Chapter 23 - Sword in the Stadium
Rattling echoed about the empty cafe.
Slowly, but surely, the morning sun began to rise. However, it was nothing but a timer for those who open their businesses early. His employees often commented that their cafe should open at eight in the morning or some other reasonable time.
Five in the morning wasn't reasonable for them, apparently.
However, this was fine. After all, Archer always awoke early for it was a habit he could never quite break.
Archer set down a hefty box, wincing slightly as the box hit the storage room floor a bit too quickly. Hopefully, nothing inside would be damaged. Seeing as there was just flour in there, it was probably fine.
Still, there could be leakage from one of the packets ripping open. With this in mind, Archer got down on his knees, opened up the crate and began to sift through them one by one.
He would've been fine doing so for several minutes, but the sound of the cafe bell ringing dragged his attention. Turning to the wall clock, Archer found his brow rising ever so slightly.
Odd, he never had customers this early. Sure, there had been a few days where 'Pro Heroes', who had extremely early patrols, would come for a quick coffee break, but as far as Archer knew, this wasn't one of those days.
A quick look at his calendar absolved all confusion.
Ah… how could he forget?
Archer got on his feet and exited the storage room. It didn't take long before he made his way to the cafe floor. Standing there to greet him, was honestly someone Archer didn't really care to meet at this time.
There goes his morning, and he was just starting to enjoy it too.
"What is it, Emiya Shirou?" Archer allowed the words to flow from his mouth. "I had thought that your little festival starts today."
The hero-wannabe before him simply grimaced and let out a soft sigh. He ruffled his uniform, but from underneath Archer could catch glimpses of another one. Most likely his physical education uniform.
He was also holding a rather large and flimsy paper bag, almost as long as one of his arms.
"Think of it as a parting gift," he started as he loosened his grip on the paper bag. "I know you don't like me–"
"No surprise there."
The fool's brow twitched.
If it was in irritation, then Archer would be grateful.
"–but, even if the feeling is mutual," his younger self uttered with grit-teeth. "I know you didn't need to help train me, but you did. Just take it."
Archer let out a non-committal hum. However, that did nothing to stop him from catching the bag tossed towards him.
Already, Archer could rule out the idea that his younger-self had given him any foodstuff which meant that his interest waned. However, his nose twitched at the smell of prana… had his younger-self reinforced the flimsy paper bag?
He took a glance into the paper bag.
"I know that you probably won't find any use for it," Emiya Shirou added. "But we had an extra set. That spare wasn't going to be finding any use at home."
A miniature vacuum cleaner.
This time, Archer's brow twitched.
"Are you implying that my cafe is dirty, Emiya Shirou?"
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that there were a few people wandering about outside, Archer would have strangled him.
"No, not at all," he uttered, but there was no denying the subtle shit-eating grin that grew on his face. He noticed that he irritated him, terrific. "I noticed that, while your own vacuum can handle nearly everything, it doesn't really reach into the corners or other hard-to-reach areas. That vacuum should be able to do the job."
His fury abated, Archer simply hummed and set the paper bag aside. "I suppose that is all you wanted to say?"
Emiya Shirou nodded. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave."
"Wait right there and don't move."
Archer's tone left no room for debate as he left the room. He felt subtle glee at catching the brat off guard, but he wouldn't deny that the kid's gift – Archer would forever laugh at the fact that he was even younger than before – was helpful.
Besides, it was time that he gave it to him.
When Archer returned, he was carrying a neatly-folded jacket.
A familiar jacket.
His young self blinked.
"Is that–"
"It snagged on my waist-coat when we were pulled into the wormhole," Archer informed as he cut him off. He tossed it towards the confused teen. "It was damaged, but Setsuno offered to fix it up."
Why he would do so, Archer would never know. He said that it was worthless but the lanky teen wouldn't take no for an answer. Something about paying back his debts, but Archer didn't have any debt on him in the first place.
"I'm surprised you kept it in the first place," Shirou muttered.
"Setsuno wouldn't let me throw it out." Damn his quirk. He would always grab it no matter how far he'd throw it. "But that's not the point. Look in the front pocket."
He did as he was told and reached into it. His eyes widened in almost comical proportions as he withdrew something from it.
Actually, it would be rude to call a priceless gem worthless.
"Is this mine or yours?"
Archer shook his head.
"It's yours, I found it in the jacket's pocket. I gave mine back to Rin a while back," Archer narrowed his eyes. "Speaking of which, why did you leave it lying on the ground in the first place?"
"I didn't want it to get damaged against Gilgamesh." He shrugged as he replied. A few seconds later, his own eyes narrowed. "… Hang on, why didn't you give this back earlier? I was training with you for a week!"
"It'd irritate you, that's why."
Archer took great pleasure at the boy's rapidly twitching brow.
Heh.
"Now scram," Archer ordered as he turned his back. "Or would you rather be late for your little festival?"
His younger self said nothing as he shoved both the jacket and pendant into his bag.
"I really don't like you."
"The feeling is mutual, but don't do anything I would do."
Archer only looked back to his doorstep once he heard it close. With his younger self gone, he was once more in solitude. He took a quick glance at yet another nearby wall-clock.
Well, not for long. It would be a couple of minutes or so until Setsuno arrives, and a few more minutes after until Todoroki does too. He had asked if she wanted to take a break and watch her brother in the festival, but bringing the idea up around Todoroki seemed to unsettle her for just a bit.
Archer could imagine why.
With nothing more to do, the red-garbed chef made his way back into the storage room.
Well then, let's see if any packets actually broke?
Shirou had arrived early.
So early, in fact, that he could not see another student around on the campus. So far, all he could see were people setting up their own stalls for the sports festival.
From most cultural festivals that Shirou participated in, he was sure that most of these stalls were made by students in either the general or business courses.
However, from what Shirou could see, there were also a few high-end stalls. A few stalls with brand names tied onto it like butter, much more refined in appearance than most of the student stalls.
It was interesting to think about, but he didn't really have time to leisure about.
"Good luck and do your best, Shirou!"
When he awoke, Yu had been there to give him encouraging words. Ready and hopeful that he would do well in the tournament. She was very supportive, but she didn't notice that Shirou just didn't care for it.
It was a showcase of abilities to villains around the country, and it would detriment his ability to deal with villains. The element of surprise wasn't the above all factor when dealing with villains, but it was extremely helpful to keep your trump cards secret for when you would need them.
The more you kept secret and held back, the more people would underestimate you. That was an irrefutable truth. However, he couldn't really work up the courage to tell her that.
For some reason… it felt odd when imagining her disappointment.
Perhaps he should think about it later. For now, another needed his focus.
He thumbed a ruby-red pendant in his pocket.
He hadn't known that Archer had it, nor had he thought to check in the first place. He had thought that Rin still had it back in his home dimension, it could've served as a catalyst to bring him home.
On second thought, if the Mage's Association caught wind that she performed inter-dimensional travel or summoning, then it could be trouble for their friends and family. The mages association didn't play nice, after all.
Settling inside his classroom, Shirou placed his bag by his desk and began taking off his uniform. He had worn his physical education uniform under it so he could change quickly for the event.
Normally, he would have chosen to just wear his sports uniform, but after a little warning from Yu, he didn't. There were loads of slightly sleepy news anchors wandering around the school, most likely looking for hero course students to interview. He was thankful to avoid that.
All he had to do now was wait for Aizawa and his classmates to arrive. He mentioned that he, or one of his co-workers if he couldn't make it, would be directing them to the room where they'd stay by the stadium.
And yes, U.A. had a stadium. Shirou didn't know why, but he attributed it to the school's seemingly endless budget. Seriously, it was like this school had far too much to spend.
Shirou took out the pendant from his uniform as he sat on his desk.
… I wonder how Rin and Saber are doing?
His question would remain unanswered, not that he knew it would anyway.
He clutched the pendant and held it to his forehead, feeling just a bit comforted by the cold gemstone. A quick twitch of his nose notified him of what little prana exists in the ruby-red pendant.
Rin's prana.
Shirou knew that dimensional travel was possible through the Second Magic and that Rin would likely be studying under him, courtesy of Archer. There was a high chance that they would see each other again… but not for a long while.
Learning took time, and Shirou had no idea what the time dilation between this dimension of heroes and their dimension of dying magecraft would be. A second could pass here but two could pass there, A day could pass there but a minute could pass here, even a year could be but a second in this world.
He didn't know, and he was sure that Archer wouldn't know either.
The pendant in his hands was the only keepsake he had of home, and while he heavily disliked his older counterpart, he was truly thankful that he had it.
Shirou would like to keep it on his person, but knowing the nature of the sports festival, which almost always ends in a battle versus at the end, there was a chance that it would get damaged.
He had no intention of letting it get into harm's way.
He sighed and basked in the comforting feeling and smell for as long as he could before putting the gem away in his bag.
Nor would he let anyone else get harmed. If Angra Mainyu chose to show up here, then Shirou would be ready. His training with Archer ensured it.
"Ahem."
Shirou blinked.
"Good morning, Emiya-san."
Shirou slowly gazed at the entrance of the classroom.
"Good morning, Iida-san," Shirou reciprocated with a soft smile. "I assume you just arrived?"
There was an odd little pause, but Iida nodded.
"Yes. I met a Todoroki and Bakugou along the way, but they appear to be restless," he commented. "I believe that they are still getting warmed up at the training grounds. I aim to join them, would you like to join us?"
Shirou pondered for just a second.
"No, it's fine," Shirou denied. "I'll get in a few stretches before the event. That should be enough."
"Are you sure?" Iida asked with a mildly confused brow. "This is not an event that we should take lightly."
Shirou nodded. It wasn't like his 'quirk' needed any warm-up anyway, and he already had his morning exercise so his body was already at its best.
"Yeah, it's fine."
After Iida left, the rest of his classmates trickled in several minutes after. It took several more minutes after that for Aizawa to arrive with Bakugo, Iida, and Todoroki in tow.
They promptly left for the stadium.
It took them a while but they had all arrived in a changing room, which probably meant that Shirou didn't need to change in the classroom, but he found it was better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Their room was simple. There were a few tables and chairs for students to relax in, lockers for every student's valuables – which Shirou used to keep his bag – and a few extra towels folded neatly at the back.
Once everyone changed, there was a moment of restless silence. Most likely that every student here was just a little tense. Shirou wasn't blind, he could see that the event was a big deal and meant a lot to his classmates.
Everyone probably trained hard in the past week, so a little tense silence could be acceptable.
Fortunately, not everyone thought so.
Ashido Mina let out a long and drawn-out sigh, dragging attention in the room. "I wanted to wear to my costume."
To her side, Ojiro Mashirao simply let off a wry smile. "To keep things fair, we really can't."
True, most of the students outside of the hero course didn't have the luxury of a costume.
"I wonder what the first round's going to be…?" Sato voiced out nervously.
Tokoyami Fumikage reclined his avian head and silently hummed. "No matter what comes, we have no choice but to deal with it."
"Right," Mezo Shoji agreed to his side–
The door opened up abruptly.
"Everyone! Are you ready!?" Iida Tenya called out. "We will be entering the venue soon!"
It seemed like the nervous tension, which was slowly being worked out, returned with a vengeance. He eyed a couple of his classmates taking a few calming breaths to cool their furiously pumping blood.
Adrenaline was slowly starting to pump in all of their veins, and they haven't even heard of the first round yet.
"Midoriya."
Todoroki?
"Todoroki? What is it?" Midoriya asked.
Shirou blinked as their heterochromia classmate walked up to the nervous teen. Although, he appeared far more confused than nervous. Midoriya didn't seem to know why Todoroki called him out.
To be frank, no one around them did either.
Several students, all who had been content to reign in their nervous selves, broke stride to gaze towards the two of them, who had now become the center of attention.
"Looking at things objectively," Todoroki started. "I think I'm stronger than you."
Now, Shirou was incredibly confused.
Where was this going?
Midoriya let off a sound of minor confusion but agreed with a slow nod.
"But… All-Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?" He added on as Midoriya flinched in response. "I'm not trying to pry about that…" His eyes narrowed. "… but I'm going to beat you."
"Oh? Is the best in class making a declaration of war?" Kaminari teased.
He failed to notice the atmosphere. Then again, from where was sat, he wouldn't be able to see the eyes narrowed in determination. Grim determination.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kirishima called out. He had gotten out of his seat and laid a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Not now, we're about to start!"
Todoroki's shoved his hand off of him.
"We're not here to play at being friends," he declared as he turned to walk away. "So what does it matter?"
As he walked away, he stopped beside Shirou's table.
"And I haven't forgotten about you, Emiya."
Shirou blinked in subtle surprise.
"I'm not blind," Todoroki reminded. Although, his tone seemed a tad bit irritated. "I've seen the way that Aizawa-sensei acts around you. It's almost as if the two of you have some history," he narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to beat you too… and prove that you were wrong."
"... You don't see anything wrong with this? Don't you know that killing is wrong? That's not the job of a hero."
Ah… so he was talking about that. It had been a week so Shirou almost forgot. Admittedly, he shouldn't have forgotten, but between training with Archer and preparing for Avenger, it was pretty low on the totem pole of priorities.
Shirou still found it odd that Todoroki wanted to specifically beat him too. What purpose would it serve? In the first place, Shirou sort of agreed with him. Killing, in general, was wrong and it should be avoided.
He definitely needed to tell Todoroki about how the Nomu was still technically alive. Maybe make something else up like how going for its heart didn't kill him but stopped further regeneration. He could bring up Tsukauchi as proof–
"Todoroki."
Shirou watched as he turned back to Midoriya.
"I don't know what you're thinking when you say that you'll beat me, and I don't know what business you and Emiya-san have, but of course you're better than me," Midoriya admitted. "I think you're more capable than most people, especially considering how you managed to help protect us at USJ. Looking at it objectively…"
Kirishima flinched out of everyone's notice but played it off quickly and raised his hands in placation. "Midoriya, you probably shouldn't…"
"But, everyone–" The nervous teen continued with clenched fists. "–Our peers in Class 1-B and everyone from the other courses, are aiming for the top with everything they've got!"
His fists lowered.
"… I can't afford to fall behind," Midoriya said as his head slowly rose. "I'll be going for it with everything I have, too."
Todoroki simply gazed at him and made a sound of confirmation.
It was likely he wanted Midoriya to be at his best for when he would beat him. If, he would beat him. Shirou always knew that nothing was ever quite as simple.
A fire was lit within the teen, and it spread to all in the class…
All, except for Emiya Shirou.
The stalls were loud and the people within them even louder.
A few curious eyes were drawn towards him, but he took it in stride. He ignored it in favor of the bag in his hands. It jingled a little as the trinkets within collided with one another, but it wasn't loud enough to break past the background noise…
… but that didn't mean that he wasn't nervous.
"We don't really need you today, so you can relax for now."
Yarikaze Sasori simply waded through the crowd.
Someone like him, big, tall, lanky, and above all, menacing. Once or twice, a few professional heroes called him over in concern, but he had managed to convince them all that he wasn't a villain.
At least, not anymore.
A lot had happened in the few months since his short jail time, like getting a huge scar on his forehead. His new 'boss' paid his bail and surgery bill so he wouldn't be spending ten years in prison. It was honestly amazing how much money could change things.
He wasn't a small-time crook running it in with the bigger gangs. He had a stable income now, a way to provide for himself and perhaps his daughter…
No… that was just a dream. A beautiful dream, but a dream nonetheless.
He wouldn't be able to take care of her, even if he had all the money in the world. Taking her away from her new, and frankly better, foster parents was a crime even he wouldn't want to stoop to performing.
She was happier away from him, even if she didn't know it.
Besides, his newer 'job' was technically just as dangerous as his old one. It treads the line between the law, but he still had power in court nonetheless.
At least that he wasn't wearing that weird plague-doctors mask today. Chisaki, or at least that was what Sasori thought his name was, said that it would bring undue attention towards themselves if he did. He also said that it wasn't time yet and that they would have to be patient.
Not that he was complaining, that thing got stuffy if it wasn't cleaned every week. He did with it covered his scar though.
It was a shame that his other colleague, that drunkard Sakaki Deidoro, wouldn't be able to come here. The event had a ban on alcoholic drinks, and with the man's need for the beverage, he wouldn't even think of coming here.
Was there anyone else he could've invited to come here…?
No, there wasn't. As much as he would like to say he liked his new financially stable situation, he didn't really like his boss or his colleagues – the drunkard excluded.
They always talked about purifying the world, not that Sasori generally cared… but it had some merit.
His gigantic scorpion tail twitched, admittedly scaring a few people away and causing a few babies to tear up.
If he could get rid of this tail, then he would be able to find a better job and create a better life.
Self-mutilation was impossible too, as morally gray as that sounded. He heard of a news anchor who did the same to a horn of his to make himself seem less threatening on air, but Sasori didn't have the leisure.
His tail was a part of his spinal cord, meaning that if he cut it off, then he'd be paralyzed from the waist down for life. Not many jobs can be found when crippled, especially if you were someone who had a criminal record like him.
It didn't help that he was also huge, buff, and had a menacing scar on his forehead. It just added to the fact that everyone saw him as a villain.
His daughter would probably look at him like one too.
That did beg the question though, why was he here in the first place? Why was he in a venue with so many professional heroes? Continually asking himself that question told him that part of the reason was that he was nostalgic.
He had been to a hero course once, dreamed of it even when he was a kid, but he ultimately failed to make any strides. He trained as a kid, but it just made him look like a villain.
He let out a long and exasperated sigh.
There was no point in thinking of the past.
He made his way to a stall, opening his wallet and paying for a bit of tamagoyaki, and quickly making his way out before anyone else got unnerved.
Maybe he shouldn't have even come here.
"Hey! Pay attention, audience! Swarm, mass media! This year's high school rodeo of adolescence that you all love, the U.A. sports festival, is about to begin! Everybody, are you ready!?" Shouted out the voice of a vaguely familiar hero from the stereo. "It's time for the students to enter the first-year stage!"
The sound of applause dragged his attention to the gigantic television screen beside the stadium, where first-year students made their way out–
His eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that…?" He muttered.
It was.
It was the kid who beat him up so hard that he needed surgery to even stand up straight again.
The same one who gave him his scar.
"Well, I'll be…" He muttered. He expected to feel rage or possibly even indignation, but there was just an emptiness followed by a mirthless chuckle of self-depreciation.
He supposed that it was fitting, that the kid who beat up a villain like him would want to become a hero.
That was how the world worked, after all.
Emiya Shirou didn't really know what he expected when he walked into the venue, but the thunderous applause was definitely one of them.
"The U.A. sports festival! The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year!" Present Mic's ever-familiar voice echoed out. "Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new students who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, Class 1-A, right!?"
He just didn't expect the applause to be this thunderous.
"T-there's so many people…" Midoriya muttered as all the previous bravado from the waiting room faded like the wind. He was pretty hard for Shirou to hear with all the applause.
"Will we be able to give our best performance while being watched by so many people?" Iida offered his own thoughts. "This is also part of the training required to become a hero."
Was it really though?
Shirou supposed he could see it. There had been numerous times where heroes had to make public appearances in audience halls, this was probably just a taste of it.
After all, a public appearance was how he first met All-Might.
"Man, he's going overboard with that praise!" Kirishima said out loud. "I'm getting the shivers! How about you, Bakugo?"
"Nah… I'm just getting more into it," Bakugo blurted out with his usual ferocity. However, it died when he turned his head back towards a certain sword-wielding classmate. "Unlike some people."
"They haven't been getting as much airtime, but this class is also full of talent! Hero course, Class 1-B!"
From one of the entryways, Shirou could see the familiar students make their way in. Kendo waved towards the crowd and their class by proxy. Monoma strutted his way in, whilst Kodai and Shinso simply made their way in without much fuss.
"Next up, general studies classes C, D, and E! Support course, classes F, G, and H are here, too!" Present Mic shouted out. "And the business course, classes I, J, and K! All of U.A.'s first years are here now!"
Emiya Shirou did not pay much attention to the other students. Granted, he gave them all cursory glances but made extra sure to focus on the audience stands.
He would never know when Avenger, or any other villain, would show up. While he had faith in the professional heroes that worked to safeguard the populace, he still held that extra caution. It was better to be safe than to be sorry.
"Time for the player pledge!"
Shirou blinked and focused on the small podium before him– what in the name of all that is sacred is she wearing?
Stockings, check. Belt, check. Skin-tight clothing, check. Corset, check. Choker, check. Mask, check. Handcuffs, check. Tassel, check.
This was a fetish magnet.
What.
"What is Ms. Midnight wearing?" Kirishima muttered.
"That's an R-Rated Hero for you," Kaminari added.
"Is it okay for her to be at a high school even though she's R-Rated?" Tokoyami muttered.
"YES, IT IS!" Mineta screamed.
R-Rated Hero!? Those exist!?
"Quiet, everyone!" Midnight shouted from her podium, swinging her tassel-whip combination to draw everyone's attention. "Representing the students is Bakugo Katsuki from Class 1-A!"
Shirou's shock faded as something more professional took its place.
Ah, so it was time for the speech.
In contrast to his own reaction, everyone seemed to be widening their eyes in surprise. Bakugo, however, took it in stride and simply walked along to the podium.
"What? It's Kacchan?" Midoriya muttered loudly in confusion.
Sero chuckled wearily. "That guy did end up being tied first in the entrance exam…"
A girl, from the people around her it looks like she was from the general course, sighed loudly. "In the hero course, of course," She corrected.
Midoriya wilted. "R-Right…"
"It's obvious that she hates us," Sero muttered back.
Kaminari leered. "And it's all Bakugo's fault, isn't it?"
This time, a surprising voice spoke out.
"Even so, he still managed to tie in first," the voice reminded. "Be it business, general, or support, obtaining the title of 'first' is a feat to be commended, not shunned. It speaks of the determination and effort to reach that zenith."
Shinso?
The purple-haired teen turned his head towards the general course.
"Calm yourselves. We are here to represent U.A. as a whole. What course we belong to is irrelevant," He then turned silent. "That being said, I do understand your frustration. If you truly dislike him, then, by all means, push him down during this tournament if you can. Just be prepared to stand in his shoes for if you do."
The general course student seemed to clam up in response. The reddening of her cheeks when she glanced at him was odd though, maybe it was her quirk.
"Big words, Shinso," Monoma commented, but he grimaced as he watched Bakugo get on stage. "Let's just see if he really does deserve respect, though. I'm just surprised that Emiya over here wasn't picked over him."
Kirishima blinked. "Oh yeah, Emiya was tied in first with Bakugo."
"How did Bakugo manage to get the speech?" Kaminari questioned. "The guy's mean and angry as hell while Emiya is like the total opposite."
Shirou found it prudent to speak here.
"I didn't really want to do the speech," Shirou replied. "Bakugo seemed eager so I let him have it."
Midoriya did a double-take. "Eh!? You turned it down!?"
"That's such a waste man," Sero commented. "Although it'd be a hard decision to give it up. Bakugo would've probably death-glared anyone else for that position if it weren't you."
"It really wasn't a hard decision, though," Shirou replied back.
Kaminari grimaced. "Just because it wasn't a hard decision doesn't mean it was a smart one. The guy is going to make everyone mad at us!"
That… was probably true.
The comment caused talk to cease among the students below, allowing Bakugo to take the reign.
Eyes were all trained on him. The silence was deafening. Everyone awaited what he would say.
"I pledge… That I'll be number one."
Then the shit hit the metaphorical fan.
"What the heck!?"
"Stop messing around!"
"Don't be so full of yourselves, Class A!"
"You piece of–"
"Why are you doing something so disgraceful!?" Iida shouted as his arm moved to that repeated swinging movement.
Wonderful–
"Shut your mouths you damned mob characters!"
Bakugo's bellow of authority struck. The students who raged quelled, but they only did so out of minor curiosity. A few seconds was all it would take for them to rage about once more.
Bakugo did not give them those seconds.
"I'll repeat myself, I pledge that I'll become number one!" He howled to the world. "I don't care who you are, where you're from, or what you are. If you have the guts to become number one, then go ahead and try! I don't want to be number one if none of you mobs are giving it your best damn shot!"
He raised a fist and slammed it into his palm, creating a minor explosion which the microphone caught, all while a determined and focused expression burrowed onto his face.
"Don't hold back! I ain't gonna wait for you mobs to get your shit together! I'm gonna claw myself to the number one spot, the absolute and irrefutable top!" He pointed to the crowd of students and pointed his thumb down. "The least that all of you can do is become a nice and bouncy step for me to jump off! My victory won't be worth anything if you don't give me your damn best!"
It was audacious.
It was unthinkable to spout something like this before the event.
Yet it was something that everyone in the student crowd needed.
It lit something within them all, and it took a little for Shirou to finally understand what.
"How overconfident can you get…?" Tetsutetsu muttered, fingers twitching in agitation. However, it did not betray the smile worming his way onto his face. "Just wait, I'll be the one to crush you!"
Bakugo had heard.
He grinned.
"Just try it out, you nerds."
With that, he got off the stage, but he was not applauded, nor was he greeted with complaints and retorts of hate. Instead, he was glared at by every single student from the other courses.
He had lit a fire in them all in an attempt to make them all give their best… all the better for him. However, Shirou could not help but notice the fact that Bakugo glared right at him from his podium when he spoke.
"Don't hold back!"
… Bakugo wanted his best, didn't he?
With the fact that villains could be watching and waiting for them to show what they can do, showing off your skills to the world was foolish… but it was then that Shirou recalled Archer's words this morning.
"… Don't do anything I would do."
Why? Why did he want him to participate as much as he could?
Shirou thought that Archer would understand at least, the thought of keeping things in your sleeve, but why would he push him to give it his all?
All Shirou planned to do was let everyone do their best, seeing as this event meant a lot to them. He was going to work towards being average, just so everyone would do well.
He didn't understand.
"Hey, sword-bastard."
Shirou blinked as Bakugo appeared before him, having just returned from the podium
"Don't you dare fucking hold back on me, got it?"
Shirou only took a second to gaze at him, but the wild blond didn't give him any time to respond as he walked away to his spot in the assembly of students.
"Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight shouted with a smile on her face, hoping to quell the raging fire beneath them. It didn't. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here. Now, here is the fateful first game!"
In an instant, a holographic screen appeared before her. It displayed a continually spinning yet colorful roulette. Shirou highly doubted that the event was random so this was probably a showpiece to build up anticipation.
"This year it's…" Midnight uttered slowly. The spinning roulette stopped as the words formed on the screen. "… this!"
An Obstacle Race.
"All eleven classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, about four kilometers!" She rose her tassel to the sky and licked her lips. "Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do!"
The audience cheered in excitement as a few students around Shirou began hopping in place, trying to warm themselves up.
Shirou took a deep breath.
"Now, take your places, everyone!"
It wasn't a smart decision to give it his all.
They all found themselves in front of a huge archway, rimmed with red steel with three glowing lights above it. They were at a stationary green, but they would change to signal a start.
But if Bakugo wanted him to do his best…
One of the lights flickered off.
… Then Shirou supposed that he could probably do a lot better than he originally intended.
A second light flickered off.
He always had Noble Phantasms as a secret weapon. As long as he didn't use any, it would be fine, right?
The third light flickered off.
"Good luck and do your best, Shirou!"
Fine.
"Start!"
Takeyama Yu groaned as she strolled into the venue, head held tall, and back straightened. It was kind of hard to do so, seeing as it was almost eight in the morning, but she had learned to stave off the lethargy as much as she could.
Around her, children laughed and played, random adults tried to find something to eat, and several teenagers chatted about with one another. While they did so, each and every one of them ignored her. True, they did give her a glance or two but none of them questioned her presence, but her presence was expected so there wasn't anything odd about it.
After all, today was the first day of the U.A. sports festival, and here she was as a part of the morning security team.
She groaned internally as a stranger wanted to take a picture with her, which she allowed with a big and bright smile. Normally, she wouldn't be so irritated, but the past few days had been… troublesome.
That cafe manager, Farran, was way more than he seemed. He always knew when she was coming, even when she was disguised – which was how she liked to avoid paparazzi – he could sense her from a mile away.
It was almost as if he had eyes on the back of his head… or on every corner of his cafe.
She shook her head and the thought away. It wouldn't do anyone good if a professional hero openly expressed their suspicions in a public setting. If she did that, then the public may end up slandering his cafe with lies and lowering his ratings. He'd lose customers all because a pro-hero said that she didn't trust the owner there.
If Yu was wrong, she would end up ruining the man's career, and subsequently, her reputation. Besides, she had come to like the employees in that cafe.
The Setsuno kid was always jittery but that was due to nervousness. He really didn't want to disappoint his boss, more so out of sheer loyalty than anything else really. That was admirable, to say the least.
Then there was Endeavor's daughter, Fuyumi, who was a wonderful person that Yu simply got along with.
And that was it. Farran had only those two as employees and nobody else, which made it odd that he could keep up a business as busy as his. On an almost daily basis, they worked efficiently and without any detriment to the service if online reviews were anything to go by.
Argh!
She physically forced the thought away by sandwiching her face between her palms. She needed to stay focused. Just because there were professional heroes everywhere didn't mean that villains could appear at any second… kind of.
"Mount Lady?" She heard from her side. A quick glance showed it was Shinji. "You seem distressed as of late. Perhaps you are anxious about your son?"
Well, that was a good excuse to use. Wouldn't want him to think that Yu was running her brain through the gutter trying to find incriminating evidence on a cafe owner.
That wouldn't really be hero-like, now would it?
"Yeah," Yu lied as naturally as she breathed. "Shirou's been training hard… but I don't think his heart is all that into the tournament in the first place."
"Why not?" He asked as he walked faster to keep pace with her. "Young Shirou seemed to be headstrong in his desire to be a hero? Surely he sees the festival's importance?"
Yu sighed. "You'd think that… but he really doesn't."
As much as Yu loved her adopted son, the kid trained for one reason and one reason alone; to fight against the League of Villains should they appear again. He said that he could've done much better against them before at USJ and wanted to rectify his mistakes.
What mistakes he was talking about, Yu had no idea whatsoever, but she could tell he was pretty serious about it so she kept her mouth shut. She could tell that he was extremely dedicated to the training so she didn't want to say anything that'd hurt that motivation.
He went to that cafe every day, using whatever free time he had ended up with solely to train. To be frank, Yu just couldn't help but be worried about his zealousness. However, that cafe owner seemed to berate him every single time he was about to go too far and tear a muscle or something.
Honestly, Shirou looked a lot more open with the cafe owner than he does with her.
Strange, was her chest supposed to feel like shit? Maybe she was just feeling a little bit under the weather.
"Perhaps seeing his performance may brighten up your day," Shinji suggested. He patted her shoulder and gestured her to follow, ignoring the odd stares that the two of them were getting.
When he finally came to a stop, she noticed that they were in a far more busy segment outside the stadium. He pointed upwards to where she was supposed to turn her attention, to the giant television screen showing the festival within.
"Keeping an eye on your son should assuage your worries, no?"
Yu let out a tiny snicker.
"Yeah, it might."
Good luck, Shirou.
The second she had called out for them to start, Shirou had already started running. He didn't bother to listen to her, the very next instant that the light flickered off, Shirou found his legs moving as fast as he could force them to.
He wasn't using reinforcement, yet his body's natural athleticism added with the fact that he had been working on it for the past few months, meant that he was physically stronger and faster than most of his peers.
It was from this head-start, that he could only see a few other students beside him, with the others steadily falling behind… or rather, getting clogged up.
The path was narrow, which meant that it would be hard to push forward had he not been as fast as he was.
This was the first cut-off point, those who weren't fast, agile, or lucky enough to make it through its time would never be able to get past the starting point.
Truly, it was good to be healthy and physically fit.
As he was near the front, his ears twitched at the sound of rushing wind from behind him. Strands of hair tingled as a chill reached him, a familiar chill.
Todoroki.
Shirou inhaled deeply and braced himself as the rushing force of icy wind hurled him forward out of the narrow gap and onto the now icy-covered path. He slipped and slid for just a few seconds.
In front of him, Shirou could see Todoroki running as smooth as if the ice beneath him was concrete.
"Sorry, but…" Todoroki muttered as he looked back.
The ice wouldn't stop him, though.
Trace, On.
Shirou held his hand out and jumped forward, lightly armored boots formed around his sneakers. They were spiked underneath due to a bit of Alteration, which gave him enough leverage and ability to maintain a grip on the ice beneath him.
With a grip on the new path, Shirou pushed forth, reinforcing himself ever so slightly so that the weight of the boots did not hamper him down. It was taxing, having to trace it, but Archer had gone through some snowy terrain before on one of his… jobs. These boots were something to help him out during those times.
Shirou regulated his breathing.
He heard explosions behind him drawing nearer, which indicated Bakugo getting closer. He was probably using his explosions to fly over the ice, which was incredibly clever.
He wasn't the fastest though. Shirou could see a bundle of body parts flying independently, which faintly reminded him of a Class 1-B student, Monoma. He must've copied a useful quirk.
But with Shirou's initial reinforcement, he was still fast enough to make his way through.
Shirou narrowed his eyes.
He mustn't forget that this was still an obstacle course, which meant…
The familiar sounds of robots moving ahead dragged their attention.
… that there were obstacles.
"Targets found… Lots identified!" Cried out the robotic faux villain.
"Obstacles have shown up suddenly!" Present Mic shouted."Starting with the first barrier, Robo Inferno!"
They brought in the robots from the entrance exam, Terrific. However, that wasn't all. From the looming shadows before them, Shirou could see the easily identifiable zero-point faux villain.
Everyone seemed to pause in their steps, taking in the new obstacles with caution.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Shirou merely sidestepped a villain, noting that the path beneath was no longer icy so he detraced the boots and pushed forth.
He didn't need to trace any weapons right now, so he focused on avoiding each of the miniature robots and rushing towards the gargantuan ones. At this rate, he was going to be able to go right under them–
"So this is what they used in the general entrance exam?" Todoroki muttered from in front of him.
It took a second, but Shirou noticed the ice escaping his right boot. Taking caution as a priority now, Shirou held from running ahead as the ice surged out.
"If they went through all this trouble, I wish they would've prepared something better," Todoroki added.
He grasped the ground as ice coalesced. A zero-pointer raised its giant palm to crush him, but knowing the heterochromia teen, he wouldn't let it.
Shirou didn't hear what he said after, but when he swung his right palm forward, the ice followed it.
It surged like a tidal wave, monumentally encompassing, pushing back against the steel giant, enveloping its entirety before freezing it in place. All within the span of an instant.
All the while Todoroki merely sighed as his frosty breath escaped him.
Shirou would admit, that if he didn't use any noble phantasms, particularly long-ranged ones, then he wouldn't be able to deal with that amount of ice. In fact, if it came to a raw battle, Todoroki could win if he chose to go for a high-powered attack right from the get-go.
When Todoroki got up and ran underneath it, Shirou followed suit without pause.
"He stopped them!"
"Between their legs! We can get through!"
The others behind him took a few seconds to do the same, but Todoroki said otherwise.
"I wouldn't if I were you! I froze them when they were unbalanced" Todoroki shouted back as the titanic machine slowly fell forward. "They'll fall over!"
When the impact cleared, a huge dust cloud took over, covering their sight.
"Todoroki from Class 1-A!" Present Mic's voice bellowed from unseen speakers. "He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant! Amazing, he's the first one to get through! It's, you know, practically unfair!"
"His actions are logical and strategic," Aizawa commented. Wait, Aizawa was a commentator? "Besides… he isn't alone."
"As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He'd never fought them before but those Robo Infernos couldn't get past his elite moves!" Present Mic shouted. "And of course, a student who reacted quickly followed him! Fellow class 1-A student and tied in the entrance exams with the first-year speaker, Bakugo Katsuki, Emiya Shirou!"
Shirou sighed as the cloud cleared.
He just had to draw attention to himself, didn't he?
Before they impacted the ground, Shirou reinforced his body ever so slightly more. In an effort to conserve prana, he was only barely able to make it under the faux villains.
Instincts screamed at him to turn back and check if anyone was hurt, but this was a public event with medical staff lurking in every corner – if the shadows in the trees were what Shirou thought them to be – so if someone was injured, then a professional would be able to make it in time.
It still felt wrong though.
"You ran under the falling robots, didn't you? Are you insane?"
Shirou blinked as he heard Todoroki call from upfront. He noticed the inquisitive look in the heterochromia teen's eyes fade into an irritated frown.
Shirou returned with a wry smile.
Seriously, as soon as both he and Todoroki some time to spare, Shirou would need to tell him that the villain – Shirou still thought of it as a monster or a pseudo-chimera – was still technically alive.
Maybe after that, Todoroki would be a little less irritated with him.
Shirou understood, he really did. Killing, the act of it, was inherently wrong no matter what anyone says and an alternative should always be sought after… but it needs to be taken when there is no alternative.
Shirou wanted to save everyone, but he wasn't dumb enough to believe that he could. If he did, then someday he'd be broken like Archer… but he'd still want to save everyone he could see before him.
He wanted to become a hero, after all.
"You weren't this fast before… you held back in the long-distance run with Aizawa, didn't you?" Todoroki accused as ice formed under his feet. "If you held back, then you can probably handle this, can't you?"
Ice blasted towards him, forcing him to shield his eyes and halt his footsteps.
When Shirou came to, Todoroki was much farther ahead, with his arms almost frozen.
Well played, Todoroki…
Shirou shook his hands and got rid of the melting ice. He took a deep breath once more and pushed forward.
… but if you use your ability this much, then you'll gradually get tired. This is an obstacle course that doubles as an endurance run.
Shirou didn't bother to use prana to reinforce himself this time. Instead, he simply ran as fast as he could while maintaining even breathing. It's the simple things that work the best, sometimes.
He didn't even display much of what he could do, which was good.
There was still much more to this obstacle course, and Shirou knew that if he held back here, it was going to be a benefit for when he dealt with the upcoming obstacles.
Bakugo wanted him to do his best, Todoroki did, Yu did, and even Archer did.
Why?
Shirou would probably never understand, but he did know one thing.
He would do his 'best' without Noble Phantasms.
Reinforcement, at measured levels, was fine.
Hopefully, that would satisfy them.
Now if Bakugo could stop screaming from above, that'd be great.
"Did you see that!?"
"Yes, yes I did, but you need to calm down Yu!"
Takeyama Yu did not calm down. Her arm was still wrapped around Shinji's wooden head and still painfully squeezing down in excitement.
In her defense, her beating heart and gleeful joy shut out most of his words. She could even hear the thunderous applause from the stadium from here, she could be forgiven for not calming down as much as he'd like.
She hadn't expected Shirou to actually try out there. Actually, she could safely say that everybody who knew what he was like, were completely surprised at the turn of events.
He always treated this event with indifference, like it didn't really matter in the long run. If Shirou treated such a prestigious event like that, then Yu guessed that he would probably end up like Aizawa in the work department, dealing with villains at night.
Yu didn't feel like she liked that particular idea.
She shook her head and cleared her thoughts, focusing only on the obstacle race before her. She was still surprised at how well Shirou was doing.
Granted, he wasn't first place or anything absurd like that. His quirk made things – mostly swords but he could make other weaponry – and Yu didn't know how that could really keep up with some students with literal engines in their shins… or like that Bakugo kid, who was constantly blasting away at full gear like a rocket. He didn't really look like he'd slow down any time soon, too.
With that in mind, it sort of made sense that he was probably close to third right now. The Bakugo kid overtook him a while ago and Endeavor's kid was far ahead of everyone else.
At the steady pace that Shirou was going, which was honestly faster than how most of the other students were running, he'd probably retain that position… as long as there weren't any obstacles that his quirk wouldn't be able to help out with.
But damn~ how could he keep up with those kids?
It must've been all that exercise he's been doing every day. Sometimes, he even woke her up in the morning with all the grunting he'd do in the morning.
Although, she'd admit that she thought the 'grunting' was from something else entirely… if Shirou was anyone but Shirou.
He was the type of kid that' much rather train than play video games, the type to watch the news instead of cartoons or to cook a dish rather than be served a dish. Sometimes, it felt like she was living with an old man instead of a child.
Her kid was weird sometimes.
"Well, if you're so chipper then can I assume that you are no longer worried?" Shinji asked as he finally wrenched his head free.
Yu shook her head, her heart rate finally slowing itself down. "I'm still kind of on the fence about it, but if he's doing this well, then I'm not that worried."
"Then, shall we continue with our patrols?" Shinji asked, but he paused for a moment. "Of course, we shall remain nearby to gaze at the obstacle race."
"Seems alright to me," Yu said with a nod. "Come on, I heard that the Takoyaki stands were popular right now, but I don't want any green seaweed on mine though."
"… We are still patrolling, Yu."
His reminder fell upon deaf ears.
Even though Yu said she wasn't, she was still very, very worried.
She had a feeling in her gut. She didn't know what that feeling was, but whatever it was she'd figure it out sooner or later.
Hopefully, before whatever it was would happen.
A little stress eating could be forgiven until then, right?