The next event had been announced. A team game, with four players at the base as the legs, and one at the top. It was a stroke of luck that Y/n had the friends that he did. Or rather, singular friend who was good at making temporary friends. Sure enough, he found Shinso with his four horses.
Y/n: "Room for one more?"
Shinso: "Always room in the slave army."
Y/n nodded, as Shinso looked at him for a few seconds and sighed. He got a more concerned expression on his face as he looked back at him.
Shinso: "Look, man. You're really fast, I'll give you that. And I could see from class that you're also very smart. But... you're still Quirkless. And..this event is different. People will actually be going for the kill with their Quirks, and you have no defense against it. I think you're smart enough to understand that as well. I wouldn't blame you if you were scared. So, right now, I've activated my Quirk. If you're feeling too scared, just say 'Yes' and I'll knock you out for the event. I promise that I'll keep you safe and that you'll get to the next round."
Y/n smiled, and patted Shinso's shoulder, shaking his head no. He nodded and deactivated the Quirk, at which point, Y/n spoke.
Y/n: "They're the ones who need to be scared of me. Now come on, let's set a game plan."
Shinso: "...Alright, what are you thinking?"
Y/n observed the other people, placing his hand on his chin.
Y/n: "Midorya's obviously the prime target, there's gonna be a lot of people tunneling on him. There might be a few people targeting me as well, so, I'd say that our best bet is playing defensively. There's a lotta loudmouths here, I bet you we can bait them into saying something stupid to you and getting brainwashed. Going for Greenie might be a long shot but we should be able to take on the others-"
Y/n interrupted himself mid-thought as he saw Todoroki, looking at him for a second before going back to her group. He was reminded of her pity as a frown came to his face.
Shinso: "What are you looking at?"
Y/n: ".....Our main target. Change of plans, top priority is to get Todoroki's headband. We sneak up on her, we get her headband, then we skedaddle away from the big guys and get the small headbands."
Shinso nodded, and high fived Y/n, helping him onto the other students he brainwashed, and then taking his position at the head of the horses.
Y/n: The game plan has been set.....
Midnight raised her flag as all the teams got to the grounds, ready to attack.
Y/n: The pieces are in place....
She made a final check towards all the students, as the audience watched over them with bated breath. Y/n could feel so many eyes on him, and suddenly breathing was starting to seem difficult.
Midnight: "BEGIN!"
Y/n: "Let's play."
He whispered his catchphrase under his breath as his horses moved forward, towards Todoroki, who was predictably aiming for Greenie. Right as she had started to aim a bolt of ice at Midorya, Y/n grabbed her headband, although, as he did, he grunted in pain, feeling electricity shoot through him.
Pikachu: "Who the-hey, that's the Quirkless guy!"
Todoroki: "L/n?"
She turned to him in surprise. He was still being shocked, as he looked over her crew.
Y/n: Denki Kaminari, he zaps, he's probably a fly zapper. Momo Yaoyorozu(God, that's a stupidly long name), I'm pretty sure she makes stuff? In which case it makes sense that she probably made something to protect the others from the zappening...now that I think about it, that's probably the extra non headband cloth I see on everyone. And Ingenium Jr, he's there for escapes.
Y/n guessed it all just as fast as the electricity that was zapping him, and quickly pulled his hand away.
Yaoyorozu: "I respect your determination, but, we're smarter than being surprised by that."
Kaminari: "We're prepared for anything."
Y/n smirked, as Shinso spoke.
Shinso: "Even this?"
Kaminari: "Even wha-"
Kaminari suddenly stopped speaking as his eyes had a blank look on them. The current around Todoroki's horse chariot disappeared as Y/n grabbed her headband.
Y/n: "BOOK IT!"
Shinso: "Everyone, run behind where you are facing!"
Y/n's chariot went backwards, but since Kaminari was facing Y/n and Shinso, he turned around and went the other way.
Ingenium Jr.: "WE NEED TO FOLLOW THEM!"
Todoroki: "No, we've wasted enough time as is, we don't need to worry if we can steal Midorya's headband."
Y/n breathed a quick sigh of relief as he heard the conversation, and looked back at them with a triumphant smirk. Although, he was surprised to see the expression on Todoroki's face, her lips were twitching upwards but she willingly held them down as her eyes met his for a brief moment before she turned away again.
Y/n: Was she....holding back a smile?
Was she impressed? Did she think he was smart? Was she thinking that she maybe should've asked him? And the biggest question of them all,
Y/n: Why do I care so much about what she thinks of me?
He took a deep breath and looked down at Shinso.
Y/n: "Who's next-Oh."
His question was answered as Izuku Midorya, the Greenie himself, the one with the coveted one million point headband, landed in front of him, with a jetpack on his back.
Y/n: Ochacco Uraraka, she can manipulate gravity, I'm guessing she helps with flight. Fukumi Tokoyami, he has that bird shadow that's probably the crux of their defense. That pink haired girl...I don't recognize her...but considering the jetpack on Midorya, I'm willing to bet that she's in the Support course. And....Midorya.....
Y/n grit his teeth as he looked at the boy.
Y/n: I.....I heard a rumour....that he was born Quirkless....and was a late bloomer with his Quirk....is...is it true? This...although that makes no sense, you can't just wake up with a Quirk, you SHOULDN'T wake up with a Quirk, and especially YOU shouldn't wake up one morning with a Quirk, WHY THE HELL DO YOU GET TO BE THE GUY WHO GETS TO BE QUIRKLESS AND GET A QUIRK YOU ALREADY STOLE THE FUCKING RACE FROM ME AND YOU'RE ALSO STEALING HAVING A QUIRK YOU MOTHERFUCKER I'D EAT ALL MIGHT'S PUBES IF IT MEANT GETTING A QUIR-Calm down, calm down.
Y/n: "I don't want a target painted on me, let's skedaddle."
Shinso agreed and they turned the other direction, bolting away as Midorya stared in confusion.
Midorya: "He was looking at me angrily....what does that mea-"
Uraraka: "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR MUTTERING!"
That was all Y/n heard before they too, zipped away.
As the event ended, Y/n got off Shinso's horse, and he let the others get out of mind control, as the results were being announced.
Y/n: "Well, the next event is probably gonna be combat related, so, it was nice while it lasted. Good luck for next round, bud."
Shinso: "Thanks, man."
As he was wishing his best friend good luck, his placement was revealed.
Present Mic: "AND IN FOURTH PLACE, BARELY QUALIFYING FOR THE NEXT EVENT, IT'S Y/N L/N!"
The crowd went wild as Y/n smiled....but then his smile disappeared, replaced with confusion. With every other team, the cheering died down relatively quick. But....the crowd was still going wild for him. And then....
Audience: "Y/N! Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!"
That....never happened. Ever. At no other point in the entire Sports Festival, was the audience cheering a specific name.
As Y/n looked around, he felt more and more eyes on him, but this time, it didn't make him nervous.
Present Mic: "Y/N L/N, THE UNDERDOG OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL, HAS QUICKLY WON THE HEARTS OF THE AUDIENCE!"
For the first time in his life....he felt powerful. Like he could do anything. Achieve anything. And as that feeling settled in his heart, he knew what he had to do.
Y/n: "....I...I can't let go. Not now."
Shinso looked at him, surprised, but smiled as he looked at the audience. Y/n raised his fist in the air, and walked towards the locker rooms.
Timeskip
Y/n stood in front of a giant screen, feeling anxious about who he could be fighting.
Y/n: Calm down, calm down, you're being paranoid, you'll be fine, probably.
As the screen turned on, the first bracket of the fighting tournament was revealed. The first fighter, was Y/n L/n.
Y/n: Oh, I see, perfect, I have less time to be anxious, that's always good. That means my fight is in half an hour. Come on, screen of destiny, point me towards the ass I have to kick-
The second fighter was revealed, and suddenly, everything went crashing down.
Y/n: Oh no.
Suddenly, Y/n didn't feel powerful anymore. In fact, he felt even MORE Quirkless than usual. He felt more aware than ever of his lack of a Quirk, of a power, of a safety net.
On the screen....were the two words that probably sealed his fate.
Shouko Todoroki.
The girl in question was walking towards him, probably to wish him luck or something like that, but it didn't matter. The rest of the fights didn't matter. He slowly stepped back, before running away, straight into one of the toilets.
He was hyperventilating in front of a mirror. This was bad. Really bad. Before he could spiral any more, he cupped his hands to fill them with cold water from the sino, and splashed it on his face.
Y/n: Calm down....This cold water should prep you for what's up next....okay....breathe in...breathe out...breathe in....breathe out....
He followed his own advice, and slowly, his heart rate and breath rate were under control again.
Y/n: Fighting like I usually do won't work. One, because someone might notice the similarities and connect the dots, and two, because she's a ranged fighter, going at either middle or long range is suicide. Which means....which means...I have to....stick close to her...fight in close quarters combat....
His breathing started getting faster.
Y/n: Face her down....at a range in which I can't make any mistakes...
He took a deep breath again, and started washing his hands.
Y/n: Will anything I do even hurt her? What if she just makes armour out of ice? What if....what if she freezes me before I can move? What if...what if...
He looked down into the sink, closing the tap, as he stared at his cleaned hands.
Y/n: I have no power...no strength...no matter how much I exercise....I can't do anything....
As he looked at his hands, he slowly balled them up tightly, as if he was going to punch something, and he stared at them for a good long while before he spoke.
Y/n: "Why......"
He choked out, as some tears fell from his eyes.
Y/n: "Why....why do my fists.....seem so small?"