"Alright, everyone! After that truly amazing and incredibly exciting speech from the Class 1-A representative, Katsuki Bakugo, let's get right down to our very first event!" Midnight exclaimed, her voice filled with a dramatic flourish as the giant screen in the stadium prominently displayed the iconic U.A. symbol, a beacon of heroic aspiration. "This will be the preliminaries! A grueling test where tears, cries of despair, and even blood will be shed! Enjoy the spectacle, my dear aspiring heroes!"
"How can she possibly have so much boundless energy all the time..." Kyoka muttered, rolling her eyes in exasperation at Midnight's theatrical exuberance.
The giant screen instantly changed, transitioning to a large, virtual roulette wheel that began spinning at an immense, dizzying speed, preventing anyone from clearly discerning the various options it held. After a few agonizing seconds, it slowly, dramatically, came to a halt, revealing the chosen event for the preliminaries.
"Obstacle Race, baby! A thrilling, demanding race full of unexpected traps and formidable obstacles, in which all eleven U.A. Classes will participate simultaneously! The designated course spans approximately four kilometers, extending around the entire stadium itself!" Midnight shouted excitedly, her voice booming as she explained the game in question, her energy seemingly limitless. "In this exhilarating race, you can do absolutely anything to win! Everything is allowed! So, unleash your Quirks and do your absolute best to emerge victorious!"
At the bustling starting gate, hundreds of eager students could be seen meticulously preparing themselves for the imminent race. Lena, with a focused expression, was diligently performing some basic stretching exercises next to Kyoka and Momo, limbering up her muscles. She had no idea where Toru had gotten to in the throng of students, but she presumed her invisible friend was likely fine, somewhere in the crowd.
The three girls were strategically positioned relatively close to the front of the starting line, which, while not a decisive advantage, would at least give them a small head start over the vast majority of their competitors. It wasn't very significant, but it was undoubtedly better than being stuck at the very back.
Taking a deep, steady breath, Lena felt her raw energy coursing powerfully through her entire body, a vibrant, life-affirming current. This time, there was no oppressive pressure, no disorienting waves, no agonizing, glitching hole in her chest. Just the pure, unadulterated energy that was hers by right, energy she had diligently reclaimed through countless hours of sweat and tears, overcoming her past inexperience and debilitating ignorance of her own formidable power.
Now, there were no invisible chains binding her.
Now, there were no debilitating leaks siphoning her vitality.
Just her, finally whole, finally complete. The sensation was profoundly liberating.
Feeling the complete lack of any additional, unnatural weight, she instinctively touched her chest with a small, triumphant smile. Though the Slipstream device had never physically weighed much, the difference in her internal energetic state was still profoundly palpable, a subtle yet undeniable shift in her very being. 'It's strange that it's no longer with me... it feels almost as if I've finally said goodbye to an old, familiar friend, a constant companion.'
Looking around the crowded starting area, she made out a few familiar faces from her own class, as well as some from the rival Class 1-B.
'Todoroki... Kirishima... Bakugo... Tokoyami... that orange-haired girl from 1-B... Kirishima's exact copy... and the purple depressive one...' Lena thought, her eyes meticulously scanning the various students around her, quickly assessing their Quirks and potential threats. She didn't possess detailed information on all the students, but this quick scan served well to mark the most dangerous, most formidable ones. She wasn't belittling or underestimating the others, not at all, but it was a well-known, undisputed fact that the students from the Hero Course, especially Class 1-A and 1-B, were significantly more powerful and experienced than those from the other general education classes.
Looking for a moment at the 'depressed purple' student from general studies, Lena vividly recalled the rather unpleasant things he had loudly declared on the very day they returned to class after the USJ incident, his words echoing with bitterness and resentment.
"So you guys are the supposedly 'elite' students of the Heroism Class... how utterly pathetic... I honestly thought you would be more dignified and righteous, true paragons of heroism, but I see you are just a bunch of arrogant vermin who clearly don't deserve your privileged place here... you managed to defeat some low-ranking villains, and that's why you think you are inherently better than us...? Don't make me laugh... I'll make damn sure to wipe the floor with you all, to prove your inadequacy... there are countless people from the general department who unequivocally deserve to be in the Heroism Class far more than any of you..."
'God, it's like listening to an obnoxious idiot on Twitter, endlessly complaining...' Shaking her head subtly, forcing herself to breathe slowly and deeply, she pushed away the surge of rage elicited by the sheer stupidity of that student's words. She refocused her mind on the race itself, meticulously devising a strategy to move forward quickly and efficiently. 'Remember, Lena, you may be 'cured' of your temporal instability, but without a thorough, comprehensive diagnosis from Dad, I'm not entirely sure how much I can and cannot do safely. Take it easy and proceed with caution...'
"Everyone ready?!" Present Mic's booming voice cut through the air, sending a jolt of adrenaline through the hundreds of students.
At this precise point, everyone visibly tensed, their movements slowing, as every single student's mind became singularly focused on the singular goal: winning the race, no matter the cost.
"START!!!"
At the very same instant, with an explosive burst of energy, all the students began running furiously towards the exit door, a chaotic, surging tide of bodies and Quirks!
The students positioned in the very front of the pack had little difficulty getting through the initial bottleneck, quickly gaining a lead. However, the same could absolutely not be said for the vast majority of students clustered in the back. They had quickly gotten stuck, forming a dense, immovable human traffic jam, due to the sheer amount of people crammed together, and no one willing to yield an inch of ground to the others, making forward progress incredibly difficult and frustrating.
"It's too narrow! I can't move!"
"Oi! Get out of my way, you slowpoke!"
"Go ahead! Don't push!"
"Get out of the way! I need to win!"
But a few minor "NPCs" – a playful term Lena sometimes used for less significant individuals – certainly didn't bother her.
With a mischievous smile playing on her lips, Lena subtly used 'Acceleration' and, with a victorious grin, turned her head towards Kyoka, who was about to be caught and frozen by Todoroki's impending ice attack. "I wonder..."
"That should stop them for a second or two..." Shoto Todoroki muttered under his breath, his eyes cold and calculating, as he continued running forward with his usual effortless grace. Turning his head slightly to glance behind him, he observed how the main exit was now completely sealed and frozen by a colossal wall of ice, along with some unfortunate, less agile students who were now inextricably trapped within its icy confines.
He quickly turned his gaze forward once more, re-focusing on the race... and there, to his profound surprise, he saw Lena, running effortlessly, carrying Kyoka Jiro in her arms.
'How did I not notice them approaching, let alone getting past me?' Todoroki thought, his eyes narrowing in suspicion and a hint of frustration. Their speed was truly remarkable, almost imperceptible.
"Huh?" Kyoka let out a small sound of utter confusion as she felt a sudden, inexplicable change in her balance, a shift in her equilibrium. "Wh-what's happening?!"
From one moment to the next, she found herself inexplicably in Lena's arms, being carried effortlessly like a princess, a surreal and profoundly embarrassing experience that caused her cheeks to flush a deep crimson. "L-Lena?! What in the world are you doing?!"
"Taking you out for a ride with U.A.'s prettiest girl, isn't it obvious, Kyo?" Lena replied mockingly, a mischievous glint in her eyes, as she continued running at a blistering pace, completely ignoring Kyoka's flustered complaints and protests. 'Acceleration lasted significantly longer than I expected... and I barely feel any drain on my energy reserves! This is incredible!'
CRAAACK!!!
Suddenly, with a deafening, splintering sound, Todoroki's colossal ice wall shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, its icy fragments exploding outwards with immense force.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US, TODOROKI!" shouted Momo Yaoyorozu, Katsuki Bakugo, and Eijiro Kirishima in unison, their voices filled with fierce determination as they burst through the remnants of the unofficial ice rink Todoroki had created.
Todoroki turned his head to look at the shouters, and was not particularly surprised to see his classmates right on his heels, their speed impressive.
Looking ahead once more, Todoroki saw Lena looking at him for a fleeting second, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips before she turned away, focusing on the path ahead. "Tch!" he grunted in frustration.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake slightly, a low, rumbling tremor, causing both Lena and Todoroki to turn their gazes towards the source of the shaking, only to see....
"You've got to be KIDDING ME!" Lena shouted loudly, her voice echoing with disbelief and exasperation.
In front of them stood an imposing army of Zero Point robots, the same monstrous machines from the U.A. Entrance Test, now repurposed as obstacles.
Todoroki wasted no time, his analytical mind already formulating a strategy. He walked past Lena, who simply gawked at the daunting army of robots, utterly stunned, and quickly froze one of the massive machines in a solid block of ice. Then, with a swift, calculated move, he used it as a makeshift catapult, effortlessly launching himself into the air, quickly escaping the menacing robot army and gaining a significant lead.
'WHY IS HIS QUIRK SO OVERPOWERED?!' thought Lena with intense annoyance, a frustrated frown marring her face. If she didn't advance quickly, she would undoubtedly be overtaken by the other participants, losing her hard-won lead. "Shit! What do I do now...?"
Taking advantage of Lena's momentary distraction, Kyoka, still blushing fiercely, skillfully managed to escape from the taller girl's arms, dropping lightly to the ground.
Still flushed, she looked towards the formidable robots before taking a sharp intake of breath, preparing herself. "Well, Lena, let's see the results of our training, shall we...?"
Kyoka swiftly connected her earphone Jacks to the ground, her face a mask of profound concentration, as she stopped breathing, channeling her energy. Shortly after, a large, earth-shattering tremor shook the entire field of robots, a powerful vibration emanating from her position.
Lena had trouble maintaining her balance, staggering slightly, as she looked at Kyoka in profound surprise, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Little by little, she could see massive cracks appearing all over the robot field, spreading rapidly, until suddenly....
CRRRRACK!!!
The whole field violently collapsed, a chaotic symphony of grinding metal and crumbling earth, raising a colossal amount of dust that billowed into the air. After a moment, as the dust began to settle, Lena could clearly see the raw, devastating power behind Kyoka's earphone Jacks, rendering the entire robot army useless, their metallic forms crumpled and incapacitated.
"Fuu..." Kyoka let out a deep, weary breath, a visible sigh of exertion, while wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "That took a bit longer than I expected... but it worked."
'I take it back, Todoroki.... All people with Area-of-Effect (AoE) attacks are ridiculously overpowered, period,' Lena thought, a wry amusement coloring her thoughts as she looked at the shorter girl, who looked back at her expectantly.
Kyoka averted her gaze, a subtle blush returning to her cheeks, before finally speaking. "And are you going to take me or what, Lena? The race is still on, you know."
Lena quickly approached Kyoka, a triumphant, almost mischievous grin spreading across her face. And before Kyoka could utter another word of protest or surprise, Lena gave her a quick, soft kiss on the cheek and, with a renewed burst of energy, used an 'Acceleration' again, charging forward with a cheerful, unstoppable smile. "Two for one, my lovely Kyo! Let's go, babe!"