Saiki's Disastrous Life at UA High

Chapter 44- The Races

The first group steps onto their assigned positions, doing various stretches to prepare themselves. The classmates left behind are chattering about who's going to win, nervously waiting for their own turns.

"My money's on Iida."

"I think Hairo's got this one."

"I don't know, I think Asui will do well."

"Iida definitely has the upper hand, it is a race, after all, but I think Asui's quirk could really help in such an elaborate maze like this one. She can easily climb the walls and use her tongue to swing around. Then again, Iida will be on the ground and it's less likely he'll lose his balance or have something give out under him, though something might fall on him. With that in mind, Uraraka could just float over everything, though she'll be slow, and it'll be risky. Hairo has shown to be able to boost his speed with his quirk, but I don't think it'll be fast enough, and Mera's quirk isn't really suited fo-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY?" Bakugo yells, causing Midoriya to squeak, covering his mouth and cowering in fear as Bakugo's growl breaks through his mumbling.

"I-I'm s-s-so sorry!" He stutters, feeling uncomfortable without his clique around him.

I hope they do well. He smiles, watching as Uraraka breaths deeply and Iida does a few lunges.

"BEGIN!"

The five immediately lunge forward, Asui's tongue flying and wrapping around a pipe, sending her forward. She keeps her momentum and pushes of a building, effortlessly moving through the maze and toward All Might.

Iida bursts forward, his engines blazing and his arms swinging as he strides to the finish.

Mera creates liquid butter and slides on it as if she were surfing. Her balance remains surprisingly stable as she follows a pipe toward victory.

Uraraka takes one more breath before touching her fingers together, taking a running start and leaping into the maze. She floats over everything, making it easy to know where to go, though she can't change her direction without landing again, and it's a slow method.

Hairo closes his eyes, whispers something to himself, and unleashes his quirk. His aura washes over the maze, covering every inch. Asui, Iida, Mera, and Uraraka stop in their tracks, their energy suddenly drained. All Might sits down, too tired to stand or cheer on his students. Hairo runs forward, his legs glowing with power, his eyes wet with tears. Once he makes it to All Might he releases his quirk, causing the others to sit up in confusion. They make their way to All Might, rubbing their heads in confusion.

"What just happened?" Uraraka questions, holding her stomach in pain as nausea seeps into her.

"I suddenly felt like there was no need for... any of this, really." Asui mumbles, her tongue poking out of her mouth. Hairo stares at them, the tears finally flowing freely.

"I'm so sorry! I hate my quirk!" He cries, falling to his knees. "I-I demotivated you." He sobs out, his shoulders heaving.

"Hey, don't cry! It's okay!" Mera reassures, patting the class rep's back.

"Yeah, you did what you had to to win!" Uraraka agrees, smiling at the boy.

"What an impressive quirk. You can easily apprehend wrong-doers with it." Iida mentions, deep in thought. "I'm jealous." This only makes Hairo tear up more but with nothing less than pure joy.

"You guys are the best."

"Well done, Hairo! And the rest of you too! A valiant effort! Now for the second race!"