Chapter 17 : The Obstacle Race

Walking out of the dark tunnel into the blinding light and the roar of tens of thousands of spectators was a sensory-shaking experience. The entire stadium vibrated with energy, a giant cauldron of anticipation and excitement. Cameras hovered in the air, mechanical spies broadcasting our every move to the entire world. For a moment, I felt the remnants of my past life's self—an ordinary man who could only watch an event of this magnitude from a screen—feel a sense of awe. But I quickly suppressed that feeling, replacing it with a cold focus. I was no longer a spectator. I was a gladiator entering the arena.

We, Class 1-A, walked to the center of the field, becoming the focus of all attention. I could feel the gazes from the other classes, looks filled with a mixture of curiosity and hostility. The USJ incident had made us famous, but it had also made us a target.

On the main stage, the R-Rated Hero, Midnight, cracked her whip. "WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE STAGE WHERE NEW STARS ARE BORN EVERY YEAR! THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL!" she roared, her voice amplified by the stadium's sound system. The crowd erupted in cheers. A few of the boys in my class, especially Mineta and Kaminari, seemed a little too excited by her risqué costume. I could only sigh.

"And now, for the athletes' pledge!" Midnight continued. "The representative from the first-year students is... from Class 1-A, Bakugo Katsuki!"

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Usually, the first-ranked student from the entrance exam gave the speech. Everyone else seemed to think so too, as many glanced in my direction. But Bakugo, with his limitless arrogance, pushed past everyone and climbed onto the stage. He stepped up to the microphone, stared at the crowd with a bored expression, and said in a hoarse voice, "I pledge... that I'm gonna be number one."

The entire stadium went silent for a moment, before exploding in a unified chorus of boos from all the other classes. Perfect. He had just declared war on behalf of all of us. Iida looked horrified, chopping the air with his hands. "Bakugo-kun! You are embarrassing us all!"

I just smiled faintly. 'What an idiot,' I thought. 'But... a useful idiot.' By making himself public enemy number one, he had drawn all the attention and pressure off my shoulders. Let him be the center of attention. It would make my own moves later that much easier.

"ALRIGHT!" Midnight shouted, seemingly unfazed by the drama. "WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S BEGIN THE FIRST EVENT! THIS YEAR IT'S... THIS!" A giant screen behind her spun and displayed the words: OBSTACLE RACE.

"A four-kilometer race around the outside of the stadium!" Midnight explained. "As long as you stay on the course, anything goes! Now, everyone, get ready at the starting line!"

We all crowded in front of a giant gate that marked the start of the track. The passage beyond it looked narrow, a first hurdle designed to create chaos. I took a position in the middle of the crowd, my muscles tense, ready to spring. I glanced to my side and saw Todoroki, his expression as cold as ice. On my other side, Bakugo was smirking, small sparks popping in his hands. I took a deep breath, calming my heart rate. I didn't have ice or explosions. I only had my plan.

The signal lights above the gate flashed. Red. Yellow. Then... GREEN!

"START!"

As I expected, the narrow gate immediately became hell. Hundreds of students pushed and shoved, trying to be the first out. Just then, the air around us turned frigid. "Sorry," a cold voice said. Shoto Todoroki shot forward, leaving a thick trail of ice behind him that instantly froze the feet of dozens of students around him, trapping them in place. He had created his own path.

"So sneaky!" someone yelled.

But I was ready for this. I didn't know exactly what would happen, but I knew someone would try a trick like this. As the ice spread across the ground, I didn't try to run through it. I jumped, using the shoulder of a larger student trapped in the ice as a foothold, then leaped again onto the tunnel wall. Using the parkour principles I had drilled into myself, I ran a few steps along the wall, vaulting over the heads of the panicking crowd, and landed smoothly on the open track behind Todoroki. I wasn't as fast as him, but I had cleared the initial chaos and joined the lead pack. Bakugo, using his explosions to fly over the ice, was there too, as were a few other nimble students.

The first obstacle appeared before us. "LOOK AT THAT! THE FIRST BARRIER, ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic screamed from the commentary booth. They were the giant robots from the entrance exam, the 1-pointers, 2-pointers, and 3-pointers, blocking our path.

Todoroki didn't even slow down. He swung his arm, and a massive wave of ice instantly froze several robots in unbalanced positions, creating a path for him to pass through. He was overwhelmingly powerful and efficient. While other students stopped, hesitating on how to deal with the metal monstrosities, I saw an opportunity. Todoroki had frozen them, but he had also changed the environment. I noticed how thick ice now coated the ground around the robots' feet.

While Bakugo flew over them, I chose a different route. I ran straight towards one of the frozen 3-point robots. Just before I reached it, I dropped and slid on the slick ice, shooting through the narrow gap under its giant legs. It was an incredibly risky maneuver—if the ice had cracked, I would have been crushed—but my calculation was precise. I slid out the other side without a scratch, having cleared the first obstacle with tactics, not power.

In the commentary booth, Aizawa watched with a sharp gaze. "That kid isn't fighting the obstacles," he muttered. "He's using what his opponents leave behind to his own advantage. He's reading the battlefield."

The second obstacle was a deep, wide chasm called "The Fall." The only way across was a series of ropes strung over it, with a few stone pillars jutting up in the middle. It was a test of balance and courage. I saw Tsuyu Asui, with her frog Quirk, crawling along the ropes with ease. Uraraka just touched herself and floated across. I had no such luxury.

I didn't have time to walk a tightrope. I ran to the edge of the chasm, measuring the distance to the nearest stone pillar. It was far, but maybe reachable. Without hesitation, I took a twenty-meter running start and leaped with all the power in my legs. I soared through the air, the wind roaring in my ears. I wasn't going to make it to the top of the pillar. I landed several feet below the peak, my hands gripping the rough rock surface. The impact jarred my arms, but I held on. With one explosive movement, I pulled myself up, then without pausing, I leaped again, this time towards the other side of the chasm. I landed hard, immediately rolling to absorb the impact and keep running. My legs screamed in protest, but I had cleared the second obstacle, still trailing just behind Todoroki and Bakugo.

The final obstacle lay before me: a vast field filled with buried landmines. Garish pink explosions marked the spots where unlucky students had stepped. Todoroki was carefully creating a thin bridge of ice to cross, while Bakugo was using small explosions to hop from one safe area to another. They were both significantly slowed down.

"AND LOOK AT THIS, FOLKS!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "TATSUMI IS STILL IN THE HUNT, BUT HOW WILL HE GET THROUGH THIS WITH NO RANGED QUIRK?"

I had no ability to fly or freeze. So I used my senses. I paused for a split second, observing the pattern of explosions, trying to feel the vibrations in the ground. I couldn't see the mines, but I could guess at their distribution. I began to move, not cautiously, but with a quick rhythm and light steps, leaping from one point to another like a dancer on a stage of death. I triggered a few mines, but I anticipated them, using their small blasts to propel me forward rather than knock me down.

I was catching up. Todoroki and Bakugo, out in front, were starting to attack each other, Bakugo's explosions meeting Todoroki's ice walls. Their rivalry was slowing them both down. This was my chance. I increased my speed, navigating the final few mines. I was going to pass them.

Suddenly, an explosion far larger than any of the others rocked the entire minefield from behind me. I glanced back and my eyes widened in disbelief. Izuku Midoriya was sailing through the air, riding a piece of metal plating from a robot, propelled by a massive, combined mine blast he had deliberately triggered. It was a completely insane, reckless, and utterly brilliant strategy.

He landed hard far ahead of all three of us. The fight was now a pure footrace to the finish line. I summoned the last of my stamina. Todoroki and Bakugo, shocked by Midoriya's maneuver, did the same. The four of us sprinted with everything we had, the finish line in sight.

Midoriya, stumbling from his landing, managed to cross the finish line first, a victory earned through incredible ingenuity. Todoroki, with a final slide of ice, snatched second place. Bakugo, roaring in fury, followed in third. And I, with burning lungs and legs that felt like jelly, crossed the line in fourth place.

I immediately fell to my knees, gasping for air, trying to drag as much of it as I could into my aching lungs. Sweat mixed with dust on my face. I hadn't won. I wasn't even in the top three. But as I looked up at the giant scoreboard displaying my name in fourth place, above dozens of students with incredible Quirks, I felt a cold, burning satisfaction. I had proven something today, both to the world and to myself. I didn't need a dragon to compete with monsters. I looked ahead, toward the tunnel that would take us to the next event, my expression a mixture of utter exhaustion and a newly reforged determination. The first round was over. And I was still standing.