Chapter Text
"And coming in first place! Ladies and gentlemen, taking first place in the first stage of this year’s sports festival is the boy who gave it everything he had, never giving up for a moment—from General Course Class C, Midoriya Izuku!"
Izuku wiped the sweat off his brow and looked at the roaring crowd in the stadium. Of course, he knew this applause was thanks to Present Mic’s hyped commentary and the fact that he had only cleared the first stage. Still, this small victory… it felt amazing. It reminded him of how it felt during the entrance exam, like he had come out on top again. This joy… it didn’t fade. It was exhilarating.
Heroes and spectators in the industry watched the first-round winner, murmuring their thoughts about him. Most speculated about his quirk—what it was, or if he had even used it. Izuku had advanced using nothing but skill and strategy, without displaying any visible quirk. Even the sword strapped to his back was untouched. To many, it seemed like this boy had been trained long before entering UA.
Meanwhile, others focused on the flashier abilities of the higher-ranked participants. Their quirks were more visually spectacular, stealing the spotlight.
Aizawa smiled, a grin so wide it was almost unsettling. All Might, in his emaciated form, gave a slight nod. Midoriya Inko was crying uncontrollably, prompting dojo members to fetch her another box of tissues. Takahashi Ryu, Izuku’s mentor, smiled proudly at his student.
Elsewhere, in a dimly lit room, a thin man with pale blue hair scratched his neck, muttering to himself. “Who is this kid? I didn’t see him at the USJ…”
In the stands, a boy turned to his father, a pro hero, and said, “Look, Dad, that’s Izuku! The guy I told you about from the kenjutsu dojo.”
His father squinted at the screen. “The one who kept beating you, Yuichi? Doesn’t look that tough to me.”
Yuichi smirked. “You think so? Even like this, he’s got the skills to humiliate every kid here. He wiped the floor with me, and I’m three years older than him.”
Nearby, Bakugo stormed toward Izuku, his face flushed with rage. “Deku! Dammit! How dare you ...?!”
Izuku remained calm. “Whatever you do, Kacchan, it’d be best to hold yourself back here. Getting disqualified for attacking me won’t help you.”
Bakugo growled but begrudgingly stepped aside, accepting his third-place rank. However, a cold, piercing gaze remained fixed on Izuku’s back. He didn’t need to turn around to know it was Todoroki Shoto. He decided to say nothing and simply wait.
One by one, the other students crossed the finish line. Izuku recognized a few of them: the blue-haired, bespectacled boy; the brown-haired girl; Aoyama with his laser quirk; and finally...
“Hitoshi!”
Izuku ran to him, grabbing his shoulders. “You made it!”
Hitoshi replied, “Not as far as you, though, Rank One!”
Izuku smiled. “Well, it’s a start. There’s still a long way to go.”
Their conversation was interrupted by familiar voices shouting.
“Noooo! We were so close! So close!”
Izuku and Hitoshi turned to see their defeated classmates approaching. Suriikko groaned, “If it wasn’t for that walking bomb hedgehog, we would’ve made it.”
Tsume, claws extended, yelled angrily, “And if I find out who made those damn purple balls, I’ll shred them!”
All girls pointed in unison at Mineta. “It was him!”
Tsume’s expression turned demonic. “Thanks for the tip, ladies!”
Mineta screamed and bolted. “Wait! If you attack me, you’ll get disqualified!”
Tsume growled as she chased him. “I’ve already lost! I’ve got nothing left to lose! Let me skin you so I can feel better!”
The rest of the defeated students hung their heads in shame. Izuku turned to them. “Hey, everyone. You didn’t make it this time, but there are always other opportunities. Just because you lost today doesn’t mean you’ll lose tomorrow.”
Tetsuki stepped forward, patting Izuku on the shoulder. “Viva. You’ve still got that big heart, Midoriya, even after coming in first.”
With that, they returned to their seats to watch and cheer for their remaining classmates.
Less than twenty minutes later, Midnight entered the arena to announce the next event: The Cavalry Battle.
“Let me explain!” she said with a grin. “Each student will form teams of four and try to grab headbands representing points from other teams. Points are based on the ranks from the first event! In other words, the first place headband is worth... ten million points!”
All eyes immediately turned toward Izuku, predator-like gazes locking onto him as if he were their prey.
Izuku swallowed hard, forcing down his anxiety. All those years of meditation training had to pay off now. Slowly, he calmed himself.
“You have 15 minutes to form your teams! Good luck!”
The students scattered to assemble their groups. Izuku didn’t need to be a genius to know most wouldn’t want to team up with him. Being the obvious target made him a risky partner. No one wanted to share that danger—well, almost no one.
Hitoshi approached first, but before he could speak, Izuku stopped him.
“Hitoshi, go find others to team up with. It’ll be better that way.”
Hitoshi frowned. “What about you? How will you form a team when—”
Izuku smiled. “I understand my situation, Hitoshi. I know it’s tough for me right now, but that won’t stop me. I just don’t want to drag you down if I lose. I’d rather one of us wins this round.”
Hitoshi stared at Izuku for a moment, then smiled. “Just like Tetsuki said—you’ve got a big heart, Izuku.”
They both set off to form their teams, though neither had a clear idea how to recruit strangers.
“Hey! Team up with me!”
Izuku jumped, instinctively raising his guard, just to see a pink-haired girl laden with gadgets standing before him.
She grinned and leaned in close. “I don’t know your name, but let me use your first-place rank to show off my babies!”
Feeling slightly uneasy at her proximity, Izuku hesitated. “Uh... who are you?”
“I’m Hatsume Mei from the Support Course and future CEO of Hatsume Industries! And these are my babies! Pretty cool, right? My babies are absolute works of art!"
Izuku couldn’t help but admire her gadgets "They’re… amazing. You really built all of these yourself?"
"Of course! Every single bolt, wire, and circuit was crafted with love and genius!"
Hatsume was clearly a genius. "Love and genius"… yeah, that fits. "I can see that. They’re well-designed. You must’ve put a lot of thought into each one." He thought about asking her for advice after the festival, but for now, he needed more teammates.
Not like Hatsume really cared about it. "Obviously! I mean, someone like you probably gets by on raw skill, but me? It’s all about innovation! With these, I can make anyone a winner. Even you, Mr. Ten Million Points!"
Izuku didn'r really know how to answer. ""Ah… thanks, I think?"
“Midoriya-kun!”
Izuku turned to see a familiar face. “Uraraka-san, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Want to team up?”
Izuku bowed slightly. “It’d be an honor to have you join us, despite our… disadvantage.”
Uraraka smiled. “Well, I still owe you for the entrance exam.”
Izuku shook his head. “Really, it was nothing. I didn’t do it for repayment. Thank you for joining us.”
He pondered for a moment. “We’ve got one spot left. We need someone who can defend and attack at the same time… someone like…”
He made his decision and approached him.
“Would you join us, Tokoyami-san?”
"Alright, time's up! It's time for everyone to get ready Cavalry Battle!" Present Mic said from the high beams, nudging the sleeping Aizawa awake. The erasing hero looked down at the area with interest, finding some of the teams to be quite...interesting.
Down on the floor, Izuku tied the headband around his forehead, using a second tied around his hair in case of emergency. He wasn't told that you couldn't do such a thing, only that it was tied around the head or neck. Nothing was said about double-tying.
"Uraraka-san!"
"Ready!"
"Hatsume-san!"
"Hi Hi!!!"
"Tokoyami-san!"
"Ready."
"I’m counting on all of you. Let’s win this!"
"3" Uraraka readied her powers.
"2" Hatsume shifted in her gear.
"1" Dark Shadow loomed next to Tokoyami, ready to fight.
"Start!" Izuku tensed up.
"It's a fight for the ten million!" A boy with silver hair and an eye mask yelled in fury. Izuku narrowed his eyes. "Lets get out of here!" Team Midoriya went to escape, but the boy at the front used some sort of quicksand quirk trapping them all in the viscous liquid floor.
However, within the first few seconds, Midoriya's team soared into the air and remained there, floating high above the chaos. It seemed like a brilliant strategy.
The audience erupted in cheers.
In the stands, the General Studies students were particularly loud, passionately rooting for their representatives. Surikko and Tsume waved green and purple flags enthusiastically, their voices rising above the noise. It wasn’t long before Yuichi joined them.
In the dojo, where literly everyone had stopped practice to watch the sport festival, students were on the edge of their seats. Izuku’s mother, Inko, couldn't hold back her tears of pride and worry. And this made Takahashi worried about the mother more than her son.
Finally, Midoriya’s team descended to the ground, and the real battle began.
Izuku knew he couldn’t avoid conflict forever and had prepared himself thoroughly. But preparation didn’t stop him from being caught off guard. Some sticky purple balls pinned them to the ground.
There was no question about who was responsible. The opposing team, led by Mineta, Izuku should have guess that little pervert guy is smarter than he looks, was well-organized and heavily fortified.
Before they could regroup, a long tongue shot toward them.
But Izuku was faster. Drawing the blunt side of his sword, he struck the tongue mid-air, deflecting it. His voice rang out loud and firm.
“I’d prefer not to cut your tongue. Don’t try that again, or I might have to.” Izuku said loudly to the girl, causing her to suck in her own tongue in fear. Izuku turned to his other teammates. "Lets get out of here!"
He was forced to use Hatsume's equipment again, sadly tearing apart one of Uraraka's (Hatsume's baby) shoes due to the ball haired boy's ability sticking them to the ground.
"My baby!" Hatsume wailed.
"It’s fine," Izuku reassured her, examining their remaining gear. "We can still stay airborne for now, so we should be—"
"DEKU!!!"
Izuku barely had time to react as Bakugo propelled himself toward them with explosive speed. He was relentless, closing the distance in seconds. Izuku saw the hand coming closer and a thought flashed through his mind. Times slowed for him as he thought about the action, thinking of the repercussions of such a decision.
"No choice," Izuku thought, gripping the hilt of his sword. He waited until Bakugo’s hand was close enough. And then..
With a quick flick of his wrist, Izuku sliced the palm open with his katana. Bakugou's eyes widened at the sudden pain in his hand. He was forced to look in shock at the blood that put out his nitroglycerin, canceling his attack and stopping any moves from said hand. Bakugo lost control and fell back toward the ground.
Izuku sheathed his sword with precision, his long, green hair swaying in the wind as the sun glinted off the blade.
"Well, well!" Present Mic’s voice boomed over the stadium speakers. "Looks like Midoriya’s sword isn’t just for show! Just a small cut, but enough to not only force Bakugou down, but perhaps take that hand out for the rest of the game!"
but perhaps take that hand out for the rest of the game!" The crowd cheered on the event, uncaring of the small injury, much to Izuku's relief. He was sure that many would be angered by the use of his blade to spread pain.
Uraraka gasped. "You… cut his hand?"
"It’s just a shallow cut," Izuku clarified. "Enough to keep him at bay without causing serious harm."
Tokoyami nodded in approval. "A decisive move. Well done."
"But this is far from over." Izuku replied, his tone serious "We’ve got plenty of other challengers to watch out for!"
His words refocused his team.
Izuku noticed Bakugou, who tore Kirishima's shirt sleeve to make a wrap for his hand, was now going after a Class B kid who stole his headband.
Apparently, that same team had stolen half the headbands in the game, most of which were Class A, meaning the pressure was on all the groups to get them back. Izuku was relieved that they didn't have as much problems now, except for the group in front of them.
Team Todoroki, and they didn't look to keen on sharing.
"That kid’s amazing!"
"So smart—still holding the top rank!"
"Look at that hair—he is so cute! Think he’d date my second year daughter?"
"What do you think his quirk is?"
On the other side, were corporate managers. The leaders and financial carriers of hero agencies all over Japan. Their attention locked onto a boy from the General Studies Course, who was clawing his way to hero-level prowess:
“Well, it seems Izuku Midoriya’s stock is rising. What’s your take?”
“He’s shown impressive skills, particularly with that sword and his physical conditioning, but his quirk hasn’t been revealed yet. It’s tough to predict how far he’ll go. If you were to manage him in an agency, how would you market him?”
“For starters, his appearance has potential. His soft features, long green hair, and innocent face are solid selling points.”
“Add to that his demonstrated physical abilities, which have drawn a lot of attention on their own.”
“And what about that blade?”
“We’ll get to that, but for now, it’s clear that he’s skilled, strong, and…well, appealing. For future development, we need to understand his quirk as well.”
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Team Midoriya had landed again—only to find themselves surrounded by ice, made by Todoroki Shoto.
Todoroki’s lineup was formidable: alongside himself were Momo Yaoyorozu, another recommended student; Tenya Iida, the second-place scorer in the entrance exam; and Denki Kaminari. There was no denying that Team Midoriya was cornered.
They were trapped. Both sides were ice walls and Todoroki's team in front of them.
After Todoroki trapped them, they've been staying on his left side, avoiding his attacks and playing defense for a solid five minutes. They didn't have much time left and were still the owners of the ten million.
Izuku gripped his sword tightly, bracing himself. He had no knowledge of Yaoyorozu’s abilities since she wasn't in the entrance exam. Iida was a wildcard move, “Recipro Burst”, and Kaminari’s lightning already weakened Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow.
Izuku saw moment on their opponents side and readied his blade. He didn't know what the boy at front was planning but it wasn't good by the looks of it. He had engines in his legs and could move very quickly with such a quirk.
With Iida speeding toward them and Todoroki closing in on his headband, the odds were stacked against them.
Izuku silently prayed his backup plan would work—and it did, but at a cost: a billion-ton pain exploded in his head.
“What the—?! Is this even allowed?!”Present Mic asked from the high stands as he stared at the situation in awe.
Down below, Midnight stared at the same event. "I-I don't know, I didn't even noticed him do that... it was never specifically stated as a rule either." Midnight stared at the cargo of team Todoroki.
The entire stadium turned their attention to the bizarre scene. No one had anticipated Midoriya’s back up plan.Todoroki, the team of four frozen in shock as the blast of speed they just experienced. Iida surprised all of them.
Through gritted teeth, Izuku muttered, “Todoroki-san…this hurts so much…ugh…”
Todoroki, puzzled by the sudden halt in his charge, finally noticed what had happened.
Before anyone could react further, Dark Shadow surged forward, snatching one of Todoroki’s headbands. At the same moment, Izuku struck Todoroki’s hand with the hilt of his sword, breaking free and shouting, “Uraraka-san!”
While moving forward as fast as they could, Uraraka quickly tapped all the members of Todoroki’s team with her quirk, causing them to float momentarily. Though she was on the verge of nausea, it bought them precious seconds.
Present Mic’s voice boomed: “Unbelievable! Midoriya tied his headband to his hair tie! Nobody even noticed! Not only did he protect his ten million points, but he also snagged Todoroki’s headband!”
The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement reaching new heights.
Tokoyami said, “I didn’t think such a move could turn the tide so dramatically. Admirable.”
Izuku, massaging his head and feeling some blood on his skin, replied, “The battle’s not over yet.”
One Minute Left!
Izuku looked around and found that it was a battle royal. People were stealing headbands left and right, some teams trying to figure out the next course of action in the madness.
Todoroki team was still slowed down, unable to light the engines of Iida's legs and the half and half user now sporting a sizable bruise on his hand. "I won't let you escape, Midoriya!" He yelled, pulling out the staff Yaoyoruzu made for him and stabbing it into the ground. A trail of ice made its way towards team Midoriya, but they were quick to avoid the blast, only to find it was meant to block them.
While slow, team Todoroki moved forward, Iida obviously put out by the movements.
“DEKU!!!”
An explosion shattered the ice barrier as Bakugo’s team entered the fray. Even with his injured hand, Bakugo was relentless.
Team Midoriya was cornered again, with opponents closing in from both sides
"10 Seconds left!" Present Mic yelled out, making everyone go even more nuts. Izuku heard a familiar sound and saw an angry blond coming straight at him. "Deku! Don't think I forgot about the shit you pulled!" Bakugou yelled from the air, showing off the patched up hand, which was wrapped in Kirishima's arm sleeve.
He could still use it after all. Izuku tensed up and un-sheathed his sword once more. "Tokoyami, get ready!"
People circled one another, headbands were flying and Todoroki and Bakugou both had a vendetta against Midoriya for what he did. They were so close and now the boy was trapped, like a sheep ready for slaughter.
That damned headband was theirs.
"Times...UP!"
Todoroki growled in frustration having the same headband that Dark Shadow snitched from them, Bakugou landed on the ground in a pile, screaming into it with fury, and Izuku sighed in relief.
It was finally over.
“YES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TEAM MIDORIYA KEEPS THEIR TEN MILLION POINTS AND REMAINS…wait…ah, correction! Due to no official rule against tying the headband to his hair, they’ve been penalized and awarded 2000 points, placing them in…fourth!” Izuku sighed in relief at the unexpected but still okay turn of events.
Midnight’s voice cut through: “If you pull something like this again, you’ll be disqualified!”
“Moving on! First place is now team Todoroki, second is team Bakugo, and third is…Shinso? When did that happen?!”
Izuku scanned the area and spotted his friend Shinso with a triumphant smile. Izuku grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. Both had made it to the next round.