whole cube by himself! That's so manly!"
"It's because he's on that cube," Izuku says.
"Huh?"
"Look," Yaoyorozu says, pointing at Togata launching another student over the side. "He's using the height of the block to his advantage. It takes time to climb back up, and he does his best to strike while they're pulling themselves up. In other words, while they're still defenseless. He only really struggles when one of the students uses a Quirk to approach from a different angle."
"If those fliers teamed up, they could take him," Izuku says confidently.
Fortunately for Togata, they never do. Even still, it's a tense last few seconds. The final wave of students does their damnedest to outmaneuver Togata as Amajiki makes a last-ditch effort to tag Hado. Just as the skirmish begins in earnest, the buzzer sounds.
The loud buzzing echoes throughout the whole stadium before being drowned out by the cheering fans.
"And that's time!" Present Mic hollers. "Check outthose scoreboards to see how your favorites performed!"
It's not much of a surprise to Izuku. Togata, Amajiki, and Hado all survived the whole hour, and as such are in a joint first at 3600. Another student also lasted the entire game, presumably by hiding somewhere. Given how open the arena is, that's impressive in its own right. The fifth finalist has just a handful fewer points than the four-way tie for first, so Izuku figures they must've been tagged right at the end. Tough luck.
"Alright, players! Clear off the arena while we have Cementoss do his repairs, yeah? Because now it's time for the Third-Year Support Challenge, and then we move on to the Second-Year Tag Game!"