"Even with the recent events, UA decided to still go on with the sports festival", Aizawa-sensei announced during homeroom.
And as if on cue, the students erupted into chaos.
"But what if the villains attack again?"
"We are still recovering from the trauma!"
"UA has no chill, huh?"
"So, I can still kick Deku's ass?"
"A banquet of madness!"
Hitoshi, on the other hand, was speechless.
Deciding to go on with the sports festival after the USJ attack is UA's way of saying that they are not afraid of the villains. And they really are not; with more than 75% of the faculty having pro-hero licenses, including the number one hero, the attack was merely an ant bite.
But they forgot to mention that the main reason why the villains were easily defeated at the USJ was Izuku, a first-year student who had just started the hero course two weeks ago.
And UA dares to parade their victory just like that.
The attack was a wake-up call to Hitoshi. Villains are real. They are even willing to kill kids for the sake of their goals. Hitoshi in his current state has no match against them.
He must get stronger.
And the sports festival is not the answer to that.
How can he announce to the whole country, including the villains, that he has a quirk that can be potentially exploited by the villains and heroes alike?
After Aizawa sensei glared at the class to silence, Hitoshi raised his hand.
"Shinsou," Aizawa acknowledged him.
"Can we choose not to participate?" he asked nonchalantly as if he was just asking if he may go to the washroom.
The question, however, started his classmates to murmur to each other.
"I would also like to opt-out of the sports festival", Izuku said after a while, raising his hand without waiting for their teacher's acknowledgment. Hitoshi turned back to his friend; the gremlin had the audacity to wink at him.
"We got lucky at the USJ because the villains were not aware of our quirks. And the sports festival, which is televised nationwide, will take out that advantage." Izuku explained.
That explanation gained whispered agreement from the class.
"Finally, someone agrees with me", Aizawa-sensei said with a relieved sigh.
"You can opt-out of the contest if you have my approval. The forms are available in the teacher's lounge, you can fill them out with your reasoning, and I will approve them. Even if your reason is you just don't feel like it, I will gladly approve."
"The sports festival is nothing but a shit show to parade the students to the whole country. But it's a tradition that even Principal Nedzu can't just cancel. Though they gave students the choice to join or not. I was just about to explain that to you lots." Their teacher explained.
"Well, if Deku is not joining, then what's the point? I just want my revenge from the hero vs villains, exercise last week." Katsuki declared.
And by the whispers among his classmates, Hitoshi is positive that the next sports festival will be missing a whole class.
///
"I propose the cancellation of the sports festival, indefinitely", Nedzu announced at the emergency meeting with the school's board.
"And what kind of outrageous joke is that principal Nedzu?" one of the board members asked.
"It's not a joke Nahakara-san. What is the use of the sports festival if none of the hero students are participating?"
"How come? This is their moment to showcase their skills to the hero agencies?!" Nakahara sputtered unbelieving.
"They will indeed be showcasing their skills to the hero agencies, but unfortunately, also to the whole country, including villains. They are still fledglings." Nedzu explained.
"Let me remind all of you the reason the USJ attack was easily contained. It's because the villains were not aware of the student's quirks and abilities. The sports festival will remove this advantage. What if the villains attack again and are fully equipped against the teachers and the students?" He continued.
"That will never happen again! We already tightened the security of the school. Plus, we had their escape route at custody" The other board member, Abel, countered.
"Abel-san, we never know what the villains are up on their sleeves. Their leader is still on the loose and I will not risk the student's safety just for the nation's entertainment. They are teenagers, not roosters." Nedzu argued back.
The whole room fell into a pregnant silence.
"I agree with the principal." One of the board members finally spoke. "They are future generations of heroes and based on the humanoid that was retrieved after the USJ attack, one thing is for sure, the villains are brewing something sinister, and we have to be fully prepared against it."
"You are just agreeing because one of the students is your daughter, Yaoyorozu-san," Nakahara argued back.
"And you are against this because it will ruin your betting business Nakahara-san" Yaoyorozu countered.
"If you thought we were not aware that you are the one behind the betting pool during these sports festivals then you have to think again. The only reason you're not in jail right now is because the board which is mostly comprised of the heads of the Heroes Commission doesn't want to go against the Ministry of Finance headed by your father-in-law. But I assure you if you still insist on foregoing the festival, I will expose you. I'm not part of the commission so I'm not afraid of confronting the Minister".
Nedzu sipped his scalding tea with pleasure. Good thing he had met with Yaoyorozu-san before the meeting and laid out his plans and warned him who would be greatly opposed to this.
The meeting ended with a unanimous decision to cancel the sports festival.
///
"Congratulations on canceling the sports festival." Denki greeted when he saw Izuku lying on the main building's rooftop.
"Thank you". Izuku answered sarcastically.
"Well, if not for your overprotectiveness over Shinso-kun, we would be waiting for another year to stop this madness of treating the hero students like roosters."
"Well, the USJ attack was unpleasant but at least something came out of it," Izuku explained as he sat upright and made a space for Denki to sit.
"Anyways, I invited someone to lunch," Izuku warned after Denki finally settled in.
A warning that was too late.
"This dumbass was your accomplice?!" someone cried out loud from the door of the rooftop.
"Hey! I have a name!" Denki complained.
"I know, it's dumbass" Kacchan retaliated.
"Izuku, what is she doing here?" Denki asked his best friend.
"When Kacchan sets her eye on something there is no stopping it. At least we can involve her at our own pace" Izuku explained.
Denki sighed in resignation.
"Oh well, welcome to the team Kacchan" Denki greeted her and offered his hand for a handshake
Then he's greeted back with an explosion.
"Hey!" Denki protested.
"Don't call me Kacchan!" Kacchan demanded.
"But Izuku is calling you Kacchan."
"Because that dumbass probably forgot what my real name is." Kacchan supplied. "He's always been calling me Kacchan ever since. That's how dumb he is."
"Hey! I have an eidetic memory!" Izuku argued back.
"Yeah? Can you call me by my real name?" Kacchan challenged and moved in front of Izuku
Heat bloomed in Izuku's cheeks. Izuku is confident with his intelligence and memory, but Kachan certainly knows where to push his buttons.
Was it his fault that he had trouble pronouncing Kacchan's name before and the nickname just stuck?
"I'm not falling into your taunts", Izuku replied.
"Hmm.. Lame", Kacchan taunted again.
"Anyways, are you happy now Kacchan?" Izuku asks, "Please bear in mind that I am going against my father's will. He doesn't want you to get involved in this. I am just doing this, so you won't go snooping around and ruin our mission."
"Whatever nerd", Kacchan replied. "I will prove myself to Hisashi-san and will catch up to you in no time."
"This is not a competition Kacchan"
Kacchan just gave him the finger and left the rooftop.
"Huh, that was something." Denki finally said something. "I know Bakugou is very competitive, but this mission should not concern her, it's not like this shortcut to becoming the number one hero, it's the complete opposite of it."
"Nah," Izuku dismissed. "Kacchan was fairly obsessed with what was going on with me in the past two years. And now that it came to light, she is looking for another challenge."
"Or she's just concerned about you." Denki supplied. "Like how was she concerned that you are into something fishy so she was adamant about digging up what you were doing all this time."
"Kacchan is only concerned about being the number one hero", Izuku explained. "And she always sees me as a threat to that. It did not help that I am now studying in UA when all I did before was assuring her that I will not pursue heroics."
Denki just hummed, though he is still doubtful about that.