Heroes and Ninja

十三

The next day, school was back in session.

"All right, listen!! It's time for this morning's homeroom period! Take your seats, everyone!!" Iida ordered, standing at the front of the room.

"We are in our seats, you're the one who's not," Sero pointed out. Iida sulked at that.

Suddenly the door swung open, revealing a mummy-like Aizawa.

"Morning."

"Aizawa-sensei, you're already back?!!!"

"Sensei, you're all right!!" Iida shot up, raising his hand.

"Can you really call that "all right"...?" Uraraka murmured.

"Don't concern yourselves over me. After all, the battle hasn't really ended for you yet."

"The battle?"

"You don't mean..."

"MORE VILLAINS?!!"

"UA's sports festival is approaching, boys and girls!"

"A sports festival...! I keep forgetting this is an actual school!!"

"Wait, hold up! That sounds like something villains would try to infiltrate...isn't it? Will it be all right?"

"On the contrary: since we're going ahead with the festival, it means that the school is confident it has all its ducks in a row when it comes to its crisis control now. I hear police presence will be five times bigger than normal, for example. What you should be thinking about is...what a huge chance the academy's sports festival presents for you all. This isn't some event that'll be brought to a halt by the likes of villains," Aizawa explained.

"No, if villains do appear, can we halt it please?" M*neta asked.

"Mineta...have you never seen the UA sports festival?!" Izuku questioned.

"Of course I have! That's not it at all--..."

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events!! In days past, the "olympics" was the sports festivity that whipped all the nation into a froth of enthusiasm! But now, as you know, the extent and population have shrunk and it's lost a lot of substance. So what has taken the place of the olympics in Japan is the UA sports festival!"

"The country's top heroes are all sure to be watching us!" M*neta fretted.

"It's because they'll be scouting for us!" Momo responded.

"I'm thinking I might follow the tactic of going sidekick for a pro hero's squad after graduating!" Kaminari said.

"But there are loads of people who get stuck as  sidekicks forever and miss their chance to break out as solo heroes. And you seem like just that kind of dumbass, Kaminari," Jirou remarked.

"Khh!!"

"Naturally, entering the squad of a famous hero will get you higher status and more experience. Remember, time is limited. If you get noticed by a pro, that gives you the standing for a brighter future than otherwise. This is the chance you'll get only once a year...for a total of three chances. If you aim to be a hero, this is an event you can't overlook!"

----

"Now I feel like the tension is flying sky high!!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"I mean, I knew it was coming, but..." Sato trailed off.

"If we put in the effort and stand out to a pro, it'll be a giant leap forward!" Came Sero.

"Wow, everyone's so pumped..." Izuku trailed off. 

"Don't you feel it, too?" Iida asked. "You've enrolled in UA to become a hero, so getting fired up is only natural, man!!"

"Damn Iida, you really are energetic today, huh?" Asked Kanna. Iida blushed.

"W-well naturally! It is the sports festival after all!"

"Deku, Iida, Kanna..." Uraraka started. "Let's crush it. The sports festival." She then turned around to the other boys. "Guys!! I'm gonna go for it!!"

Later, at lunch, Kanna sat with Momo, discussing the sports festival with her. 

"I am slightly nervous, though I know you'll do excellent," Momo started. "Just please don't go overboard..." Kanna laughed nervously, remembering how Momo had scolded her after the USJ incident for using her powers so openly.

"Hehe, no promises..."

----

After school, the class was met with a hoard of students standing in front of their classroom door.

"They're crowding the exit! What are they here for?" M*neta asked. 

"They're scoping out the competition, idiot. They wanna see the gang who came through the villain ambush. They're checking us out before the big battle, asshole. It's pointless to try, so why don't you just fuck off, ya goddamn mob," Bakugou said rudely.

"Don't go calling people you don't know a mob right off the bat!!" Iida scolded, chopping the air.

"I came to see what you kids are made of, true, but I didn't think you'd be so arrogant," A familiar voice rang through Kanna's ears. "Are all the kinds enrolled at the department of heroics this way?"

"Shinsou! Shinsou!" Kanna called, jumping up and down and waving enthusiastically with a big grin on her face. 

"You know him, Hidaka?" Sero wondered. 

"Yeah! We met at the entrance exam! What's up bro?!"

Shinsou smirked slightly at the sight of Kanna, waving at her. He turned back to Bakugou, speaking, "I'm a bit disillusioned. So that's it, huh? There's lots of kids who wind up in the general education department or other departments because they failed the heroics one. Did you know that? And based on the results of the sports festival, people can even become under review to be transferred to heroics. And the reverse is also a possible outcome. Scoping out the competition? If nothing else, a general ed kid like me is thinking hey, why don't I try pulling the rug out from under those heroics kids while they're on their high horses? Consider it a declaration of war."

Kanna smirked, her competitiveness kicking in. 

"Hey!! You!! I'm from class b!!" A boy jumped above the crowd. He had silver hair and long thick eyelashes. "I heard you knocked around with villains or whatever so I came to hear it direct!! But I don't wanna hear from some snot-nosed punk!! Don't embarrass us during the main event, you hear me?!!"

Bakugou ignored the boy's outburst, pushing through the crowd to walk away. Kirishima was the first to speak up on it. "Wait a second, man, what did you just do?! Now we're gonna get haters all up in our grill!"

"It doesn't matter," was Bakugou's response. "None of that matters once you're at the top." He walked away after that.

"Oh man...!! There's so much manliness to be had in sheer simplicity!" Kirishima cried.

"He does have a point. The top, huh..." Tokoyami trailed off.

"Don't listen to that dumbass. All he did was make us some new enemies for no reason!" Kaminari input.

And so, everyone got to work, practicing and honing their skills.

----

sorry this took so long, I had mega writers block 😫🤚