A Girl can be the number 1 Hero

Chapter 14 - Obstacle Race - Part 1

I didn't think that day would come so quickly, I wish I had more time to train, but in the end, it was always that way, right? I would never feel that I had done enough. I was sitting in the waiting room with the other students as the crowd began to fill the bleachers.

Everyone talked distractedly, I was the only one quiet, sitting at the table with the other girls, Ochako tried to start conversations a few times, but I felt too nervous to keep up the pace. I felt someone poking my shoulder and turned around, it was Todoroki. He motioned for me to go to the corner of the room with him and I felt everyone's eyes following us with various murmurs.

I looked at Todoroki's face, my hands were trembling slightly in front of my body, so I brought them together to make myself less visible. His gaze was so serious that it would be hard to believe that yesterday we had breakfast together talking about today. Did he decide when went home that was tired of me?

"You're my friend and so I'll be direct, in matters of tactical strength I'm stronger, and know that All Might always has his eye on you. I'll defeat you and won't let my feelings get in the way. You are also my rival".

Todoroki clenched his fists. Our eyes stared at each other intensely, he didn't even blink. I swallowed hard, I think I was already with too many rivals for a school championship. I heard a whistle and Kirishima approached us holding Todoroki by the shoulders.

"What the hell, man, why so serious with the girl..."

"You're stronger than me". I replied, ignoring Kirishima, he didn't need to interrupt us. "As probably stronger than most of us. But I won't be left behind. Me too..." I faltered a little, but then I mustered up the courage and clenched my fists in front of me. "I will cling to you with everything I have".

Maybe I closed my eyes a little when I said that and maybe my voice came out louder than I'd like. When I looked back at Todoroki he was covering his lips with the back of his hand and his cheeks were slightly flushed, as was Kirishima's face.

Someone grabbed me around the waist and pulled me.

"You really have to think more before you speak". Mina turned me around to go back to the girls' table and the heavy atmosphere began to dissipate. Only then did I stop to listen to the words I'd said and slap my forehead, feeling my body warm.

"Someone should shut my mouth..." I muttered softly, avoiding opening my mouth or looking around until they called us to go to the arena.

***

I was stunned by the amount of people who came to watch the Sports Festival, Present Mic was introducing the microphone and Midnight, a heroine known for her beauty and questionable tastes, introduced the classrooms. She called Kacchan to go up on the platform and say a few words. Again I hit my forehead, what a terrible choice to represent the school. He walked with heavy steps and the hand in his pocket.

"Sensei. I'll take first place".

A loud murmur among the other students turned to screams of complaint and challenge, some actually offended by Kacchan.

"I'm sure you will only be obstacles in my way". He completed and to my surprise (but not so much), he met my gaze and stared at me, his brows knitted together in contempt and anger.

I sighed, the complaints increased even more. Some calling he confident, and indeed it was a little. But if it was the Kacchan I knew he would be screeching and laughing. Bakugo got down from the dais the same way he got up, but he came towards me, my heart racing so much that anyone on my side could hear.

He stopped right in front of me, I raised my head slightly to look at him, his face had a silent anger, he opened his mouth to say something to me, but just in time Midnight started screaming into the microphone again.

"Right! With that we can go straight to our first test" She waved her whip back and forth. "In the so-called "Preliminaries"! A lot of people end up drowning with their tears here every year! And this year the first battle will be... Obstacle Race!"

Midnight continued to explain how the race would work. I looked back at Bakugou, who was still standing in front of me, and with a shake of my head, I deviated from his path and went to the starting line. I could feel his eyes following me and a shiver ran through my body, I didn't know which was worse, him screaming, or him serious.

When the race started I was determined to push as hard as I could and win! But things are not always 100% as we wish, the crowd was pushing and elbowing each other violently, it was a lot of work to get away from all that and get a little further ahead. I wasn't too surprised to see Todoroki taking the lead making an ice rink to slide on. It was like setting fire to all 1-A's spirits and before the spectators could blink, the class took the lead shouting that they wouldn't be left behind Todoroki.

I even tried to speed up my pace, but I was one of the last in the room, next to the disgusting Mineta. He, in the exaggerated self-esteem he had, threatened Todoroki screaming and when he was getting ready to throw one of those purple balls at his colleague he was hit by a robot, I dodged before it hit me too.

"Obstacles appeared! And right at the beginning, the first barrier will be robotic hell!"

At the same time that Present Mic shouted into the microphone numerous robots appeared in our path, they were the same ones from the entrance exam. Todoroki froze the largest of them and managed to get away quickly, but left several lying in our path, making confrontation inevitable.

My legs froze, I looked at those robots with a huge weight on their backs, what would I do now? I couldn't afford to break any bones in the first round of the tournament.