chapter 12
The entirety of Class 1-A was in an uproar of excitement after hearing the Sports Festival would still be held despite the recent attacks. Present Mic hosted the class and shared the enthusiasm, taking example from All Might and using the cheerful attitude to hide the fact that Shota Aizawa was still missing. The talk of the class pertained mostly to Izuku Midoriya's betrayal but few did acknowledge their sensei's abduction. Amongst that minority was Tomura Shigaraki, the blue haired boy who had frequent discussions with All Might about the matter. The pro hero spoke with others to forge a team and prepare an assault on the location provided by Tomura. Young Shigaraki focused on the promise of his former mentor's capture and used that to find hope so he could share the same enthusiasm as his classmates.
Everyone would be tuning in to watch the festival, including pro heroes seeking to spot talent within the participants. Many students murmured about earning an internship by showing off their skill, but Tomura was more intent on testing his new ability handed down by All Might. The Sports Festival allowed for everyone to gain experience and that was what excited Tomura most.
Katsuki Bakugo was the only one unthrilled by the upcoming event, confined to a hospital bed and unable to participate. The blonde teen could barely lift the remote so he could change the channel and watch the festival, the clicker made him feel like he were lifting a sandbag with one hand. The effort required to perform this simple task left Katsuki exhausted, causing him to fall asleep until the festival would start.
While Class 1-A prepared for the festival, Izuku Midoriya sorted through the improvised team All For One suggested. Regardless of the cloth covering his eyesight, Izuku worked to create a plan and become familiar with the recruits.
"Our first candidate is someone with a quirk capable of cloning himself.", All For One started his explanation while writing down notes for Izuku whenever instructed. "He prefers to be called 'Twice', but his real name is Jin Bubaigawara. Like many of the people I bring under my wing, he was lost and confused about himself. His quirk led him and his clones to question who was the original, leaving me to answer for him.", the masked man briefly shared the recruit's backstory.
"It sounds like he's unable to control his quirk.. is that still the case?", Izuku wondered.
"I see where you would have concern and worry about such a problem interfering with whatever it is you've got planned, but I assure you that I had the candidates display their quirks thoroughly for me before any consideration.", All For One replied.
"Who else is there?", Midoriya ignored the reassurance and became eager to move on.
"Atsuhiro Sako, or as he calls himself.. Mr. Compress.", All For One begrudgingly answered. "As the name implies, he can compress any object into a marble without damaging whatever it was. It's to my knowledge that the weight is also reduced in size.", the masked man describes the recruit's quirk.
"Can his compression work on people?", Midoriya curiously asked.
All For One thought about the question, "I'm not sure. I'll have to ask.", the masked man replied.
"Where did you find him?", Izuku wondered.
"He was an entertainer with a low audience, his life was turning upside down until I offered him the opportunity to become a hero.", All For One responded. The stale tone implied the masked man wasn't telling the complete truth and it rubbed off on Izuku this time around.
"I'm not quite convinced. Tell me truthfully, who are these people that you managed to find so easily?", Izuku pressed.
"I've never lied to you before, why would I start now?", All For One said with guile, the response a fib itself.
"I just wanted to be sure I knew who I was working with..", Midoriya decided not to push the matter.
All For One could tell that Izuku was still weary and decided to use his next recommendation as the failsafe to regain his disciple's trust. "Well, there is someone you may be wary of.. He calls himself Mustard, like the gas. It's due to his quirk, the toxic gas acts as a harmful sleeping agent.", the masked man briefly covered the person's importance.
"Why would that concern me?", a confused Izuku asked his mentor.
"It's not his quirk that comes into question.. it's that he isn't like the others. He seems more like a potential villain than hero.", All For One shared the truth about one of the many candidates.
"I see. Would I be able to keep him in check for just one mission?", Izuku considered.
"Perhaps.", All For One grinned under his mask at the implication of Izuku's statement. It wasn't so long ago that you shied away from spilling blood.. now it's first hand as you think about eliminating those you see useless after they fulfill their purpose., the masked man praised his disciple internally.
"Then I've heard enough. Have any others on standby, but for now, this will do.", Izuku replied.
"Just what exactly do you have planned?", All For One wondered.
"You'll see soon enough. The whole world shall see.", Midoriya replied whilst removing the bandages from his eyes.
"The whole world will see you, when you shout 'I AM HERE!', they will see that you are the rightful successor!", All Might gave his protege a pep talk as the class prepared to begin the Sports Festival.
"Thank you, I won't let you down!", Tomura promised before joining Class 1-A in the locker room.
The uncertainty from both All Might & Tomura was well hidden behind eager smiles, both intent to see how the test run with One For All goes. A roaring crowd surrounding the stadium in stands built up the hype for both mentor & disciple as Tomura stepped onto the field. Numerous other classes joined Class 1-A, sharing the same applause from an anticipating audience.
"Are you ready to move out?", the sudden question caught All Might off guard and made the pro hero jump like a frightened cat. All Might spun around to see it was Endeavor who had asked the question.
"Endeavor, yes, let's go!", All Might cheerfully gave a thumbs up. The confident grin on his face covered the disappointment of having to miss some of the Sports Festival. The pro heroes had assumed it wise to move out during the event since it would be most unexpected. All Might hoped he wouldn't miss much as he joined Endeavor in preparing to raid the hideout location Tomura shared.
Security for the festival fell upon newer heroes such as Mt. Lady or Kamui Woods. Gunhead and his new partner, Uravity, had volunteered to cover for other pros joining Endeavor & All Might on their mission. The authorities also pitched in while the pro hero called Present Mic provided commentary for the event.
It wasn't too hard for troublemakers to blend into such a large crowd, it was only a matter of getting through the hallways once inside the stadium. The recent recruit called Mustard used his Sleep Gas quirk to render the security guards unconscious as the team formed by Midoriya worked their way to the announcer booth. Mustard's partners wore gas masks to filter oxygen under their normal masks so they would remain unaffected by their ally's quirk.
As Midoriya's team performed an infiltration, the classes ran their first trial. An unsuspecting crowd cheered for the students as they used their quirks during the race with obstacles. Robots crashed as participants plowed through them while huge gaps were covered with single leaps or gadgets. It wasn't until the last stretch of the race that Tomura Shigaraki finally stood out. The blue haired boy watched as other students got absorbed by landmines, unwillingly to run across the field blindly. After quick analysis, Tomura decided to use his new quirk in order to clear a path. "SMASH!", Young Shigaraki cried out like a battle cry as his fist connected with the surface ahead of him. The impact erupted the ground like an earthquake, clearing several landlines and providing a clear path ahead. Kurogiri applauded the boy with the rest of the crowd.
"It looks like Tomura Shigaraki is clearing a path for himself and is moving ahead!", Present Mic played the part as an announcer with glee. "Talk about using your quirk wisely!", the pro hero added.
Present Mic was so invested in watching the last stretch of the race like everyone else, that he never expected the surprise attack from Mr. Compress. The tall & slender man tossed the marble up and down playfully as his teammates joined him in the booth. "Now, we just wait for the boss man.", Mr. Compress eagerly anticipated Izuku Midoriya's arrival.
All Might & Endeavor blasted through the wall so Cementoss and Death Arms could rush into the hideout. The group of heroes were baffled to see that nobody currently occupied the building, but continued with caution regardlessly. It wasn't until the team searched the entire facility and found a running television that they discovered where their enemies had gone.
Tomura Shigaraki was the first to reenter the stadium's field and receive the crowd's praising roar. Shoto Todoroki and plenty others soon followed, approaching a stage to see Midnight waiting to give them their next challenge. Before the 18+ up hero could give them their next test, another person joined her on the stage in a shocking fashion.
A fist shot through the woman's chest, clutching her heart as blood poured out like a spilled pot of chili. The audience & students fell silent as Midnight's corpse collapsed with a thud. Izuku Midoriya stood in her place, wielding the still beating heart.
"Have fear, for I am here.", the taunt was a direct jab at All Might who was too far away to do anything.