Hayze (Narrating): The Sports Festival: One of the biggest and most universally watched events of the year, students are divided by their year, and then the Support, Business, General Studies, and Hero Courses from each class compete against one another in a series of games with students being knocked out after each round, the finalists compete in a tournament at the very end to crown just a single winner, to say that this is a big moment for any aspiring hero at U.A. would be an understatement, this is everything. Almost everyone in the class wants to play it cool and act like they're not worried; after all, most of the time, this festival comes down to a substantial majority of Hero Course Students and maybe a G.S. or support student sprinkled in. Despite this, everyone has been training their butts off; nobody wants to get left out. Now, where does that leave me? Well, I have to win this; Dr. Moore said so; I got lucky this school took me on even though I'm a project at best. I hope I've proven to everyone in my class that I belong here, but now it's time to show them that I'm not just an add-on; I’m someone to worry about, someone that isn't to be looked over. Trust me, I know the world doesn't revolve around me, other people competing in this Festival might have better reasons than me to aim for the top, and they feel the same way about this opportunity. I'll be honest, part of me feels like I’m a cheater because of the way I received my quirk, but as Fatal once told me, "It's not about the quirk; it’s about the person who wields the quirk." Maybe it's me trying to find an excuse for why I shouldn't be guilty, but worrying about that is a waste of time; the quirk is mine, and that's not changing. So, on top of needing to prove to everyone that I'm not someone to be cast aside, I need to prove to myself that I'm more than just my power. I'm a hero.

At night, Silver is annihilating trees out in a forest with barrages of small silver balls. He looks up at the moon.

Silver: (It’s a little past midnight, I should have focused on getting a better night's sleep before the Festival tomorrow, or... I guess I mean today. I just can't get over what happened on the first day; Justus broke free of my silver dust hold. Coming in, I didn’t think any of my classmates would be capable of that, let alone potentially multiple. If anyone figures out how to defeat my perfect defense... I’ll need to be ready to rely on a different form of fighting. Ever since my quirk manifested, I've been looked at as a prodigy. Someone with a ceiling so high, people called me the future #1 when I was just 6. It was hyperbole, but it still stuck with me.)

Silver begins walking home.

Silver: (My quirk was always considered so powerful. That's how I got this nickname; I wasn't the one fighting; it was the silver. The old saying, "a good offense is a good defense," was no more accurate than with my fighting style. I hardly even fight with my hands because virtually nobody has ever gotten past my silver shield. But, my defense isn't as perfect as it seems, and someday someone will figure out how to beat it; I need to be ready for that day. That's why I needed Justus to stay strong. When he broke free of my hold, I got excited that there was someone who had the raw power to land a punch on my silver armor. I must fight him at this Festival. He will be the perfect opponent for me.)

The day of the Sports Festival arrives, the entire event takes place inside a stadium built on U.A.’s campus. Booths are set up outside the stadium, with games, selling various food items, and other standard festival vendors. The stadium is completely filled with excited people, with camera crews and news stations ready to capture the action. There’s an extensive security detail of police and high-ranking heroes on standby. The students of 1-A are gathered inside one of the stadium’s prep rooms.

Jace: Man, I’m nervous about this...

Lilith: Yeah, me too.

Alden: Well, I’m N-

Isaiah: We have a lot on the line today; it’s alright for us to be a little nervous.

Alden: You guys can be-

Aaron: Cheer up, everyone! We’ll all do great; just look at our competition; we just have to beat the losers from Class 1-B and show ‘em who’s boss.

Alexis: I like the optimism Aaron, but I’m sure some of the people here aren’t just nervous about 1-B; guys like you who could shoot jets out of the sky with cannon fire are probably decently high on the fear list.

Aaron: Well, that makes sense, and you’re not?

Alexis: I fear no man.

Aaron: (Confidence, I like it.)

Wes: (There goes Aaron taking charge and freaking people out, they all got to see what his Howitzer Burst attack looks like first hand. If we weren’t friends and I didn’t know a couple of his weaknesses, he’d be one of the last people I’d want to fight here.)

Ash: I’m sure we’ll do our best.

Justus: The optimism is admirable, Ash, but let's be honest, we have no clue what these events will be until the Festival has already started, so unless the challenge says otherwise, we're all enemies once we start off. This Festival has vast implications for our careers as heroes, so friendliness needs to take a backseat.

Kevin: (The guy is a little cold, but he’s right.) Definitely Justus, no hard feelings when I beat you.

Aaron: That’s the spirit! I’m with Justus! No more of this “we’ll all do great” stuff. Some of us won’t, so make sure you try your hardest to not be one of those people!

Wes: Wh- you just… *sighs* Okay, yeah, Aaron.

Karma: (I’m not a fan of tough love, but everyone needed to hear that.)

Zach: Yeah, Justus, I’m gonna try my hardest to come out on top!

Demetri: Gotta get past me first.

Aaron: *puts his hand on Demetri’s shoulder* 20th Place.

Demetri crawls into the fetal position in the corner.

Alden: (Why is he crying? he had the highest number, so he was the best.)

Inside the stadium, a TV screen powers on, showing an announcer.

Boom: Hello everyone, my name is Boom! The sound hero! And welcome to U.A.’s first-year Sports Festival!

The crowd cheers.

Boom: Today, we bring you our youngest students with bright futures to compete for your entertainment! So, without any further delay, here are the students!

Class 1-A walks out into the arena.

Boom: Here are the hero course students of class 1-A!

Everyone is trying not to look nervous.

Wes: (Oh god, so many people to fail in front of!)

Aaron: Wes, don’t pee yourself.

Wes: Too late...

Zach: That’s a lot of people...

Karma: Yeah, and they’re all here to see us. It’s kind of surreal.

Justus: (There’s only one person I hope is watching.)

Blair: (Can’t wait to show all these people and the scouts, more importantly, what I can do.)

Ash: (So many people, I don’t know if I can handle this pressure!)

Hayze: (I’ve never been one to crave being the center of attention, but this is pretty cool.)

Aaron: (Watch out, Silver, Justus, and Kevin, cause #4 is about to win this whole thing.)

Wes: (Oh god is it over yet, nobody is gonna offer me an internship even if I win the dang thing.)

Angel: (I guess we’ll have to put on a good show.)

Alden: (YES! CHEER FOR YOUR CHAMPION! LADIES, I’LL ACCEPT UNDERWEAR OR CHECKS FOR DONATIONS.)

Class 1-B comes out. There are thirteen boys and seven girls. Among them are a boy with flowing blonde hair that almost reaches the ground, A boy with three lumps on his back covered by his shirt, a boy with really sharp canine teeth and claws where his fingernails should be, a girl with a large metal choker around her neck, a girl with weird circles on her palms, a boy who looks like a bird and… a dude who looks like a microphone…

Boom: Now we have the other half of our hero course class 1-B!

Ryan: Hey Tobias, look, it’s Class 1-A!

Tobias: I can’t.

Tobias’ eyes visibly indicate he is blind.

Ryan: Oh right… Hey Seth, look, it's Class 1-A!

Seth: Huh, they seem pretty normal; the ones with wings definitely look weird.

Hailey: Are we just gonna ignore Spring Dude?

Killian: They don’t look half as tough as we are; I can’t wait to show them that we’re the real kings of the hero course!

Romeo: Don’t get ahead of yourself, Killian, never underestimate an opponent!

Killian: Buzz off Romeo, I’ll estimate them however I like. (Man, I hate that pretty boy.)

Whitney: Don’t fight already guys, they’re the real enemy, remember.

Talon: Whitney is right; let’s focus on them before each other.

The General Classes come out.

Boom: Next, we have General Studies classes C, D, and E!

The Support Classes walk out.

Boom: Support Classes F, G, and H!

The Business Classes walk out.

Boom: Business Classes I, J, and K! Give a round of applause to our first years!

The crowd cheers loudly.

Crowd Member 1: Hey, did you guys take a look at this roster? They got some exciting names here.

Crowd Member 2: Yeah, Ryne Verdugo, I remember hearing about him a couple of years back when he was applying for High School; that kid was one of the biggest recruits ever, not surprising to see he got into U.A.

Crowd Member 3: Oh, hell yeah, I can’t wait to see that Silver Storm tear through this competition.

Crowd Member 4: Pfft, you guys shouldn’t be obsessed with him.

Crowd Member 2: What do you mean? Is there someone better?

Crowd Member 4: There is a rumor going around that Justus Grey is the son of Colossus.

All three get excited.

Crowd Member 3: No way! Colossus has a kid?

Crowd Member 1: Wait, but isn’t Colossus in his late 30's? How does he have a 17-year-old kid?

Crowd Member 4: Well, Colossus burst onto the scene out of College and cemented himself as the number 1 hero almost instantly; it wouldn’t surprise me if he “got around.”

Crowd Member 2: Damn, that kid has some big shoes to fill if that’s true.

The stadium has a skybox reserved for the teachers. Fatal and Walker are sitting next to each other.

Fatal: They all look nervous, even the ones trying to hide it.

Walker: It’s a big moment; this is where the strong flex and the weak shrivel. For some of them, they’re about to find out which group they belong to.

Fatal: You always make everything so cut and dry; it’s not the end of the world to screw up here.

Walker: No, but it doesn’t help.

Colossus enters the room.

Colossus: Hello everyone, I thought I'd stop by unless I'm intruding.

Teacher: That’s fine, Colossus! You can watch from here!

Colossus: Thank you.

Colossus sits next to Walker and Fatal.

Walker: What did you come here to ask about Justus?

Colossus: No, I’m actually trying to become an educator here part-time, I’m getting up there in age, so I thought I’d get a start on educating the next generation.

Fatal: Wow, that’s good to hear; I’m sure the students would love having you around.

Colossus: Thank you… Walker, because you brought it up, I’d like to know your thoughts on-

Walker: He’ll do fine... if he keeps his ego in check.

Colossus: Yeah, that runs in the family, unfortunately...

Walker: He's by far one of the strongest students in his year, but there is something I don't get.

Colossus: What’s that?

Walker: Many of his classmates have started realizing that hero gear can supplement their quirk and help increase their power and abilities… but him... his costume is generic, and he relies purely on his quirk; any idea why?

Colossus: *looks down* Not to get too personal, but it wasn’t the best “choice” to have a child right when my career started; I didn’t have any time for him, which wasn’t fair at all. He wants to surpass me as the number 1 hero; he views it almost like a birthright, almost like the throne belongs to him as long as he can take it from me. He doesn’t want any help along the way, he wants to beat me with just his strength alone, but I don’t think he understands that his version of my quirk isn’t as strong as the original. He needs help but won’t accept it because he views it as a weakness.

Walker: I could have figured that out; he has daddy issues written all over him. I’m just wondering how he thinks he’ll get stronger by just doing the same thing over and over; I’d almost say losing to his peers today might get that message through his head that he needs to work smarter.

Colossus looks concerned.

Boom: Okay, everyone! Now it’s time for the first game of the Sports Festival to get underway; here to announce and monitor our first years is none other than our own Madame Mummy! Her entire body is made out of bandages that allow her to ensnare her enemies, perfect for wrangling up any rule breakers!

Madame Mummy: Yay... sports festival woo...

Wes: (Could she sound any less enthused…)

Madame Mummy: I’m sure you all know how the Sports Festival works, so without further ado let’s see what the first contest will be:

A screen behind Madame Mummy starts to cycle through challenges until it stops on: Maze Race.

Madame Mummy: Maze Race, you will all be put into a maze that will be virtually formed around you with our BattleTech Holographic Generator; the first 40 students to make it to the end of the maze will advance to round two. As long as you do not leave the maze, stand on the walls themselves, destroy the walls or fly over it, anything goes. Also, the order in which you finish will matter for the next challenge, so try to get through the maze as quickly as you can.)

Hayze: (Sounds simple enough, but she’s probably not telling us everything.)

Wes: (There’s like 200 people competing, and I have to be in the top 40! HOW?)

Aaron: (It sounds like there’s no rule saying we can’t work together, good. With Wes around, I can boost my attacks.)

Madame Mummy: Everyone, head to the far right of the stadium.

All of the students stand waiting for the challenge to start; the projectors form a massive maze in front of them with just one exit and one entrance. They all stand at the ready.

Silver: (Just one entrance for all of us, this will get interesting quick.)

Justus: (I will come in first place and show everyone I’m not 2nd best.)

Blair: (I’m gonna kick so many people’s asses!)

Inside the broadcasting booth, Boom is joined by Multi.

Boom: And now we have our Color Commentator, Multi, joining me!

Multi: Pleasure to be watching these great games and giving my insight.

Boom: What are your thoughts on this first challenge?

Multi: Well, it's gonna be a tough one; we have 11 classes with 20 students apiece, so that’s 220 total; That entrance is a massive bottleneck, so if I had to guess, only about 60 will even make it into the maze.

Boom: Why such a low number that’s only around 30% of the students.

A loud buzzer goes off, signifying the start of the race. A wave of Silver’s dust flows beneath everyone. Burying their feet. Silver runs ahead toward the maze while all the other students are trapped.

Multi: Because you just need one person to ruin it for everyone else.

Silver: (With my dust spread so thin, the hold will be weaker than usual).

Blair: SILVER! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I WILL CASTRATE YOU.

Many members of class 1-A start to break free, along with members of Class 1-B. Jake teleports in front of Silver.

Silver: (Crap, he might try to stop me.)

Silver runs past Jake.

Jake: Why did I teleport here again?

Jake gets trampled by the rest of the pack that broke free. The groups begin to separate as they enter the maze. Killian is running on all fours leading a large portion of Class 1-B through the maze.

Killian: How many of us made it through that kid’s attack?

Bruno: Everyone except Mike, Gavin, Ryan, Alec, Tobias, Whitney, Verity, and Desiree.

Hailey: 12 out of 20 is good; the others can catch up later.

Sydney: Filip, freeze the path behind us so the others know to follow.

Filip: Roger.

Filip begins leaving a sheet of black ice coating the ground behind them.

Killian: We’ve got this in the bag! Those 1-A losers didn’t think ahead like us; with my enhanced sense of smell, I can lead us right to the end of the maze with no problem. Talon left a feather by on the other side of the stadium, so I’m following his scent!

Reed: Yeah, good thinking, guys.

Killian turns the corner quickly, but he comes to a grinding halt. The rest of his class stops behind him. There’s a giant pit of lava in front of them.

Killian: Dammit! This is the right way, but how do we get around this!

Bruno runs past him and jumps into the pool of lava. The crowd gasps, but Bruno emerges unscathed, as he has transformed his entire body into diamond, including his clothes… thankfully.

Bruno: Sorry, friends, but I must win this!

Sydney: That bastard!

Talon starts flying over the lava and Bruno.

Killian: Not you too, Talon!

Talon: We’re supposed to be showing off for the scouts, remember? I’d be remiss to not showcase my abilities as a falcon!

Killian: YOU FUCKING CHICKEN, GET BACK HERE!

Reed: Killian, let’s just try to find another way!

Silver is running through the maze, with Justus hot on his tail.

Silver: As expected, me in front with Justus right behind; let’s keep it that way.

Further behind them, many members of 1-A are making their way through the maze. Aaron, Kevin, and Wes are progressing, the girls are working together, and Zach and Hayze are off by themselves. Hayze turns a corner and runs into a ‘familiar' face.

Tara: Oh, hey, it’s you!

Hayze: (Oh god, it’s her...) Hey Tara… I didn’t know you’d be in the Sports Festival...

Tara: I'm a first-year, of course, I am! *whispers* Don't worry, I have a secret weapon.

Hayze: *sighs* Please don’t tell me you brought… that…

Tara: *laughs* WHEN THE TIME COMES.

Hayze: You’re going to make time come! Literally!

Tara laughs maniacally.

Tara: Follow me; I have a plan!

Hayze: This is gonna go poorly, but I’m also pretty far behind, so it couldn’t hurt.

Up in the broadcast booth...

Boom: Man, some of the students are really making progress!

Multi: And some are not…

They look down at Alden, the only one left stuck in Silver’s silver dust. Jake is finally starting to get up after being trampled at the start.

Jake: *groans* That hurt… Oh, hey Alden!

Alden: *sobs* Please, HELP ME!

Silver is reaching the end of the maze. As he arrives, he sees that there’s a large atrium leading to the exit at the end; the room appears to be empty, so Silver starts to walk forward, but a landmine goes off beneath him, sending him flying back into the maze.

Silver: SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

Justus walks up after seeing what happened to Silver.

Justus: (Well, he’s taken care of, now for me to try and win this. But, I have to figure out where some of these mines are.)

Talon comes flying in behind him.

Talon: Out of the way!

As he passes Justus, Justus grabs Talon’s back leg and throws him onto the minefield, sending him flying back into the maze.

Talon: YOU ASSHOLE!

Justus: (There, now I can see a pattern of sorts. If I'm careful, I can walk through here, no problem, it may not be the fastest method, but it should work.)

Bruno, Kevin, Aaron, and Wes arrive.

Wes: Oh boy… How are we going to get through this?

Aaron: I could just blow all the mines up.

Wes: That would probably take a while…

Aaron: Yeah, but it would be fun!

Bruno turns his body into diamond and starts running through the minefield, detonating the mines and taking zero damage. Kevin, Wes, and Aaron follow his path.

Justus: (Damn! They’ll get there before I do at this rate. Only one thing to do!)

Justus reaches into the ground, digs up a mine, and throws it like a frisbee at Bruno. Bruno ducks to dodge, so the mine starts going at Wes.

Wes: OH SHIT!

Wes panics and turns himself into a mirror, reflecting the mine back at Bruno, sending him flying forward and on a flurry of mines that blow him back into the maze.

Bruno: YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIT!

Aaron: WES WHAT THE FUCK!

Wes: I PANICKED, OKAY!

Aaron: WE NEEDED HIM MORE THAN YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN IT LIKE A MAN!

Wes: NO!

Justus continues sneaking along. Many other students from 1-A and 1-B have arrived at this point, including Silver again. Everyone is trying to sneak through without blowing up.

Silver: (Now that I know what I’m up against, this will be easy.)

Silver forms a mound of silver dust to ride on and starts flying over the minefield; as he passes over Justus, Justus grabs the pile and is somehow able to stop Silver’s advance.

Silver: (How strong is this guy!)

Justus: I will not finish 2nd again!

Jake and Alden are at the start of the maze still. Jake walks over to a struggling Alden.

Jake: Hey, mind giving me a boost?

Alden: Yes!

Jake: Thanks, man.

Alden: No, I-

Jake climbs on top of Alden’s shoulders and jumps up, and teleports.

Alden: WHAT THE FUCK!

Cut to Justus and Silver fighting near the exit. Jake teleports on Silver’s mound.

Silver: What the hell! Where did you come from?

Jake: I thought I’d say hi.

Justus: You’re going down, Silver!

Silver looks up and sees the other students getting closer. He thinks for a moment and looks back at Jake.

Silver: Hey… do you mind teleporting me to the finish?

Jake: What’s in it for me?

Silver: Um… chicken nuggets?

Jake: How many?

Silver: eight… *sees Jake’s stern face* ...ty.

Jake’s eyes light up.

Jake: LET’S GO!

Jake grabs Silver’s shoulder and teleports them to the finish. Justus looks on, infuriated.

Justus: Now I have to settle for 3rd! I’ll get you for this, Jake!

Boom: AND OUR FIRST PLACE WINNER OF THE MAZE RACE IS JAKE KOPECH, 2ND PLACE IS RYNE VERDUGO! WHO WILL TAKE THE BRONZE MEDAL?

Justus looks back and sees some of the students have nearly caught up. He starts to run through as fast as he can, disregarding the mines. This strategy works out as he approaches the exit, but a hole in the ground opens; Tara jumps out holding a massive electric drill.

Tara: MY PLAN WORKED; WE CAN WIN!

Hayze comes crawling out.

Hayze: She wouldn’t stop making digging puns...

Tara: Just be happy my butt was in front of you the whole time.

Hayze: I’m not happy about that, and it was pitch black anyway.

Tara: Liar!

Hayze: What!

Boom: THIRD PLACE IS TARA BLACKWELL, and FOURTH IS ADAM HAYZE! JUSTUS GREY IS FIFTH PLACE!

Justus is visibly angry.

Justus: (Not good enough!)

Tara: THIRD! I WANT FIRST! RESCIND THAT TROPHY FROM THEM AND GIVE IT TO ME!

Aaron runs up, Wes right behind him, then Kevin.

Aaron: Isn’t what you did cheating?

Tara: Nope, the rules never said we couldn’t go under!

Wes: Well, that’s some kind of loophole.

Hayze: Yeah… it was...

Kevin: Finished better than us...

Many students begin finishing. The placements were in this order:

#1 Jake Kopech #11 Karma Montgomery #21 Ryan Gay #31 Reed Grier #2 Ryne Verdugo #12 Alexis Meadows #22 Gavin Thompson #32 Fabio Flores #3 Tara Blackwell #13 Blair Maddox #23 Alec Vyxon #33 Seth Waller #4 Adam Hayze #14 Eve Avery #24 Tobias Ingram #34 Romeo Julian #5 Justus Grey #15 Ash Wright #25 Mike Hitchcock #35 Sydney Bowers #6 Aaron Zamora #16 Zach Crawford #26 Whitney White #36 Charlotte Matthews #7 Wes Zunino #17 Demetri Perish #27 Verity Larson #37 Ester Clarke #8 Kevin Bohm #18 Isaiah Ware #28 Desiree Bautista #38 Hailey Stone #9 Angel Northcroft #19 Gus Riggs #29 Killian Calhoun #39 Talon Stafford #10 Lilith Weber #20 Jace Neil #30 Filip Fredrik #40 Bruno Nurkic

The 40 remaining students gather up near the center, and the classes start talking to each other.

Zach: Man, Alden was the only hero course student not to finish in the top 40, bummer for him.

Gus: Yes, but the other 19 of us finished in the top 20. Class 1-B screwed themselves over.

Silver: They booby-trapped the pathway that was the fastest to the finish, a clever way to halt cheaters.

Ash: We all did really well, except Alden, but the rest of us were great. *To Hayze* When did you get ahead of us?

Hayze: Oh, Tara kind of roped me into her plan. It went about as well as could be expected.

Ash: Well, it got you to 4th place, so that’s worth something, right? How did you meet her?

Tara pops up out of nowhere.

Tara: He walked in on me fondling an invention of mine.

Hayze: Why would you phrase it like that...

Tara: I WON US THE CHALLENGE! I’LL PHRASE THINGS HOW I LIKE!

Hayze: YOU GOT THIRD PLACE!

Tara: But I'm first in the audience's hearts!

Hayze: 22nd at best, maybe lower.

Ash just looks confused. Alden is sitting in the eliminated 1-A students stands all by himself.

Alden: *crying* I tried so hard! Why couldn’t I have won! *cries louder*

Class 1-A watches their classmate humiliate himself.

Jace: You think he’s okay?

Jake: Maybe I should have taken him with me; I kind of left him there to lose.

Jace: You did what?

Class 2-B laments their poor performance.

Ryan: You guys abandoned us and then got yourselves stuck! If we had hung together, we could have won the challenge, but instead, we got 21st through 40th!

Killian: Blame the douche and bird brain for leaving the rest of us behind and then getting blown up!

Talon: I was thrown into a mine! How is it my fault!

Sydney: Calm down! We’re all still here; we can still take these 1-A losers down in the next round, as long as we made the cut; it doesn’t matter where we placed.

Killian: *scoffs* Fine.

Talon: Whatever.

Sydney: Besides, next time… we’ll show them what we really can do…