"Ah—!"
Izuku dropped on instinct, hands over his head as if bracing for impact.
A quiet laugh slipped through the tension.
"…He's kind of cute like that."
"What is this thing?!" someone snapped. "Why won't it break—?!"
Izuku cautiously lifted his head.
Katsuki Bakugo was locked in place mid-charge, his body bound tightly by a long strip of gray cloth that had wrapped around him in an instant.
At the other end stood their teacher.
Shota Aizawa looked as tired as ever, capture weapon resting loosely in his hand like it weighed nothing.
"Capture weapon," Aizawa said, voice flat. "Carbon fiber woven with a special alloy."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"And stop making me use my Quirk over and over."
A faint lift of his hair signaled it was active.
"I have dry eyes."
Bakugo strained against the bindings, muscles tensing. "Tch…!"
The pressure vanished as Aizawa released his Quirk, the cloth loosening and falling away.
"Get ready. Next test."
Izuku had already retreated a few steps, putting safe distance between himself and the situation.
Bakugo stood there for a moment, jaw tight, frustration simmering just beneath the surface—then turned away without a word.
—
A few minutes later, Izuku crouched near the track, quietly pulling metal weights from inside his shoes.
"Midoriya, we're up next," Tenya Iida said as he approached—then paused. "…Are those weights?"
Izuku didn't look up. "Yeah. Just taking them out."
He removed the last piece and stood in one smooth motion.
"Sorry—let's go."
He slipped his shoes back on and jogged toward the starting line. Iida followed, watching him with a thoughtful expression.
—
"Group Three: Tsuyu Asui, Tenya Iida, Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo."
The four stepped into their lanes.
"Three thousand meters. Begin."
Iida and Bakugo exploded forward the instant the signal sounded.
Izuku followed a step behind, settling into a steady rhythm, while Tsuyu Asui kept a calm, even pace from the rear.
Breath steady. Stride consistent.
Izuku focused inward.
This pace… I can handle it.
Then he pushed.
His stride lengthened, speed building smoothly as he closed the distance—then slipped past them.
"I'm not falling behind!" Iida called, engines in his calves igniting with a burst of power.
"Deku—don't get ahead of me!" Bakugo snapped, explosions cracking behind him as he surged forward.
For a moment, the three of them ran shoulder to shoulder.
"They're fast," Asui noted, unbothered, continuing at her own pace.
From the sidelines, Ochaco Uraraka leaned forward, eyes wide.
"Midoriya's keeping up!"
Further back, All Might watched quietly.
That speed… it's his own.
Izuku kept running.
Faster.
He chased that fleeting sensation—the moment his body moved just beyond what it should be able to do.
Then he caught it.
There.
His pace surged again.
He pulled ahead, the distance opening with each step.
"…I'm hitting my limit," Iida muttered, his speed beginning to falter.
"Don't get ahead of me!" Bakugo forced more power into his Quirk, explosions snapping sharper—but the gap didn't close.
Izuku leaned forward, pushing further.
A faint green spark flickered across his legs.
"Just a little more—"
His speed climbed again.
And then—
It slipped.
"I can't stop—! Move!"
His stride broke as momentum surged beyond control, his body no longer keeping pace with itself.
"Over here!" Uraraka called, pointing urgently toward a nearby sandpit. "Jump!"
Izuku adjusted mid-step and launched himself forward.
"Watch out!"
He hit the sand hard.
The impact sent a burst of sand outward, rising like a wave and swallowing the space around him.
"—cough!"
Izuku pushed himself up, spitting grit from his mouth.
"Is everyone okay?"
The others had already cleared the area. No one was hurt.
Iida jogged over, having finished the run.
"Midoriya, are you alright?"
"I'm fine… my legs are just a little shaky."
Iida nodded, relief easing his posture—then noticed his face.
"You're rubbing your eye."
"Sand got in it. I can't get it out."
"Don't rub it. That'll only make it worse."
"Deku."
Bakugo approached, hands in his pockets, expression still tight with irritation.
"Next time… I'm not losing."
Izuku blinked, still distracted, rubbing at his eye.
"…Huh? Kacchan, what did you say? I didn't catch that."