Chapter 55: Sports Festival [1]

The roar of the stadium was deafening.

Thousands of voices vibrated in unison, waving banners and flags, while floating cameras circled the arena like predatory birds. The stadium dome let in the midday light, enveloping the field in a warmth that made the competitive atmosphere even more intense.

Reiji adjusted the dark gloves covering his hands. His tracksuit was slightly modified at chest level, where invisible sensors silently monitored every physiological variable. Mei had made the suit, albeit at Nezu's request.

Reiji wasn't sure exactly if it was out of concern for himself or for his teammates. Either way, he was grateful to be monitored.

His Quirk was forbidden, but you never knew when his body might finish adapting to the new DNA, leading to a reaction that could be uncontrollable for Reiji, and that would be catastrophic.

"I didn't think you'd show up anyway. Under those conditions." A familiar voice came from beside him, firm and warm.

Reiji turned around slightly. Melissa Shield was walking toward him with a determined stride, her tracksuit hugging her ample curves, which Reiji noticed almost instinctively. Ever since what happened with Himiko and Mei, his relationship with women had inevitably changed. Still, he didn't let the thoughts in his head influence his thoughts.

"And let you win by default? Never."

Melissa smiled, a little nervously.

"So... what if I win for real this time?"

Reiji raised an eyebrow, not moving.

"Anyone can say that... when I'm competing with my arms tied."

Melissa's confident smile broke for a second. Her cheeks tinged with a faint pink color. She tried to retort, but Reiji had already taken a step toward her.

"But..." He added softly, raising two fingers and gently placing them on her forehead, right between her eyebrows. "I hope you win if you're like that. He has the potential to beat everyone here."

Melissa's cheeks flushed a little more, as she felt the nervousness creeping out of her. Reiji's serious expression struck her as absurdly beautiful, and with her hopes pinned on it, it ignited a new flame of competitiveness.

"Tsk... Pathetic." Bakugo's raspy voice erupted behind them like a kick to the atmosphere.

They both turned slightly, only to see the blond striding forward with his arms crossed and a look filled with contempt.

"Do you think this is a tea club or a competition? I'm going to win, period. You two can stop cuddling before you're left behind."

Melissa just looked at him without responding, though a spark of annoyance flickered in her eyes.

"Does he always have to bark before he starts?" Reiji muttered, not turning around completely.

"What did you say, trash?!"

"Nothing you can understand without subtitles."

Before the tension could rise further, a soft but firm voice interrupted from the side.

"Don't pay attention to him, Melissa. You'll be fine."

It was Uraraka, who had approached discreetly. She had her hands clasped together and a shy smile.

"Besides... I don't think he'd say that to just anyone."

Melissa still had her gaze lowered, but she nodded gently. She knew.

Reiji had already taken a few steps back, his expression returning to the stoic blankness he used as a shield. However, as he passed Bakugo, he muttered without pausing:

"If you can't beat someone without a Quirk... you don't deserve the podium."

Bakugo gritted his teeth but didn't respond. Reiji didn't do it entirely to provoke, but to bring out people's potential, the same method for everyone clearly doesn't work.

After the last fight, he understood better than ever that he couldn't really do anything alone, and around him were probably the people with the most potential in the world.

Melissa, for her part, closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and felt One For All vibrate inside her.

She wasn't going to let him down. Not him, not herself. The competition had just begun.

***

The roar of the stadium grew deeper, thicker, like a storm held in the throats of thousands of people rising from their seats. Cameras flew across the open sky of the dome, capturing every angle with surgical precision.

Present Mic's voice echoed with its signature boom:

"And now, ladies and gentlemen! The most awaited moment has arrived! Behold, the first-year students of U.A., ready to prove that the future belongs to you!"

The main tunnel lit up, and little by little the classes began to file onto the field in established order. Banners floated in front, illuminated by advertising drones.

First, Class 1-A of the Hero Course.

They walked with a firm step, led by Reiji Toga. At his side, Melissa Shield, her gaze focused and energy latent in every step. Behind them came Momo Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Kirishima, Iida, and the rest of the class, projecting unity and pressure. Murmurs erupted from the audience.

"That's the boy who saved Bakugo from the mud villain!"

"Isn't he also the one who was involved when they attacked that class at Musutafu?"

"They say he's already surpassed many pro heroes, even before entering U.A. What kind of monster is that boy..."

"He's the brother of Himiko Toga, the girl who shone at the last festival."

"And that girl next to him? Is she Melissa Shield? The daughter of the foreign engineer?"

"Yeah, they say she had a late awakening, but her Quirk is absurdly strong."

As the sea of voices grew, the cameras focused one by one on the members of Class 1-A. Some smiled nervously. Others, like Reiji, simply walked without looking to the sides. As if the noise didn't exist.

The teachers watched from their elevated seats.

Aizawa, his expression neutral, stood with his arms crossed. Midnight, sitting next to him, smiled slightly.

"Looks like the spotlight won't leave him for the entire festival."

"Isn't that a habit by now? Even we see him more than we should," the woman emphasized with a smile, causing Aizawa to simply shrug.

As the other classes filed out—1-B, General Course, Support, and Management—rumblings began to grow among the audience.

The students were now fully formed in front of the main podium.

The music faded, leaving only a tense hum.

And then, Present Mic's voice took center stage again:

"And to give the opening remarks for this year's U.A. Sports Festival... we have the student who defied fate on more than one occasion! Toga Reiji, from the first year of the Hero Class, Class 1-A! The first in the entrance exam will give the opening remarks of the tournament!"

The stadium roared. Not out of joy, but out of intensity. Out of curiosity. Out of accumulated pressure.

Reiji walked toward the podium with a slow, steady pace. The sun shone directly in front of him, silhouetted against the golden field. He climbed the steps leisurely, his hands at his sides, his back straight.

He already knew he would have to step forward, and he hadn't given much thought to what he had to say; he just knew it wouldn't be like Bakugo...

When he reached the microphone, he looked up.

In front of him: the entire stadium. Behind him: all of U.A.

And yet… he didn't hesitate.

The stadium roared. Reiji stepped onto the podium. He didn't think much about it. He just spoke.

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose. What matters… is that no one forgets you after seeing you."

He paused. He looked up at the sky. Then at his classmates.

"Give it your all. Let this day… be worth it."

The silence lasted a second.

"And if you're going to lose… let it be on your feet."

And he stepped down.

The silence was total.

And then, an explosion of applause broke it. Not out of politeness. But out of conviction.

Many students didn't understand why those few words had touched them so much.

"What a simple way to set everyone on fire..." Momo muttered, crossing her arms.

"Toga has style," Kirishima said, nudging Sero with a friendly elbow. "He doesn't shout, but everyone can hear him."

"Ugh, how dramatic..." Bakugo muttered under his breath, though his foot trembled with impatience.

Melissa smiled softly, glancing sideways at Reiji as he returned to his spot. Her words still echoed in his chest.

"Participants, prepare yourselves!" Present Mic shouted from above. "The first task of the festival... is about to begin!"

The stadium roared as all the cameras focused on the central platform. A burst of smoke marked the star-studded appearance of Midnight, who emerged with her usual theatricality, whip in hand and provocative smile.

"Welcome, my sweet students~!" She intoned in a sing-song voice. "It's time to test your balance, reflexes... and patience!"

A huge digital roulette wheel rose from the floor, spinning slowly as sections lit up with names like Capture the Flag, Blind Zone, Asymmetrical Tower, Obstacle Course, Small Combat, Sealed Field...

"And to decide your fate today... we're going to leave it to chaos!" Midnight announced, lowering her hand like a cruel and elegant judge.

The roulette wheel began to spin.

CLICK.CLICK.CLICK...

It stopped.

Golden letters flashed on the main screen:

MOBILE PLATFORM RACING

The stadium erupted in cheers.

"Oooh, yeah! Moving Platform Racing!" Present Mic shouted, his voice vibrant. "Speed, balance, and total mayhem! Classic of classics, redesigned for modern pain!"

Midnight raised a mischievous eyebrow and added,

"No shortcuts. No teams. It's every man for himself. The path is constantly moving, and only the first 50 to cross the finish line... advance."

The floodgates at the end of the stadium began to slowly open, revealing the true hell: an immense, elevated terrain made up of floating structures, rotating platforms, moving walls, and unstable belts. All suspended on a safety net... that looked too thin.

A path without rest. No room for error.

The students approached the starting point. Reiji walked leisurely, not looking at anyone.

Melissa, beside him, clenched her fists tightly, her eyes shining.

Bakugo let out a low laugh.

"Time to smash idiots."

"Start whenever you want," Reiji replied calmly.

From the stands, Himiko leaned forward, her eyes fixed on her brother. Nejire, beside him, said in a low voice:

"Isn't he supposed to be unable to use his Quirk?"

"He doesn't need to," Himiko answered truthfully.

Numbers began to project in the air above the track:

3...2...1...

BEEP!

The stadium's loudspeakers erupted with the sound of the horn, and more than two hundred students launched themselves onto the track of floating platforms. Some were wide, rectangular, with metallic edges. Others, round and small like manhole covers, vibrated slightly before moving. And between them all, a colossal void stretched out beneath their feet: a twenty-meter drop to a shock-absorbing net, decorated with phosphorescent paint so everyone in the stadium could see who was falling... and who wasn't.

Todoroki was one of the first to advance. He didn't need to run: he placed a palm on the ground, and a wave of ice spread out in a straight line beneath his feet. The platforms beneath him froze, gaining traction. He walked as if on a winter highway. But the system responded: several sections began to spin on their axes, causing the ice to crack and split. Simple tricks wouldn't work.

Beside him, Melissa Shield ran with Olympic-grade technique. Her breathing was steady, precise, and practiced. Every time a platform tilted, she corrected her hip axis and compensated with a slight burst of energy in her legs. The bursts of One For All showed as faint lines of light at her ankles. Step by step, she maintained her balance without wasting a single movement.

Others weren't so graceful.

A student with the extendable legs Quirk overestimated the length of a moving platform and fell into the second row of obstacles, screaming furiously. A girl with wings glided well until an artificial air current pushed her against a rotating wall, throwing her straight into the net.

Reiji, on the other hand, didn't run.

Not right away.

He took two slow steps, almost as if he were simply walking through the park. Then he stopped his body with a slight twist of his heel. His eyes moved at an impossible speed, calculating the rhythm of the platforms. Each one had a different pattern: some glided, others rose and fell, others spun on contact.

One... two... now.

He leaped toward the first platform just as it stabilized for a split second. His landing was perfect. There was no bounce. No correction.

The second leap was longer. He landed on a round platform that was beginning to spin… and instead of resisting it, he spun with it, using the momentum to propel himself diagonally toward a lower platform. A student who tried it from another direction fell face first a few meters away, letting out a scream as he fell into the void.

Reiji didn't even look at him.

Instead, he slid along the sloping edge of a curved structure, ducking his body to reduce the impact of the air. He put down a hand, spun around like a gymnast, and landed in the perfect position to launch himself again without losing speed.

From the stands, Himiko didn't say a word. She just watched with wide eyes, bated breath. She knew Reiji wasn't using his Quirk. And that made it all the more impressive.

Beside her, Nejire Hado tilted her head with a smile.

"He has a strange style... but I like it, it's like you," she said softly, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Reiji's trajectories didn't follow a simple pattern. He was improvising on the chaos, as if he could sense every variation in the terrain before it happened.

The next area was the most dangerous: slat-like platforms suspended by mechanical arms that made them oscillate irregularly. A boy with elastic arms tried to cross it by grabbing from side to side… but one of the hydraulic arms launched him through the air like a catapult.

Reiji watched him fall. He did nothing. It wasn't his problem.

He prepared to enter that section.

He flexed his legs. He breathed.

And then… a shadow fell beside him.

"Are you tired of being the weirdo of the group?" a familiar voice murmured.

Reiji turned his head.

It was Bakugo.

He was smiling. Or at least, something close to it.

And his hand was already sparking with gunpowder.