Chapter 179 - 7-8

Chapter 7

Returning to school was certainly an interesting experience. Iida took place at the head of the class preparing everyone for home room and demanding that the already seated students be in their seats.

It was comical but after waging war for a good 8 hours yesterday Nathan could use the break.

Not that he ever caught one.

Aizawa entered none the worse for wear despite USJ. The damage to his elbow must not have been extensive enough to require too much treatment.

"Aizawa sensei! You're ok!" Mina called out.

"Yes. I'm fine. But you shouldn't be worrying about me. Your battle is far from over."

Tension gripped the class.

Was it villains again?

Or.

"UA's sports festival is approaching"

Sometimes even Nathan forgot this was supposed to be a school.

He wondered if this would be something similar to the Nero festivals he was used to?

There were a few protests about villains but Aizawa reassured them that there were numerous measures going into place to protect the festival. It was such a large event that no expenses were being spared.

Apparently UA's sports festival was something akin to the olympics in terms of wide appeal.

"It's an opportunity for you all. The country's top heroes will all be watching," Aizawa explained.

It was to further their careers. Nathan understood it at a base level, do well and get scouted by the highest level pro hero you can. But.

It felt off to him.

He simply could not picture himself in a hero organization other than chaldea. That part of his future was already sealed.

But this whole charade of taking part in UA was to push him further and further into the human world.

His instincts told him he was a magus and that he should keep a low profile to avoid scrutiny.

But was that what he actually wanted?

His fellow students muttered about joining various squads as sidekicks to pro heroes.

"Remember your time is limited. This is a once a year event so you only have three chances at this. The better work experience you can gather in that time the better off your future prospects will be."

How long would Chaldea even be able to stay in Japan?

They had come here for a specific reason after all. Who was to say they would stay behind once that reason was resolved? Would they stay because he wanted to? Or would they have to leave because another incident halfway across the world needed their attention?

The path forward had always been the scariest thing he'd ever faced.

It was easier when the world was ending and he had a clear goal.

But now that that weight was gone he was struggling.

If he could do what he wanted…

What did he even want anymore?

His previous ambitions had been lost with the rest of his past.

"You ok Relnor-san?" Yaoyorozu asked, "You're mumbling."

"Ah sorry. I'm just thinking…" He said, snapping from his doldrums quickly, "Must have picked that habit up from somewhere," He said with a not so subtle glance forward.

The excitement for an event that was two weeks away was palpable.

Lunch had arrived and a full half of the class were caught up in a great heat.

Nathan smiled.

This is what he'd fought for. Humans who reached for their dreams like this were what drove him forward even when he-

"Man. Everyone's getting really excited huh?" Midoriya spoke, snapping Nathan out of a train of thought that was about to rapidly spiral downward.

"Yeah. It's nice. Are you not excited too Midoriya?"

"I am but-"

"You have reached the stage of UA! Getting fired up is only natural!" Iida said, his entire body rumbling with excitement.

"Figures you would be able to contain yourself," Asui approached the three from the side.

Their gazes fell on Nathan.

"Yeah not a lot phases me nowadays," He said casually.

"I'll say."

"Iida, Midoriya, Relnor…" A voice came from next to them. Uraraka held her face down and her entire body radiated tension.

"Let's crush the sports festival."

It was a level of determination he didn't often see without murderous intent behind it. Out of the four of them Nathan was the only one who did not respond with some kind of apprehension.

Instead he met her determination with a smile.

"Of course!"

"LETS GO FOR IT" She screamed, riling up the class even further.

Once she settled down the four of them parted ways with Asui and made their way towards the cafeteria.

"Oh. Uraraka-san," Midoriya spoke up, "I was wondering. Why do you want to become a hero?"

"Ehehe… It's not a terribly noble reason… I um… Promise you won't think less of me!"

"A bad reason to become a hero does not exist," Nathan said simply, "As long as your desire pushes you to risk yourself to save others it doesn't matter what it is."

The three of them looked at him for a moment of quiet contemplation.

"W-wow… I don't think I've ever heard anyone put it like that. Alright! I'm in it for the money!" Uraraka said with a new sense of pride.

"Eh!?" Iida and Midoriya shouted.

"Ah I see," Nathan nodded. He supposed that made sense. Hero work was a career in this world.

"I know it's not as pure a reason as Iida or Midoriya… But… I'm going to become a Pro Hero. I am going to earn enough money to give my parents the easy life they deserve."

Her resolve was something of beauty.

She would fit right in with many of history's greatest heroes.

He nodded approvingly.

"There is absolutely no shame in that resolve. Hold your head high and push forward towards your future. It is already in your grasp."

The moment was broken somewhat when All might rounded a corner shouting, "Ah there you are! Midoriya my boy! Would you care to eat lunch with me?"

The scene before him did not match his image of reality. It was like there was a gear missing somewhere.

"Oh- Ok! Sure!" Midoriya said with a nod before the two of them parted with the group.

"What just happened?" Uraraka asked numbly after they were out of sight.

"I don't know and I think that's for the best. Sometimes the correct answer to a cracked door leading to forbidden knowledge is to just slam it shut and move on with your life," Nathan said without missing a beat.

"Wise words indeed." Iida nodded, "Although I am curious now. Relnor-san. Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Yeah! I just poured my heart out! Let us hear it!"

Nathan looked at his two friends and held out his hands. He clenched his glove covered left hand and his scaled right hand.

He gave an answer that did not match the smile on his face.

"I don't know! If I had to give a reason… I guess I want to catch up to the people who saved me."

All Might wanted him to debut at the sports festival. But Midoriya was struggling. His feelings were all over the place and his resolve was unnaturally shaken.

He nodded to All Might's words reminding him that there was a difference between those who aimed for the top and those who didn't.

"I do have one more question All Might. Have you ever… Been to Chaldea?"

All Might perked up. Midoriya was a hero nerd so it wasn't out of the ordinary to know and be curious about Chaldea.

But.

"No my boy. They're a secretive organization by nature. I've worked with a few of their heroes but beyond that interaction I know very little."

He recalled a conversation that he'd had with Nezu.

If someone came out and asked about Nathan's connection to Chaldea he was to tell the truth, but he should never lead the conversation that way.

But wasn't Midoriya one of Nathan's close friends?

"I went there yesterday,"

All Might coughed up blood.

"What!?"

"Nathan invited me over. I think he was trying to help me unwind but it was a lot to take in."

To All Might's knowledge only principle Nezu and a board chairman of the hero public safety commission had been allowed inside until now. There was no doubt in his mind that Midoriya had seen the true heart of their organization given the unofficial nature of his visit. If that was the case then it was Midoriya Izuku that knew the most about Chaldea out of any pro hero...

"What did you think?" All Might asked.

"It was amazing! There were so many different heroes all working together! Caring for each other! But... There were a lot of things about it that were off. It's not structured like any normal hero organization I've ever seen..."

It was nebulous and hard to describe. But Chaldea was not a hero organization. They cared for children who had nowhere to go. They gave up their lives to follow their leader. If it was being described to him he would think there was something sinister going on but having been there…

It was clear that their leader believed in doing good. If all of those contrasting heroes followed them then Chaldea was undoubtedly a grand force for justice. But he was not sure where Nathan fit into that equation. Those Chaldeans swirled around him like a protective mob. More than a dozen of them had declared that they'd gladly give their life if Nathan asked them to.

How had he gotten there? How had he reached their hearts?

He needed to know. But he did not want to pain his friend by forcing an answer out of him.

"Do you know what happened to Nathan?"

All Might's brow furrowed.

"I've been briefed with the same information all of the other teachers have received."

Aizawa was looking deeper into things for his own reasons, but the person Midoriya should be asking was Nathan himself.

"My boy. It's best to confront these kinds of things directly."

"Right…"

The rest of the day passed gently. Once again, the hardest thing Nathan had done this week was slow down enough to consider modern literature.

At least they weren't studying the classics. He had a feeling Shakespere would simply be able to sense a bad interpretation of his work from a distance.

A brief image of that caster breaking down 1-A's door to give a screed on the nature of his tragedies flashed in Nathan's mind.

"Relnor." Aizawa snapped him from his doldrums, "Stay after class. We have some things to discuss.

"Ooooooh Relnor's in trouble!" Kaminari said playfully.

"Of course he is, don't you remember USJ?"

Ah. So it was time for that then.

Nathan simply nodded.

Mentally he steeled himself for what was to come.

This process was interrupted when Uraraka opened the doors to see a gaggle of students gathered outside their classroom.

They were scoping out the competition.

He had this thought at the same time Bakugo said it out loud which worried him considerably.

1-A put its best foot forward.

Bakugo immediately insulted everyone in the hallway.

1-A needed a better best foot.

A student with purple hair stepped to the front of the crowd, accepting Bakugo's challenge.

The sports festival was not only an opportunity for pro heroes to scout students in the hero course. Depending on how well they did, students who failed the hero application could potentially be shuffled around.

Was that the only recourse they had?

That boy's determination was nearly bloodthirsty.

Everyone was rising up and declaring that they would do their absolute best come the sports festival.

But Nathan was simply trying to think of ways to hold back.

It made it difficult for him to get as excited as everyone else.

Midoriya watched Bakugo ruthlessly antagonize everyone in his way as he reached for the very top. He was gunning for the number one spot with everything he had.

From his place behind him, Nathan saw the exact moment Midoriya found his resolve.

He just wished it was that easy for him.

The other students filtered out as Nathan stood by, waiting for the inevitable.

"I've spoken with Chaldea about holding you back today. They said to just call when we're done," Aizawa said flatly as he pulled the seat next to Nathan out and sat.

"Ah. That's good. Thank you Aizawa-sensei,"

It was a small relief but it was still a relief.

"What was going through your head when you jumped in?" Aizawa asked plainly.

"I wanted to make sure nobody got hurt because of my mistake so mostly guilt," Nathan answered readily, "I love all of you and I don't want any of you to get hurt, especially when it's my error putting you in danger."

Love was a strong word, but Aizawa had seen that smile.

"Why do you think I jumped in?"

"... Because you're a pro hero and you wanted to protect us?"

"That's right... Do you have any idea… How terrifying it was to see you jump into the middle of those villains?"

Those words struck Nathan straight through the heart. They carried an immeasurable weight that trapped him in place.

Was…

Was that what he felt?

Was that what he wanted people to feel when he jumped into action?

"I already know the type of hero you are. You'll jump in anywhere as long as it means you can save someone. It's an admirable quality to have. That willingness to leap into danger is what separates the top level from everyone else."

Aizawa's capture weapon wrapped tightly around Nathan's head.

"But. You. Are. A. Student. Chaldea won't tell me what you've been through. They won't tell me why you have the skills and experience you very clearly have. I have nothing to go on when it comes to your history. But. Your present is another matter."

The cloth loosened as Aizawa continued.

"Ask first next time."

"What?"

"You do not even have a provisional license. You could get into serious trouble if you jump into random villain fights out in the open. That's vigilantism, not heroics. So the next time there's danger, do not act until you have received authorization, is that clear?"

He would not stop him. He wasn't sure he could. His best option was to turn Nathan Relnor into a known quantity that would react in expected ways to danger..

"I see," Nathan said as the cloth released his head, "Yes. I promise. I will seek permission before engaging in a villain fight next time…"

"I would like you to not engage at all until you're fully trained but that feels somewhat at odds with what I saw at USJ."

Yes. Nathan was already near the peak of his capabilities. Reflexes like that were not natural. Being able to shrug off killing intent like that was not natural. Those instincts that pushed him towards rather than pulling him back from a powerful enemy were not natural.

They were trained. His movements were tight and disciplined. Watching the fight back from the security footage had only cemented that.

Nathan Relnor could already fight at the level of a Pro Hero. It was questionable if he could even develop his quirk further than he already had.

So Aizawa's focus had to shift.

Nathan did not need to learn how to fight.

He needed to learn the opposite.

Aizawa stood up.

"Alright. You're free to go. Oh. One more thing. You will be expected to speak at the Sports Festival."

Nathan tilted his head to the side, "Why?"

"You scored the highest on the heroics entrance exam."

He really really should have held back during that thing. Public speaking was not something he was entirely a stranger to. The Chaldeans needed a good motivational speech every now and then. And sometimes an enemy was a friend that hadn't received a stern talking to yet. But… Speaking on live TV in front of that big of an audience?

"I… I understand," Nathan said hesitantly. The scant amount of actual magus training he'd received told him to avoid a venue that big but…

Was that the right thing for him to do as a person?

With that he departed the classroom. The halls had cleared somewhat so it was a little easier for him than it was the others.

"Hey."

Nathan turned and locked eyes with that tall purple haired kid who had declared war on the whole class.

"You're the top dog aren't you? Don't have much of a bark huh?"

"Not really. I tend to bite before I have time to think about barking," Nathan said with a chuckle, "Top dog huh? Is that how other people see me?"

Shinsou stared at the boy as if he'd been punched in the face.

Something was very very wrong.

Had he been so unaffected that he hadn't even noticed?

He was here to pick a fight and he'd gone all out in using his quirk.

But this guy hadn't even noticed?

"You're kidding. It doesn't work on you?"

"What?" Nathan tilted his head to the side.

He tried again but the result was the same. It was like he couldn't properly target the boy even though he was fulfilling all of the right conditions.

"Are you ok?"

"What kind of monsters do they have in 1-A? Honestly…" Shinsou said with a sigh of defeat. He looked at that boy who presented a now even larger stumbling block than he had before. "Name's Shinso Hitoshi. I'm the one who's gonna knock your class down a peg or two."

"Relnor Nathan, I wish you all the best," He said with that signature overpowering smile of his.

Shinso just sneered at him and turned to leave. Just how unfair could things get? He had to wonder why Nathan was immune to his quirk. What was it about him that set him apart from everyone else?

Nathan walked away without even really registering what Shinso was on about. He'd gained a new rival but that seemed to be an increasingly common occurrence the more he attended UA. As he made his way out he made sure to call Chaldea and let them know he was on his way out.

He ran into a group of students he recognized near the front gates.

"Oh! Hey Relnor-san! How's our kouhai doing today?"

It occurred to him that it was fairly surreal to finally be called kouhai after Mashu insisted on calling him the opposite for five years straight.

"Togata-senpai, Hado-senpai, Amajiki-senpai," Nathan said, greeting the three of them in turn.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Running late today? Did you get in trouble? I heard you all ran into villains at USJ! Was it scary? Did you get hurt? Did you fight any villains?"

"Yes, Yes, not the worst thing I've been through, a little, and yes," Nathan rattled off the answers in order.

"Oh. A trooper eh? To be expected from the top scorer in the entrance exam. Can't wait to see your speech at the sports festival!" Mirio said proudly.

Nathan's expression dropped at the mention of the speech. It had been less than an hour since he learned he even needed to make one but it was quickly becoming his primary concern in regards to preparing for the sports festival.

"Ah. You too huh?" Amajiki said with a nod of solidarity.

"I just don't really have any idea what to say."

"Just get everyone fired up! Like Fwoosh! Something that makes them give 110%! Plus Ultra!" Nejire said excitedly.

Nathan tilted his head to the side.

Just fire them up?

That he was good at. That could do.

He nodded.

"I see. Thank you for the advice Hado-senpai."

"That's what I like to see! You heading to the station or-"

It came crashing down from the sky. In a streak of golden light she arrived.

"Rellllllnor! The most beautiful goddess has arrived to pick you up from school!"

"No," Nathan said with a sigh.

The four of them reached the gate and found Ishtar standing atop her vehicle of choice, the Boat of Heaven Maanna.

"Well that's my ride. Thank you very much for your help all of you. I hope to provide an excellent show at the sports festival!" He stopped to give them a bow. With the proper focus they'd provided him suddenly that speech wasn't nearly as terrifying.

Nejire for her part had a million and one questions about Ishtar.

Nathan decided that it probably wasn't in his best interests to answer any of them.

He hopped aboard the Maanna and the two took off, Ishtar cackling all the while.

With two weeks to prepare, Nathan was unsure of what to actually do.

School was progressing calmly which was driving him mildly insane.

He decided that upping his sparring schedule with Heroic Spirits was probably his best bet. It induced the small amount of extra chaos into his life that he was missing on top of the obvious benefit of more practice.

They used the simulator to scale his opponents down to a more human level in order to help him adjust to fighting opponents he was not allowed to kill.

He'd spent so long trying to fight things so far beyond him that quirk had become excessively lethal when dealing with normal humans.

"Long engagements are your weakest point." Sigurd said after their session that day. "You're no stranger to having to fight all day but without Chaldea's support it will be quite a bit more difficult than you realize."

"Mh. Hopefully it will be just as exhausting for everyone else."

"Likely, but it is best not to rely on your opponent to have deficiencies. As for your matchups. The most difficult will be that Todoroki boy in all likelihood. If you are going to rely on Stun Gun Style approaching him will be problematic."

Yes. Nathan Relnor was an existence that had been honed against opponents that exceeded the limits of humans. To fight at his best was simply not an option for a friendly competition between his fellow students.

He could not become a murderer in front of the entire nation.

"It is also ill advised to use magecraft of any kind during the competition. With so many eyes on you it is possible a couple of them will realize what you are doing. That includes reinforcement."

Nathan wanted to protest but it was difficult when Sigurd's point was so solid. Besides…

"I don't know if I'm ok using magecraft against my friends… It's kind of unfair isn't it?"

"Exactly."

It would be rough. Limiting his quirk's output and being unable to use any kind of magecraft.

But wouldn't winning under those conditions mean he was pushing as hard as his friends were?

That was all he could hope for.

"Another important factor to consider," Moriarty said, walking into the simulation room, "Is if you wish for your ties to Chaldea to be known to the world."

Nathan's eyes widened. They'd been keeping it as a loose secret. He would answer if directly asked that he simply lived in and was saved by Chaldea.

"I think that's a little dangerous on this scale don't you?" He asked.

Sherlock had told the commission for hero public safety that Chaldea had a leader that wished to remain in the shadows for their own safety.

That he was that leader was a closely guarded secret. No one outside of Chaldea knew the truth of why he was tied so closely to Chaldea and keeping it that way was important.

Especially considering-

Wait-

"Are you trying to draw them out?" Nathan's eyes widened.

"There we are." Moriarty said with a chuckle, "Yes. That nebulous enemy we've chased all the way to Japan. The one capable of summoning Servants without using the Holy Grail System or Chaldeas. Maybe if you told the whole world you were with Chaldea they would be spurred to move."

It was a risk.

But-

"I… I don't think… I don't think that's the best idea. I don't want my association with Chaldea to damage my prospects at receiving a sponsor." Nathan said very very carefully.

Moriarty studied his master with a calculating gaze before bursting out laughing.

"Wonderful! Truly Excellent! I was worried for a moment you might be willing to take that blow to serve the purposes of Chaldea. I'm glad you came out and rejected it outright! Very well! I'll take my leave," He bowed before turning.

"W- That was a test!?"

"Of course my dear kind Master!"

Moriarty's signature laugh filled the simulation room before the door shut behind him.

"Shall we go another round Master?" Sigurd asked.

"... Sure why not?"

It was the middle of the night, the day before.

Chaldea was usually quiet at night, most of the Heroic Spirits that stayed up tended to themselves in either the rec room or their personal quarters.

But Ushiwakamaru found herself wandering the halls.

The excitement of watching her Master compete the next day had taken away her ability to sleep.

She made her way to the cafeteria. Maybe there'd be something good to eat at least.

"Ah."

Their eyes met as she entered the large room.

Nathan Relnor sat at one of the middle tables illuminated by a small lamp.

"Hi Ushi. What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing Master!" She said, approaching the table.

She felt an odd sensation brush up against her leg. Looking down, she easily identified the culprit. One of the Sphinx kittens was circling her. Upon closer inspection she saw the other two at Nathan's feet.

"Oh. I'm. You know. I couldn't really focus on sleep so I thought I'd have a snack to try and calm down."

He had a cheap cup ramen in front of him.

If Emiya saw such a thing in the cafeteria he would be furious.

Ushiwakamaru's eyes traveled to the seat next to him.

"... You made her one too huh?"

"What?" Nathan looked up at Ushiwakamaru before following her line of sight. He regarded the second cup ramen next to him as if it had just spontaneously materialized, "Oh… I guess I did…"

"I know you made this for Mashu, but do you mind if I sit with you? It would be a shame if it went to waste…"

"Sure. That's fine," Nathan said with a nod before returning to his ramen, "Nothing really beats cheap cup ramen when you're in a mood does it?"

"Of course not! It's the ultimate food to bond with your friends over!" Ushiwakamaru said with a smile.

"I just wish. I just wish they were all still here… I know it's for the best but…"

"Have you called them recently?"

"... No. I keep forgetting and by the time I remember it's too late or too early for them."

"Perhaps make an effort after the sports festival Master. I'm sure they would love to hear from you."

"Yeah… It was just easier when they were all here."

Ushiwakamaru reached out and patted the sulking boy's head.

"Cheer up Master. Tomorrow after you win you can call Mashu and regale her with tales of your victorious campaign against UA."

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds nice."

It was time. The day of the sports festival.

He sat in the designated waiting room for class 1-A.

Due to the villain attack they had completely stolen the spotlight from every other class.

Despite all the attention, Nathan remained calm. It's not like the sky had cracked open and Chaos was staring directly at him with the intent to convert his body into Spiritrons.

He contemplated vaguely that he had an extremely different threshold than the rest of his classmates when it came to feeling nervous.

"I wish we could have worn our hero costumes though…"

"If it's a sports competition they want to level the playing field."

Ojiro and Mina were chatting next to him.

"Mh. Some of us would have quite the unexpected edge if we were allowed such things," Nathan said simply. The mystic codes built into his suit came to mind. But he was also operating at a detriment without it. Without a visor to help compensate for his lack of depth perception he was operating at a handicap from the start.

Iida was yelling at them to complete their preparations.

They would be taking the stage soon.

"Midoriya," Todoroki called out, pulling the curly haired ball of nerves to the side.

"What is it Todoroki-san?"

"On an objective basis I think I'm above you in terms of practical strength."

What a way to start a conversation. It certainly wasn't the worst opener Nathan had been on the receiving end of though.

"You've managed to catch All Might's eye right? I won't pry but… I'm going to beat you."

Ah so he noticed too.

Midoriya and All Might seemed to be more than just a student and teacher. From the similarity of their quirks to how Midoriya seemed to fret over him during USJ. To All Might not stepping in during the joint battle trial and pulling him aside for lunch the other day…

There was connective tissue that Nathan hadn't felt the need to follow up on.

But that was all beside the point. This was a declaration of war.

Kirishima, one of the most friend-shaped of the entire class, told Todoroki to essentially knock it off with the overt hostility. But.

Midoriya rose to the challenge.

He had found his resolve two weeks ago after all.

"I don't know what you want from me, opening up with that. I agree that you're objectively stronger than me. But even so. Even students in non hero courses are aiming for the number one spot. I can't let myself fall behind, so I'm going for it too. With all of my might!"

Nathan smiled.

Even though it had been only a couple of months, Midoriya was making quite the transformation already.

"I don't get it," Mina blurted out.

"Hm?" The table collectively turned towards her.

"Everyone's got it out for Midoriya, but aren't you like super strong? You fought that villain by yourself!"

"That is strange…" Yaoyorozu muttered, "You were also completely overlooked for the student council president despite being on good terms with everyone you've spoken to."

Ah.

"That's just how it is with me I think," Nathan said with a chuckle.

Perhaps it had something to do with his scattered and incomplete training as a magus, allowing him to fly under the radar of anyone who wasn't paying explicit attention to him.

Before they could continue the conversation someone spoke over the chaos of the room.

"It's time for us to take to the stage everyone!" Iida called out.

They walked out into the open together.

The fanfare that greeted them was out of this world.

He was reminded of the battle of New York City that Gilgamesh had hosted for a few years now.

Midoriya looked to the one person he knew would never crumble under pressure.

"T-there's so many people…"

"It's one thing to be told this is one of the biggest events in Japan…" Nathan muttered to himself, "But being here. Yeah. This will be fine."

"Nothing gets to you does it?" Shoji said with a light chuckle.

"I do try my best,"

He felt his heart drop a bit when the other classes of their year were introduced with increasingly less and less vigor.

Pro Hero Midnight took to the stage.

"Settle down everyone!"

The crowd immediately tore into her causing her to snap at them somewhat.

"Player Rep!"

"Well. I'm up I guess," Nathan said evenly.

The students behind him waved him on as he approached the mic.

"You can get closer to it, it won't bite." Midnight said playfully.

"I really can't. I can project though," He said holding his right arm out. He let it spark a little to indicate what exactly his problem was.

"I see. Carry on!"

Nathan took in a deep breath.

"The best advice I've ever been given was to chase impossible dreams. The ones you could never reach push you harder and harder to better yourself. So I am heartened to see that everyone is out here today reaching for the impossible dream of defeating me."

The UA students exploded, throwing all kinds of jeers at him. Each and every one of them bounced off of him to the point where he barely registered them.

"I want to see it! Show me your resolve to reach the top and I will respond in kind! Give me everything you've got!"

He smiled.

He showed the world that indomitable smile filled with an overwhelming inhuman amount of love.

"So place your bets." A man started passing around a hat for people to put their names and their wagers in.

It was a small dive that usually didn't see more than a handful of people at a time, but today it was packed. It was only natural, the sports festival tended to draw a crowd.

The hat made it to a casually dressed woman with long white rabbit ears.

"Hm. I like the look of that one. That's a crazy ass smile if I've ever seen one." She said, sporting her own insane grin.

"Think he'll take it?"

"Might be a chump who knows. Can't judge by appearances nowadays."

"Look at those scars though. Kid's already been through the ringer from the looks of it."

"You betting on him Rumi?"

"You know what? Fuck it. Let's go. I'm one to go all in on crazy."

"I'll say."

"Man shut the hell up."

"Bet he'd make a good intern."

"For who?"

"You!"

"Like hell, I know I saw the smile but I also heard that speech!"

"What? Too chicken to try it?"

She looked back at the TV as he descended the stage. She'd never taken an intern before but she'd also never seen a student smile quite like that before.

"Tell ya what, if he pulls it off I'll throw him an offer."

"Bet."

Chapter 8

"Please do help yourselves to the refreshments. We've got plenty more where that came from!" A portly well dressed man with blonde hair said jovially.

"None of it's poisoned right, Goredolf? We don't have a Nathan here to test this stuff." A middle aged man with dark hair asked as he piled his plate high with sweets.

"Of course not! I made most of it myself! With the utmost care I might add!"

"Dustin's just giving you a hard time," A woman with blond hair said as she sat on one of the three couches situated around a frankly massive flat screen TV.

Such was affordable by the wealth Goredolf had earned during his ownership of Chaldea she assumed.

"Just like old times huh?" Another man with short hair and glasses responded, already thoroughly enjoying the comforts of Goredolf's estate.

"Not quite. Senpai isn't here," A younger girl with lavender hair spoke up.

"Fou Fou!"

In her lap sat a strange furry creature that had no real analog to a normal animal. Something like a cross between a squirrel and a fluffy cat perhaps.

"Well Nathan is who we're all here to see! It's a Chaldea reunion! Shame he never told us he'd managed to get into a prestigious Pro Hero school."

"I'd imagine he's busy managing the servants most of the time Meuniere!"

"Hey don't bring logic into this, we're ex Chaldea staff! We don't need that nonsense Sylvia!"

Yes.

Not long ago Chaldea had a full support staff of scientists and mages to help operate the advanced facility.

But due to the upheaval everything they'd been through had caused they had been forced to part ways. This left Chaldea itself unable to perform some of its more critical functions but…

Perhaps that was for the best.

"Oh! Oh it's starting! I wonder if my boy has grown any!?" Goredolf said like the true doting parent he was.

They watched with bated breath as that Master of Chaldea walked up to the stage and gave his speech.

He challenged every single other competitor directly by declaring the thought of defeating him as an impossible dream. And then they saw it.

That smile that had left their life a little under a year ago.

"Ah."

"Well…"

"He hasn't changed much then."

"Senpai honestly…"

"Fou…"

"MY BOY WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!?"

As the uproar caused by his speech died down Nathan took his place back with the rest of his class.

"With that out of the way we can move directly into our first event! These preliminaries are where a lot of tears are shed every year!" Midnight called out as a display behind her cycled through various challenges.

Was it randomized or was this part of the show?

"The first event is an Obstacle Race!" She said as the display came to a stop.

Probably not that would be a nightmare to set up on the spot.

"A 4km race between all 11 classes that circles the stadium!"

A large gate opened up behind them, grabbing the students' attention.

It was not a big enough gate for all of them to fit through comfortably, Nathan thought to himself idly.

Unfortunately for them it was made out of metal.

"On your marks!"

He flared the scales on his back and began to lightly tug on the top of the gate.

"Get set!"

Sigurd had been right. His main competition today would be Todoroki. The other student who had trouble wielding his quirk due to its potential lethality.

"Go!"

Thankfully he'd decided Midoriya was a bigger rival than Nathan was.

As soon as the signal sounded Nathan launched forward, clearing over the students despite being in the middle of the pack. He soared through the start gate before pushing off of it magnetically, launching himself to the head of the pack.

Todoroki was on his heels, freezing the ground and trapping the students behind him.

He swung his right hand out, sending a cascade of ice up towards Nathan.

But the boy was simply moving too fast to be caught by an attack like that.

Nathan wasn't the only one either. Behind them class 1-A crashed through Todoroki's barricade like it was nothing.

If anything it gave them an advantage.

Their confidence was high.

But this was not an intended obstacle.

Nathan managed to pull himself down and out of the way of a large robotic fist that almost caught him by surprise.

"I suddenly feel less bad about blowing one of these things up."

There were at least a dozen of those massive 0 pointers they'd been told to avoid at the entrance exam.

"AND THEY'VE COME UP ON THE FIRST BARRIER! THE ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic shouted from the commenters booth.

Nathan blinked.

This was supposed to slow him down wasn't it?

The students behind him were briefly knocked off guard by the spectacle before them but Nathan just powered on through.

He was too nimble to be caught by those lumbering machines.

Pulling himself towards one in the back, he weaved through the hulking automatons without losing any momentum. Upon reaching the one in the back he pulled himself over it and came to a stop behind it, giving himself time to build up a charge.

The rest of the students had begun to act by now. A huge ice wave tore its way through the first layer of robots behind him.

At least his lead wouldn't be too commanding.

He released the energy he'd built up and repelled himself from the last robot.

It was nowhere near his maximum unreinforced speed but that was for the best. Moving that fast made turning problematic and he didn't see many large targets for his quirk up ahead.

Despite not being his fastest it was much much faster than running.

With the gentle turn of the course sapping his speed he did not have enough momentum to carry him over the next challenge.

He came to a running stop. He was far enough in the lead that he had a moment to assess the obstacle before him

"OUR FIRST PLACE CONTENDER HAS REACHED THE FAAAALLLLLL! IF YOU TAKE A TUMBLE YOU'RE OUT OF THE RACE BABY!"

It was a massive pit with raised columns connected by rope bridges.

Only.

The ropes were fastened tightly with large metal fixtures. It was probably to accommodate for students with mutation quirks that gave them additional weight.

Those large fasteners made for extremely convenient targets for magnetic pulls. He took to the first rope, planting his left foot and pulling on the far anchor. His scaled foot made sliding a near frictionless affair. As long as he kept his balance this obstacle would do little to slow him down

But his competition was not that far behind him.

Specifically Todoroki and Bakugo.

"LIKE HELL AM I GOING TO LET YOU BEAT ME! IMPOSSIBLE DREAM MY ASS!" Bakugo roared as he completely ignored the rope bridges, using his explosions to propel himself over the fall in a straight line.

His speed was something, but Nathan's lead ensured he was still on the other side of the course before Bakugo.

For the first time since the race started Nathan was forced to run.

Thankfully this was very familiar territory for him. He'd lost count of how many times he'd needed to outrun often inhuman enemies in order to escape with his life.

His left leg had many things it would fail trying, but running was one thing that they had made sure it was designed to handle.

But flying was still faster than running. Bakugo was pulling ahead and Todoroki was not far behind either of them.

"AND HERE COMES THE FINAL BARRIER! A MINEFIELD!"

Bakugo just laughed as he took off. A minefield was not a problem against someone who did not need to touch the ground.

It was a real shame when a bolt of electricity struck him, sending him crashing into the ground and immediately tripping a mine. Nathan watched as that boy was tossed backwards with a small smile on his face. It was petty, sure, but seeing Bakugo lose so much ground so fast was somewhat cathartic after getting to know Midoriya.

He sprinted ahead without a care in the world. They'd made the locations of the mines obvious for students being careful presenting something of a dilemma but for someone who had ventured through actual war zones where people were actively trying to murder him they might as well have put neon signs over them.

Todoroki responded by sending a wave of ice out to try and slow Nathan.

With a crack Nathan's hand split open.

He extended his arc fusion blade behind him, accurately piercing a mine with it. The explosion pushed him forward, but more importantly it disrupted Todoroki's attack.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Bakugo roared as he burst forward, propelled by a relentless series of explosions.

It really was astounding that he rushed straight for Nathan instead of trying to pass him.

Not even Todoroki was surprised when another shock knocked him out of the air and into another mine.

"This may give the people following after me an advantage… But-" Todoroki froze the ground with a layer of ice thick enough to stop the mines from detonating, extending it all the way to the end of the field.

Nathan briefly marveled at the structure before electrocuting its maker and hopping onto the ice path himself. He pushed off, planting his left foot and sliding across the rest of the minefield with an absurd ease. He ran his arc fusion blade behind him, stabbing it deep enough to melt through the ice and trip a few of the mines behind him. He was moving too fast for the explosions to catch him at this point so he mainly just wanted Todoroki to have to stop and remake the path before he could continue his pursuit.

Take every advantage presented to you. Keep your opponents off balance. Survive by any means necessary.

He shook his head. He was not in danger of losing his life. He did not need to fall back into bad habits here...

Leaving the minefield behind him he took to the final stretch.

He had not made his opening remarks lightly. He was painfully aware that he was on a different level than that of his classmates. As a mage. As the Last Master of Humanity. As the Cosmos Denier. He had stood on truly mind boggling stages and survived every last one of them.

As he approached the stadium he latched onto it magnetically. He would finish the race as he started it.

With an energetic tug, he flung himself off the ground, pulling himself well and truly ahead of the rest of the pack. He registered the sound of a massive explosion as he entered the stadium.

"AND THE MAN WHO RETURNS TO THE STADIUM IN TRIUMPH IS NONE OTHER THAN RELNOR NATHAN!"

It was so awkward to hear his name announced to a stadium full of cheering onlookers.

Nathan pulled back on the gate after passing under it in order to slow down to a speed where he could safely hit the ground.

After planting his feet he took a moment to assess himself. He was winded from the run but it passed quickly.

"AAAAND IN SECOND PLACE MIDORIYA IZUKU! WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING THESE KIDS AIZAWA!?"

That caught his surprise.

He'd been so busy with Bakugo and Todoroki for most of the race that he'd almost entirely forgotten the person they'd proclaimed as their rival wasn't him.

From that result Midoirya had certainly earned that position.

Nathan greeted him with a massive smile.

"How the everloving hell did you manage to pass them?" He asked as Bakugo and Todoroki cleared the finish line.

"Dug up the mines and… And used them to catapult myself across the minefield..." Midoriya replied out of breath.

Incredible. And none of his limbs were broken meaning he'd cleared the preliminaries without using his quirk at all.

Nathan held his left fist out and they exchanged a celebratory gesture.

"I wanted to come in first but… You were so far ahead by the time I got to the third stage…"

"Hah. Maybe next time my friend."

He hadn't come in first. But second was absolutely a powerful result for that young man who could only barely control his quirk.

All Might watched on after the pulse pounding race.

"What do you think?"

"For coming in second Midoriya's stock is going to shoot up. But Relnor's? It's probably not going to shift too much, he was already near the top of the top. I didn't really expect him to so easily crush through the favored picks though."

"Marketing him will be pretty easy considering how flashy his quirk is and his presence alone. He'll be a pro to watch out for once he graduates."

The Marketing students were at it again, but All Might couldn't help but agree with them.

It had passed below his notice because Relnor was so quiet at school but he truly was the top contender. Even if the betting pools didn't really reflect that.

Midoriya would have an extremely hard matchup against him when they faced off in the final round.

"Come on my boy. Show the world that you're here!" All Might said under his breath.

Screams surged through a lavish London estate.

"THAT'S MY BOY! THAT'S MY BOY RIGHT THERE!" Goredolf called out as he jumped up from his place on the couch.

"Goredolf-san please calm down," A girl with lavender hair said as she picked up a few pieces of popcorn the man had knocked to the ground.

"Oh! Look Mashu! They managed to restrain that insane boy just a little bit didn't they? Even if he's still crushing the competition."

"Would you expect anything less?" Sylvia said with a chuckle.

"Doesn't look like he's using magic at all. I guess that makes sense. That'd be pretty unfair to the rest of those kids huh?"

"Feh!" Goredolf scoffed, "It's already unfair to those kids simply because they're standing against our idiot boy! Him not using magic does little to narrow the gap!"

"That's true enough."

"I wonder what the next round will be?"

"Fou Fou!"

The rest of the class filtered into the stadium. It looked like most of Class 1-A and 1-B had made it through.

No real surprise there. The heroic department had already received some training in dealing with such things. The real surprise was Shinso's presence.

He really was shooting for the top with everything he had.

Good. Very good.

"It's time for the second round! The finals selection! From here on out it will be a pulse pounding battle to the top so stay on the edge of your seats folks!" Midnight called out from her podium, "The second event will be- A human cavalry battle!"

Nathan felt his life draining out of him in an instant

A ruined stadium where Servants battled against each other using their noble phantasms flashed into his mind.

No.

No…

It would be fine.

They were all humans. There was no danger of any of them suddenly summoning giant robots or sphinxes… Right?

"You ok over there Relnor-san?" Uraraka asked.

"I'm fine," He got out quickly as he reigned his emotions in, "Just… The last cavalry battle I participated in was a lot…"

"The rules are the same as a normal human cavalry battle! You can form teams of 2-4 people forming a horseback configuration! Defend your headband and steal other people's headbands. Now for the twist! You will individually be given points based on how you performed in round one! 42nd place will receive five, 41st will receive ten and so on! With one exception! First place is worth TEN MILLION POINTS!"

Nathan suddenly felt 41 fiery gazes turn towards him.

That made his life a little easier. Sure absolutely everyone would be gunning for him, but that also meant he could build a team purely focused on defense and still win. He just had to strike while the iron was hot.

"The battle will last for 15 minutes! You will be given one headband equal to the total number of points of your team! The person wearing them will be the warhorse rider! Fight! Steal as many headbands as you can! Personally I'd go for the guy with ten million points on his head!"

Everyone became antsy at the prospect of having to team up with the people they just brutalized to get here but that was nothing new for Nathan. In fact he already had a team member or two in mind.

He turned to Midoriya.

"Best of luck my friend. Todoroki and Bakugo aren't the only ones that want to compete with you."

Midoriya turned to him with a fierce smile the likes of which he'd never seen on the boy.

"Right!"

"You have 15 minutes to pick out your teams! Good hunting everyone!"

Nathan immediately approached his first pick.

"You can turn into metal right?" He asked.

He'd caught a glimpse of that boy before he rocketed away from the first obstacle.

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.

"Y-Yeah why?"

"I'd like you to join my team. Do you mind?"

"Why would you want me? Don't you have that Kirishima guy in your class?"

"He's more Bakugo's friend than mine. Besides you have the distinct advantage of turning into metal which is a much better fit for me."

Tetsutetsu's grin grew on his face. He was getting picked over one of those 1-A elites! By the top of the pack even!

"Well! Count me in then!"

"Me too!"

The two of them turned to find a girl with pink hair that was absolutely decked out in support gear.

"You're the ten million boy right!?" She asked excitedly.

"Um." Nathan got out before she continued over him.

"All eyes will be on you so it'll be the perfect time to show off my babies!"

"UM," Both Nathan and Tetsutetsu shouted, now extremely concerned.

"I can gear you out with the best of the best! My own inventions! They'll get you out of any pinch!"

Wait. No actually that could work. Very easily.

"Ok. I want one more," Nathan said.

He marched directly over to the person in question.

"The hell do you want?" Shinso said with a barely repressed sneer.

"You on my team."

He was met with uproarious laughter.

"Are you serious!? I want to crush you, why would I want to work with you!?"

"You're here to impress people right? To make a case for moving from general studies? What's the most difficult position on the field?"

Shinso opened his mouth to mock him further before the gears in his head started spinning.

The answer was obvious wasn't it? The place with everyone's eyes on it. Defending the 10 million point band would be the most grueling trial.

"But why on earth-"

"You made it here didn't you? Even though you're in general studies? I want that resolve on my side. This is your chance to prove yourself. Now come on. Fill us in on how your quirk works while we pick out gear from that support student who's name I forgot to get because I am exactly the kind of asshole you're trying to stomp."

Nathan had started out strong but completely tripped himself up about half way through.

Shinso could only laugh.

"I hate your guts but you sure can make good points. I'm in."

With a team of 4 firmly secured Nathan and Shinso approached the others.

"So my quirk allows me to take over someone's mind if they respond to me. I can only issue simple commands though but once they're under they're under," Shinso explained, "Only ever met one exception."

"Oh. I have no idea why I'm immune to that. I should have gotten hit by it shouldn't I?"

Nathan himself seemed confused at his own perplexing immunity to his quirk.

"What the hell. You're such a monster that you don't even know why it doesn't work?" Shinso couldn't help but laugh in the face of such absurdity.

It was infuriating. This boy was so strong but it didn't seem like he was putting any effort in at all.

He was making the motions but there was no passion behind it. No desire.

Was that why he wanted him on his team? To make up for that deficiency somehow?

"My quirk lets me turn my body to steel! Name's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu by the way!"

"Oh. Right. You all have names," The pink haired girl said as if this was somehow a new concept to her, "I'm Hatsume Mei! The best support student you'll ever find!"

"Wait. 1-A," Shinso pointed to Nathan, "1-B," He followed along to Tetsutetsu, "Support department, and general studies? You going for a diversity pick or something? I'm also not seeing terribly many offensive options here."

"I'll be enough in terms of offense. The only ones that will be able to stop me at all are probably Kaminari and Yaoyorozu. I'm not familiar enough with 1-B to say if you guys will have anything that can resist electricity."

"Nothing comes up off the top of my head."

"Oh. Relnor-san… You've already got quite the team don't you?"

Tenya Iida approached the 4 of them as Hatsume started gently laying out her inventions.

"Ah. Yeah. Sorry. I'm already full up!" Nathan replied with his trademark smile.

"I see. No hard feelings! I am looking forward to competing with you then!"

They gave each other a wave before Nathan returned his attention to his team.

"So why'd you want me on your team anyway? Cuz I can turn into metal right?"

"Yes. You'll be a good anchor for me to push off of and pull myself towards. I'm probably going to need the high speed mobility that can give me. As a team, we have no need for offense. Everyone is going to want to steal our headband so we only need to focus on defense. I will say one of our classes' major weaknesses is that most of them are probably pretty easy to provoke so if you can just nail whoever you can with your quirk Shinso that'd be great. The less people that are on top of us the better."

They discussed strategy for the remaining time, Hatsume handing out some support gear to both Shinso and Nathan.

It bothered Shinso how reactive his strategy was. He was right in that there was no real need to go after anyone but…

"Alright up you go," Tetsutetsu said as they hoisted Nathan on top of their formation.

"You know I'm used to getting carried but not quite this literally," He said with a chuckle.

"Who the hell is strong enough to carry you?"

"I mean are you not doing that right now?"

"You know what I mean."

He only got a chuckle in response to his question. It irked him that even though he was trying so hard to use his quirk Nathan it just wasn't working at all. Surge Scale had nothing that should protect him from mind control so why was Nathan immune?

"Have you all formed your little teams!? I sure hope so! The countdown is starting!"

"There's team Todoroki…" Tetsutetsu muttered, looking at the team of Todoroki, Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari.

"They'll be rough. Todoroki is not much for conversation so I'll have to deal with him," Nathan said, securing his headband.

"THREE!"

Team Bakugo was another problem to watch out for. Bakugo's natural instincts were something to be weary of. There was a chance he was a natural born leader when he had a common goal with others.

"TWO!"

And then there was Team Midoriya. Tokoyami, Uraraka, and a 1-B student he didn't know.

"Who is that Tetsutetsu-san?" Nathan asked.

"Shiozaki-san, she can make vines and stuff,"

Ah. Nothing too worrying then.

"ONE!"

They would all be on them in a moment. Nathan built up power in his right arm. The only team that could defend themselves against his electricity was Kaminari.

"START!"

Every other team moved at once.

They began to converge.

Tetsutetsu immediately used his quirk as they'd discussed.

So Nathan responded in kind. He launched himself off of his metal teammate. At about twenty meters in the air he unleashed a large wave of electricity. It was frankly absurd how easily electricity could incapacitate such a wide variety of opponents.

Of course Kaminari managed to absorb the relatively low level current Nathan had used.

He returned to his warhorse as Todoroki's team sized them up.

"You really are something aren't you electricity bro! We're getting that headband though!"

"Iida. Lets go." Todoroki said.

Iida's quirk fired up as their group got ready to shoot forward.

"Oh? Not gonna fight us yourself buddy?" Shinso said with a smirk.

Todoroki didn't even bother responding.

With Kaminari, they could absorb Nathan's attacks.

With Yaoyorozu they could protect from other potential physical attacks.

So there was only one option.

Nathan pushed off of Tetsutetsu again, flying out of their reach faster than Iida could approach them. Kaminari had to have a maximum amount of electricity he could absorb. Nathan was unwilling to go too far but something had to be done to stop Todoroki.

Speaking of. Todoroki swung his arm, sending out a large wave of ice.

Suddenly Nathan's entire warhorse was frozen in place.

"Shit!" Shinso called out.

As long as he didn't completely freeze Tetsutetsu he was safe to keep hovering. But he really needed his warhorse to be able to move.

"No worries! Hatsume Mei industries is happy to provide an area warmer!" The comically large boots she was wearing opened up. A spray of heated air vented out of the strange contraption.

"You're kidding," Kaminari muttered as he watched the ice melt from their feet.

"Yaoyorozu above!" Todoroki called out.

"Right!" She generated a large insulated blanket to cover their group with, "Kaminari!"

"You got it! I'll take everything you can throw at me electricity bro!"

A blinding surge of electricity struck him from above

Nathan had never seen Kaminari fight beyond the joint training session, but the boy had made the mistake of mentioning his maximum discharge was just over a million volts.

So when five times that limit surged through him there was little he could do. He simply couldn't absorb all of it.

It was a similar problem the Nomu had against All Might. It had a physical shock absorption quirk but that quirk had a limit to how much force it could take.

The boy short circuited as more power than he could handle ran through him.

"Uweeeehhhh…."

"Kaminari-kun are you-" Yaoyorozu said before the insulated blanket got ripped from her hands.

Nathan returned to his warhorse, electricity sparking off his arm.

"Yaoyorozu!"

She did not have enough time to make another insulating blanket.

Lightning struck their entire warhorse once Nathan was safely back atop his.

"The other teams are getting up!"

"There's no need to constantly keep them down, they'll focus on the others now that we've crushed through them. Only the desperate will come our way and that's when the fighting will really start."

Nathan could not maintain a constant barrage and still have the strength for whatever challenges that were yet to come.

Dealing with Kaminari and Todoroki was priority one. They were the only ones that could tear through his team relatively easily. The rest he could handle on his own.

"Let's move back, I don't want to be in the middle of this when everyone gets back to their senses."

And indeed, they were quickly set upon as those teams recovered.

Bakugo shot forward off of his warhorse and moved to attack Nathan.

"Have you really learned nothing?" Nathan said as he flung the insulating blanket at his opponent.

Bakgugo dodged up to avoid getting caught in it.

Electricity passed through his body, threatening to rob him of his consciousness.

Thankfully his warhorse was upon them, Sero catching the seizing teen and pulling him back to the top of their formation.

"Gurh- You!" Bakugo roared.

Nathan's quirk essentially made him near unapproachable. Even Bakugo, who was not the most direct fighter in the world, couldn't get close enough to attack him properly.

Not without using a blast that risked bringing his opponent severe injury.

If they were not holding back Bakugo was confident he'd be able to defeat that strange boy who had somehow risen to the top of the class without him even noticing.

They watched briefly as the other warhorses engaged each other. Somehow the holder of ten million points was going unchallenged. Then again anyone who even veered anywhere near them was immediately electrocuted by that absurd quirk of his.

Hagakure's team had no defense and was turned away immediately.

Shoji's team didn't even bother to engage. Tsuyu knew first hand exactly how powerful Nathan was and decided going for the gold just wasn't worth it.

One of the 1-B teams ran up, Tetsutetsu identifying the leader as Kendo Itsuka.

They were odd. A few body parts swirled around them independently. At least they weren't bleeding or attached to ghosts as far as Nathan could tell.

A wide arc of electricity made them reconsider taking them on one on one.

As they retreated something caught his attention and he fired electricity off to the side.

Dark Shadow was repelled by the light that strike had created.

But the vines that followed were not.

Nathan's arm cracked as his hand split open. The vines were troublesome but they could only reach him if he let them. He extended his arc fusion blade and severed the vines before they could entangle his warhorse.

"God you really have something for everything don't ya?" Shinso said with a begrudging smirk.

As Bakugo readied another charge something distracted him.

His headband was pulled off by a passing warhorse.

"Monoma-san?" Tetsutetsu called out.

"Quirk?"

"He can copy the quirks of people he touches!"

"Mine won't help but Shinso's would be trouble. I'll fry him if he gets close."

Nathan's quirk would not be anywhere near as powerful as he made it seem on anyone else.

His power came from diligent practice, losing a few limbs, and several of history's greatest heroes helping him theorycraft new ways to use his quirk.

Even if Monoma's quirk worked like EMIYA's tracing where he could see the history of the quirk he wouldn't be able to produce the volume of scales he'd need.

Plus removing them would be intensely painful once this was over.

Nathan felt like he should warn his potential opponent but he had other pressing matters to attend to.

Midoriya watched carefully.

He had grabbed two powerful ranged attackers in order to try and deal with Nathan's quirk.

But Nathan proved to be even more powerful than he'd anticipated.

It really was something watching him outmaneuver Todoroki's group.

Having fought them himself while everyone was busy bouncing off of Nathan's team he knew exactly how difficult of a task that was

"You really are it aren't you?" Midoriya said as a smile overtook him.

"Perhaps," Nathan said simply as electricity flared from his back, striking Hagakure's entire warhorse as they attempted to attack from behind.

"You better watch out you hero course bastards. I'm coming to take your number," Shinso said with a smile equally as fierce as Midoriya's.

"I will pull through here!" Midoriya shouted. He hadn't responded to Shinso at all so his quirk could not reach him.

Nathan's warhorse was woefully underdeveloped. But it almost didn't matter. It's rider was so absurd that all he really needed was people who could keep their eyes open for him.

No. Underdeveloped was not the right word.

It perfectly suited him. He brought all of the danger onto himself and had dependable allies waiting to support him.

"Let's go Tokoyami-san!"

"Dark Shadow!"

Darkness rushed towards Nathan who merely pointed his arc fusion blade towards the attack. His hand readjusted ever so slightly, allowing him to extend the blade all the way through the attack.

It was over five meters long.

Midoriya had to wonder as he watched both Dark Shadow and that blade retract.

Where were his limits?

He honestly had no idea.

He'd watched him fight that Nomu.

But he had not left that fight out of exhaustion. He had been forced to stop.

That was the kind of opponent they faced. Someone who could fight a creature meant to counter All Might to a draw without reaching his limits.

"Shiozaki-san!"

Vines came up from under Nathan's warhorse, binding the group in place.

"Yo think something like this will take us down!? After we fought so hard to get here! Answer me!" Shinso roared out.

"I have to advance!" Midoriya answered his determination with his own.

"Gottem," Shinso said as Midoriya went limp.

Nathan simply pointed his right arm at them.

Dark Shadow tentatively approached them, but without Midoriya's direction their coordination faltered.

"Midoriya-san are you ok!?" Uraraka called out.

But the boy remained silent.

Explosions drew Nathan's attention to Bakugo stealing back his headband. Monoma had pissed him the hell off so he wasn't going to stop until he'd taken everything from him.

There was less than a minute left of the competition.

Todoroki's team had recovered, but Kaminari would not make it in time.

Ice started to flower out, surrounding those two standstill teams.

"Trying this again huh Todoroki?" Nathan called out.

"I'm taking that headband."

Shinso glanced over his shoulder to Nathan, "How the hell did you get that guy to respond? You gotta teach me some of this quip shit."

"I just have lots of practice," Nathan said with a smile. His warhorse was pinned and Todoroki's was the most agile on the field considering Iida.

"You know I'm just going to spend the last minute in the air if this is going to be your game plan. It's a lame play but as I said before, I'm not letting anyone defeat me."

Todoroki swung his arm. A gigantic wave of ice shot forward. It would entirely consume them.

Nathan desperately wished he was allowed to use the gate so he could pull some runes for fire magic.

Instead he needed to rely on the heat he could generate from his electricity.

He recreated his arc fusion blade and got ready to cut away whatever he could but with that much ice approaching there was only so much he could do.

So when Hatsume thrust her arm forward and a goddamn flamethrower popped out of her gauntlet Nathan could only marvel.

It wasn't much in the face of that much ice, but through Hatsume and Nathan's efforts they managed to stop themselves from being frozen solid.

"So," Shinso started, "Do you think he meant to give us the perfect defensive structure?"

"No, it's thin up here at the top. Ice is also insulating so I'll have to defend myself the moment they break through right on top of us."

"At least he froze the vines," Tetsutetsu said, shattering his bindings with little effort.

"He's got 40 seconds to make a big play," Nathan said as he started cutting through the side of their ice prison with his arc fusion blade, "I'd rather not be a sitting duck for the first person who punches through the ice above us so let's move."

They burst from the ice only to be met by Todoroki's team once again.

This was going nowhere fast. He had to chase them away and make them consider other targets.

"We're going on the offensive." Nathan said, activating just the outer layer of his scales.

"Wait that's a bad idea!" Shinso shouted.

But it was already too late. Nathan launched off of Tetsutetsu and lashed out.

Todoroki was covered in ice. Nathan knew that he was violently holding back half of his quirk. He didn't know what for, but there was a wall Todoroki needed to break through soon.

He moved to defend with his left, panicked by Nathan's sudden attack.

Fire lapped forth from that arm. But just as soon as it emerged it died out.

"Che- Again-" he heard Todoroki mutter bitterly.

But this was enough of a distraction for Nathan to land a clean blow to that defending arm. Electricity surging through the faltering boy.

"Iida close your eyes!"

Nathan didn't have time to react. The stun grenade went off almost directly in his face. His vision blown away Nathan pulled back magnetically. He could thankfully see through other means, so he found his way back to his warhorse without much effort.

"Guh, can't see shit here Relnor," Shinso called out.

"I can see them, get ready, they're going to want-"

A loud blaring horn cut him off.

The round was over.

They had done it.

They'd kept their headband throughout the whole match.

"Holy hell we did it…" Shinso muttered to himself.

"How did we even... " Tetsutetsu said in a daze as he tried to look at the scoreboard.

Team Midoriya, Team Bakguo, and Team Todoroki held enough points to advance as well.

They waited a moment for the effects of Yaoyorozu's stun grenade to pass.

Nathan simply smiled as he dismounted his warhorse, "Great job everyone. Thank you for all of your support."

"Damn. And here I thought you were just crazy," Shinso said with a smirk.

"And I got to show off my babies!" Hatsume said with a triumphant smile.

"Congratulations on making it to the last round! The next event will be after an hour long lunch break!" Present Mic shouted from the commentary booth.

Nathan looked at his right hand.

Heavy use of his arc fusion blade and magnetic flight was starting to take its toll.

He couldn't stop the trembling that ran through that artificial limb.

"You alright man?" Tetsutetsu asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. It'll need to be replaced after this probably but I came in expecting that."

"R-Replaced?"

Shinso locked onto that boy the moment that word left Tetsutetsu's mouth.

"Yeah! My arm and leg are prosthetics I made out of my quirk! So overusing them tends to damage them. I can just regrow them though but I prefer to do it when I'm at home and I have people watching over me!"

How could he talk about something like that like it was completely normal?

Was he insane?

He had lost a leg to stand on so he built a new one.

He had lost an arm to reach out to people so he built a new one.

Shinso looked at his own hands and clenched them tightly.

Had he been mistaken earlier? If he had that much determination to get back up despite those grievous injuries then why did it seem like he was hardly trying?

"Hey, Relnor,"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to crush you in the finals. Mark my words." Shinso said with an indomitable smile.

"Yeah! I'm looking forward to it!" Nathan replied back with that strange strange smile of his own.

They were swarmed by their collective classes, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki were pulled aside by 1-B as their only qualifying members.

Shinso and Hatsume disappeared into the crowd to make their own preparations.

"You went entirely outside of Class 1-A and came out on top," Iida said as he walked over. He was crestfallen but it was obvious to Nathan that a fire was burning in his heart.

"I didn't mean it as an insult. I simply followed my feelings as to who I wanted to join me. And then Hatsume-san blindsided me anyway," He said with a light chuckle. "I would have liked you or Tokoyami to join me in her place but it looks like it all worked out anyway."

"It is an honor to hear you say that Relnor-san."

Nathan just laughed as yet more 1-A students approached them.

"It sucks to lose but congratulations everyone," Tsuyu said with a smile.

"You were all challenging opponents," Nathan said as they cheered amongst themselves. But being ever observant, Nathan realized something was off.

Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki had gone off somewhere.

It's not like they could have gone far. The next event would be in an hour. He decided to join class 1-A for lunch instead of looking for them.

"This kid's crazy. He picked a bunch of no names he didn't know and still crushed every other class! Half of his team wasn't even in the heroics course!" One of the bar patrons shouted loudly.

"He's crazy all right! My kind of crazy!"

At first that bunny eared woman had regretted potentially taking a chump as her first intern.

His performance in round one eased her doubts.

His performance in round two solidified it as one of the best choices she'd ever made. He didn't need anyone, and his team composition showed it. He did almost all of the heavy lifting all by himself and dragged everyone else along with him.

He was just like her.

That smile too! He looked like he was having the time of his life!

"You would see that outrageous performance and say that you damn carrot fiend."

"Shut the fuck up!"

She would do it.

If he managed to bring the whole thing home and win the third round he would have the honor of being her first intern.

How the hell was she supposed to submit that kind of request again?

Nathan sat with Koda, Shoji, and Ojiro as he let himself decompress somewhat.

"You sure your arm is ok?" Ojiro asked, "Seems like quite the handicap to be going into the third round with."

"It's at about sixty percent," Nathan said with a shrug. "If there are only 15 other students left I shouldn't be in too much trouble."

Koda just signed that he was surprised Nathan was so confident.

"I have to keep that energy up. I challenged everyone at the start of the festival. It wouldn't do anyone any good if I didn't present the ultimate obstacle to overcome after saying all that."

It certainly wouldn't be the first time he reached out to help his opponents.

Had the Lostbelts not been one long run of helping people he was eventually going to have to destroy?

"At least you're taking this somewhat seriously," Shoji said as his eyes fell on Kaminari and Sero speaking feverishly with their female classmates.

"I'm trying my best," Nathan said between mouthfuls of food.

"I am looking forward to watching you compete with everyone else. Shame we didn't make it to the third round but we'll be cheering for you," Ojiro said with a smile.

"I'll be sure to fight as hard as I can for you. Within reason of course. I'm not allowed to go all out here."

"Yeah please don't. I don't think anyone would survive that lightning strike you used against those villains."

Koda signed another question, asking Nathan exactly what that attack was.

"My maximum output," Nathan answered without intending on going into much more detail, "It's basically my super move at this point."

"That you already have a super move…" Shoji muttered, "We have a lot of catching up to do it seems."

"This whole sports festival has made that clear," Ojiro laughed, "You're in a league of your own man."

Nathan didn't want to say that. Todoroki was the kind of opponent he had to take out before he could be taken out. At least he would be if he stopped holding back so much.

It was painfully obvious in his eyes.

A deep resentment paralyzed him.

But for what he couldn't say.

He also honestly wished he could tell them that comparing themselves to him was utterly unfair for them. He'd been fighting for his very life, for the lives of everyone on the planet, for the last five years. He had an ocean of experience over them. He was sure they'd catch up, but for now that experience was an insurmountable wall.

He already stood at the apex of what he was capable of without leaving the realm of a human being.

"Living at a pro hero organization teaches you a few things I guess… I feel like I've got a bit of an edge is all."

They watched as the girls all hurried off, Sero and Kaminari high fiving once they were sure they were out of earshot.

"At least look happy about clearing the first two rounds on top," Shinso said as he approached the table of four.

"You're one to talk," Nathan fired right back. He quickly introduced his new friend to the table before that tired looking purple haired boy took a seat.

Shoji watched as that general studies student that had challenged Bakugo and the rest of their class two weeks ago casually talked to Nathan like they were old friends.

His eyes fell to Nathan.

He had made connections with three strangers that were strong enough to defeat all of his peers in less than 15 minutes.

It was absurd when he thought about it that way, but hadn't he been the same way? All it had taken was one conversation for him to start considering Nathan a good friend.

That was not a power that came from his quirk. That came from somewhere else.

It came from the same place that overwhelming smile came from.

"What the fuck," Nathan muttered as they reentered the stadium.

All of the girls from his class stood in an awkward line.

They each wore matching cheerleading uniforms.

"Is this normal for you lot?" Shinso asked.

"Not in the time I've known them."

He looked over to see Kaminari and Sero giving the girls a thumbs up. They'd clearly been tricked into those uniforms, but Nathan was surprised that they hadn't just up and gone back to the waiting room to change yet.

Hagakure was enjoying herself at least.

"The recreation events will begin shortly! But first! I'm sure you've all been waiting for details about the final event!"

The large screen across the arena lit up displaying a tournament bracket.

"Sixteen combatants! We're pitting them against each other one on one in the Sports Festival Finals Tournament!"

Excitement surged through the participants. They were going to stand on the same stage they saw on TV every year.

"You'll each draw lots to decide your placement!" Midnight called out from her stage, holding a small box in her hands, "It's up to you if you want to participate in the recreational events, I'm sure you'd like to conserve your strength. So! Starting from the top!"

Nathan took to the stage and began rifling around in the box with his left hand.

"You know I didn't pick you for the competitive type but you sure as hell have been pulling through," She said with a wink.

He pulled his number and gave her a nod.

"Sometimes you have to throw gasoline on something to help light a fire. I'm just waiting for someone to burn bright enough to finish me off."

That struck her as odd. Was that even really a personal aspiration? For someone to beat him? Did he not have anything he was fighting for despite the fact that he'd riled every other competitor up against him?

He left the podium without waiting for her reply.

If he could inspire others to work harder he would do it. If he could inspire people to follow their dreams he would do it. If he had to throw himself under the bus to do it…

It was a price he was ready to pay.

The remaining 15 students lined up and took their numbers. Once they had all been placed the large screen changed to show the actual bracket.

"Ashido-san huh?" Nathan muttered.

"GUH! I GOT THE TOUGHEST ONE RIGHT AWAY!?" Mina shouted from behind him.

"Luck of the draw, we're in different halves of the bracket," Shinso said, disappointment evident in his voice.

Shinso had Midoriya round one which was probably a death sentence. Although, without being able to use his quirk properly it would be down to a fistfight if Midoriya kept his mouth shut.

Todoroki was another matter entirely.

Shinso would have to burn that bridge when he got there.

Nathan looked at his side of the tournament, Tokoyami vs Momo would determine his round two opponent. And Bakguo was over there on the far end. He'd probably wind up facing him one way or another.

"Well. This will certainly be interesting," Nathan said to himself as Shinso left his side in favor of skulking up to Midoriya.

He decided not to take part in the recreational events. Midnight had been right, stamina was something he needed to conserve. Especially considering his arm was already a little shaky.

Four rounds. That's all it needed to last.

Surprisingly, despite being tricked into it, the 1-A girls actually started doing a relatively good job at cheering on the students as they lined up to start participating.

Except for two at least.

"You ok?"

Yaoyorozu jumped in surprise.

"Ah! Sorry. I-"

"Got a lot on your mind?" Nathan asked.

"Yes… Well. I'm just trying to think of what to do for my first round."

"Don't you already know of an effective strategy? We fought him in the indoor training exercise."

Yaoyorozu looked at him for a moment.

"You were the one that did all the fighting there-"

"Yes but the plan we went over worked. You've already made the tools needed to defeat him once before, the rest comes down to who wants it more."

It was a bit of an aloof answer, but she had not directly asked him for advice. He was just giving some encouraging words. If she wanted a battle plan on how to accurately take him down he would provide one, but…

Thinking on your feet has its own value.

"... Thank you… I think. I think I have a direction to go in now," She said with a smile.

"Glad to hear it."

"You two talking strategy?" Jiro said as she walked over, "Need any help? Not exactly doing anything else."

"Not the cheering type?" Nathan asked dryly.

"Har har. Can't believe those two, I'm gonna wring their necks first chance I get." Jiro said with perhaps a bit too much malice.

"Still, it doesn't hurt to be a little festive does it?" Yaoyorozu said, now thoroughly snapped out of her doldrums.

"I guess, but still. I'd rather not be tricked into it."

"Where did you guys even get those uniforms so quickly?"

"Oh. I made them,"

Nathan just looked at Yaoyorozu. Vice president of his class and yet she'd been caught hook line and sinker. Perhaps that was because she didn't have much experience with guys like Kaminari.

"So what are you doin over here big guy? Don't you need to rest for the tournament?"

"I am resting," Nathan said simply, "I like having a bit of chaos around me, it reminds me of home. If I went off into a corner to hide I'd just be alone with my thoughts and that doesn't always go well."

"Oh. Huh. I guess I get that. I figured you had a pretty good grip on your nerves though all things considered."

"In direct combat, yes. Otherwise I'm just as bad as Midoriya at times. Although I do tend to keep it to an internal monologue most of the time."

"How many times have you been in direct combat?" Yaoyorozu asked.

His familiarity with it was absurd. He could read a fight to its conclusion before it even started. Plus he'd jumped straight in at USJ. Even Bakugo hadn't responded immediately and he was by far more aggressive than Nathan was.

Nathan just looked at them like they'd spoken another language before opening his mouth and promptly closing it.

"Living in a pro hero organization at the front line of battle has had some challenges, but it's nothing severe." He said vaguely. It was such a nebulous answer that he might as well have said nothing.

But that would have made things even more awkward.

"I should get going, I'm gonna grab some drinks, do you guys need me to bring some for the squad."

"Oh! Yes please!" Mina called out.

He quickly excused himself before retreating to the waiting room for refreshments.

"What kind of answer was that," Yaoyorozu muttered.

"The kind where he didn't want to lie but didn't want to tell the truth," Jiro said sagely, returning to her seated position and simply waiting for the cheering to be over.

Nathan was fighting fifth in the first round so even as the tournament drew closer he had plenty of time to relax.

He figured the best thing to do would be to observe his potential opponents. Thankfully he had company.

Mina sat on his right eagerly chomping away on some provided popcorn. Jiro was next to her, with Yaoyorozu and Shoji on his left.

"So Midoriya's up first eh? Against that Shinso kid? What's his quirk?"

"He can take control of your mind if you verbally respond to him," Nathan supplied, "He can only give simple commands though."

Jiro gulped audibly, "That's terrifying."

"It shouldn't be. Shinso's a good guy. He just wants to be a hero like the rest of us."

"I guess he has to be somewhat good if you picked him for the cavalry battle," Shoji muttered to himself.

Nathan decided to leave out the part where Shinso's quirk didn't work on him for some reason. If the rest of his class saw him casually approach Shinso more often then maybe his reputation would get better.

"What do you think, Nathan?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Midoriya's been hit by that quirk before so maybe he's already figured it out and will be able to avoid it. If he can manage that he's got better physical conditioning than Shinso so it'll be an easy win. If he doesn't… Well… That's just the end of the road. Turn around and walk out of the ring is a simple command."

"A fair assessment… I suppose we'll have to see."

"Oh Oh! I think they're starting soon!"

He didn't know who he wanted to pull for more. He desperately wanted to face off against both of them in the finals.

"Reach out and grasp that impossible dream!" he called out.

Both participants approached the newly completed ring.

The Final event was sure to start with a bang.