By the time the obstacle course officially ended, the stadium was still buzzing from the destruction Takeru had left in his wake. Analysts and journalists were chattering away, staring at their respective cameras, talking about the favorites and speculating on who would win. Takeru being the overwhelming favorite, and the son of the Number 2 Hero, Shoto, being runner-up. Monoma, surprisingly, was getting a lot of coverage considering the beating he took and the fact that he was still standing, finishing a respectable 19th, only finishing the race after he knew for sure Takeru had crossed the line.
Because he had crossed the finish line first—by an almost absurd margin—Takeru Kurogane was advanced directly to the next round. The decision caused a brief commotion, causing a wave of muttering, but Present Mic's explanation smoothed it over quickly. Takeru knew it was because he was too powerful and they wanted to give the other students a chance to display their powers. The Sports Festival could make or break a young hero's career.
Present Mic's voice blasted through the stadium speakers, cutting through the restless buzz of the crowd and the murmurs of the remaining students.
"ALRIIIGHT, LISTEN UP, FUTURE SUPERSTARS!" he shouted, pointing dramatically toward the arena. "YOU'VE MADE IT PAST THE OBSTACLE COURSE, WHICH MEANS YOU'VE PROVEN YOU'RE FAST, TOUGH, AND LUCKY! BUT SPEED ALONE DOESN'T MAKE A HERO!"
Midnight stepped forward beside him, riding crop resting casually on her shoulder, a dangerous smile on her lips. The students quieted almost instantly.
"This next event," she said smoothly, "is designed to test your combat judgment and your ability to deal with chaos. Heroes rarely fight one-on-one under ideal conditions."
Present Mic snapped his fingers. "THAT'S RIGHT! THIS IS A FREE-FOR-ALL COMBAT TRIAL!"
A large screen lit up behind them, displaying the arena map.
"Here are the rules," Midnight continued, her tone firm now.
"First: there are no pre-assigned teams. Alliances are allowed, encouraged even—but they are temporary and unofficial. You are free to cooperate, betray, or disengage at any time. Just remember—only individuals advance."
Present Mic leaned forward. "SECOND RULE! YOU'RE FIGHTING UNTIL YOU'RE OUT! A STUDENT IS ELIMINATED WHEN THEY ARE INCAPACITATED, FORCED OUT OF THE ARENA, OR DECLARE THEY CAN'T CONTINUE!"
A few students swallowed hard.
"Third," Midnight said, tapping the screen, "the arena will change dynamically. Terrain shifts, visibility hazards, and environmental obstacles may activate at random. Staying in one place for too long is a bad idea."
Present Mic grinned. "FOURTH RULE! NO LETHAL FORCE! YOU CAN GO ALL OUT—but if we think you're trying to seriously maim or kill someone, YOU'RE OUT! RECOVERY GIRL IS ON STANDBY, BUT DON'T TEST HER PATIENCE!"
Midnight's eyes gleamed. "Finally—and this is important—only the last fifteen students remaining will advance to the final tournament. There are no rankings here, only survival."
"30 MINUTE BREAK!" Present Mic announced as the tired students dragged themselves to the locker room, occasionally casting glances of awe and envy towards Takeru. Cementoss began constructing a massive concrete circle where the next round would take place.
Takeru flew quickly, getting away from the squawking flock of reporters who were quickly trying to surround him.
"Kurogane-san, what do you have to say to rumors that you are All Might's son?"
That stopped Takeru in his tracks. What?!
Takeru just gave the female reporter a neutral look before flying away. "Where do they get these crazy ideas!" Takeru muttered to himself as he followed Shoji to join his classmates in the locker room.
Takeru walked into the room to find Todoroki and Midoriya having a serious conversation. Takeru wanted to ask Midoriya about those black tendrils he was able to produce, but not with all his classmates present.
Bakugo exploded into the room. "DEKU!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! YOU HAVE TWO QUIRKS! HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING IT ALL THIS TIME?! ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?!"
"Enough!" Takeru said firmly, grabbing Midoriya by the shoulder, giving him a look that said he had a lot of explaining to do, making Midoriya flinch.
"MEATHEAD! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"
Takeru rolled his eyes as he dragged Midoriya out by the scruff of his collar.
"Great job, Hanabi-chan! You were number 2 in the entrance exam, number 3 in the quirk assessment, and now you are number 4 in the obstacle course. Keep up the good work!"
Bakugo's eyes widened and started to twitch violently, and he began frothing at the mouth.
Takeru left with Midoriya before Bakugo exploded.
As Takeru left the room and turned the corner, Todoroki stood there, blocking his way.
"I want to talk to you…" Todoroki said, "Alone !" giving Midoriya a dismissive look.
Takeru was exasperated, but he saw the determination in Todoroki's eyes, and beneath it, sadness.
Todoroki didn't raise his voice, but there was something in his posture that made it clear he wouldn't move aside.
Takeru studied him for a moment, then exhaled through his nose. "Fine."
He turned to Midoriya and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Wait here. Don't wander off, and don't let Bakugo find you."
Midoriya nodded stiffly, eyes darting between the two, and stayed put as Takeru followed Todoroki into a nearby waiting room. The door slid shut behind them, muting the noise of the stadium to a distant rumble.
For a few seconds, Todoroki said nothing. He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen, then held it out.
"People are talking," he said.
Takeru frowned and took the phone. The screen was filled with headlines and scrolling feeds.
MYSTERY POWERHOUSE: IS ALL MIGHT'S SON HIDING IN CLASS 1-A?KUGOGANE KUROGANE—SECRET HEIR TO THE SYMBOL OF PEACE?EXCLUSIVE: SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ALL MIGHT AND UA'S STRONGEST FIRST YEARDID ALL MIGHT RAISE HIS SUCCESSOR IN SECRET?
Takeru scrolled further, his unease growing.
Mixed in were other stories.
CLASS 1-B'S MONOMA EXPOSED? "VILLAIN-TYPE COPY QUIRK" SPARKS DEBATECONTROVERSY OR JUSTICE? MONOMA TAKEN DOWN BY KUROGANE—PUBLIC REACTS
What struck Takeru immediately was what wasn't there. No outrage or condemnation. The comments praised his strength, justified his actions, and painted Monoma as a villain-in-waiting.
"Villainous quirks… such bullshit," Takeru thought. If Monoma put his mind to it, he could be one of the greatest heroes on the planet. Takeru was furious at the disrespect being shown toward a teenager, but the narrative had already been decided.
"That's insane," Takeru muttered. He looked into Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes. "No. I'm not All Might's son."
Todoroki watched him carefully. "I thought it was Midoriya at first," he admitted. "But you make more sense. Your strength, your skill. The way the teachers always praise you."
Takeru's eyes widened despite himself. "Again, no."
Todoroki didn't argue. Instead, he lowered his gaze. "My father married my mother for her quirk. He wanted to create the perfect hero. I am just a tool made to surpass All Might," he said flatly. "A calculated decision. A union born of a quirk marriage. He never cared about my mother, my siblings, or who I was. All I am is a… is a tool to overcome All Might. To do what my father could never do."
Takeru stayed silent.
"That's why I don't use his fire," Todoroki continued. "It's his. I won't give him what he wants."
Outside the door, Midoriya stood frozen, every word sinking in.
Takeru finally turned away, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm an orphan," he said quietly. "No legacy to burden me."
Takeru could see the hurt and anger beneath the frosty exterior of Shoto Todoroki. He exhaled sharply and looked back at Todoroki, eyes cold but tired.
"Everyone has a sad story. The universe doesn't care. You're not hurting your father by holding back. You're hurting yourself—and the people you could have saved."
Takeru opened the door.
"And someday," he added without looking back, "that's going to matter more than your pride."
He walked out, leaving Todoroki alone in the room, fists clenched, while Midoriya stood in the hallway, shaken by everything he had just heard.
Takeru looked at Midoriya, who seemed distraught, no doubt having overheard everything. "Are you done overhearing?" Takeru asked, his brows raised to denote his disapproval.
"What… no… no, I mean—" Midoriya stuttered.
"Where was the second quirk from?" Takeru asked, all pretense gone from his voice.
"I—I… One For All is not just a quirk. I think I can see the previous users when I meditate like you told me to," Midoriya stuttered.
WTF, Takeru thought. Quirks were biological mutations, not some voodoo soul magic.
"Can you control it?" Takeru asked.
"Well… not very well… sometimes. I've only been able to use it since yesterday."
Takeru was only half listening. His mind was on the social media debate—one about him being All Might's son, the other about Monoma being labeled a villain.
Takeru hated not being in control. He had given in to his battle lust. Monoma did not deserve to have his career ruined for that, and his quirk was quite versatile and powerful if he trained it.
Midoriya was still muttering away about his quirk.
"We will talk later—with All Might," Takeru said, leaving abruptly, hoping to talk to Monoma—and maybe Kendo—before the next event started. The intense online speculation was affecting Takeru more than he would admit. The reaction seemed too… Shun!!!!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Takeru's phone rang, and he quickly went into the emergency stairwell.
"SHUN!!!" Takeru whisper-shouted into the phone.
"Relax, Takeru-kun. We had to do damage control. The display of violence on your part could have been perceived as unheroic in the eyes of the public. We did not create the lie about you being All Might's son. We merely fanned the flames of online speculation. It detracts away from your rather unseemly display."
Takeru grit his teeth. It was rare that he lost control, and almost never publicly, but a lifetime of repressing his powers was having unintended consequences.
"Besides, if we in the HPSC were not able to find your birth parents, I doubt anyone else would. No harm, no foul. Please ensure that you display appropriate behavior in line with what we have discussed before. You have been training for this your whole life, after all."
"Monoma is getting a lot of online hate. Make sure he gets a good internship offer at least. The kid does not deserve half the internet berating him."
Takeru shook his head and hung up the phone.
Takeru reached the waiting room where most of Class 1-B was assembled. Takeru walked in, towering over everyone as he usually did. He heard a squeal and saw Monoma hiding behind the seats, hoping he wouldn't notice him.
Jurota Shishida, the boy with the beast transformation quirk, stood in front of him, along with Togaru Kamakiri, the mantis who could produce blades from any part of his body. They seemed nervous but put on a brave face.
"What do you want here?!" Kamakiri, the blade insect, said with acid in his voice. "Our comrades are resting. I hope that you would be so considerate as to leave so we may—"
"Jurota-kun, let him come in," Kendo said, appearing from behind as she gulped down a shaker full of pre-workout.
Takeru smiled at the sight of her. Monoma quickly scurried behind his class president.
Takeru gave a winning smile before saying, "I am only here to congratulate all of you for progressing to the next round and to check up on Monoma-san. I want to ensure that a fellow future hero was unharmed."
They all seemed nervous, except for Kendo, who was trying to hide her exasperation under a sigh.
Monoma paled, the pounding that he had received at the hands of Takeru still fresh on his mind.
Kendo shook her head and said, "Let's talk inside, Takeru-san," gesturing to the waiting room, and dragged a crying Monoma, who sobbed as he called her a traitor.
That's my girl, Takeru thought to himself as he followed them into an empty waiting room.
Takeru walked toward Monoma. "Monoma-san—or should I say Neito-kun—what a wonderful quirk you have. The fact that you can copy any quirk is splendid. Does your quirk allow you an intuitive understanding of how to use the quirk when you copy it?"
Monoma looked dumbfounded. He had thought he was going to get another beating for copying Takeru's quirk.
"I am fascinated by you and your quirk. There is a lot of chatter online about how villainous the quirk is. I want you to know that you did nothing wrong, and in fact, I was hoping that you would come train with me."
Monoma's fear was gone, replaced by curiosity.
"Why are you being so nice?!" Monoma said, sounding scared and deeply suspicious.
Takeru showed him his phone and the social media feed, especially the ones calling his quirk villainous. Kendo winced, hating how the public was bashing her classmate. Yes, he was a nuisance, but he was still a good person—Kendo knew that.
Monoma saw the news feed and his eyes widened. "I am… I am… famous! I AM FAMOUS!"
He cackled loudly, all his previous fear gone. "HAHA! HAHA!"
Kendo looked at Takeru quizzically and sighed with exasperation before karate-chopping Monoma.
"He is fine, but thank you for your concern," Kendo said as she picked Monoma's limp body up by the scruff of his neck with one hand and threw him out of the waiting room, shutting the door behind him.
"So… I never asked you about your family and stuff," Kendo said as she touched his face. "I know… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"
She hesitated. "Are you… really All Might's son?"
Takeru rolled his eyes. "No… not you too! Why would you think that?"
Kendo seemed insulted, her eyebrows scrunching. "I have eyes. Your size, your strength. The fact that you live in a penthouse despite not having any parents. The government cars, the support items that cost more than everything my family owns, the butler, all your secret outings you never talk about. Don't think I haven't noticed how you change the topic whenever our conversations get close to certain subjects."
Takeru flinched. "Well… I am still not—"
"FINE!" Kendo snapped, rolling her eyes.
She turned to stomp away, but Takeru grabbed her by the hip and pulled her toward him.
"I love you, Kendo-chan," he said, kissing her brow.
"I know. You just don't trust me," Kendo said quietly.
Takeru could never tell her about the HPSC or the things he had done—and would continue to do.
He let her go.
Kendo looked at his face and said, "We will talk later," then kissed him on the lips.
"Good luck," Takeru said as he left Kendo in the waiting room.
Class 1-B was waiting outside, looking at him with a combination of apprehension and awe. It seemed that they were waiting outside incase Kendo needed them Takeru was impressed by the amount of loyalty and respect his girlfriend commands among her classmates.
Takeru smiled at them, gave the telekinetic girl a wave, and wished them good luck as he took his leave. Gave Monoma a fist bump before heading out to the stands to watch the Free for all.