The crowd outside Class 1-A's door was the first sign of how big the Sports Festival was going to be, weeks before it even started.
Megumi heard them before he saw them, a low roar of voices packed into the hallway. By the time he reached the classroom entrance, close to fifty students from the other courses had jammed themselves shoulder to shoulder outside the door.
Some stood on their toes to look inside.
Others made no effort to hide that they were sizing up the competition.
Uraraka had backed halfway toward her desk.
"Wh-What's going on?"
Iida planted himself near the doorway, arms already cutting through the air.
"What business do you have with Class 1-A?"
"We can't even get out!" Mineta squeaked. "Why are there so many of them?"
Bakugo remained near his desk with his arms crossed.
"They're scouting the competition, small fry."
Iida spun toward him.
"Do not call prospective opponents small fry!"
Bakugo ignored him.
"We're the class everybody's talking about. Of course they came to look."
A purple-haired boy pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Heavy shadows sat beneath his eyes, giving him the look of someone who had not slept properly in years.
His gaze moved across the room.
Past Bakugo.
Then stopped on Megumi.
"I came to see what the famous Class A was like," the boy said. "Looks like the rumors about the arrogance were true."
Bakugo's chair scraped against the floor.
Before he could stand, Megumi answered.
"You've been here ten seconds."
"Long enough to hear him."
The boy nodded toward Bakugo.
Bakugo leaned back.
"If you're bothered already, save yourself the embarrassment and quit."
"Bakugo!" Iida shouted.
The purple-haired boy barely reacted.
"Are all the hero-course students like this?"
"No," Megumi said. "He's worse when he's trying."
Bakugo's glare snapped toward him.
"You wanna say that again?"
"You heard me."
The purple-haired boy looked between them before returning his attention to Megumi.
"There are students in general studies and the other courses because they didn't pass the hero entrance exam. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
"U.A. gives us another chance. If we do well enough at the Festival, they can transfer us into the hero course."
The hallway quieted.
"They can transfer people out too."
His gaze had not left Megumi once.
"You're Megumi Fushiguro. First in the entrance exam."
Megumi waited.
"And I heard you fought whatever came through the USJ mostly on your own. Now everyone's calling you the strongest student in our year."
"You heard a lot for someone who wasn't there."
"People talk."
"Then you should know rumors leave things out."
"I know enough to understand why everyone's watching you."
"Everyone hasn't fought me."
That answer seemed to catch the boy off guard.
Only briefly.
"I came to tell you that being first now doesn't mean you'll stay there. Get too comfortable and I'll sweep your feet out from under you."
Something sharpened in Megumi's chest.
It felt closer to interest than offense.
"You'll have to catch me first."
A faint change crossed the boy's face.
"I didn't come here to place quietly. You want the top, take a shot at it." Megumi leaned against the edge of his desk.
"Then consider this a declaration of war."
"Accepted."
Bakugo shoved away from his desk.
"Oi."
Both boys looked toward him.
"Who said you get to declare war on him and ignore me?"
The purple-haired boy regarded him without much interest.
"I wasn't talking to you."
"Don't care."
Bakugo moved between the desks and pointed toward the hallway.
"You want a target? I'm right here. I'll crush you, him, and every other extra who thinks they have a chance."
His glare swung toward Megumi.
"You included. Don't get comfortable at the top."
"I plan on staying there."
Bakugo's palms gave a faint crackle.
"Won't matter after I'm done with you."
Another student forced his way through the crowd. Gray hair stuck out in every direction, and he carried himself like he had entered the conversation halfway through an argument.
"Hey! I'm from Class B next door!" he shouted. "I heard you people fought villains, so I came to see what the big deal was. Don't get full of yourselves because of one attack!"
He jabbed a finger toward the classroom.
"If you bark too much now, it'll be real embarrassing when we put you down at the Festival!"
Bakugo started toward the door.
"Move."
The students in front of him did not clear the path quickly enough.
He shoved through anyway.
"Out of my way, extras."
The gray-haired boy's face reddened.
"You ignoring me, bastard?!"
Kirishima caught Bakugo by the sleeve.
"Wait! Calm down for a second. You picked a fight with Fushiguro, then the purple-haired guy, and now you're insulting the whole hallway. That's three fights in five seconds!"
Bakugo kept moving.
"Doesn't matter."
"Huh?"
"Doesn't matter who hates you if you end up at the top."
Kirishima stared after him.
"That's…"
Kaminari pointed at him.
"Don't say it."
"Pretty manly."
"You said it."
Bakugo reached the edge of the crowd, then glanced back.
His attention passed over everyone else and landed on Megumi.
The look lasted only a second.
Then he turned the corner and disappeared.
Megumi filed it away.
The purple-haired boy gave him one last look before turning back toward the crowd.
"I'm Hitoshi Shinso."
"Megumi Fushiguro."
"I knew that."
"I figured."
Shinso slipped his hands into his pockets.
"See you at the Festival."
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
...
Two weeks passed faster than they should have.
Most nights, Megumi trained alone.
He stayed after class to use U.A.'s outdoor grounds, repeating the same summons until his muscles shook and the shadows began resisting him.
Divine Dogs.
Nue.
Great Serpent.
Toad.
Rabbit Escape.
Max Elephant.
Six constructs.
Six answers.
Still not enough.
Something else existed deeper inside Shadow Constructs. Megumi had felt it at the USJ, when the pressure forced his quirk beyond anything he consciously understood. For a few seconds, the darkness beneath him had seemed endless.
Now that door was closed again.
He tried different hand signs. Different combinations. Different ways of reaching through the shadow instead of pulling from its surface.
Nothing answered.
Max Elephant rose from the ground one evening, towering over the training field as Megumi held the construct until his vision began to dim.
"Again," he muttered.
The elephant dissolved.
His knees nearly followed.
Megumi caught himself with one hand and waited for the ground to stop moving.
His shadow rippled beneath him.
"I said again."
Nothing came.
...
Aizawa ran a joint training session near the end of the first week.
He paired students off and rotated them through short spars while watching from the side with a clipboard and the expression of a man already tired of mistakes no one had made yet.
Megumi drew Kirishima second.
Kirishima hardened his arms and dropped into a stance.
"Don't hold back."
"You sure?"
"That's why we're doing this."
Megumi formed the hand sign.
"I want to test something. Tell me if it gets out of hand."
Kirishima grinned.
"Now you're talking."
Shiro emerged on Kirishima's left.
Kuro formed directly ahead.
Kirishima's eyes moved between them.
"Two-on-one. Great."
"They're both part of my quirk."
"That doesn't make it better."
The dogs attacked separately.
Kuro held the center while Shiro circled toward Kirishima's blind side. Kirishima adapted quickly. He angled his hardened shoulder into Kuro's charge and stepped away before Shiro's jaws closed.
Megumi recalled both.
Their shadows met halfway back.
Instead of completing Totality, he interrupted the fusion.
The half-formed construct looked wrong.
Kirishima lowered his guard slightly.
"That's new."
"Yeah."
The partial Totality vanished into the shadows.
Then appeared directly in front of him.
It moved faster than either individual dog.
Kirishima barely raised his arms before it struck him and drove him backward. His shoes tore through the dirt. He planted himself, drew back one fist, and landed a clean jab against the construct's chest.
The shadow burst apart.
Kirishima blinked.
"So, really fast."
"Too fragile."
"You've only done the full merge before?"
"Yeah. I wanted to see what happens if I stop it halfway."
"And?"
Megumi watched the fading shadow.
"It trades durability for speed."
Kirishima rolled one shoulder.
"Guess that's why we practice."
He hardened fully.
"Again. Use the real one this time."
Megumi raised an eyebrow.
"You want Totality?"
"I want to know if I can take it."
"You probably can."
"Probably?"
"That's what we're testing."
They ran the exchange twice more.
By the third round, that was when Totality knocked him down.
Aizawa called time.
Kirishima sat in the dirt, breathing hard.
"I thought I had you."
"You started reading me."
"Wasn't I supposed to?"
"Yeah. That's why I changed the signal."
Kirishima laughed and pushed himself upright.
"You really don't like making things easy."
"Easy isn't useful."
Megumi offered him a hand.
Kirishima took it.
"You're better at baiting reactions than you were last week," Megumi said.
"Thanks!"
Kirishima clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to move him half a step.
Megumi stared at the hand.
Kirishima removed it.
"Sorry."
...
Megumi visited Tsumiki twice that week.
The hospital room stayed the same.
Pale walls.
Machines humming beside the bed.
Afternoon sunlight slipping through narrow blinds and resting across her hands.
Megumi sat beside her and told her about the Festival.
"The whole country watches it," he said. "Professional agencies too."
Tsumiki did not answer.
The monitor continued its steady rhythm.
"There's a student from general studies named Shinso. He wants to transfer into the hero course."
Megumi leaned back.
Silence.
"All of the 1st years are probably aiming for my head."
He watched her face.
"I'm not losing."
The sentence sounded different in the hospital room.
Less like confidence.
More like a promise made to someone who could not ask for it.
...
The morning of the Festival arrived too quickly.
U.A. was surrounded by spectators before Megumi reached the gate. Security lines stretched down the street. Reporters argued near the checkpoints while camera crews filmed the crowd.
Professional heroes moved between the entrances.
Some were there for security.
Most were scouting too.
Inside the first-year waiting room, Class 1-A had already changed into their gym uniforms.
The energy in the room felt tight.
Mina paced beside one wall.
"I still think we should've been allowed to wear costumes."
"That would give the hero course an unfair advantage," Yaoyorozu said.
Mineta sat on a bench, drawing the kanji for person across his palm.
"Person, person, person…"
Megumi looked away before Mineta ate it.
Todoroki crossed the room.
He walked past Midoriya.
Stopped in front of Megumi.
"Fushiguro."
"Todoroki."
The room quieted.
"I'm going to beat you."
There was no dramatic buildup. Todoroki said it like he had already gone through the reasoning and reached the only conclusion that mattered.
"I'm not trying to provoke you," he continued. "You set the standard for our class. You finished first in the entrance exam, and I saw you fight at the USJ."
His gaze stayed level.
"I know what you can do when it isn't training. If I want to prove I'm number one, you're the person I have to beat."
Kaminari looked over from across the room.
"Is Todoroki making a declaration of war against Fushiguro?!"
Kirishima hurried between them and placed one hand on Todoroki's shoulder.
"Hey, hey. We're about to start. Can we save this for the actual competition?"
Todoroki brushed his hand away.
"We aren't here to play at being friends."
Kirishima frowned.
"That's a little harsh."
"Prove it," Megumi said.
Todoroki looked back at him.
"Talking doesn't mean anything until somebody tests it."
"You disagree with me?"
"I don't know who's stronger."
That answer drew more attention than a boast would have.
Megumi held Todoroki's gaze.
"Neither do you. That's the part you're skipping."
Todoroki's eyes narrowed.
"You want to beat me? Fine. Get in line and try."
"Good."
Todoroki walked away.
A few feet away, Midoriya had gone very still. His hands had tightened against his knees. There was admiration in his expression, but something else beneath it.
Resolve.
Private and intense.
Megumi watched him.
Midoriya noticed.
"I'm going for first too," he said.
His voice shook.
The words did not.
Megumi nodded.
"Good."
The waiting-room door opened.
Iida stood on the other side with one arm raised.
"Everyone! It is time for us to enter!"
...
The roar from the stadium reached them immediately.
It rolled through the concrete tunnel and vibrated in Megumi's ribs.
Present Mic's voice exploded from the speakers before Class 1-A reached the light.
"HEY! EYES FRONT, EVERYBODY! THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL IS FINALLY HERE!"
The crowd answered with a deafening cheer.
"Once a year, the whole country turns its eyes toward the next generation! Future heroes! Future stars! Students ready to throw every bit of talent, nerve, and ambition they've got into the arena!"
Class 1-A approached the tunnel exit.
"And now, the first-year class everybody's been waiting to see!"
Sunlight appeared ahead.
"They entered U.A. through one of the toughest examinations in the country, and they've spent their first weeks proving why they made the cut!"
Megumi stepped into the stadium.
"Talented! Ambitious! Maybe a little too competitive! Give it up for the Hero Course, CLASS 1-A!"
The stands rose endlessly around them.
Tens of thousands of spectators filled every level. Cameras glided overhead. Giant screens displayed the students from several angles.
The crowd cheered because Present Mic told them this was the class to watch.
Most of them did not know the students' names.
They did not know their faces either.
That was what the Festival was for.
Midoriya stared upward.
"Th-There're so many people."
"Professional heroes must be capable of performing under observation!" Iida said.
His voice was noticeably louder than usual.
Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck.
"Present Mic's really making us sound impressive. Now I'm nervous."
Bakugo walked with both hands in his pockets.
"I'm not."
"You're seriously fine?"
"More people get to watch me win."
Kaminari sighed.
"That somehow made it worse."
Present Mic moved on to Class 1-B, then general studies, support, and business.
By the time every first-year class had entered, the arena floor was packed with students.
Midnight stood above them with her whip resting across one shoulder.
"Quiet!"
The noise faded.
"It's time for the participant pledge!"
She extended one arm toward Class 1-A.
"Representing the first-year students is the person who placed first in this year's entrance examination, Megumi Fushiguro of Class 1-A!"
Megumi looked up.
Kaminari turned toward him.
"Wait, Fushiguro's giving it?"
"He placed first overall," Sero said. "Of course he is."
Bakugo's expression darkened.
Megumi passed him on the way to the platform.
"Don't waste it," Bakugo muttered.
Megumi paused for half a step.
"Wasn't planning on it."
He climbed the stairs.
Every camera in the stadium turned toward him.
The crowd did not recognize his face.
Now they would.
From the platform, the stadium looked even larger. Professional heroes filled entire sections. Agency representatives sat with tablets and notebooks ready. Reporters leaned over the press barriers.
On the arena floor, the other students stared up at him.
Some curious.
Some irritated.
Some already hoping to see him fail.
Megumi stopped in front of the microphone.
The stadium gradually fell quiet.
He thought about Tsumiki sleeping beneath hospital lights.
The promise he had made beside her bed.
He did not need to tell anyone he would try.
Every student there intended to try.
"I didn't come here to prove I belong in the hero course."
The crowd quieted further.
"I already earned my place."
Murmurs moved across the arena.
Megumi continued before anyone could interrupt.
"Passing one exam isn't enough. Being first once doesn't mean anything if I lose the position the next time I'm tested."
His eyes moved over the students below.
Shinso watched from general studies.
Todoroki stood perfectly still.
Bakugo looked ready to climb onto the platform himself.
"The person who wins today becomes the standard every other first-year has to chase."
Megumi's voice stayed calm.
"I plan to be that person."
The reaction rolled through the stadium.
Cheers rose from parts of the crowd. Students from the other courses shouted challenges and insults from below.
Megumi did not stop.
"If you came here hoping to transfer into the hero course, come take my place."
Shinso's eyes narrowed.
"If you came to prove your class is stronger than ours, prove it."
Tetsutetsu grinned from Class 1-B.
"And if you're already in Class 1-A and think you should be standing above me…"
Megumi looked directly at Todoroki.
Then Bakugo.
"Beat me."
The stadium exploded.
Bakugo's grin appeared slowly.
It was not friendly.
He looked thrilled.
Frost started started to seep in the air.
Iida's arms began chopping through the air.
"Fushiguro! Was it necessary to antagonize almost every student in our year?"
Kaminari stared at the platform.
"That was incredible," Kirishima said.
"That was a declaration of war against eleven classes," Sero replied.
"Exactly!"
Midnight leaned toward the microphone.
"Bold words from our entrance-exam 1st place!"
As Megumi stepped away, she lowered her voice.
"You understand they're all going to target you now."
"They were going to anyway."
Midnight smiled.
"Good answer."
Megumi returned to Class 1-A.
Bakugo stepped into his path.
"You think you're the standard?"
"For now."
His palms crackled.
"Not for long."
"Do something about it."
Todoroki's voice came from the side.
"Neither of you should assume this is between the two of you."
Bakugo rounded on him.
"Who asked you, half-and-half?"
Todoroki ignored him.
"You said the person at the top becomes the standard."
"Yeah."
"Then I'll replace you."
Megumi nodded.
"Try it."
Around them, students from every course were watching.
Shinso wanted his place. Todoroki wanted to surpass him. Bakugo wanted to tear the top spot out of his hands.
Megumi had invited all of them to try.
The first event had not even been announced.
The war had already started.
...
100 PS By Friday = 1 Bonus Chapter on Saturday
...
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