As soon as the event was announced, the students were asked to line up, the only thing they could see right now was a narrow tunnel, marking the real start of the race.
Each class was required to stand together.
Souta exchanged some words with his friends and classmates, while readying up himself.
It didn't take long, before everyone was ready.
Present Mic's voice broke the tense atmosphere, just at this moment. "Are you ready?! Even if you're not, the race will start. Ready… Set… GO!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all hell broke loose. Hundreds of students, from all different courses began sprinting, using their quirks to gain advantages.
One of them was Souta, as soon as he saw the tunnel, he knew that there would undoubtedly happen something inside of it. Either some kind of trap installed by the school, or some contestant who wanted to hinder everyone else.
Therefore, to not get hindered by anyone else, Souta sped up immediately, his whole body engulfed in his blue flames. This was one of the techniques he had trained.
Nova Body.
The principle was relatively easy, he spread his flames across his whole body, using them as both a protective shield, an attack weapon and also as a means to propel himself forward. Even flying was possible with this.
Souta wasn't sure, if he could use this technique in the Sports Festival before, but after receiving the special Uniform, these worries faded. Now he was ready for everything.
Seeing his brother rush forward, Shoto couldn't hold back too much. He created an ice lane just below his feet to skate forwards, using the heat residue from Souta's flames to heat up immediately afterwards.
The twins were the first to reach the tunnel, some other relatively close behind, like Bakugo or Iida.
Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers, "And it's the Todoroki twins leading the charge! Souta with that incredible flame propulsion, and Shoto, ice-skating like he's on a frozen lake! Talk about a coordinated start!"
In the stands, the pro heroes watched with keen interest. Hawks, sitting a few rows away, leaned back with a lazy grin, commenting, "Those two are something else, huh? That blue flame is intense, and the ice is so precise. Wonder what their agency applications will look like."
Mirko, sitting beside Ryukyu, scoffed. "Show-offs. But effective, I'll give them that. That Souta kid's power... it's triggering my instincts. And that ice... if not for the heat, then you could probably feel that cold even from here."
Ryukyu nodded in agreement. "They both have incredible potential. It's clear they've trained hard. That level of control, especially under pressure... it's impressive."
Nevertheless, as if coordinated, both twins used their Ice sides at the same time, nearly freezing the whole tunnel. Behind them a huge and thick wall, entirely of ice had formed, completely stopping everyone else behind them.
Present Mic's voice crackled with excitement, "WOAH! What a move by the young Todoroki! He has completely iced over the tunnel entrance! Talk about a strategic play! Or... a bit of a cold shoulder, literally!"
Behind the ice wall, chaos erupted. Bakugo, who had just been gaining momentum, slammed into the ice, barely managing to avoid a face-plant. He roared, explosions crackling around him. "YOU ICY BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU BOTH! I'LL BLAST YOU TO SMITHEREENS!" His voice echoed through the frozen tunnel.
Mina, sliding on the ice, shouted, "Are you kidding me?! This is so slippery! My acid is nearly useless here!"
Iida, his engines sputtering slightly from the sudden temperature drop, tried to rally his classmates. "Everyone, we should work together to overcome this obstacle!"
Both of them just continued on without looking back even once. This wasn't just a sports event for the two of them. Both saw this as a chance to compete, even better if they gathered attention from Pro Heroes while doing so.
Behind them, other contestants were already working on getting through the ice wall.
Bakugo was nearly seething in rage; the wall formed nearly directly in front of his face. He just barely managed to not crash in face first. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to kill both of them.
Still, before he could do that, he needed to get through the ice, his explosions working wonders, for most of the layers. At one point the ice reached a deeper shade of blue, the ice left produced by Souta. He needed nearly double the amount of time and explosives to get through these parts, compared to the other layers.
Others, either used their distinct quirks to make it through the tunnel or worked temporarily together to get through this part. Though, everyone could agree on one thing, they were all pissed about the twins. Even their own classmates.
Back in the stands, Hawks whistled. "Talk about making an entrance... or rather, an exit for everyone else. They're not making any friends, that's for sure."
Ryukyu watched the screen intently, her expression thoughtful. "It's a bold move. They're clearly prioritizing speed and control over everything else. It will be interesting to see how this strategy plays out."
Mirko grinned, a predatory glint in her eyes. "Doesn't matter if it was bold. What matters is they're fast, and they're strong. And they're definitely making a statement."
Regardless, Souta and Shoto reached the end of the tunnel and arrived on an open field, towering robots in sight. The Zero Pointers from the entrance exams. Behind the robotic giants, were some of the two and three pointers placed.
The duo continued undeterred as if not even noticing the obstacles, but as soon as they came into the range of the robots, they changed their attitudes.
Both couldn't help but see these robots less as an obstacle and more as another opportunity to delay their contenders. And that's what they did. Souta began flying further up, till he reached the height of the closest Zero Pointers Head, and mixing together his Flame output and his full cowling at 10 percent, obviously hidden beneath his flame cloak, to crush the head of the robot.
It didn't completely destroy the head, but it was enough to melt the most parts of it, his full cowling assisting in bringing the flames directly into the robot.
Present Mic was going wild, "AND SOUTA TODOROKI IS TAKING TO THE SKIES! HE'S MELTING THAT ZERO POINTER LIKE IT'S BUTTER! WHAT A SHOW OF POWER!"
And Shoto? He went low, completely freezing one leg of another robot that was already in motion, causing it to crash heavily into the ground.
"AND SHOTO TODOROKI TAKES OUT A ROBOT FROM BELOW! IT'S A TODOROKI TWIN TAKEDOWN!" Present Mic yelled.
The crowd cheered louder and louder. The Pro heroes writing down the duo's names and their capabilities, already hoping for them to choose their agencies for the coming internship, though with relatively little expectations.
Slowly, the other participants began to emerge from the tunnel, led by Bakugo, who was already flying through the air, explosions propelling him forward. He was still shouting, his voice echoing across the field. "YOU HALF-AND-HALF BASTARDS! DON'T THINK YOU'VE WON YET! I'M COMING FOR YOU!" His face was a mask of furious determination; his eyes fixed on the distant figures of the Todoroki twins.
---
With the robotic giants now wrecked or disabled, the open field stretched before them - the path leading straight into the next deadly challenge.
A massive chasm yawned across the ground.
The Pit.
From the starting ledge, there were narrow platforms scattered across, each barely wide enough for one foot - some stationary, some tilting dangerously at the lightest touch.
Souta and Shoto barely slowed down.
Shoto flicked his wrist, quickly icing over the nearest few platforms to stabilize them, then skating across the frozen patches with speed and grace.
Souta, meanwhile, blazed forward - quite literally.
He didn't bother trying to step carefully. Instead, he unleashed a powerful flare burst, rocketing himself forward with controlled, precise movements.
Blue fire blazed beneath him, like wings made of sheer willpower. The onlookers couldn't even say anymore if they saw a giant fireball or a an angel basked in flames fly over the chasm.
His flight wasn't smooth – not entirely, at one point, Souta unleashed another pulse of propulsion, lightly underestimating it's power – falling in return, but Souta twisted midair, kicking off from a platform below him, and caught himself with a burst of CryoPyre at his back to stabilize his descent.
Present Mic was practically shrieking into the mic: "LOOK AT THAT MOVE, FOLKS! SOUTA TODOROKI, DEFYING GRAVITY AND COMMON SENSE!"
In the stands, Hawks let out a low whistle.
"Kid's got instincts. Bet half of that wasn't even planned. Pure adaptation."
In her seat, Mirko was grinning fiercely, eyes gleaming with battle-hungry excitement. "Now that's someone I'd like to fight." Her mind just for a moment thinking about how, 'Would he fight me, if I invite him for an Internship?'
---
Meanwhile, back on the field:
Bakugo stormed forward, blasting platform after platform with furious explosions to propel himself faster across the pit - half-destroying the obstacle in the process. "OUTTA MY WAY, EXTRAS!!"
Behind him, Iida sped across with mechanical precision, carefully timing his movements with his engines firing in perfect bursts.
Midoriya, eyes sharp and calculating, mirrored Souta's approach - using controlled bursts of Full Cowling to leap with incredible agility from spot to spot, each step sparking green lightning underfoot.
Mina, Kirishima, and others fought their way forward too - some slipping, some barely catching themselves - but one thing was clear: The leaders of this race were setting a brutal pace.
---
Finally, after a grueling few moments - Souta and Shoto reached the far ledge.
As if having an unspoken agreement, both came down to the ground, running, barely even sparing a glance back.
Ahead was the final obstacle.
The Minefield.
Hundreds of landmines dotted the terrain, buried under loose dirt, sparkling slightly in the sunlight.
One wrong step could mean getting launched into the air - or worse, falling behind.
Souta slowed briefly, surveying the field.
This... this could work to my advantage.
He glanced at Shoto, who had the same kind of expression as him on his face. This just caused Souta to smirk slightly.
Then, without warning - Souta punched the ground at his feet.
A focused blast of his CryoPyre exploded outward, a mix of both of his sides, sending a controlled shockwave through the surface - detonating dozens of mines all at once, ahead of him, clearing a path through sheer force.
The resulting explosions sent up a rain of dirt and smoke - but Souta didn't stop.
He surged forward, using the cloud of smoke to hide his ice. Souta used a similar method to Shoto's, generating ice right under his feet and releasing a burst of flame from his back.
The result?
He basically flew across the minefield, popping out of the smoke cloud in nearly an instant.
"HE'S USING THE MINEFIELD AS A BOOST?! WHAT KIND OF MAD GENIUS IS THIS?!?!" Present Mic's voice was practically hysterical.
Behind him, Shoto took a slightly more controlled approach - freezing the ground as he moved, locking down any mines he stepped near, creating a sleek frozen path across the field.
Bakugo came barreling in next, laughing like a maniac as he blew up the mines he couldn't dodge - launching himself forward on pure destructive momentum.
Iida and Midoriya were neck and neck behind him, weaving through the dangerous ground with pure technique and timing.
---
Souta burst through the last stretch first - face set in fierce determination, blue flames crackling around him, boots skimming the ground.
The finish line shimmered ahead - and he pushed harder, feeling the raw exhilaration of flight, speed, power.
Nothing else mattered now.
Not the crowd.
Not the pro heroes.
Not even the competition.
Just the race. Just the goal.
He crossed the finish line in a flash of brilliant blue fire, first place locked in with a triumphant blaze.
The crowd roared, the stadium nearly shaking with the force of their cheers.
Present Mic was going wild: "AND FIRST PLACE GOES TO SOUTA TODOROKI!! WHAT A FINISH!! WHAT A SPECTACLE!!"
---
Moments later:
Shoto slid across the line next, barely seconds behind, ice trailing in his wake -
stoic, but a glint of disappointment flashing across his face.
Bakugo launched himself in with a deafening explosion, skidding to a halt just past the line, teeth bared in a wild, furious grin. "TCH. DAMN BASTARDS. I'LL BLOW YOU BOTH UP NEXT TIME!"
Iida crossed next, arms pumping, engine legs steaming from overuse but posture still perfectly upright.
Then Midoriya, breathing hard but grinning wide, green lightning sparking around him.
---
Back in the stands:
The Pro Heroes were all standing now - talking rapidly, scribbling notes, analyzing everything.
Hawks flashed a lazy two-fingered salute toward the finish line, murmuring under his breath: "Souta Todoroki. Remember the name, folks. Kid's gonna set the hero world on fire."
Back in their own seats, Ryukyu nodded approvingly.
Mirko cracked her knuckles, the predatory smile still lingering. "Good. Real good. Let's see if they can keep that up."
And Endeavor, standing rigid in his spot, watched with an unreadable expression.
The embers of pride. The shadows of regret. The glimmer of something... more.
---
Back on the field
Souta stood, breathing hard but smiling - the taste of victory bright on his tongue.
Shoto approached him first, offering a hand. Souta bumped it with his fist instead, a silent show of brotherly pride.
"Good race," Shoto said quietly, a rare warmth in his tone.
"Next time," Souta replied, grin sharpening, "I'm aiming for an even bigger gap."
Shoto just rolled his eyes in exasperation - and for a moment, they weren't just twins.
They were rivals, Brothers, and Heroes in the making.
And this?
This was just the beginning.