Something Different

14: Rivalry

Izuku looked down at the sea of students. Despite his alleviated height, due to him standing on the podium, they seemed to loom over him and threaten to shove him to the ground. Izuku used one hand to scratch the back of the other, the skin turning red.

As the first years' representative, he was supposed to give an inspiring speech before the sports festival began. Someone must have forgotten to give him the memo, because he had only found out when Midnight called him onto the stage! Damn it.

What could he even say? Izuku used to be a villain, and was just learning the ways of becoming a hero. How was he supposed to give a speech to a bunch of hero hopefuls? Not to mention that he recognised some of them who he had killed in his prior life.

Izuku was on the verge of shutting down. He could tell that everyone was waiting for him to say something, but all he could do was stare at the crowd with a blank expression. They couldn't see his internal panic or the thoughts of their corpses on the floor. Why did he have to be like this? He just wanted everything to stop.

Stop…?

Izuku's shoulders slumped, and he took the microphone from its holder. He spoke in a low and dead voice, yet a small smile played on his features. "No matter who scores top three, or top ten, the goal of this festival is to show off your talents. Even if you don't get far, there are plenty of opportunities to do so and even more heroes who are willing to take you in. Good luck, everyone. I hope you enjoy this year's sports fest."

Nowadays, a speech would end with 'Plus Ultra' or 'Go Beyond'. But Izuku didn't like All Might and his stupid quotes. In fact, besides a few exceptions, he didn't like heroes in general. As the audience cheered, Izuku left the stage. Once he came across his clique in the crowd of students, he let out a breath and started freaking out to Uraraka.

For once, Izuku was thankful for one of All For One's teachings. The ability to nullify his emotions. If he thought that his emotions were getting in the way of his ambitions, he would cancel them out completely. But the effects were temporary; after a while, all the feelings that had accumulated would come crashing down at him like a tsunami.

"That was so nerve-wracking!" Izuku wriggled his hands as Uraraka tried to comfort him. Every time the two of them got closer, Izuku would feel a rush of guilt. He really did like her… But at the time, for the sake of the mission, Ochako Uraraka had to be eliminated. She would be a dangerous opponent if she ever had the chance to grow.

Izuku felt as though he didn't deserve to be friends with her. She had given him friendship, back then. She trusted him and told him everything he wanted to know, even if some of his queries seemed questionable. Then he went and backstabbed her, outing her as a villain when Izuku knew damn well that she was the most heroic person he had ever met.

Believe it or not, in Izuku's eyes, not even Kacchan could compare to the spirit that Uraraka possessed. At first, her goal was money. But even then, she just wanted to save her parents from poverty.

Oh… Uraraka's parents… How did they feel after she got sent to prison? Izuku was certain that they would have vouched for her, even if their statements wouldn't have made a difference.

"Obstacle Course!"

Izuku had made sure that he had recorded all of his and Uraraka's conversations. With a little editing, the tape was mailed off to the police station and Uraraka's fate was sealed. When he was a villain, the feeling was faint, but the slander that she had receieved could have made Izuku admit that it was a set-up. If only he was braver then; if only he hadn't been in the tight clutches of All For One.

He could have taken everything back.

"Start!"

Izuku activated One For All at 15% and sprinted to the front of the crowd. It was no surprise that he was quicker than the majority, since One For All influenced his speed. He was even ahead of Todoroki, who had frozen the tunnel shortly after he left it. Kacchan blasted through the ice and quickly caught up, too.