hotmtlnovel Chapter 74: NO. 74 - Confidence
Chapter 74: NO. 74 - Confidence
Chapter 74: NO. 74 - Confidence
[General POV]
"What an interesting use of Quirks." Nezu watched the ongoing relay race from the floating Jumbotrons over the center of the Festival stadium.
There were several different angles showing off dozens of the racing students. Throughout the race, these students used their Quirks to help them overcome the obstacles and challenges in their way. Each use of their abilities showed off their creativity and skill.
"Those with speed-based Quirks hold the advantage in this game. At least during the straightforward running portions." A man wearing a stereotypical Western cowboy hat said. This was the Pro Hero Sniper, a member of UA's teaching staff.
Beside him within the luxury box were several other UA teaching staff members who were made up of several more pro heroes. Heroes including Eraser Head, Midnight, Vlad King, Hound Dog, Ectoplasm, Moonlight, and Recovery Girl.
"This year's class 1-A is a little underwhelming." Vlad King said with his arms crossed as he watched those within the heroics course performing with mediocrity. "At least class 1-B has some shining stars."
Midnight nodded as she and Hound Dog watched those within class 1-B leading the race. There were even some students who had already cleared the finish line. Cementing their place for the next round of games. Dow below in the stadium, All those who had finished the race were bathed with cheers and applause.
"Hmm, it seems that there are some students within the General Education course with some promise." Recovery Girl said with a smile as she watched Tajima Yuu clear all of the obstacles with several ingenious uses of his Quirk.
Others like Muraoka Kohaku, Hoshino Jurou, Ike Mitsuko, and Ishimoto Keiichi were all performing exceptionally well as they neared the finish line.
"We may have several potential transfers this year." Nezu grinned and turned to their newest staff member, class 1-D's homeroom teacher, Shin'ya Onemu. "Your students are brimming with potential, Moonlight. If they continue to perform at this level, they may end up leaving your class."
"It's fine; this is UA, after all." Moonlight said tiredly as she watched her students perform. "Joining the Hero course is several of these kids' dreams, after all."
Nezu nodded in agreement. He and everyone watched as several more teams crossed the finish line. His small, beady eyes then moved back up at the Jumbotron to see one of the teams who were lagging behind.
"Ah, there he is. UA's lone Quirkless student." Nezu said with a smile as he watched Shimizu Souta patiently wait for his teammate, Chino Shizuko, to clear her final obstacle. "What a shame. I was excited to see how he would have performed on the second game, but I'm afraid he and his team may not clear the finish line before it's too late."
Off to the side, Eraser Head remained silent as his tired eyes remained glued on Souta and Shizuko. He watched with growing interest as Shizuko used her Quirk to fly over the obstacle in front of her, but due to her rashness, she ended up flying off the pillar of stone she had created.
"Oh dear."
Recovery Girl muttered as she watched Shizuko fall to the ground at a fast speed. Injury seemed all but certain. But before she, the blue-haired girl could fall, Souta leaped high into the air and caught her effortlessly.
"How curious." Nezu frowned as he watched the black-haired boy gently place Shizuko down. "That was an incredible display of physical strength and speed."
"Almost too incredible," Snipe muttered with suspicion. "Could Shimizu have lied about his Quirkless status? That move he performed shouldn't be possible without a Quirk. He leaped well over three meters into the air."
"He's Quirkless." Eraser Head said, gaining everyone's attention. "I used my Quirk on him during a spar he had with one of his classmates, and nothing changed. The only logical reason for this is that Shimizu either trained his body to its utmost limits or was born with incredible physical prowess. Either way, his combat and physical abilities are on a completely different level than his peers."
On the screen, Souta grabbed his team's baton and leaned forward. In an instant, the boy all but exploded forward with incredible speed. Quickly, Souta began to catch up and even started to surpass all those who had a significant head-start on him in record time.
"That speed... it's comparable to the top athletes in the Olympics before Quriks first appeared. And he's doing it without breaking a sweat." Eraser Head said with a slight grin. "This kid."
"Ever since the first appearance of Quirks in Qing Qing City, China. It's been proven that the human body has undergone a small form of evolution to better handle their new powers." Nezu began saying with an intrigued smile as he watched Souta outperforming his peers. "This has caused a small boost of strength, speed, and durability to the average person from one generation to the next. But I've never seen it to such an extent! Shimizu Souta... how interesting!"
x x x
[Shimizu Souta POV]
"It seems that a few teams have crossed the finish line," I muttered as I leaped over another jutting mechanical barrier with ease. "There's only a few slots left... I guess I should speed up a little."
My eyes scanned the obstacle in front of me, which was a series of metal barriers as tall as 3-5 meters that rose and fell randomly from the slots on the ground. Off to my side, my fellow competitors were either waiting for the barriers to fall so they could vault over, or they would use their Quirks to help them over them.
With a grin on my face, I dashed forward and ran up the barriers with ease. Using my strength, I dug my feet into the metal to use as footholds to keep me vertical. Reaching the top, I jumped off the 5-meter-tall barrier and utilized the following obstacles as stepping stones to clear the challenge within a few seconds. Leaving behind several shocked students.
"What the hell?! I thought he was Quirkless?!"
"Such speed..."
"Shit! Shit! I'm not gonna lose!"
Landing on the track, I burst forward and effortlessly passed several running students far off at my sides. Reaching my next obstacle, I saw a deep ditch with floating platforms hovering in the sky.
A large portion of Classes 1-A and B were present while a few scattered Gen Ed and Support students stood around. As expected, most of the teams that were formed were composed of those within their own classes. Some familiar faces I could see from my class were Yuu, Jurou, Keiichi, and Kohaku.
"Looks like most of our class didn't make it in." I looked over to all those who failed to make it into the second round of games off to the side of the upcoming dodgeball arena.
They all stood with dejected expressions as the rules for their own recreational games were explained. Within the group, I could see Toshio, Mitsuko, Kazuhiro, and the rest of my classmates. Turning to me, Toshio's pathetic face noticed me standing with a jersey and began to cry. I waved at him with a shit-eating grin.
[+10 SP]
"How did Shimizu make it in and not me?!" Toshio cried to the heavens as he fell to his knees. "Damn it all!!"
"Shimizu-san." Hearing my name, I turned and saw Yuu standing in front of me with a challenging grin. His red jersey hanging loosely on his chest. "I knew you would make it to the next round. Just to let you know, I don't plan on losing this time."
Off behind me, Himiko, Hikari, and Shizuko all watched Yuu and I with curious eyes. Grinning, I rubbed the back of my head and looked over at his own team. Kohaku and two other students belonging to the popular group all stared at me with small glares.
Kawabata Yukio had long black hair pulled into a ponytail. He had a blue headband over his eyes, but somehow, he could still see. His Quirk was called One Second Flash; it allowed him to see into the future for one second, but he had to hold his breath for a minute to activate his power.
Takano Naoki was a blonde-haired girl with pink highlights and fluffy eyelashes. Her Quirk, Unmovable, allowed her to plant herself wherever she chose like a tree. Naoki's ability essentially made her into an unmovable object.
"I can't believe he made it to the second round." Naoki huffed and turned away. Beside her, Yukio nodded and dismissed me.
"Whatever, he'll lose here."
I ignored their snide little comments and nodded at Yuu. "let's hope so. If you lose to me here, you won't have any excuses since you're free to use your Quirk this time."
[+8 SP]
The two of us eyed one another a bit longer before Yuu nodded and walked off to his team. "Good luck, Shimizu-san. I'll see you at the finals."
"Yeah, you all better run!" Himiko called out to Naoki and Yukio as they walked off. "Just so you know, I have a red rubber ball with your names on it!"
"H-Himiko-chan! Don't antagonize them!" Hikari squeaked out as she pulled back an irritated Himiko away. "We don't need a strong team like that targeting us!"
"Let them come!"
Feeling a tug on my jersey, I turned to see Shizuko looking up at me with curiosity.
"Shimizu-san, I apologize if this sounds rude, but given that you are Quirkless, I suggest we avoid direct attack strategies. Instead, we should focus on guerrilla warfare to prolong our efforts as much as possible." Shizuko pointed to the side of the stadium, where the urban battleground was located. "By using that area as our primary battleground, we can utilize our surroundings to help us evade incoming attacks."
"Impressive. In addition to your high intelligence, you also have a talent for strategy," I said, glancing at the ticking clock above us. We had less than a minute before the game began. "But don't worry about me because I don't have a Quirk. Just focus on developing a strategy to help us win."
[+5 SP]
"Very well. I'll revise our attack strategy to improve our chances of winning. However, there's something about you that confuses me. Despite lacking a meta ability, you seem the most confident among everyone here. How do you do it?" Shizuko asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. "Where do you find all that confidence?"
"Why am I so confident?" I muttered as I leaned down to stare into her eyes with a grin on my face.
"That answer to that is easy. It's because I'm strong."
-
AN:
Hello, everyone. I have a quick announcement to make.
Even though I'm currently on a break from writing this story, I can't help but start planning and drafting my next story idea. This new story will be a blend of elements and themes from various stories and media that I enjoy, all set in a familiar location. Drawing from what I've learned so far, I plan to outline the story and develop the characters thoroughly instead of writing it Chapter by Chapter (which is what I have been doing so far...)
I'm really excited to start writing the story, but I want to avoid repeating the mistakes I've made in the past. Instead of diving headfirst into the narrative, I will ensure that every character and story beat serves a purpose in the overall plot.
I'm sure not many of my current readers will like or read my new story, but I hope you all give it a chance when I release the first Chapter.
Here's a hint on where the new story will take place: The land of endless creativity and blocks.
With my piece said, I'll see you all next time!