NO. 71 - Let The Games Begin

[General POV]

Standing in front of a mirror was a tall, white, and red-haired young man. He was entirely naked while his wet white hair hung low from the cold shower he had taken.

Toya's blue eyes looked down at his fully intact body; his fingers traced over the locations where his old purple, leathery skin used to be.

"…this ain't a dream."

At the sound of his voice, Toya grabbed his throat and closed his eyes. He had grown used to the new voice he awoke with so long ago that this new voice of his made him feel like an imposter within his body.

With a sigh, Toya looked away from his mirror and stepped out of the bathroom of his new safe house. Walking through the hallways, Toya entered his bedroom and dressed himself. Once fully clothed, he entered his living room and sat down—a heavy frown on his face.

The safe house he was in was a gift given to him by his new boss, Sukuna. It was located on the outskirts of the city of Shizuoka, far away from anyone but not too far so he could walk into town to buy supplies. The King of Curses even told him that the house had several security measures that would keep anyone from stumbling into the home.

To Toya, a bunch of hand-made seals around the base wasn't exactly reassuring, but he'd trust Sukuna knew what he was doing.

The goodwill didn't stop there. Sukuna had even given Toya enough money so he could live comfortably under his command. All these luxuries and benefits had thrown Toya off due to how generous the supposed dangerous and powerful man Sukuna was.

"Use this place as your base for now. I'll keep you updated on when I have a job ready for you."

"He's nothing like I thought he would be," Toya muttered as he remembered Sukuna's parting words.

Rubbing his head, Toya felt annoyed at how his body wasn't in a constant state of pain. Before, his body always felt as if it was being pulled apart from the inside out, but due to his strong willpower and hatred, he kept himself whole.

But now, his body was pain-free. He no longer had to worry about coming undone because of whatever it was that Sukuna did to him. His once dull senses were now fully restored as well. Unlike before, Toya could now feel the subtle sensations and textures of his environment.

When Toya asked how this was possible, all Sukuna said was that he had changed a part of him back to the way it was.

To Toya, that made no sense. What did that mean? Even that doctor and that man who retrieved his destroyed body couldn't restore him.

They said it was impossible to heal him back to the way he was.

Impossible for them.

But not for the King of Curses.

One touch was all it took.

And Toya was back to the way he was back when he climbed Sekoto Peak.

Sukuna had performed a godly feat with seeming ease.

For all intents and purposes, Dabi was gone.

Todoroki Toya was now back.

…at least physically.

A fact that should have elated Toya ended up becoming a double-edged sword. He may no longer be in constant pain, and his Quirk no longer burned him, but this new freedom only allowed his mind to fall into deep thought now that all its past distractions were gone.

"Be my own man…" Toya muttered the odd words that had been plaguing his mind ever since his body was healed. With a shake of his head, Toya stood up and exited his base.

"No. I have to focus on my goal." Toya stopped in the middle of an extensive training field and lit up his hands with blue flames. Beneath the flames, his skin remained unblemished and perfectly fine. "Destroying Endeavor is all that matters!"

With a swing of his arm, Toya obliterated one of the waiting training dummies into ash.

"…live for myself? What a joke."

x x x

[Shimizu Souta POV]

"This may just be enough," Kaina muttered as she looked over the large pile of documents, folders, videos, and pictures stacked along the long table in the war room of my house.

"The HPSC is a careful bunch. Very careful." I said as I picked up a picture showing off one of the Safety Commission's employed heroes standing over several dead corpses. "Still, most of what I collected could still be disputed."

[+15 SP]

"You're probably right." Kaina walked over beside me and opened the laptop on the table. "However, combining all this evidence with these audio logs your crows collected. We now have undeniable proof of the Commission's dirty methods. Even if this isn't enough to completely shut them down, it'll get the ball rolling on an outside investigation to shut them down."

"Sorry, this took so long. Those suits don't work out in the open if they can help it. Especially that Chairman. He's more elusive than a shiny Munchlax. We're lucky my crows collected all this after a couple of months." I told Kaina as she turned to me with a smile.

It'd be faster if I just killed them all. But that would just make the HPSC martyrs.

"No. This is more than I could ever collect on my own." Kaina said before she took on a pensive expression. "Still, once we release this onto the world. All of Japan's HPSC's dirty secrets will be out in the open."

Nodding, I looked at a picture showing a member of the board handing an envelope of money off to a high-profile villain. "Once that happens, Hero society as we know it will suffer. The public's trust in the system placed to keep them safe will be shattered. Not only that, but the public will begin to doubt the very heroes meant to protect them." As I spoke, a large smile broke onto my face. "That's the best-case scenario."

[+20 SP]

Kaina sighed and sat down on one of the room's chairs. "Yes… the truth of what the HPSC truly is will finally come to light." Raising her hands, Kaina smiled bitterly as she began to shake. "…everything that I had done will finally come to light."

Seeing her trembling form, I placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's all in the past, Kaina. That's not who you are anymore… Now, you're so much more than what the HPSC created. Eri and Himiko rely on you, and you keep Jin in check. You're an integral part of their… our little family." Kaina looked up at me with wide eyes. "So just leave the destruction of the HPSC to me… You've done enough. Just keep watching over Eri and everyone else. That'll be enough."

[+95 SP]

"I've done enough?" Kaina muttered, her eyes deep in thought. "So, you're saying I should leave everything in your hands?"

"Yup. I am the strongest, after all."

"Hmm, I think All Might would disagree."

"…"

x x x

[General POV]

The UA Sports Festival.

An annual event held by UA High School where students from all three grades and courses have the opportunity to showcase their abilities in different competitions in order to be scouted by Pro Heroes and support agencies.

This event is an excellent opportunity for students from each of the departments of the UA High School.

For the students of the Hero course, the UA Sports Festival gives them the opportunity to display their abilities in front of Pro Heroes, which might want to hire them after graduation.

For the students from the General Education course, this event gives them a chance to prove that they are worthy of being transferred to the Hero course based on the results of the UA Sports Festival. The reverse is also possible if Hero course students perform subpar.

Students from the Support and Business courses can also be transferred, but prefer to use the Sports Festival for other purposes. Some students from the Support course use the UA Sports Festival to show off their inventions to support company executives.

Meanwhile, Business course students generally have nothing to gain from the festival itself, so they use it to hone their skills as salespeople and run business simulations by selling snacks and souvenirs to the crowd and calculating the odds of other students.

To summarize, the Sports Festival was an excellent opportunity for any UA student to show off to the world their potential and to build future connections in order to become successful.

"I can't believe it! I'm actually going to watch the Sports Festival in person!" Izuku said with excitement as he peered down at the large arena below. "I've always watched it from home on TV or on my laptop, but never in person!"

From beside him, Hitoshi placed a calming hand on the hyped-up hero Otaku. "Easy there, Izuku-san. You're getting looks from those below…"

"Oh, right."

"Look! Look! We're right next to the CEO of Muraoka Industries! One of the leading suppliers of support gear and equipment!" Mei pressed her face against the room's glass wall as she used her eyes to zoom in on the private rooms to their left. "I knew I should have brought a few of my babies! Wait, maybe I can show him a few of my schematics!"

"Hatsume-san, please calm down as well." Sighing in exasperation, Hitoshi walked over to Mei.

"I can't believe Sou-chan got us a private room to watch it all! These places cost an arm and a leg!" Keiko said with equal excitement as she looked around the luxurious room above the enormous stadium.

The room was large and equipped with several comfortable seating options, while a wall lined with televisions showed off several different angles of the stadium below. Off to the side was a table full of snacks and refreshments, while two private bathrooms sat off in the corner. The room was indeed the best way to experience the UA Sports Festival.

"Uh, I helped pay for it too," Jin said with a small smile, only to be ignored by a Keiko. "It seems she still doesn't like me."

From beside him, Kaina smiled in amusement and patted his shoulder. "She'll come around… eventually." Jin could only nod with hope.

"Wow! It's so big!" Eri said with a large smile as she looked down at the massive crowds below. "When are Oniichan and Oneechan going to show up?"

Kneeling beside her, Keiko smiled warmly at Eri. "Very soon, Eri-chan! The opening ceremony should begin in a few minutes. Are you excited to watch Sou-chan and Himiko-chan compete?"

"Mhm!"

Standing up, Keiko turned to Kaina and Jin with a smile, but when she turned to the masked man, her smile seemed fake. "Thank you once again, Nakashima-san, for letting us join you all. I hope we're not being a bother."

"It's no bother. I'm glad to have Souta-san- I mean, Souta-kun and Himiko-chans friends watch them in person." Kaina smiled awkwardly as she reached over to hold Jin's hand. Causing the man to stiffen up and nod robotically. "I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

Keiko nodded and went back to talking to Eri.

With her attention gone, Kaina and Jin pulled their hands back with embarrassed blushes as they each walked off in different directions. Jin went toward the snack bar while Kaina went to the bathroom to splash water on her face.

Their display of affection was because they posed as a husband and wife, with Eri being their adoptive daughter to Keiko, Izuku, Mei, Hitosh, or anyone else who asked how they were all related.

Presenting themselves as a family was the most effective way to describe their close relationship to the public while concealing their true identities. This approach allowed Souta and Himiko to avoid the need for elaborate lies about why they were together.

However, Kaina and Jin's family performance led both adults to show subtle acts of affection, which left them feeling flustered.

"HEY!! Make some noise, everyone! Let's get this Sports Festival underway!!" Present Mic's loud, boisterous voice shook the stadium, causing the extensive crowd in the stadium to cheer. "Let's hear some cheers as our students make their way onto the big stage!!"

"It's starting! It's starting!" Eri shouted as she jumped excitedly. Up above the stadium, several fireworks popped off. Illuminating the sky with a dazzling array of colors.

"Welcome back to the UA Sports Festival! Where up-and-coming heroes leave everything on the field as they fight for the chance to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity! This first group consists of our up-and-coming students with bright futures; coming hot off the presses is the Hero course of class 1-A!!" Present Mic announced with great energy.

As everyone approached the glass wall, they gazed down at the stadium with big smiles on their faces. Izuku and Keiko bounced with excitement while Hitoshi scanned the stadium entrances with wide eyes, searching for his Sensei and friend. Kaina picked up Eri so the young girl could have a better view, and Jin walked out wearing a headband that had the word "Victory" painted on it.

"Not to be outdone, here is the Hero course Class 1-B!! Next up, General Studies C, D, and E!!"

Everyone in the room leaned in, scanning the incoming wave of students. After a quick glance, Izuku pointed out Souta and Himiko, who were walking together in their class group. Himiko was all smiles, waving enthusiastically at the crowd, while Souta appeared bored, his sleepy expression accentuated by his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"There they are!" Eri cheered as she turned to one of the televisions on the wall that zoomed in on class 1-D. "It's Oniichan and Oneechan!"

Keiko turned to the screen and sighed as she saw her older brother figure look uninterested in being a part of one of Japan's most popular events. "Yup. That's about what I expected from him."

"Support classes F, G, and H!! And finally, Business classes I, J, and K! Give it up for all of UA's first-year contestants!!"

Present Mic finished announcing as all the gathered students lined up in front of a tall podium. Standing on the podium was a person dressed in a white space-suit-inspired outfit featuring a puffy jacket instead of an actual suit. They wore a black helmet with white eyes and a pair of yellow boots while holding a microphone in their hands.

"Oh my god! It's Space Hero! Thirteen!" Izuku geeked out at this year's UA Umpire. "So cool!"

"Okay, everyone. Settle down," Thirteen's calm but confident voice echoed through the stadium's speaker as she motioned to the gathered students. "It's time for the introductory speech!"