Chapter 24: Human Meteor and the Unfinished Pledge
The U.A. Stadium. Opening Ceremony.
"ARE YOU READDDDY?!"
Present Mic's voice didn't just play over the speakers; it assaulted the air itself. The sonic boom vibrated through the concrete stands, rattling the teeth of the spectators and whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
"The first-years are coming in! It's the department you've all been waiting for! The stars who stared death in the face and survived! CLASS 1-A!!"
The dark tunnel leading to the arena floor was cool and damp. But as the students of Class 1-A stepped out, they were hit by a wall of sensory overload.
The sunlight was blinding. The heat was physical. And the noise—the roar of tens of thousands of people screaming their names—was a tidal wave that threatened to drown them.
Midoriya Izuku walked out, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He shielded his eyes, looking up at the towering stands packed with humans, banners, and flashing cameras.
"Man..." Kirishima Eijiro exhaled, looking around nervously. "There are so many people. I'm getting nervous just walking!"
"We have to perform well," Iida Tenya said, stiff as a board, chopping the air with his hand. "The reputations of U.A. and our families are on the line!"
As the class lined up on the grassy field, a murmuring unease began to spread through the ranks.
"Hey..." Kaminari whispered, leaning toward Sero. "Is he really not here?"
Sero looked at the empty space in their formation. It felt gaping. "I guess Aizawa-sensei wasn't joking. Natsu is actually suspended."
"That sucks," Jiro muttered, twirling her earphone jack. "We're down our heavy hitter."
Todoroki Shoto walked silently, his dual-colored eyes fixed straight ahead. He glanced briefly at the empty spot where the pink-haired loudmouth should have been.
He's not here. That simplifies the competition... but it feels incomplete.
Bakugo Katsuki walked with his usual slouch, hands deep in his pockets. He scowled at the ground.
Did you run away, Salamander? Or are you really that broken?
The other classes filed in—Class 1-B looking envious, General Studies looking resentful, Support and Business looking curious. But all eyes remained glued to the famous Class 1-A.
The Main Stage.
On the central platform, a woman stood holding a riding crop. Midnight, the R-Rated Hero and Chief Referee for the first years.
CRACK!
She snapped her whip, the sharp sound cutting through the ambient noise.
"Silence!" she commanded. "It is time for the athlete's pledge!"
The stadium quieted down, the roar reducing to a low, expectant hum.
"Representing the students, from Class 1-A... Katsuki Bakugo!"
The class froze.
"Oh no," Midoriya whispered, putting his head in his hands.
"Why him?!" Sero panicked. "He's going to make everyone hate us!"
Bakugo didn't acknowledge his classmates. He walked up the stairs to the podium with a slow, deliberate gait. He looked bored. He looked at the sea of faces—Pros, civilians, rivals.
He leaned into the microphone. The feedback whined slightly.
"I pledge..." Bakugo said, his voice calm, flat, and utterly arrogant. "That I'll be number one."
For a split second, there was silence.
Then, absolute chaos erupted.
"BOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Get off the stage, you arrogant jerk!" a student from Class B screamed, shaking his fist.
"You think you're better than us just because you faced some villains?!"
"I'll crush you, blondie!"
Iida was chopping the air so furiously he looked like a windmill. "Bakugo! You represent the school! Have some dignity!"
Bakugo ignored the vitriol. He turned around to walk off the stage, flashing a lazy thumbs-down to the booing crowd. His expression said it all: You're all just stepping stones.
"At least provide a real challenge," Bakugo muttered to himself, stepping toward the stairs.
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
A sharp, high-pitched whistling sound cut through the noise of the crowd.
It wasn't a microphone feedback. It wasn't a cheer. It sounded like an artillery shell dropping from the stratosphere.
"Huh?" Bakugo stopped. He looked up.
The booing crowd went silent. One by one, heads turned upward. The Pro Heroes in the stands stood up, shading their eyes against the sun.
"What is that?" Present Mic shouted from the commentary booth, adjusting his glasses. "A bird? A plane? A missile?!"
High in the sky, a tiny blue dot was struggling against the wind currents. Happy the Cat was crying tears of fear, his small paws gripping the collar of a boy who was grinning like a maniac.
"I can't hold on anymore!" Happy screamed, his voice lost in the wind. "My wings are tired!"
Natsu looked down at the tiny circle of the stadium.
"Go get 'em, Natsu!!"
Happy let go.
The Impact.
The black dot fell. Fast. It accelerated, wreath in friction and heat.
"INCOMING!" Kirishima yelled, hardening his arms.
Midoriya's eyes widened. "Is that...?!"
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The meteor slammed directly onto the center stage, right between Bakugo and Midnight.
The impact was cataclysmic. The concrete platform shattered like glass. A shockwave of dust, debris, and raw kinetic energy blasted outward, blowing the students' hair back and sending hats flying in the front row of the audience. The entire stadium shook as if an earthquake had hit.
Silence fell over the arena again. Absolute, stunned silence.
Everyone stared at the crater in the middle of the stage. Smoke billowed out, obscuring the figure within.
Slowly, a silhouette stood up in the dust. A hand waved, dispersing the grey cloud.
Natsu Dragneel stood in the center of the crater. He brushed a piece of concrete off his shoulder and adjusted his white, scale-patterned scarf. He looked a little dizzy from the fall, but otherwise unharmed.
He looked at Bakugo, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Then he looked at Midnight, who had stepped back in surprise.
"Who said I was absent?" Natsu grinned, his teeth flashing white in the dust.
He didn't wait for permission. He snatched the microphone from a stunned Midnight's hand. The plastic of the handle began to soften under his grip.
He turned to the cameras. He didn't look at the crowd. He looked through the lens, his onyx eyes burning with a terrifying intensity. He was looking at them. The League.
"Ayyyy!!" Natsu shouted, his voice echoing through the stadium speakers, raw and powerful. "Listen up!"
He pointed a finger at the camera.
"Do those villains think that just by breaking a few bones, they can stop my rampage?!"
Natsu took a deep breath. Fire erupted from his fist, swirling around him in a vortex of crimson and gold.
"NEVER!!"
His roar shook the glass of the commentary booth.
"I'm here to burn this whole arena down! So bring it on!"
For a second, nobody moved. The sheer audacity of the entrance paralyzed them.
Then, the crowd exploded.
"YEAAAAAAH!"
"IT'S HIM! THE FIRE KID!"
"HE JUMPED FROM THE SKY?! IS THAT HIS QUIRK?!"
"LOOK AT THAT FIRE!"
In the commentary booth, Aizawa slammed his forehead onto the desk with a dull thud. "That idiot... he actually jumped from the roof. I told him to rest..."
"Hahaha! That's the spirit!" Present Mic screamed, throwing his hands up. "What an entrance! Class 1-A is full of monsters!"
On the stage, Bakugo stared at Natsu. The shock faded from his face, replaced by a savage, bloodthirsty grin.
"Took you long enough, Salamander," Bakugo growled, small explosions popping in his palms. "I was getting bored."
Natsu grinned back, sparks flying from his mouth as he spoke. "I couldn't let you start the party without me, Explosion Boy! I told you I'd win!"
Midnight recovered from her shock. She stepped forward, taking the mic back (which was now slightly melted and warped in the shape of Natsu's fingers). She looked at the crater, then at Natsu, and smiled.
"That's the spirit! Reckless, destructive, and full of youth!"
She whipped around to face the screen.
"Now! Let's begin the first game!"
The massive screen behind her lit up. It spun like a slot machine, cycling through various events.
Review... Run... Battle...
It stopped.
OBSTACLE RACE.
"An obstacle race?" Natsu tilted his head, reading the words. Then he punched his open palm, his fire blazing brighter.
"Perfect! I don't need to be smart for a race!" Natsu laughed. "I'll fly past all of you like a rocket!"
"All students, to the starting line!" Midnight commanded.
As Natsu ran to join his class, Midoriya looked at him with tears in his eyes. "Natsu-kun! You came!"
"Of course I came!" Natsu slapped Midoriya on the back (a little too hard). "Let's do this, Deku!"
The gate to the obstacle course began to rumble open. The green lights lit up one by one.
Beep.
Beep.
BEEP.
"START!"
The Festival had begun.
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