Let The Games Begin

[1st POV – Izuku Midoriya]

Snap.

The moment my results came in, my fate was sealed.

U.A. High.

It was happening. No more holding back, well not entirely.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. For ten years, I had trained in secret, carrying a power beyond comprehension. I had been cautious, careful, and methodical. And now, I had officially stepped into the world of heroes.

I let out a slow breath. Nothing changes. I would continue to hide my full capabilities. I would play the role of the "late bloomer" for now. Let them believe I was simply a powerful combatant—dangerous, but explainable.

I had done well to keep my abilities contained during the exam. Everything I displayed could be justified—speed, strength, and reaction time that could be attributed to a quirk awakening or rigorous training.

As long as I stayed within those boundaries, there wouldn't be any reason for suspicion.

With that thought, I pushed myself off my chair and stretched.

I had less than a week before my first day at U.A.

And I intended to make the most of it.

The week leading up to U.A.'s opening ceremony passed in a blur.

I spent my time training, refining my control, and mentally preparing for what lay ahead. I was stepping into the lion's den—surrounded by the strongest, the smartest, and the most dangerous. I couldn't afford to slip up.

My authority over time was absolute, but perception was everything. I had to make sure my actions always had an explanation, that nothing I did raised questions I couldn't answer.

When the first day finally arrived, I stood in front of U.A. High's massive gates, taking a steady breath. This is it.

Without hesitation, I stepped forward.

Snap

The halls of the U.A. buzzed with energy. Students in freshly pressed uniforms moved through the corridors, some chatting excitedly, others tense with nerves. I followed the directions to Class 1-A, passing by groups of students who were already forming their own social circles.

As I approached the classroom, I could already hear raised voices from inside.

I slid open the door.

A familiar sight greeted me—Bakugo, feet kicked up on a desk, arguing with Iida Tenya, who looked seconds away from combusting from sheer indignation.

"You can't just put your feet on the desk! This is U.A. High, not some delinquent hangout!" Iida protested, chopping his hands in sharp motions.

Bakugo scoffed. "Tch. If I feel like resting my legs, I'll do it, Four-Eyes."

I sighed. Of course, Bakugo was already picking fights.

Before I could step inside, a voice spoke from beside me.

"Crazy, huh?"

I turned to see Uraraka, smiling as she watched the scene unfold.

I blinked, surprised. I hadn't seen her since the exam, but here she was—standing next to me, looking as bright and energetic as ever.

"You made it," she grinned. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. You did kinda, you know—wreck that zero-pointer like it was nothing."

I felt my face heat up slightly. "Ah, well… I just got lucky."

"Lucky, huh?" She giggled. "Well, I'm still super glad you're here!"

Before I could respond, a new voice cut in.

"If you're just here to socialize, leave."

The room went silent.

I turned to see a man wrapped in a yellow sleeping bag, half his face obscured by the high collar.

Eraserhead. Shota Aizawa.

My body tensed instinctively. He's here.

He slowly unzipped the bag, stepping forward with an expression of pure exhaustion. "It took you all too long to quiet down," he muttered. "Not a good start."

Most of the students exchanged glances, uncertain. Aizawa sighed. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Put these on and head outside. We're doing a Quirk Assessment Test."

The entire class froze.

"Wait, what?!" Uraraka blurted. "But what about the entrance ceremony? Or orientation?"

Aizawa looked completely unimpressed. "If you want to be a hero, you don't have time for pointless ceremonies. Now move." Uraraka shot me a nervous glance, and I found myself mirroring her expression.

Without another word, he tossed us our gym uniforms and turned, expecting us to follow.

I exhaled slowly. So it begins.

Snap.

U.A. High had begun.

We stood outside on the training field, dressed in our gym uniforms. The sky was clear, the sun casting long shadows on the ground.

Aizawa stood before us, clipboard in hand, his sharp eyes scanning the class. "The Quirk Assessment Test is simple," he said, tone flat. "You'll be tested on a series of physical activities, with your quirks allowed. Standard stuff—50-meter dash, grip strength, long jump, etc."

He turned his gaze to Bakugo. "How far could you throw a softball in middle school?"

Bakugo grinned, cracking his knuckles. "67 meters."

Aizawa nodded, tossing him a ball. "Use your quirk. No stepping past the circle."

Bakugo stepped up, rolling his shoulders before pulling his arm back.

"Die!" he roared, launching the ball with an explosion. The projectile soared through the air before finally landing.

705.2 meters.

The class gasped.

"Whoa!"

"Amazing!"

Iida adjusted his glasses. "Impressive. Using his Explosion quirk for propulsion…"

Aizawa barely reacted, simply nodding. "That's the idea. In a world of heroes, raw strength isn't enough. You have to push past limits." His eyes landed on me.

"Midoriya. You're up."

The class fell silent.

I exhaled slowly, stepping forward.

This was it.

It was time to make history. I had a way of disguising my power with a strength quirk. I was gonna make activate One For All, and when I am about to throw the ball, I amplify the ball's speed by accelerating its time, and with the help of One For All, it's GG boys.

I stepped into the circle, gripping the softball in my hand.

This was my moment.

My classmates were still buzzing over Bakugo's throw, their gazes now shifting to me with expectation. They had no idea what was about to happen.

Time to break a record.

I inhaled slowly, letting my muscles relax.

I activated One For All.

Power surged through my body, but I had mastered its control. Green lightning crackled across my frame as I funneled the energy into my arm.

Then, I applied my real secret weapon.

Time Acceleration.

Everything about the ball—the weight, the drag, the resistance—became irrelevant. To the world, it would simply look like I had thrown it with brute force and speed.

In reality, I had sent it forward through time itself.

And then—

I threw.

A thunderclap exploded across the field.

The air itself seemed to split apart as the ball vanished, a streak of golden lightning following its trajectory. The ground trembled from the sheer force of my throw, a shockwave blasting outward and sending loose dirt flying.

The tracking device in the ball tried to keep up—

1 kilometer.

5 kilometers.

20 kilometers.

50 kilometers.

Then—

∞

The device failed.

The scoreboard flickered, sparks flying as the number display went blank. A moment later, the entire tracking system shut down.

Silence.

The red-haired guy whose name was Kirishima put his hands on his head and screamed, "Ayo! What the fu-!"

Kirishima wasn't the only one losing it.

"WHAT?!" Kaminari shouted, clutching his head. "THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Jirou's jaw hung open. "Did… did the ball just disappear?!"

Mina looked between the broken scoreboard and me. "Okay, no way. That's gotta be a glitch, right? Right?!"

Even Iida, who usually kept his composure, was frozen mid-motion, glasses sliding off his nose. "T-That can't be possible…!"

Uraraka just stood there, mouth opening and closing, completely speechless.

Bakugo?

He was shaking. His fists were clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms, tiny explosions sparking from his fingers. His face was twisted in a snarl of pure disbelief.

"…No," he muttered, eyes burning with fury. "No. No. NO! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO, DEKU?!"

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh… I threw the ball?"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!" Bakugo exploded, literally, stomping forward as smoke poured from his palms. "YOU—THERE'S NO WAY—WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUIRK— I KNEW YOU WERE LYING!"

Aizawa clapped his hands together.

Instantly, the class shut up.

He sighed, rubbing his temples like he already regretted showing up today. "Nezu's really not gonna like this…" he muttered under his breath.

Then, he turned his tired eyes to me.

"Midoriya. What was that?"

I shrugged. "I used my quirk?"

Aizawa stared at me for a long moment. I could tell—he didn't believe me. Not one bit. But unless he erased my quirk and tried to prove otherwise, there was nothing he could do.

He sighed. "…Whatever. Moving on."

The class was still shell-shocked, but Aizawa wasn't giving them time to process.

"The test isn't over," he said flatly. "Unless you'd rather waste time gawking?"

The students hesitantly backed down, though I could feel their eyes lingering on me.

But Bakugo?

He wasn't letting this go.

I could feel it.

He was going to come for answers.

And I was not going to give them.

Snap.

Let the games begin. 

The world was still processing what had just happened.

The ball was gone. The scoreboard was fried. The class was speechless.

And Bakugo? He was livid.

But I ignored him. I had bigger things to focus on. The Quirk Assessment Test wasn't over. I still had more records to break.

Aizawa, ever the professional, pushed forward despite the chaos. He sighed and marked something on his clipboard. "Next test. 50-meter dash."

I stepped forward to the track, standing beside Iida. His engines revved as he adjusted his stance. He was the fastest in the class, no doubt, but speed was relative when I could manipulate time itself.

"On your mark."

I casually activated Time Acceleration on myself.

"Get set."

I surged One For All: 20% through my legs.

"Go!"

The moment the buzzer sounded, time slowed for me. To everyone else, I disappeared.

A sonic boom erupted behind me as I launched forward, the ground cracking under my feet. The finish line blurred past me in an instant.

0.88 seconds.

Silence.

Iida stumbled forward, still running, but he was already too late. His eyes widened as he looked at the scoreboard.

"That… that's not possible," he muttered.

The rest of the class? Their jaws were on the floor.

"Bro, what?!" Kaminari sputtered. "Did he just teleport?!"

"That speed…" Aoyama blinked. "It rivals All Might!"

Aizawa, to his credit, barely reacted. He just sighed again and marked my time. I could tell he was mentally preparing for a very long conversation with Nezu later.

Bakugo's hands sparked violently. "You… you little—"

I ignored him.

Next test.

Grip Strength Test.

I approached the machine, placing my hand on the device. I didn't even need One For All for this—I simply aged the inner mechanisms of the grip meter, breaking it down at the molecular level while applying a small burst of physical force.

A loud crack echoed as the machine shattered in my grip.

The class collectively lost their minds.

"Midoriya… broke it?" Kirishima blinked. "That's so manly—wait, no! That's terrifying!"

"Is there anything this dude can't do?!" Sero exclaimed.

Aizawa sighed deeply and marked ∞ on the clipboard.

Snap.

Standing Long Jump.

I bent my knees and activated Time Acceleration on myself again. To the world, it looked like I launched forward with pure, unfiltered power—clearing the entire sandpit effortlessly.

Another record broken.

Aizawa was already massaging his temples.

Repeated Side Steps.

I blurred through the motions, flickering back and forth faster than anyone could track. Another record shattered.

The class had stopped talking. They were just watching, like spectators at a supernatural event.

The final test arrived. The Endurance Run.

I stepped onto the track. No tricks. Just a combination of One For All: 20% and Time Acceleration.

I ran.

And I ran.

And I ran.

By the time the second-place runner—Iida—finished, I had already lapped him three times.

Kirishima put his hands on his head. "Nah, bro. Nah."

Mina whispered, "Are we sure he's human?"

Bakugo was trembling. His teeth were clenched so hard I thought they might break.

Aizawa just stared at the final results.

I had placed first.

Not just by a small margin. By a landslide.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "…I hate my job."

The class was still in shock. They weren't just looking at me like a powerful classmate anymore. No.

They were looking at me like I was a monster.

Snap. [I'm sorry, he ain't Izuku no more. They do say power corrupts and shit.]