After finishing his experiment with the new techniques, Izuku Midoriya was in exceptionally high spirits. If these two newly developed skills could be trained properly, they might very well become powerful trump cards for him.
"And besides, there's a good chance that right now, I'm the only one who can use this ability," Izuku muttered to himself. "A single perfected move can carry you far—this isn't just empty talk."
He lifted his head and looked toward the rising morning sun.
"First place… I've got it."
After returning home, Izuku immediately drafted a special training plan for himself. In order to seize first place at the Sports Festival, he had prepared far more thoroughly than ever before.
"Last year's first event was the Cavalry Battle. The year before that, it was the Obstacle Race… The Obstacle Race happens every other year," he murmured, flipping through his notes. "This year should be no exception. First event confirmed—OK. The next one should be head-to-head combat."
"Other than Class B and the General Studies course, the rest probably aren't too much of a concern…"
Izuku's gaze shifted to three photographs pinned neatly to the wall.
"And then… there are these three I absolutely have to watch out for."
His eyes hardened as he stared at the photos.
"Bakugo Katsuki. Todoroki Shoto. And Shinso Hitoshi."
"Bakugo and Todoroki are the two strongest," Izuku said quietly. "And the remaining one… is the one most likely to make me lose everything if I'm careless."
He removed Shinso Hitoshi's photo and placed it on his desk, studying it closely.
"This student's Quirk is Brainwashing. Once you respond to him verbally, you fall under his control. It's a mental-type Quirk—extremely overbearing. But… it's not without a counter."
The day passed amid Izuku's research and constant muttering. The next morning, the long-awaited U.A. Sports Festival finally began.
At that moment, Izuku was resting in the Class 1-A waiting room. It would soon be their turn to enter the arena.
"Ah… I'm still nervous," Izuku sighed.
Beside him, Mineta Minoru kept writing the character for "person" on his palm and then pretending to swallow it, trying desperately to calm his nerves.
"Midoriya."
At some point, Todoroki Shoto had appeared beside him.
"Todoroki? What is it?" Izuku turned slightly toward him.
From the side, Todoroki spoke in his usual calm, detached tone.
"Objectively speaking, my strength surpasses yours."
"…Yeah," Izuku nodded.
Todoroki's Quirk—Half-Cold Half-Hot—was incredibly powerful, possessing both overwhelming offense and exceptional versatility. Compared to that, Izuku's Quirkless status was undeniably weaker.
"You seem to have All Might's attention," Todoroki continued. "I don't intend to dig into the reasons…"
"But I will defeat you."
"Ohhh, the strongest guy in class just issued a formal declaration of war!" Kaminari Denki shouted from his seat, clearly enjoying the spectacle and completely ignoring the tension in the room.
"I don't really understand why you're saying you're going to defeat me," Izuku replied slowly, clenching his fist.
"You are stronger. More than half the participants won't be able to stand against you."
"But I'm not the kind of person who just lets himself be crushed."
"You've thrown down the gauntlet—so I accept it. I'll face you with everything I have."
"Heh, things suddenly got really hot-blooded," Kirishima Eijiro said with a grin, as oblivious as ever to reading the room.
"That's enough," Iida Tenya said firmly as he opened the waiting room door. "Everyone, move out. Let's show them that Class 1-A is not to be underestimated!"
"Let's go!"
The group poured out of the waiting room and headed toward the stadium. By now, the arena was packed to the brim with spectators. DJ Hero Present Mic was, as always, electrifying the entire crowd.
"The U.A. Sports Festival!! The grand annual clash where heroes-in-training face off at the largest scale of the year!!"
"And now—let us witness the miracle rookies who overcame adversity with iron will, even in the face of villain attacks!!"
"Hero Course! First Year! Class A!!"
Under the intense gaze of the crowd, Class 1-A entered the stadium.
"So many people…!" Izuku whispered, visibly shaken. He had never imagined standing before a crowd of this size.
"Being able to perform at your best in front of a massive audience," Iida said, equally tense, "is also an essential quality of a hero."
They gathered in the center of the stadium, where a raised metal platform stood. Atop it was the chief referee for the first-year division—the R-Rated Hero, Midnight.
"All right! Quiet down, everyone!" Midnight cracked her riding crop against the air.
"Competitor's oath! Get up here now—Bakugo Katsuki!"
Amid the crowd's attention, Bakugo Katsuki swaggered onto the platform, hands shoved into his pockets, arrogance written all over his face.
"Oath!" he shouted. "I'll be number one! And I'll prove it!!!"
"Kacchan's as arrogant as ever," Izuku muttered, watching Bakugo descend from the platform. His eyes burned with determination.
This time, Kacchan… I'll face you head-on.
"Heroes value speed above all else," Midnight declared. "So let's get this started quickly with the first event!"
The massive screen flickered as countless events scrolled by.
"The first event is… this!"
The words Obstacle Race appeared on the screen.
Yes! I was right, Izuku thought as he immediately crouched down and removed the weighted sandbags from his legs.
"Obstacle Race. Eleven classes in total. A full-scale free-for-all. The course circles the stadium—approximately four kilometers."
One of the stadium's massive gates slowly opened. A signal light above it began to beep.
"Then… begin!"
Students from all eleven classes surged forward simultaneously, jamming the gate in a massive bottleneck.
"There are so many people—no room to move!" Izuku struggled amid the crowd.
"This is the first filter," Todoroki said, bursting forward instantly. Using his Quirk, he blocked those behind him and surged ahead.
"Like hell I'll let you have that!" Bakugo roared, blasting himself into the air with explosions and chasing after Todoroki, who had taken the lead.
"Tch, everyone's so fast!" Izuku finally pushed his way out alongside Mineta.
"That's nothing! Watch my ultimate move—!" Mineta began, only to be smashed aside by a massive green mechanical claw.
"What the hell was that?!" Izuku narrowly dodged another enormous claw and finally realized—
The first obstacle was the same gigantic robots from the entrance exam.
"Seriously? Isn't this a bit excessive? There are way too many of them," Izuku muttered, even as his feet kept moving, charging straight into the mechanical horde.
"At thirty kilometers per hour, I should be able to shake off this pile of scrap," he calculated.
His legs pumped faster and faster.
"Thirty kilometers—full throttle!"
In an instant, Izuku's speed surged. Using precise movement and control, he slipped cleanly through the robots' defensive lines.
"Maintain this speed—clear the second obstacle fast!"