"Racers in position!" Midnight says, pointing at the entrance of the stadium. They follow the direction she's gesturing to, eyes widening when they see how narrow the exit is. Izuku immediately realizes the reason behind the narrow gate. It's the first obstacle. Quickly, he makes his way to the front of the group.

Three flashing lights appear on the top of the entryway, signaling the countdown. Izuku crouches slightly, letting One for All run through his body. Whatever the obstacles are, his main strategy will be to blast through them, with speed, power and, most importantly his analytical thinking. He'll overcome anything they throw at him.
Present Mic's voice erupts from the speakers, the hero announces the beginning of the obstacle race.

"3, 2, 1 START!" He screams, his quirk magnifying his voice, making it ring across the stadium.

Izuku leaps forward, bolting straight through the exit before being crowded by the bodies of the student's all straining to get through. As he predicted, the exit, being as narrow as it was, was made to test the response of the students when faced with their first challenge. He could hear the shouts of the students behind him as they clamored to get through.

He runs ahead, knowing full well that his lead won't last for long, some of the students were already getting through.

"COME BACK HERE DEKU!" A familiar voice called out to him, Bakugou quickly catching up to him. Izuku looked behind him and saw that most of his classmates were already catching up.

He felt the air around them drop in temperature, his instincts screaming at him to act as dread pooled in his stomach. He was too late though, as ice suddenly encased his legs, promptly freezing him in place. The other students were enduring a similar fate. Most of them trapped except for the half-ice half-fire quirk user. Todoroki ran passed him, smirking as he saw the result of his quirk usage.

Having learned not to underestimate Todoroki's quirk, most of class 1-A's members had evaded the ice. All of them running after the boy.

"You won't get away that easily half and half bastard!" Bakugou hollered, quickly passing Izuku and closing in on the ice and fire manipulator.

Izuku had to act, it was now or never. With a 2% one for all use of energy, he kicked the ice encasing his leg and promptly set himself free. Not wasting any more time and immediately dashing after his classmates.

The ground rumbled beneath him as the second obstacle came into view. The familiar sound of metal whirring reaching his ears before he even saw the robots. This time, not one but dozens of zero pointers blocked his path.

"Every obstacle course needs obstacles! For our first barrier. ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic announces excitedly through the coms.

Thinking on his feet, Izuku leaps at one of the robots, punching the mindless chunk of metal with a powered-up fist. The impact causing the abomination to blow up in many pieces of rubble.

Landing gracefully on his feet, he proceeded to pick up one of the metal chunks he found. He used it as a sort of shield against the rest of the robots as he went through the opening he's made himself by destroying the first one. His instincts told him it may help him, in the long run, to hang onto the metal sheet.

Izuku reaches the third obstacle, slightly panting from his previous challenges. He looks ahead to the next task; Present Mic announces it to be the fall. It's a canyon that must be crossed by rope. Todoroki having already taken the lead is already well on his way towards the end of the obstacle. Izuku ties the metal shield he'd picked up to his back, he makes his way across, using a small amount of one for all to boost his rapidity.

Many other students are quickly catching up, some students with particularly well-suited quirks for the task completed it with ease.

As soon as Izuku's feet touch the ground again, he takes off running at full speed. He can hear Present Mic announcing the next task, the minefield. Todoroki and Bakugou are running ahead of him, neck to neck in a battle for first place.

He couldn't leap over the minefield with his current range of control over One for all and he couldn't run across it either, his speed not nearly fast enough yet. He needed to think outside of the box. He needed to find another way. The extra weight on his back seemed worth it now. He had a plan.

He quickly began digging up some of the landmines surrounding him, ignoring the curious looks the other competitors gave him.

Izuku holds the metal sheet as a shield and sharply jumps on the small pile of landmines he'd gathered. The explosion and shockwave causing him to blast across the field, he soars right past Todoroki and Bakugou. The two boys too busy fighting each other to notice him, until he has already passed them.

Present Mic's voice booms across the stadium as he narrates Izuku's actions to the crowd.

"WHO WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING! IZUKU MIDORIYA HAS BLASTED HIMSELF ACROSS THE MINEFIELD AND INTO THE LEAD! USING THE LANDMINES AS A BOOST! THAT'S INGENUITY!" The hero shouts from the top of his lungs into the microphone. His excitement hyping up the rest of the crowd as they all roar in enthusiasm.

Once Todoroki and Bakugou realize what happened, they stopped what they're doing and hastily run trying to catch up to him.

"OUR FORMER LEADERS HAVE CALLED A CEASE FIRE TO CHASE MIDORIYA! WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A COMMON ENEMY THEY STOP FIGHTING! ACTUALLY, THEY'RE STILL FIGHTING, JUST NOT EACH OTHER!" The voice hero comments loudly.

Izuku looks down at the rapidly approaching ground, he's losing momentum fast. If he loses time on this landing, passing them will be impossible. He looks at the two figures who are currently catching up to him and quickly forms a plan.

While he's still ahead, this is his one chance. If passing them again is impossible, then he's going to stay in the lead. He waits for the perfect moment and when Todoroki and Bakugou are directly under him, he spins in the air, calling one for all's power to flow through his whole body as he flicks two of his fingers. The shockwave he creates sets off the landmines on the ground beneath him and sends both Bakugou and Todoroki tumbling to the ground. Effectively giving himself an additional boost and blocking the rest of the students way with the dust and debris from the explosions.

"MIDORIYA BLOWS OFF THE COMPETITION WITH NO TIME TO LOSE! WHAT POWER! YOUR CLASS IS SOMETHING ELSE ERASERHEAD! WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING THEM?" Mic questions Aizawa excitedly.

"This isn't my doing... They've been spurring each other on their own. Class A knows there's no time to hesitate, each has grown from the experience and have forgotten to hesitate." Aizawa replied quietly from his place next to Present mic in the viewing booth.

Izuku hits the ground, rolling and ducking just like All Might had taught him. He swiftly pulls himself back up and dashes towards the tunnel, leading to the finish line. He distantly hears the crackles of explosions and the telling temperature drop of one ice user but he's too focused on his goal right now to give it much thought. The finish line is right there, he could do this. He runs with all his might. He runs as he thinks about the years of abuse he endured, running, thinking about the years of despair and crushed hopes. Running and thinking about his dreams of becoming a hero; his mind wonders to the recent events of his life, going to UA, making friends and finally being so close to achieving these dreams. He wasn't going to let this opportunity go. He wouldn't settle for anything less than first place. He'd show the world he wasn't useless. He'd show them who he was.

"THE ONE WHO MAKES IT BACK TO THE STADIUM FIRST... IS NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYA!!"

-----------------------------

Izuku runs out of the tunnel, past the finish line and into the arena. The sun is scorching, sweat drenches his clothes and trickles down his forehead. All his limbs are aching and throbbing but it's all worth it. Around him, the crowd roars. People are shouting and calling out his name, cheering for the winner of the first event. Cheering for him. He can't help the tears that spill from his eyes freely. Staring at the uproar coming from the spectators, it's just so awe-inspiring and overwhelming and he just feels so alive.

He looks around, his eyes scanning the crowd for the only person that ever saw in him something more than just a quirkless, useless kid. His gaze finally settles on his mentor. All Might is standing in the teacher's booth, clapping for him, a smile adorning his features. His whole demeanor screams pride and happiness. Izuku can't believe it's directed at him.

He hears familiar voices calling out his names and turns around. In an instant, he's slammed by two figures. They all tumble to the ground in a mess of sweat and tangled limbs. He regains his bearings and looks up. The smiling faces of Uraraka and Kirishima greet him. They both seem as tired as him, Kirishima's shirt is torn at the shoulder and Uraraka has a gash on her forearm and elbow but there both beaming and gushing over his performance.

"Deku! That was awesome!" Uraraka squeaks from her place on the ground next to him.

"Yeah, bro! that was so cool! The way you flew across the field! And then you went POW! And Todoroki and Bakugou went flying back! It was so manly! It got me pumped up to run faster!" Kirishima gushes as he stands back up, offering both him and Uraraka a hand.

He stares at the stretched-out hand for a moment before happily accepting it and standing back up. Laughing nervously at the extra attention he's getting.
"I- I Just got lucky... I'm just glad I made it past the first round..." He replies softly.

"Are you kidding me!" They both shout in unison.

"I must agree with them Midoriya. Your performance was astonishing, to say the least. Even with my speed, I couldn't catch up to you guys." Iida, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere says, his fist is clenched, clearly not pleased with his ranking but congratulating Izuku nonetheless.

"The first round is officially over! The top 42 from the qualifying round will move on!! And now the main selection really begins!" Midnights declares as she steps back onto the stage.

She announces the next challenge; a smirk adorns her features as her eyes scan the forty-two contestants.

"Now onto the next event! I already know what is it of course...Dying in suspense? Next is... THE CAVALRY BATTLE!" She reveals smugly.

Her voice resounds again across the stadium as she explains the next event. "Participants will, on their own, form teams of two to four members each and get into a horse-and-rider formation. The rules are essentially the same of an ordinary cavalry battle- Snag your opponent's headbands while guarding your own but with one exception..." She looks at them and her smirk grows wider if that's even possible." Each one of you gets a point value based on your ranking in the last event! Your individual point values start at five, so the 42nd contestant has five and the 41st has ten...Get it? but our first-place participant gets ten million points!!" She declares happily, a grin etched on her features as she points directly at him.

The stadium goes deadly silent, all of them are thinking the same thing. The highest ranked students are the ones to aim for, this survival game is a chance at a comeback. It's anyone's game. Everyone will be out for blood and having the ten million headband is like having a giant bullseye on the forehead. Everyone will be gunning to take him down.

Izuku gulped as he stared around at the smirks directed at him from the other contestants. The eyes on him were different now, even his friends will be going for the kill in this round.

"The match will last 15 minutes, each team points are determined by its members. The rider will wear a headband displaying the total number of points. Until the match ends, you'll all compete to grab each other's points and maintain the ones you have! Most importantly, even if your headband is taken and your horse formation is broken, it's not over 'till it's over! "Midnight continues her explanation, oblivious to the inner turmoil she caused Midoriya. "Quirks are allowed so it's going to be a brutal battle! But this is still a cavalry battle so attacking the other contestants with the intent to make them fall will disqualify you! You have 15 minutes to form teams! Go!" She snaps her whip between her hand, grinning mischievously before stepping off the stage.

----------------------------

Ten minutes later, the teams are all mostly formed. Although at first, Izuku thought he'd end up alone. No one wanted to be on the targeted team after all.

To his surprise, Uraraka had approached him, asking to be on his team and a girl from the support department. Hatsume Mei, a girl with bubblegum pink hair and round yellow eyes, had sought him out too. She offered the gadgets she made in exchange for the spotlight she'll get from being on his team, the ten million points team. Both of the girls eagerly joining his team. He still needed one more person though. He had mobility with the help of Hatsume's inventions and Uraraka's quirk but he still needed someone to handle the defense.

Luck seemed to be on his side though, Tokoyami Fumikage, the boy with the birds head, in his class agreed to join his team.

The boy's quirk, dark shadow, a sentient shadow beast who can contract to and from his body freely, thus giving Tokoyami the ability to defend himself and attack at the same time. It was exactly what Izuku needed for his plan to work.

The others teams had also been formed by the time the buzzer went off. Bakugou's team consisted of Mina, Kirishima, and Sero. While Todoroki's team had Kaminari, Iida, and Yaoyorozu.

Years of observing on the sidelines and analyzing hero fights and villain tactics had paid off. Izuku could see right through their strategies.

Izuku was pretty confident with his plan. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow would be an incredible form of defense, capable of warding off Todoroki's ice if the need arose. Uraraka could watch their right and use her quirk on them whenever they required a quick escape. And Hatsume's provided support items and speed boosting boots were an incredible addition to the team's mobility and he would serve as their main offensive front, with his position on top he could attack easily the other teams if need be, using the jetpack Mei happily provided to aide him in his movements. It wasn't guaranteed, but it was the best he could come up with for now.

He tied the ten million headband around his forehead with trembling fingers. He'd positioned himself above Hatsume, Uraraka, and Tokoyami as he focused on the ticking countdown timer, trying to ignore the hammering of his heart in his chest.

"You ready?" Hatsume asked, voice high, her excitement palpable from a mile away.

"Hell yes!" Uraraka's responded excitedly, her competitive streak having lit a fire under her.

"This conquest shall be ours!" Tokoyami spoke resolutely, his calm and collected demeanor taking on an edgy tone.

"Let's do this!" Izuku called out, eyes blazing with fiery determination.

"START!" Present Mic's enthusiastic countdown rang out alongside the buzz of the starting sound, every team immediately bursting into motion as the cavalry battle began.

Instantly, Izuku's team was being rushed at by four different groups at the same time. Izuku waited for the right moment, as the four teams were closing in on them. He decided it was a time.

"Uraraka now!" He shouted at the top of his voice, hoping the girl remembered the plan. Uraraka quickly activated her quirk on their whole team, in an instant they found themselves lighter. Izuku promptly turned the jetpack on, they swiftly rose up in the air, effectively dodging the other team's attack and evading their trap. They stayed in the air for a few more moments before setting back down again, they only had so much fuel and Uraraka's quirk couldn't handle this for long.

They kept going like this for the next few minutes, dodging and evading attacks from every side, the fuel would soon run out, Izuku hoped the battle would be over by then.

Luck wasn't on his side this time though, soon enough the jetpack malfunctioned, running on fumes now, they quickly made their way back to the ground. 5 minutes left.
A lot can happen in five minutes.

Their evading one of class b's teams when ice suddenly surrounds them, closing them off from the rest and trapping them with Todoroki's group.

Midoriya looks at Todoroki, the boy seems frustrated, angry even. He has at least three headbands wrapped around his throat, which explains where they've been for the past ten minutes.

They're trapped here. They can easily evade them and hope for the timer to go off or attack and hope for the best. knowing Todoroki's strengths and his teammate's quirk. Neither option will be easy. Izuku won't go down without a fight though. He's worked too hard to give up now.

Todoroki's team rushes them head on, Yaoyorozu creates some sort of net, trying to trap them in it. Izuku sees right through their plan though.

When people look at Izuku, all they see is a meek and shy hero nerd. Always scribbling on his notebook and muttering incoherently to himself. However, what they always overlook is the boy's observant side. His analytical mind working on overload, analyzing and deciphering villains and heroes quirk from just one look. From just a couple of video's online, he'd find the villain's quirk and weakness, effectively coming up with some kind of counter-attack against them.

Let's just say that when he was spending his time training alongside his classmates, weaknesses, and counter-measures came to him as easily as breathing.

He observed Todoroki, he noticed the way the bicolored boy favored his right side, how, despite possessing both fire and ice, always opted to use his ice quirk, only using his left side to get rid of the ice once done.

So, when Todoroki comes rushing at him, Izuku knows that by staying on his left side, he's effectively defending his team from any attack. This way, Todoroki's only route towards freezing them would be by hitting Iida too.

They're desperate now, Todoroki seems even more agitated. His usual calm behavior wavering with every passing second.

Iida shouts something to Todoroki, the sound muffled by the noises surrounding them. Suddenly, blue fire erupts from Iida's engine and Todoroki's team comes charging at them at an unbelievable speed.

Izuku quickly summons One for all, the power coursing through his whole body as he jumps in the air, high fiving Uraraka in the process. Todoroki's group comes hurling past his team and fortunately for them, the headband is still secure around Izuku's forehead as he floats at a safe distance.

The buzzer goes off, signaling the end of the cavalry battle. Uraraka finally releases her quirk before Izuku could float farther away. He lands swiftly on the ground with a roll and instantly gets back on his feet.

Present mic announces the top four teams.

They won. They actually managed to hold onto the ten million points for the whole cavalry battle.

"IN FIRST PLACE, WITH CLEVER STRATEGIES AND THINKING IS TEAM MIDORIYA! THEY ACTUALLY MANAGED TO HOLD ONTO THEIR POINTS!" Uraraka slams into Izuku hard, engulfing him in a bear hug. They're soon joined by an overexcited Hatsume and a muttering Tokoyami.

Izuku's eye tears up as he realizes that his plan had worked. He didn't let his team down. He'd won for the second time today.

"We did it Izuku! We won! Your plan worked!" The bubbly brunette squeaks as she jumps excitedly.

"AND IN SECOND PLACE WE HAVE TEAM BAKUGOU WITH 1350 POINTS" Bakugou shouts and kicks at the floor in frustration, clearly unhappy with his second-place position.

"THIRD PLACE IS NONE OTHER THAN TEAM TODOROKI WITH 1150 POINTS! AND IN FOURTH PLACE WE HAVE TEAM TETSUTETSU- HUH?! TEAM SHINSOU? WHO SAW THAT TURNAROUND COMING? WHO EVEN SAW IT HAPPEN?!" Present mic shouts in shock, clearly not having witnessed the way Shinsou stole the headbands unnoticed, successfully using his quirk on unsuspecting contestants.

Just as the contestants make their way for the lunch break, Todoroki calls out for Midoriya, asking if they could have a few words in private.

Izuku apologizes to his friends and reassures them that he'd be meeting them later. He follows Todoroki quietly to one of the more secluded hallways of the arena. His nervousness growing with the heavy silence that settles between them.

-----------------------------

They stood there, staring at each other for a few minutes. The awkward silence makes Izuku's anxiousness grow by the second.

"Uhm Todoroki, if this is about the cavalry battle- "

"No... It's not about that. I wanted to apologize to you, I underestimated you and as a result, ended up in third place." His expression is serious and his voice is firm, calm. Nothing like their battle.

"Don't apologize! I was lucky that's all. You were right when you said you were stronger. It's only the truth. Your quirk is super cool Todoroki."

"You should stop doubting yourself Midoriya. It's insulting. You won. Own up to it." Izuku stutters out a response but is immediately interrupted by Todoroki speaking again. "My quirk was a result of a quirk marriage. My father, as you probably already know, is the number two Hero; Endeavor." Of course, he knows Endeavor, he's one of the few heroes Izuku actually doesn't gush over." He's a man who's obsessed with power, he does whatever he has to do to maintain his position in the ranking but he was never able to surpass All Might. He's spent a long time in his Shadow." Todoroki seems lost in thought for a few moments, he snaps out of it quickly though and continues his speech. "You've heard of quirk marriages, right? Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of creating the perfect version of their own quirk." Dread filled Izuku's stomach as he realized what the other boy was saying. "Endeavor couldn't beat All Might on his own. So, he came up with another plan. With his wealth and fame, he made my mother's family agree to the marriage. All to get his hands on her quirk. Raising me as a hero who will exceed All Might. Just to fulfill his own ambitions, I hate it. Being no more than a tool for that human garbage. He'd train me every day, beating me to a pulp and working me to the bone." He looked down, his hands clenching, knuckles white from the pressure.

Izuku didn't know what he was supposed to say. To his horror, Todoroki's story didn't end here.

"As I remember it, Mom was always crying... 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours' She said before pouring boiling water on my face." Todoroki brought his hand up, grazing the scared skin that adorned the left side of his face.

Izuku never gave that scar much thought, immediately thinking it must have been an accident. What kind of hero doesn't notice other people's pain? Pathetic.
Todoroki, unaware of Izuku's inner turmoil continues his story.

"In short, I'm going to rise to the top and show him that I can win without using that damned power of his. I'll win using my ice. I'll have denied him everything."
Izuku thinks about this for a second. He thinks about Todoroki's pledge and thinks about all that the boy must have gone through. He understands it. He's been through it.
The boy before him was like him in so many ways but different altogether. They shared a similar past, one full of misery and abuse. Both of them hurt by their own families. Izuku wanted to be a hero. He wanted to make people smile and bring them hope. He'd vowed never to let anyone else go through what he lived. Standing here and looking at Todoroki, he realized what he has to do.

Said boy was turning to leave, seemingly done with the conversation.

"Todoroki." His voice was firm and unwavering, the change in attitude made the taller boy look back at him in apprehension." I... I know what you're going through. I- I know what it's like to be in pain. To be hurt by someone you considered to be the safest person in the world. To be hurt by your own-"Izuku find himself rubbing his arm absentmindedly, reminiscing over the phantom pain by his scars. He can feel the air in his lungs slowly restricting his breathing. He turns to leave but a hand stops him. Todoroki has a different look in his eyes now. His gaze somewhat more understanding. Before Izuku could even react, his sleeve has been pulled up. Scars exposed to the world. Something flashes in Todoroki's eyes. Anger? Sympathy? It's gone before Izuku has the chance to decipher it. He snatches his hand away from the taller boy's grip. His previous resolution and determination completely dissipate as he realizes what he just revealed.

His vision darkens and his heart starts beating faster in his chest. He stutters out an apology and runs out of the hallway.

Oblivious to the way Todoroki was standing there, frozen and shell-shocked as his mind wrapped around the implications of Izuku's declaration.